Slimmer and lighter Galaxy Z Fold ‘Special Edition’ launches in Korea

Andrew Romero | Oct 21 2024 - 6:09 am PT

Samsung has officially announced the release of a new foldable in the lineup. The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition will be exclusive to Korea as a thinner and lighter version of the global variant.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is one of the best foldables we’ve seen become available over the years, but it lacks the punch that some other options have packed. It’s still one of the thickest models with a camera, and that’s just fine, though the entirety of the hardware is still very good.

Apparently, Samsung planned to address those concerns all along, but only in it’s HQ nation of South Korea. The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition comes in as a lighter and thinner folable, hitting 10.6mm thick compared to the Fold 6’s 12.1mm height. The weight difference is a little more negligible at around 3g. The internal and external displays are slightly larger too, at 8 inches across with a 20:18 aspect ratio.

The phone also comes as a more capable device with 165GB of RAM. Samsung positions this change as one that’ll facilitate better Galaxy AI performance. That’s coupled with a familiar Snapsdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC.

The most noticeable difference in the Special Edition is the rear panel and camera array. The back glass is now striped and offers a nice contrast to the flat colors we’re used to seeing. The Galaxy Z Fold variant will only be available in the “Black Shadow” colorway.

The cameras above sit in a camera bar that’s somewhat unfamiliar. It’s squared off compared to the more round array on the Fold 6. Not only that, but Samsung has equipped the model with a 200MP sensor for “more vivid and clear photos.”

The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition will be exclusive to South Korea for the time being. It may make its way to China, but it’s unlikely it’ll be a global release. The next version of the Z Fold series might take some design cues from this version, and we’d expect to see something as thin or thinner from Samsung in the Fold 7 series.