Samsung has just announced three new foldables globally, including its first Fan Edition model. For reference, the others are the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7 (curr. $1,099.99 with 512 GB storage on Amazon), which directly replace the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6, respectively. However, a new regulatory certification implies that Samsung is not finished yet with foldable releases this year.
On the one hand, an increasing amount of evidence suggests that the company's debut tri-fold will finally arrive before the end of the year. On the other hand, the 3C has now certified a device bearing the model number SM-W9026 for sale in China. According to the regulatory documentation that XpertPick has pulled, the SM-W9026 offers 25 W wired charging with Samsung's EP-TA800 charger that will not be included in the box.
Additionally, the SM-W9026 will support satellite connectivity, which remains a nascent technology in the smartphone world. As always, the 3C does not reveal the retail name behind the model number mentioned. With that being said, one can infer that the SM-W9026 serves as a successor for the SM-W9025, which is the model number for the Samsung W25.
In other words, we suspect that the 3C has certified the Samsung W26, albeit without the presumed W26 Flip in tow. At this stage, it looks like Samsung will base the W26 around the Galaxy Z Fold7, particularly given that there no new Special Edition model is rumoured for this year. Either way, the Samsung W26 will likely feature a more opulent design than its regular Galaxy Z Fold counterpart. For example, the Samsung W25 departed from the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition with a glossy ceramic back panel and a gold frame, among other design tweaks. Currently, it looks likely that Samsung will wait until the autumn before launching the W26 in China.
Source(s)
3C via XpertPick