Technology

Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition leak reveals launch & preorder dates

There has been a lot of talk about the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition in recent weeks. While it will use the Galaxy Z Fold 6 as a base, there will be some notable differences. The device is expected to bet on thinness to compete against recent foldable smartphones. A new leak has revealed the alleged release date and preorder period of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.

The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, initially known as the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra, was leaked months ago. According to reports, the project went through multiple decision changes along the way, including a potential cancellation. Samsung’s initial idea was to compete against the thinness of foldables like the Honor Magic V3, leaks claim. After failing to achieve this, the company would have decided to cancel the smartphone, but would later resume the project.

Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition would launch on October 18; preorder stage period leaked

Now, unexpectedly, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition appeared on the Samsung India website. This is intriguing, as leaks about the phone indicated that it would be coming to limited markets, such as South Korea and China. Markets like India were not on the cards, but that may have changed. The fact that Samsung India’s website promotes the device’s arrival opens the door for other countries that were not in the cards to also receive it.

Plus, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition reportedly appeared on the website of T Store, a Korean retailer, showing a launch on October 18 and preorders open until October 24. The company would begin shipping on October 25. Interestingly, ...er incorporates a “6” in the name, despite leaks suggesting it will only be known as “Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.” You can take it with a pinch of salt, though.

Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition preorder
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition poster from T Store. Source: @negativeonehero on X

Some expected specs according to leaks

The leaks say that the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition will feature larger displays. The internal folding screen would grow to 8 inches, while the external screen would reach 6.5 inches. The company would reduce the thickness of the device noticeably to 10.6 when folded (12.1 mm in the Galaxy Z Fold 6) and 4.9 mm when unfolded (5.6 mm in the Galaxy Z Fold 6).

Although Samsung has made an effort to reduce the thickness of the phone, it is still behind other big brands. The latest Google Pixel 9 Fold Pro is slightly thinner (10.5 mm when folded, 5.1 mm when unfolded). The South Korean company can’t compete with the Honor Magic V3, which boasts a thickness of 9.3 mm when unfolded. Anyway, Samsung would debut a technology to enable S-Pen support without a digitizer on the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.