SMARTPHONES

Samsung proves it knows what to do with the Galaxy Z Fold line, but won’t

Beyond the Alphabet

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Beyond the Alphabet is a weekly column that focuses on the tech world both inside and out of the confines of Mountain View.

Samsung did it. It released a foldable phone that doesn’t look like it’s three years old, providing a meaningful upgrade in the process. The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition looks like it’s everything I wanted the Galaxy Z Fold 6 to be.

I eventually came around to the original Galaxy Z Fold 6, as Samsung introduced a few solid upgrades. Samsung also continues to offer my favorite experience on foldable phones simply because of the flexibility that the software provides. That continued to be the case until the Pixel 9 Pro Fold landed on my doorstep, which is a phone that I’m having a tough time putting down.

What’s really bothersome about the entire situation is that the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition proves that Samsung knows its customers want something different. It also proves that the company is capable of making a foldable phone that checks all of the boxes. That’s not anything we didn’t already know, especially after some were able to check out prototypes as part of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 launch.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 6 side-by-side with screens open

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

However, when I look at the Pixel 9 Pro Fold or OnePlus Open next to the Z Fold 6, I just can’t help but feel like it’s not on the same level. I’m aware that it’s more powerful, has more RAM, and can be used with an S Pen, but it just doesn’t bring me much excitement. Instead, it invokes a similar feeling to what I had with the original Pixel Fold, which looked like it belonged in 2020 and not 2023.

Google rectified that situation with its latest foldable phone. Meanwhile, Samsung just updated the SoC, added AI features, and made the Fold 6 a bit boxier. The main camera sensor is now three years old, and although there are times when the remote-like design is nice, I don’t always want to open my phone just to use it.

Camera open on Galaxy Z Fold 6 cover screen

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

At least from where I’m standing, the Z Fold Special Edition is what the Fold 6 should have been. For one, the camera has been massively upgraded, going from a 50MP sensor to 200MP. Even if it’s the same ISOCELL HP2 sensor from 2023 and not the HP3, that’s still one heck of an upgrade. In reality, it should be the ISOCELL HP3 that’s also found in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but I’ll take what I can get.


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