The Galaxy Z Fold 7 only launched in July this year, but it seems Samsung isn’t in the waiting game to slow-burn the momentum it has built in launching its foldables. The company has already revealed a new and more luxurious sibling.
The Galaxy W26 is a China-exclusive version of the Fold 7, designed in partnership with China Telecom. It's sad that it won't be hitting international shores anytime soon. But you can still admire its specifications from afar.
See the Chinese Z Fold 7 shine in red and black
Samsung’s latest W26 foldable comes in a burgundy red model and in deep onyx black as well. Both share gold accents around the entire perimeter. Like the Z Fold 7, the camera system is arranged vertically with three large circular lenses stacked on top of each other. Each lens is surrounded by thick rings that protrude slightly.
Below the camera array, centered on the lower third of the back panel, you'll see another gold-centric feature. It's the signature Xinxi Tianxia emblem Samsung has used for previous smartphones, and it roughly translates to “Heart for the world”.
This edition also ships in a premium presentation box with a Kevlar case and an actual charger, which has become a rarity in Samsung packaging. Thankfully, the upgrades don't end at its aesthetics and Samsung has upgraded the phone internally.
The Z Fold 7 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, while the W26 is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Extreme Edition Mobile Platform (for Galaxy). It's a customized version tuned for higher sustained performance.
Samsung claims that performance has gone up to 38% faster CPU speeds, 26% better GPU, and a 41% improvement in NPU efficiency. It also comes in memory configurations of 16GB RAM + 1TB storage space, and 16GB RAM + 512GB storage. The Z Fold 7 has a base memory option of 12GB RAM + 256GB storage. The battery size is 4400mAh.
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W26 has something big that the Z Fold 7 didn't
The display on the W26 is an 8-inch inner AMOLED glass with an almost 2K-class resolution of 2184 x 1968, 120Hz refresh rate, and screen brightness reaching 2600 nits. The external display is also an AMOLED display that reaches 6.5-inches.
The dimensions and weight are identical to the Z Fold 7, but there are dramatic differences in comparison to the previous W24 and W23 phones, especially in slimness.
There are three rear cameras, which includes a 200MP main wide-angle camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. Samsung’s adaptive pixel sensor also means you get 2x optical-quality zoom, extending all the way up to 30x digital zoom when you really want to push it.
Both rear and front cameras support Optical Image Stabilization and autofocus. The selfie camera is 10MP, mirrored by another 10MP camera on the cover display. Video recording supports up to 8K resolution at 30fps, plus slow motion at up to 240fps or 120fps.
Perhaps, the only major difference is that the phone supports satellite calling and emergency messaging, which the Z Fold 7 couldn't do. Both allow you to connect with others even when there’s no cellular network or Wi-Fi. Basically, a lifesaver in remote areas or during disasters that uses low-orbit satellites instead of towers.
The Galaxy W26 is now listed at ¥16,999 (≈ $2,384) for 512GB model storage, and ¥18,999 (≈ $2,664) for the 1TB model on the Chinese website. Shipping starts on October 20.
