beyond the alphabet
Beyond the Alphabet is a weekly column focused on the world of technology in and around Mountain View.
Samsung did it. The company has released a foldable phone that looks like it’s three years old, offering meaningful upgrades along the way. The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition seems to be everything I wanted from the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
I ended up settling on the original Galaxy Z Fold 6, as Samsung introduced some solid upgrades. Samsung also continues to offer some of my favorite experiences in foldable smartphones, simply because of the flexibility the software provides. That was until the Pixel 9 Pro Fold arrived on my doorstep. For me, it’s a smartphone that I have a hard time letting go of.
What’s really troubling about the whole situation is that the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition proves that Samsung knows its customers want something different. This also proves that the company can produce a foldable phone that ticks all the boxes. It’s not something we didn’t already know, especially after some people were able to check out a prototype as part of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 launch.
However, when I look at the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and OnePlus Open next to the Z Fold 6, I can’t help but feel that they are not on the same level. I know it’s more powerful, has more RAM, and can be used with the S Pen, but I’m not too excited about it. Instead, it evokes a similar feeling to what you felt with the original Pixel Fold. It looked like it belonged in 2020, not 2023.
Google has fixed this situation with its latest foldable smartphone. Meanwhile, Samsung has updated the SoC, added AI features, and made the Fold 6 a little more boxy. The main camera sensor is 3 years old, and while I sometimes think the remote control style design is good, I don’t like it. everytime I only want to open it to use my phone.
The Z Fold Special Edition is what the Fold 6 should be, at least from my perspective. First, the camera has been significantly upgraded, going from a 50MP sensor to a 200MP sensor. Even if it were the same ISOCELL HP2 sensor from 2023 instead of the HP3, it’s still quite an upgrade. In fact, it is should The ISOCELL HP3, which is also included in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, is fine, but I’ll use whatever I can get.
In case you’re wondering why a bigger sensor is so important, it’s not just that “bigger numbers = better.” That’s true, but you’re not actually shooting 200MP images. Learn more about pixel binning. However, it essentially packs more pixels into the sensor, allowing it to capture more light and detail.
So if you take a 12MP “binned” photo with the S24 Ultra and a 12MP photo with the Fold 6 in the same scenario, you’re likely to notice a difference. Software processing can help bridge the gap and potentially give you wall-worthy results. But considering the cost, that’s a compromise that shouldn’t be made.
There’s no room for compromise, especially when you’re talking about a phone that comes with a camera and costs close to $2,000.
If an improved model is released, the price will definitely go up. The same goes for the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, which costs 2,789,600 won, or about $2,035. Frankly, I was surprised that the price wasn’t much higher, but perhaps that’s why the Fold 6 is available in global markets, while the Special Edition is limited to South Korea and China. It may be showing.
Profit margins are fickle and if there’s one thing we know, it’s that if something new comes out and the price is high, people will complain. In some cases, it doesn’t even matter what upgrades or improvements were made because people look away at the higher price tag.
As a result, Samsung will likely be able to mass-produce small-scale improvements while also enjoying higher profits as materials become cheaper over time. Additionally, Samsung can continue to attract niche markets without raising prices to keep customers satisfied and profits increasing.
I believe this is why Samsung hasn’t released any truly innovative upgrades to the Galaxy Z Fold line. First, flip phones are a niche market, and book flip phones are even more niche. The Galaxy Z Flip is a “trendy” phone for many people because it’s much lighter and takes up less space than the Fold.
It also doesn’t help that Samsung’s sales appear to be down at least 10% compared to last year’s Fold 5 and Flip 5. We don’t know the details, but pre-orders for the 2024 lineup are reportedly set at 60/. It is divided into 40 parts, with Flip 6 being the more popular. Some might argue that this is a chicken-and-egg situation, but we have no idea what the sales will be if the Z Fold Special Edition is released as the Fold 6.
I don’t care about profit margins or that this latest version is only available in Korea and China. What bothers me is that Samsung could have done more and chose not to. It doesn’t matter if it’s real or not. There’s no way an $1,800 phone could have a worse camera than a $600 phone, even if it folds in half.
Samsung, please bring the special edition to America.
