YOU may have spotted a special version of Samsung’s brand new smartphone – but it’s not available to buy.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 only went on sale a week ago but a new edition has been seen around Paris.
And they’re all for Olympic athletes.
The South Korean tech giant has given out almost 17,000 to everyone competing in a medal event.
A number of participants have already been spotted using the device’s exterior display to capture their selfies at the Paris Olympics.
The Sun got to try out the handset, which is in a yellow design within a gold metallic frame.
When switching on the device, it has a different loading screening welcoming Olympians to the Games and wishing them success.
On the back, there is an Olympic and Paralympic logo.
The phone sports alternative wallpapers but feature-wise it’s mostly the same as the standard Z Flip 6.
However, it does have some limited freebies for Olympians.
It’s loaded with an e-sim so users have data throughout their time in France.
And it’s also loaded with a pass for free travel on Paris’s public transport network.
Several official Olympic apps are pre-loaded onto it too.
More widely, Samsung says that it is seeing a continued drive for foldables, with Samsung UK taking the top spot for Galaxy Z Series sales in Europe.
“Galaxy Z Fold6 has jumped in popularity by 15%, which demonstrates a local demand for that larger screen experience, accelerated by the unique user cases of Galaxy AI designed specifically for Fold,” said James Kitto, VP & Head of Mobile Division for Samsung UK & Ireland.
“There’s also a positive story for Galaxy Z Flip6, where the 2024 Olympic Edition Z Flip6 can be found in the hands of nearly 17,000 athletes as part of Samsung’s partnership with Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 contributing to a continued increase in consideration and purchase intent for our unique Foldable Smartphones.”
Recent data published by Counterpoint Research suggested that the global market for folding smartphones grew by 49 per cent in the first quarter of this year – though it still only makes up 1.5 per cent of the overall smartphone market.
The research also claimed that Chinese tech firm Huawei had the biggest share of the global foldable market.
