Samsung’s new China foldable phone is the upgraded Galaxy Z Fold7 we wish we could get

Barely four months after we awarded the excellent Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 foldable smartphone our Editor’s Choice award earlier this year, the South Korean tech giant has announced an upgraded version called the Samsung W26. The only problem? It’s limited to China (for now).

Based off the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, the Samsung W26 shares most of the foldable flagship’s hardware. It’s equipped with the same custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor, 8-inch internal main display, identical rear camera array (200MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x optical zoom telephoto) and 4,400mAh battery. The phone also retains the same 8.9mm thick dimension when folded and 215g weight as the Galaxy Z Fold7.

The design is also slightly different, with gold accents around the rear camera array and a textured, embossed gold midframe. There are two colour options: red and black.

However, the RAM is now 16GB across the board, even if you don’t purchase the most expensive 1TB storage model. And thanks to China’s Tiantong mobile communications satellite system, the W26 has a feature that no Galaxy Z Fold7 has: direct satellite connectivity for calling and messaging in emergencies.

China Telecom customers will be able to redeem 1,000 yuan (~S$18.21) worth of credits through a China Telecom co-branded privilege card that’s included in the box, which is estimated to provide a year’s worth of connectivity with 300 minutes of call time and 100 messages.

In addition to the China Telecom co-branded privilege card, the W26 also comes with a special Kevlar case, an included 25W charging adapter and a USB-C to C cable in a gorgeous box. We can only hope that one day we’ll see these sorts of special upgraded models being brought into Singapore as well.

Pricing and availability

The Samsung W26 is exclusively available in China at the moment, with pre-orders open at Samsung’s China website now. The phone retails at 16,999 yuan (~S$3,099) for the 16GB RAM + 512GB storage model, or at 18,999 yuan (~S$3,465) for the 16GB RAM + 1TB storage option.