Yet another report calls for an imminent Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition release
If you're excited about Samsung's next big foldable device and feel like your heart may not be able to take a very long wait, I have some great news for you today that seems to corroborate a number of fairly vague rumors from the last couple of months and a very specific report from a little over two weeks ago.
While nothing is etched in stone just yet, there are clearly more and more reasons to believe that you'll be able to buy an even better product than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 by the end of October... in one or two key markets for the world's top smartphone vendor.
Circle October 25 in your calendars!
According to the unnamed "industry sources" quoted by yet another reputable Korean publication (translated here), the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is scheduled to be released next Friday, October 25.
That's obviously very soon for a device that hasn't been formally unveiled yet, so although this new source doesn't spell out the next-gen foldable's complete launch schedule, there's definitely a good chance an official announcement will happen this Friday, October 18.
This leaked product render certainly seems to confirm the Z Fold Special Edition is one crazy thin foldable.
That was also when pre-orders were previously rumored to open, which remains a relatively safe bet as well. Unfortunately, everyone who's someone in the smartphone prophecy game is also expecting the Z Fold Special Edition to be made available exclusively in China and South Korea. That means the rest of Samsung's hardcore fans around the world can look at and fantasize about this upgraded foldable, but they can't touch the device when it goes on sale.
Formerly known as Galaxy Z Fold Slim, Z Fold Ultra, Z Fold 6 Ultra, and Z Fold 6 Slim in the rumor mill, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition could have its full and final name shortened to Z Fold SE for the sake of simplicity, which... may not prove to be Samsung's smartest ever marketing decision. That's because some consumers might get the idea that this new foldable is a competitor for Apple's mid-range iPhone SE family, which couldn't be further from the truth.
How much will the Galaxy Z Fold SE cost?
That, my friends and dear readers, remains the million-dollar question not a lot of insiders have attempted to answer, although with the following upgrades and improvements over the "normal" Galaxy Z Fold 6 pretty much etched in stone, one thing is certain - this bad boy can't come cheap:
- 8-inch primary screen (up from 7.6 inches);
- 6.5-inch cover display (up from 6.3 inches);
- 10.6mm folded thickness (down from 12.1mm);
- 4.9mm unfolded thickness (down from 5.6mm);
- 200MP primary rear-facing camera (up from 50MP).
Let's face it, these are some Galaxy Z Fold 7-grade enhancements... that are likely to enrage quite a lot of early Z Fold 6 adopters outside of countries like China and South Korea. It's truly hard to wrap my head around Samsung's thinking with this... overly sophisticated "intermediate" region-specific device, especially if the Z Fold SE also manages to make its "cousin's" already subtle display crease even less noticeable.
The Z Fold SE is expected to come with a very special camera. | Image Credit -- Evan Blass on X
With the above features and the rest of the Z Fold 6's state-of-the-art specs in tow, I'm sure some of you would be willing to pay anything for the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition. With that in mind, a Korean price tag equating to around $2,100 almost sounds fair, although once again, you probably shouldn't take anything for granted on that particular front until Samsung makes some sort of an official announcement this week or the next.
Things that are NOT allowed: