Samsung has removed any doubt that may have existed regarding a new Galaxy Z Fold model coming this year. If all the leaks so far haven't convinced you, well, Samsung finally made things official today and confirmed that the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is as real as can be.
The question on everyone's mind is how this Special Edition Fold differs from the Galaxy Z Fold 6, the latter of which debuted mere months ago.
One big difference is that the Special Edition phone likely won't be released in Western markets. Samsung just announced it in South Korea, where it will go on sale later this week, and it will eventually reach China as well. It probably won't be released in most other regions where the Galaxy Z Fold 6 already exists.
Before we dive deeper 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 the Special Edition phone in today's announcement.
For instance, there was no mention of things like charging speeds and firmware support policy, and very little was said about building materials.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition vs Fold 6: Form factor, size, design
Samsung says the new Special Edition phone is the thinnest and lightest Galaxy Fold ever. It's only 10.6mm thin, it has a larger footprint, but is also marginally lighter, tipping the scales at 236 grams instead of 239.
- Unfolded Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition dimensions: 157.9 x 142.6 x 4.9mm.
- Unfolded Galaxy Z Fold 6 dimensions: 153.5 x 132.6 x 5.6mm.
- Folded Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition dimensions: 157.9 x 72.8 x 10.6mm.
- Folded Galaxy Z Fold 6 dimensions: 153.5 x 68.1 x 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 using the cover screen feels more natural and familiar to 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 and has a stripe pattern at the back. The front and back are protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2, while the frame is made of aluminum, or Armor Aluminum as Samsung likes to call it.
The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition also has an IP48 rating, just like the Z Fold 6. Color-wise, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will only be available in one: Black Shadow.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition vs Fold 6: Display specifications
Samsung hasn't revealed much about the displays yet, and we don't know whether the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition uses an improved foldable panel or boasts higher brightness for either the foldable or cover panels.
Likewise, there was no mention of S Pen support or whether or not the Special Edition has a different kind of technology that replaces standard digitizers, as previously rumored.
Here is what Samsung revealed:
- Main display: 8.0-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex with 20:18 aspect ratio.
- Cover Display: 6.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with 21:9 aspect ratio.
We're guessing both panels support 120Hz. All in all, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition has larger and wider displays than the standard version. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is equipped with 7.6-inch foldable and 6.3-inch cover panels.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition vs Fold 6: S Pen support
Here's a bit of a doozy. The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition doesn't have S Pen support. Samsung's online store page for Korea confirmed this nugget of information.
With that in mind, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a clear advantage in this category. It's still the best foldable phone with S Pen support, even if it's a bit awkward, lacks a holster, needs a special S Pen, and costs extra.
For Fold fans who don't care about the S Pen, the Special Edition might offer better value. But the iconic S Pen is gone nonetheless, and that's an extra point for the standard Fold 6 model.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition vs Fold 6: Hardware specs, cameras
For the most part, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition seemingly uses the same hardware components as the Fold 6, including the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 “For Galaxy” chip, which has higher clock speeds. The chip debuted with the Galaxy S24 Ultra and is also used by the Z Fold 6.
There's also a 4,400mAh battery with unspecified charging speeds, but once again, we're guessing it's the same.
However, what has changed is that the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition sports 16GB of RAM as standard. Samsung says the additional RAM helps the phone tackle Galaxy AI tasks with more ease. The phone ships with One UI 6.1.1.
The Special Edition features only one storage option of 512GB, whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is offered with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB of storage.
As for cameras, everything, from telephoto to the Under-Panel 4MP camera, appears to be the same. Except for one substantial upgrade: The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition comes with a 200MP primary camera instead of a 50MP unit.
Lastly, Samsung says the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition supports Wi-Fi 7. The only other Samsung devices to support Wi-Fi 7 are the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 tops out at Wi-Fi 6e.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition vs Fold 6 pricing
The final question is how much more the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition costs than the Fold 6, and the answer is roughly $300. More specifically:
- The 512GB Galaxy Z Fold 6, without any special discounts, costs 2,388,100 won ($1,743).
- The Galaxy Z Special Edition will go on sale in Korea later this week for 2,789,600 won ($2,036).
Prices for other markets are unclear, but as we mentioned before, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition might be limited to South Korea and China. We'll let you know once we find out more.
