The long-rumored third foldable phone line by Samsung has been intermittently called Z Fold Ultra, Z Fold FE, and even Z Fold Slim because it is expected to have the thinnest frame Samsung can muster on a bendy handset.
It might, however, be called the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, or Z Fold SE, as opposed to the Fan Edition lines of Samsung that usually come as value-for-money takes on its flagship series.
An influx of Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition specs and certification leaks indicates an imminent launch, and we have also recently been treated to a treasure trove of info regarding its screen size, exact dimensions, or 200MP sensor camera specifics.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition display specs. | Image credit – Evan Blass @ evleaks/X
The Special Edition of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is expected to come with a larger, 8-inch inner display, and a 6.5-inch cover screen on the outside. It will reportedly clock in at 10.6 mm when closed, or at 4.9 mm thickness when open.
Funny enough, the new Z Fold will be slightly thicker when closed than Google's Pixel 9 Fold Pro that Google deems to be the thinnest foldable phone in a weird flex, as that's only true in certain markets. In all other markets where the Honor Magic V3 will be sold, it will wipe the floor with both Google's and Samsung's foldables in terms of design elegance.
Samsung reportedly tried to take on the likes of Honor, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Huawei or OnePlus by starting to develop a foldable phone that is as thin as theirs, but more durable. This turned out an impossible task, so it reportedly iced its plans to release a slimmer model of the venerable Galaxy Z Fold line. The launch was that was slated to join Samsung's 2024 foldable phones crop, but was rescheduled, and for a long time it was not clear if it will happen at all.
When Samsung designed the Z Fold Special Edition, it eschewed some of the features available in the Z Fold 6 to achieve both lower production costs, and a thinner body. It planned to ship it without an S Pen stylus, for instance, hence skip the digitizer layer and make the phone thinner.
Faced with the more elegant foldables from the competition, Samsung reportedly thought that it didn't manage to add enough value to differentiate the SE from the competition. It was then set on making it tougher and more durable, but when it added the needed water-resistance and ingress protection designs, the phone became thicker than Samsung would've liked.
Ultimately, however, Samsung decided that it is worth releasing it under the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition moniker, and see where the chips may fall, especially if it stressed on its durability in the marketing materials.
Granted, it hasn't managed to make it thinner than the Chinese foldables, but it has tried to make it a bit tougher, at least on paper. According to renowned display analyst Ross Young, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition will be released in September, the bulk of it will go to the Chinese market, and it will sport a UFG display cover.
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UFG refers to UTG with uneven thickness, thinner in the seam where it folds, thicker elsewhere to enable a thicker chemical strengthening step resulting in improved scratch resistance, better durability, etc.
UTG stands for ultrathin glass, and that is what Samsung is using on the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The ultra flexible glass (UFG) cover of its Special Edition sibling, however, will be thicker all around for added toughness, and only thinner at the crease, whose visibility has been more pronounced on Samsung's foldables than on the current crop of Chinese foldable phones.
Long story short, Samsung may have decided that the Z Fold SE may not be the thinnest foldable out there, but will be worth releasing because of the added durability that components like the UFG cover glass bring. It remains to be seen if the market will be of the same opinion, especially if the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is priced at the rumored $2,200 tag.
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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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