Honor beats Samsung sales even before the thinnest foldable phone launch

Apparently, Honor has taken the reins there, even before it releases the thinnest foldable phone globally tomorrow at a dedicated event during the IFA 2024 expo. It will be thinner than the special Z Fold edition, and still beat it in specs and pricing.

With the advent of the Magic V3, things may become even more dire for Samsung in Europe, as it has already been surpassed in China where Huawei's foldables, but also the models from Oppo, Xiaomi, Vivo, and other local brands reign supreme.

Even when closed, the Magic V3 is only 9.2mm and weighs just 226g, or less than 8 ounces. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 30% thicker at 0.22 inches (12.1 mm) when closed, even though Samsung slimmed it down compared to its predecessors. The Z Fold Special Edition, on the other hand, will be 10.5 mm thick when closed, still a fatso compared to the V3.

Faced with that growing foldable phone competition, Samsung reportedly wanted to set the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition apart by making it tougher and more durable than the Chinese foldables. It added water-resistance and ingress protection designs, but that made the phone thicker than other Chinese foldables, let alone the upcoming Honor Magic V3 that is just incredibly thin and light.

Still, Samsung is now of the opinion that the added durability is worth a shot, and The Elec is reporting that it will release a limited batch of Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition phones next month to test the market acceptance. It might be more expensive than the Z Fold 6, though, so it still remains to be seen how Samsung's foldable phones battle with the Chinese brands will unfold.