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Samsung launches Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition: It’s Slim, Sleek and Powerful
Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition. The new foldable smartphone is slim, sleek, and more powerful than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. It’s the first Samsung foldable that comes with 200-megapixel camera.
The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition could only be available in South Korea and China. The company hasn’t announced the launch of this device in the Global market. We have been hearing rumors of Korea and China exclusivity for the past few months.
Samsung Korea GM Im Sung-taek said, “We are pleased to introduce this new product in Korea to show our gratitude to domestic consumers who are leading the foldable market,” and added, “The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition provides a slim and light foldable experience and is a product with a sophisticated design with precise patterns and deep colors.”
Slim, Sleek, Beast…
The Z Fold Special Edition maximizes portability and usability with the thinnest and lightest design of any Z Fold series yet. With a thickness of 10.6mm and a weight of 236 grams, it is 1.5mm thinner and 3g lighter than the Z Fold 6.
The phone’s inner display measures a whopping 8 inches, while the cover is 6.5-inch. Samsung says the Z Fold Special Edition combines innovative hardware and a slim design.
The main screen, which can be used when unfolded, features a 20:18 ratio and an 8.0-inch display, supporting the widest large screen among the Galaxy Z Fold series.
The cover screen, which can be used when folded, features a 21:9 ratio and a 6.5-inch display, providing a more natural bar-type product-like usability and grip.
Samsung’s Special Edition foldable comes in 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. It’s equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy. This processor supports advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, powering the Galaxy AI.
The company jumped to a unique new design approach with the Z Fold SE. The new stripe pattern and metal/glass materials provide a modern and sophisticated design, with its Black Shadow colorway further elevating the appearance.
Samsung will release the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition on October 25 in South Korea. The phone will be available in a single Black Shadow shade. Korean shoppers will have to pay 2,789,600 won (~$2,038) to own Samsung’s epic creation.
Related Article:
Samsung should’ve teased Special Edition during Galaxy Z Fold 6 launch
Samsung keeps on making progress with One UI 7 development while preparing for a Galaxy S25 to launch, Exynos might revive with a new processing node and there is more, here you can check all of the top stories from the past week.
One UI 7
A report from ETNews suggests that Samsung is developing a new AI feature to ease interactions throughout the software. These features are related to the Settings menu, camera, and keyboard.
The new addition will anticipate users’ requirements based on device usage to show them above others and the most useful ones first.
The new One UI version is also expected to redesign key system app icons including Gallery, Phone, Camera, Voice Recorder, Contacts, and Notes. A report revealed this new look for these apps will improve visibility compared to One UI 6.
Meanwhile, a Japanese carrier AU by KDDI has shared a list of eligible One UI 7 devices, a major revelation for this unreleased software. You can check the complete list here. On the other hand, Samsung has yet to announce an official list of devices.
Multi-Sound
Samsung’s online community member announced new improvements for SoundAssistant’s Multi-Sound, which will resolve compatibility issues with Android Auto.
Galaxy S25 Chipset
Samsung President TM Roh will attend the Qualcomm 2024 Summit to discuss the new Snapdragon chipset. He may talk about the chipset’s performance for the Galaxy S25 lineup and AI capabilities.
The S25 series will equip a Snapdragon processor. However, a new rumor suggests the Korean company doesn’t want to rule out the possibility of featuring Exynos chipset.
The rumored Exynos 2500 could complete the 3nm foundry process in time for the S25 series. Not only that, this mobile chip was also spotted on the Geekbench database with a 10-core architecture. That includes two prime CPU cores.
Samsung has been giving Exynos a cold shoulder for a few years. We’ll have to see if the Korean tech company is ready to bring it back into action.
We don’t about Exynos but S25 devices could introduce some interesting color shades featuring Black, Green, Blue, and Titanium.
Samsung’s Close Win
Market researchers IDC and Canalys have shared the third quarter of 2024 smartphone shipment data. It confirms Samsung as the top leader in shipment and Apple as a close second.
The smartphone giant has topped the smartphone sellers list but its market share is still under threat by Apple and Chinese competitors on a quarterly basis.
Fold 6 SE
Samsung will unveil a new foldable smartphone – Galaxy Z Fold 6 Special Edition (SE) on October 21, 2024. Invitation for this event is out but the device might be limited to Korean customers.
Samsung released the Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Tab S10 series in Brazil and Latin America. The company announced the general availability of these new products in America.
The Galaxy Tab S10 series is also up for purchase in Gray, with a suggested price of R$ 11,499 for the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and R$ 8,999 for the Galaxy Tab S10+.
Samsung’s smart ring will be available in Brazil starting yesterday, October 18, in physical stores and the Samsung Online Store, with a suggested price of R$ 3,499 in Black, Silver, and Gold colors.
When purchasing the product in Samsung’s physical stores, consumers can measure the most suitable size using the product measuring kit, with assistance from Samsung sales consultants.
For purchases in the Samsung Online Store, a pop-up window will open to offer the measuring kit for R$ 99, which will automatically become a credit toward the purchase of the device later.
Galaxy AI
Samsung developed Galaxy AI to enhance people’s lives. Using AI features, users can focus on essential tasks like calls, image editing, messaging, and health monitoring.
All Galaxy AI features are available to consumers in Latin America, including local languages like Spanish and Portuguese. Galaxy AI can analyze health data such as sleep patterns and vital signs.
Galaxy AI features translate text and audio conversations, quickly configure extended screens, and effortlessly execute complex creative ideas through intuitive functions.
Chinese smartphone makers are doing a commendable job in India. Vivo has taken a leak in the Indian smartphone market in Q3, 2024, surpassing Xiaomi and Samsung to become the largest vendor for the first time reports Canalys.
In Q3 2024, Vivo sold 9.1 million phones, securing a 19% share in the Indian smartphone market. The company recorded an annual growth of 26%, which helped it surpass Samsung and Xiaomi to become the market leader.
Xiaomi shipped 7.8 million units of smartphones during the same period. The company had a market share of 17%, which grew by 3% YoY.
Samsung slipped to third spot, with shipments recorded at 7.5 million units and 16% market share. The company’s sales declined 4% compared to the last year.
Oppo grew 43% year-on-year, with shipments reaching 6.3 million units in Q3 for a 13% market share. Shipments by all other brands were 11.1 million for the remaining 23% market share.
The Indian smartphone market grew 9% in Q3 2024, shipping 47.1 million units. Chinese vendor Vivo claimed the pole position for the first time amid an aggressive push across channels, capturing a 19% market share.
It seems Samsung has already started preparing to heat the smartphone market battle next year. The recent render leak of Galaxy A36 5G suggests that the company is also focussing on mid-range models to maintain dominance.
Recently, Canalys reported that Samsung and Apple had neck-and-neck in the 3Q24 global market. Both companies secured an 18% market share in Q3 2024. Xiaomi ranked third with a 14% market share in the same period.