TL; DR
- Samsung is reportedly working on the Galaxy W22 5G for China.
- It is expected to be an ultra-premium Galaxy Z Fold 3 for the market.
Samsung launched the Galaxy W21 5G last year, a China-exclusive Galaxy Z Fold 2 with a taller design and a jaw-dropping price point. Now it looks like Samsung is working on a similar device for China based on the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3.
SamMobile reports that the W22 5G is indeed in the pipeline, claiming that it has the model number SM-W2022 and will be available in black with 512GB of storage. There’s no word on how this device would differ from the Z Fold 2, however, but the point of sale suggests we could see cosmetic tweaks.
Last year, the Galaxy W21 5G in China sold for 19,999 yuan (about $ 3,088), compared to the 17,000 yuan (about $ 2,625) price of the Z Fold 2. The higher price only got you one larger, gold design, but the specifications otherwise remained the same. So it stands to reason that we could see a similar jump in price for the Galaxy W22 5G versus the Z Fold 3 in China.
Related coverage: The best foldable phones you can get
SamMobile adds that the W22 5G won’t launch in China until the standard Z Fold 3 launches in August. That goes without saying, because the W21 5G was only introduced in November, several months after the global launch of the Z Fold 2.
Nonetheless, Samsung has a history of bringing phones to the market at ultra-premium prices. Before its foldable phones, the company offered luxury clamshell smartphones in China. The most recent entry in this regard was the W2019, which was released in late 2018 for ~ $ 2,700. With this price, you get a clamshell smartphone with a T9 physical keyboard, a 4.2-inch external screen (in addition to the internal display) and a Snapdragon 845 chipset.