Samsung's W27 Wraps Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra Hardware in Gold Trim and Satellite Calling for 18,999 Yuan

The 19th W-series phone from Samsung and China Telecom comes in blue or red with a gold frame, and adds Tiantong satellite calls and texts. Reservations are open now and sales start Nov. 13.

BEIJING - Samsung and China Telecom unveiled the W27 on Thursday, the latest in the W series of luxury phones the two companies have sold together in China since 2008. The book-style foldable is built on the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, IT Home reported from the event, and costs 18,999 yuan with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage or 21,999 yuan with 1TB. Reservations opened on Thursday through Samsung’s online store, its official shops on JD.com, Tmall, Suning and Douyin, and authorized retailers, with sales starting Nov. 13, according to the companies’ launch announcement.

The companies describe the W27 as the 19th generation of their partnership, which began with flip phones and has moved to foldables.

The W27 in Jihu Blue, with its gold camera module and frame. Image: Samsung

The W series has always sold on looks, and the W27 sticks to the formula. It comes in two colors that Samsung says draw on traditional Chinese porcelain glazes, Jihu Blue and Jixia Red. Both pair the colored back with a gold metal frame, a gold camera module and a gold seal logo. The back panel and the outer screen cover use Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3, and the frame is made from Samsung’s Enhanced Armor Aluminum.

The hardware underneath is a match for Samsung’s current flagship foldable. The W27 weighs 215 grams and measures 4.1 millimeters thick unfolded and 8.9 millimeters folded, according to Samsung’s China product page. It has a 6.5-inch outer screen and an 8-inch inner screen, both Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz and peak brightness of 3,000 nits, and the inner screen has an anti-reflective coating. Samsung says a double layer of titanium beneath the inner display adds stiffness and makes the crease harder to see.

The W27 partly unfolded, showing its gold hinge and frame. Image: Samsung

The phone runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, a 3-nanometer chip, with a 5,000mAh battery, the same capacity as the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, and 45W wired charging. The rear cameras are a 200-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and each screen has its own 10-megapixel selfie camera. The main and ultrawide cameras record 8K video at 30 frames per second, and the phone supports the APV video codec for editing.

A Tiantong satellite call on the W27’s inner screen. Image: Samsung

China Telecom’s contribution is connectivity. The W27 has built-in Tiantong satellite service for calls and text messages where there is no ground network, and buyers can claim one year of direct satellite access with 300 minutes of satellite calls and 100 satellite messages. The carrier’s Xingchen AI assistant will come to Bixby later, along with token credits for W27 owners, the announcement said. IT Home reported that people who register for the phone receive an elite Samsung Care+ plan worth 1,399 yuan, covering discounted screen repair, device replacement, a battery swap and free screen protectors.

The W27 in Jixia Red with its gift box and accessories. Image: Samsung

The software is One UI 9 with Galaxy AI features such as Circle to Search and live translation, plus Samsung’s Knox Vault security chip and its Knox Enhanced Encrypted Protection. Like earlier W-series phones, the W27 is sold only in China.