A model showcases Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition smartphone in this handout photo released Monday. Samsung said it will roll out the new device in Korea on Friday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics will roll out its Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition (SE) in Korea on Friday, which will feature the slimmest profile among the company's Z Fold smartphone series.
Samsung said Monday that it will receive orders for the new smartphone through its official online malls and the country's three major mobile carriers starting at 9 a.m. Friday. The price is set at 2.79 million won ($2,040).
Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
As anticipated by the market, the new phone measures 10.6 millimeters in thickness when folded and weighs 236 grams, making it 1.5mm slimmer and 3g lighter than the latest Galaxy Z Fold 6. Due to its slimmer design, the device does not include an S Pen stylus.
When unfolded, the main screen features a 203.1mm display with a 20:18 ratio, making it the largest in the Z Fold series. When folded, the cover screen offers a 164.8mm display with a 21:9 ratio, providing a user experience and grip similar to bar-type smartphones.
The Galaxy Z Fold SE is the first in the Galaxy Z series to feature a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera, and is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform.
“We are introducing our newest product in Korea to express our gratitude to domestic consumers who have been leading the foldable smartphone market,” Samsung Electronics Executive Vice President Lim Seong-taek said.
“The SE offers a slim and lightweight foldable experience, combined with an elegant design featuring intricate patterns and rich, sophisticated colors.”
Smartphone maker Honor's Magic V3 foldable smartphone is displayed at the company's booth at the IFA 2024 consumer electronics exhibition in Berlin, Sept. 6 (local time). The sign states that the company engraved an apology for consumers purchasing Samsung Electronics' "chunkier" Galaxy Z Fold series. Korea Times photo by Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung rolled out the SE just three months after it revealed the Galaxy Fold Z 6, amid intensifying competition among smartphone makers for slimmer foldable phones, particularly from Chinese firms like Xiaomi and Honor.
According to market tracker IDC, Huawei took a 27.5 percent share of the global foldable phone market in the second quarter of this year, beating Samsung with 16.4 percent.
Honor currently holds the title of the world's thinnest inward folding smartphone with its Honor Magic V3 with a 9.3mm profile when folded. Xiaomi's MIX Fold 4 measures 9.47mm thick when folded.
These smartphone companies are featuring their devices' thickness in their marketing strategy.
At the IFA 2024 consumer electronics exhibition in Berlin last month, Chinese firm Honor took a direct jab at Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold series by engraving "the world's smallest apology" to Galaxy Z Fold owners on the hinge of its Magic V3 foldable smartphone. This mockingly criticized the inconvenience of having to opt for what Honor referred to as "Samsung's chunkier alternative."
An official at Samsung said the company has yet to decide on plans for launching the SE in the global market, but added that the firm seeks to expand its slimmer foldable phone lineup in the Chinese market.