Samsung has launched the W26, a version of its Galaxy Z Fold 7 foldable phone designed exclusively for the Chinese market. Billed as a luxurious alternative, the device incorporates several design and feature upgrades over the standard model.
The W26 is available in red and black color options, both featuring gold trimmings for a premium, jewelry-like appearance. Despite the design changes, the phone maintains a weight of 215g, retaining its position as the thinnest and lightest foldable phone available.
A significant hardware addition to the W26 is satellite calling. This feature is not available on most global models of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, although satellite-based text, picture messaging, and data are supported on T-Mobile in the United States for the global version. Samsung has also improved the unboxing experience for the W26; it ships in a decorative box that contains a Kevlar case, a charging cable, and a wall charger, the latter being an uncommon inclusion with modern smartphones.
Internally, the W26 offers a performance boost with 16 GB of RAM for both its 512 GB and 1 TB storage configurations. This contrasts with the standard Galaxy Z Fold 7, which includes 12 GB of RAM in its 512 GB variant. The China-exclusive model also comes with unique Galaxy AI software tools. One such tool is Smart Collection, which provides a dedicated space where users can drag and drop images and text for simplified content organization.
The Samsung W26 is priced at CNY 16,999, or approximately $2,383, for the 512 GB model. The 1 TB model is priced at CNY 18,999, which converts to about $2,663.
Samsung’s W series of devices are traditionally exclusive to the Chinese market due to a long-term partnership with the carrier China Telecom. The series is marketed to appeal to local design preferences and is positioned as a status symbol product. The W26 will be sold in China alongside the regular Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the company has stated there are no plans for an international launch.
