Samsung Galaxy Z Fold’s first-ever slim version is sleek and expensive

Samsung Electronics will release its first-ever slim version of a foldable with the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition on Friday.

The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, left, and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 [JIN EUN-SOO]

Samsung Electronics unveiled its slimmest and lightest Fold smartphone to date in a determined move to defend its leadership in the foldable market from the likes of Huawei and Honor.

The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition (SE), a slimmer version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, will roll out in Korea on Friday.

This is the first time Samsung Electronics has ever launched a slim version of its foldables since it first introduced this form factor to the world in 2019.

The SE version, when folded, measures 10.6 millimeters (0.4 inches) in thickness — 1.5 millimeters slimmer than the Z Fold 6 at 12.1 millimeters.

The slimmer body is coupled with a lighter weight. The SE weighs 236 grams (8.2 ounces), while the Z Fold 6 weighs 239 grams.

Its main display comes in at 203.1 millimeters when measured diagonally compared to the previous version's 193.2 millimeters.

The size of the cover display also inched up from 158.9 millimeters to 164.8 millimeters.

The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

In terms of functions, its main camera spec got a significant boost from a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera to a 200-mexapixel one. This high-resolution camera has only been found in the premium Ultra line of the flagship Galaxy S series until now.

Its exterior design emphasizes sleekness, coming in one color — Black Shadow — with a striped pattern added to the edges of the phone.

The difference of mere millimeters hardly seemed noticeable to the naked eye when this reporter got to see the actual product at a preview session in Seoul on Monday. Even when held side by side, the difference in thickness wasn't too obvious.

But when grabbing it with one hand, the enhancement becomes more noticeable, as the phone felt less bulky.

The aspect ratio of the SE's cover display changed to 21:9 compared to the Z Fold 6's 22.1:9, which has been pointed out as awkward for users' eyes by being relatively narrower and longer compared to the typical bar-type smartphones.

On the downside, the upgrade in camera specs made the bump on the rear stick out more.

The Galaxy Z Fold SE is equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, the same one as the Z Fold 6. It remains to be seen, however, whether the hardware upgrade will be enough to justify a price bump with consumers.

The Z Fold SE, which has a memory and storage option of 16GB and 512GB, costs 2.8 million won ($2,000), while the Z Fold 6 option with 12GB of memory and 512GB of storage costs 2.4 million won.

"We decided to launch the product in Korea to thank domestic consumers, who are leading the foldables market," said Lim Seong-taek, executive vice president at Samsung Electronics, in a release Monday.

"The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition will provide a slim and light foldable experience and is also equipped with a fine pattern and deep colors that boast a sophisticated design."

The new variation of the foldable shows Samsung Electronics' determination to assert its dominance in the new form factor market, which has seen increasing competition from Chinese players.

Samsung, which pioneered the foldable smartphone market by launching the first foldable in 2019, held 80 percent of the segment in 2022. Its share dropped to 50.4 percent as of early June, however, with Huawei, Motorola and Honor gaining ground, according to TrendForce data. BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]