As a huge supporter of the Olympic Games for over a decade, Samsung announced it would continue the tradition of releasing Olympic Edition Galaxy devices this year. And today, the company confirmed the exclusive Galaxy Z Flip 6 Olympic Edition for athletes competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Unfortunately for anyone else but Olympians, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 Olympic Edition is not for sale. No money will ever be enough to buy this exclusive device — at least not through official channels from Samsung.
However, everyone will be able to have a look at the device from July 12, once it is displayed at select locations, including the Olympic Rendezvous Champs-Elysees 125 Experience Store Samsung opened in April.
Samsung, in collaboration with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and IPC (International Paralympic Committee), will give athletes a head start by gifting them the Galaxy Z Flip 6 Olympic Edition early, on July 18, before the standard model goes on sale on July 24.
There is a good reason for this early access, as this year, Samsung's exclusive Olympic Edition phone will play a much bigger role than any of its predecessors.
What's different about the Galaxy Z Flip 6 Olympic Edition?
By giving athletes early access to the Galaxy Z Flip 6 Olympic Edition, Samsung intends to help them on their journey in Paris. Galaxy AI is at the forefront of the user experience, and Samsung hopes that athletes will find features like Live Translation, Interpreter, and Composer useful.
In addition, athletes will benefit from 100GB 5G data from Orange, which will be preloaded on an eSIM, and two years of global warranty. The phone also comes with official IOC apps, including Athlete365, Olympic Shop, Paris 2024, Transport Accred App, and IOC hotline.
Furthermore, thanks to a partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, athletes can use Samsung Wallet to get free beverages from vending machines located throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Village.
Likewise, through a partnership with Ile-de-France Mobilites, Samsung will give athletes an unlimited public transport access card with which they can tour Paris.
As for the phone itself, Samsung describes the Galaxy Z Flip 6 Olympic Edition as having a striking yellow colorway with Olympic rings and the Paralympic Agitos logo in gold.
Our story continues after the Galaxy Z Flip 6 hands-on video…
Aside from the unique finish, Samsung also partnered with Parisian Men's Luxury House Berluti, who designed Team France's official Paris 2024 outfits, to create a FlipSuite Case made from Venezia leather.
A first in the Olympic and Paralympic Games history
In 2024, Samsung went one extra step to make the exclusive Olympic Edition smartphone even more special than ever. This year, for the first time in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games history, a smartphone will be present on the podium.
The usual rules state that athletes can't bring personal belongings, such as phones, to the ceremony. As such, traditionally, the podium was always photographed by accredited media from afar.
However, this year, for the first time in history, the IOC will allow athletes to bring their phones, i.e., the Galaxy Z Flip 6 Olympic Edition, to the Paris 2024 podium, where they will take selfies and upload them in real-time to the official Athlete365 app.
There's no sign that Samsung will ever sell this exclusive phone to the general public. But if you're not an Olympian, you can at least pre-order the standard Galaxy Z Flip 6. It doesn't offer free beverages and transport passes through the Wallet app but boasts the same Galaxy AI capabilities and fantastic design.
