Samsung has removed any doubts that may have existed regarding the new Galaxy Z Fold model that will be launched this year. If previous leaks aren’t enough to convince you, Samsung finally made an official announcement today, confirming that the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is as real as it gets.
The question on everyone’s mind is how this Special Edition Fold differs from the Galaxy Z Fold 6 that came out just a few months ago.
One big difference is that Special Edition phones likely won’t be released in Western markets. Samsung just announced this product in South Korea, and it’s expected to go on sale later this week, and eventually to China. It probably won’t be released in most other regions where the Galaxy Z Fold 6 already exists.
Before we dive into the hardware and design differences between the two foldable models, you should also know that Samsung didn’t go into too much detail about its Special Edition phones in today’s announcement.
For example, nothing was said about charging speeds or firmware support policies, and very little was said about construction materials.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition vs Fold 6: Form factor, size, and design
Samsung says the new special edition phone is the thinnest and lightest Galaxy Fold yet. It’s only 10.6 mm thinner, has a larger footprint, but is also slightly lighter, weighing 236 grams instead of 239 grams.
- Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition unfolded dimensions: 157.9×142.6×4.9mm.
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 unfolded dimensions: 153.5×132.6×5.6mm.
- Folded Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition dimensions: 157.9×72.8×10.6mm.
- Folded Galaxy Z Fold 6 dimensions: 153.5×68.1×12.1.
The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is wider and has a wider display aspect ratio for both the foldable and cover screens. This means that using a cover screen is more natural and familiar for slab-type smartphone users.
- Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition foldable screen aspect ratio: 20:18.
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 foldable screen aspect ratio: 4:3.
- Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition cover screen aspect ratio: 21:9.
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 cover screen aspect ratio: 22.1:9.
The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is made of metal and glass with a striped pattern on the back. The front and back are protected with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and the frame is made of aluminum, or Samsung’s preferred Armor Aluminum.
The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition also has an IP48 rating, just like the Z Fold 6. In terms of colors, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 comes in only one color: Black Shadow.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition and Fold 6: Display specifications
Samsung hasn’t revealed much about the display yet, and whether the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition uses an improved foldable panel or boasts higher brightness on either the foldable panel or the cover panel. It is unknown whether
Similarly, there’s no mention of S Pen support or whether the special edition will feature another type of technology to replace the standard digitizer, as previously rumored.
Here’s what Samsung revealed:
- main display: 8.0 inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex (20:18 aspect ratio).
- Cover display: 6.5-inch dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with 21:9 aspect ratio.
Both panels supposedly support 120Hz. Overall, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition has a bigger and wider display than the standard version. Galaxy Z Fold 6 is equipped with a 7.6-inch foldable cover panel and a 6.3-inch cover panel.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition vs Fold 6: Hardware specs, camera
The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition appears to use the same hardware components as the Fold 6, including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 “For Galaxy” chip with higher clock speeds. This chip debuted in the Galaxy S24 Ultra and is also used in the Z Fold 6.
There’s also a 4,400mAh battery with no charging speed specified, but again, we’re assuming it’s the same.
What has changed, however, is that the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition comes standard with 16GB of RAM. Samsung says the extra RAM will allow the phone to tackle Galaxy AI tasks more easily. The phone ships with One UI 6.1.1.
The Special Edition has just one storage option of 512GB, while the Galaxy Z Fold 6 offers 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB of storage.
As for the cameras, everything seems to be the same, from the telephoto to the under-panel 4MP camera. Except for one important upgrade: Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition Comes with 200MP primary camera Instead of a 50MP unit.
Finally, Samsung says the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition supports Wi-Fi 7. The only other Samsung devices that support Wi-Fi 7 are the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. Galaxy Z Fold 6 is awesome with Wi-Fi 6e.
Price comparison between Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition and Fold 6
The final question is how much more expensive is the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition than the Fold 6, and the answer is around $300. More specifically:
- 512GB Galaxy Z Fold 6 price without special discounts: 2,388,100 won ($1,743).
- The Galaxy Z Special Edition will go on sale in South Korea later this week. 2,789,600 won ($2,036).
Pricing in other markets is unknown, but as mentioned above, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition may be limited to South Korea and China. We will let you know as soon as we know the details.
