For the first time in the Galaxy Fold family's five-year history, Samsung is reportedly preparing to release a "Slim" version of its book-style foldable handset by the end of 2024, but before getting too excited about that, you might want to take note of a brand-new social media rumor.
This comes from one of the most prolific and reliable sources of inside information on unannounced Galaxy products over the last few years, and together with the details purportedly revealed by an equally trustworthy X leaker about a month ago, it paints the Z Fold 6 Slim an interesting but somewhat murky picture.
Will Samsung exclusively sell the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim in China?
Unfortunately, that's a very real possibility at this moment, although it's obviously far from etched in stone. What seems all but guaranteed is that Samsung will bring a device called W25 to the world's largest smartphone market in October with a lighter and thinner body than the "standard" Galaxy Z Fold 6, as well as more screen real estate, and surprisingly or not, no S Pen support.
That name, in case you're wondering, is not as random as it might sound to someone living in the Western Hemisphere, closely connecting to the W24 label applied to a special China-exclusive edition of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 offered with 1TB storage and a super-premium ceramic construction last fall.
The Z Fold 6 Slim is obviously expected to be slimmer than the Z Fold 6 (rendered here by a reliable source).
While the Samsung W25 is consequently unlikely to ever make its way outside of the most populous nation in the world, we're definitely going to continue to hope that the phone will (eventually) be released in other regions under the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim moniker.
For the time being, all the W25/Z Fold 6 Slim specs are under wraps, but with the "normal" Z Fold 6 recently tipped to measure 12.1mm in folded thickness and 5.6mm in unfolded form, it's hard not to salivate at the thought of an even thinner foldable powerhouse with a larger-than-7.6-inch primary display.
Even without stylus functionality, that sounds like an instant heavyweight contender for the title of best foldable phone money can buy in 2024, most likely eclipsing the OnePlus Open and Google Pixel Fold in the screen size and product thickness departments while potentially rivaling the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro with its huge 8.03-inch main display and wasp 5.2mm waist.
What's going on with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra and Z Fold 6 FE?
Because it continues to seem highly unlikely that Samsung is preparing to add four different members to the Galaxy Z Fold family in the coming months, it's natural to wonder if perhaps this Slim variant and that FE model rumored a couple of times of late are actually one and the same.
That's why Ice Universe is tackling the theory head-on, explicitly debunking it and highlighting that the W25 "has a titanium frame", which is what we also expect from the Z Fold 6. That suggests a possible Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE (or Z Fold FE) would come with a slightly lower-quality aluminum frame, just as the Z Fold 5 does.
Last year's Galaxy Z Fold 5 is by no means an ugly or bulky device. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
The Z Fold 6 Ultra, meanwhile, is obviously sure to rock a state-of-the-art titanium construction... if it's real and if Samsung doesn't decide to cancel that particular model prior to its debut. Unfortunately, both the Ultra and FE versions of the company's next big (mainstream) foldable could be released in limited numbers in just one or two Asian markets, which is likely to infuriate a lot of hardcore Galaxy fans in a lot of Western countries.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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