The perfect Samsung telephones you could not purchase within the US

Samsung’s international lineup has all the time been greater than the vary we noticed within the US. Through the years, a few of its most attention-grabbing, formidable, or simply plain enjoyable units have been saved elsewhere, typically by design. From luxurious foldables to engineering experiments, listed below are the finest Samsung telephones that by no means formally made it stateside.

Ever puzzled what cellphone a billionaire would have? The Samsung W24 and W24 Flip had been ultra-premium variations of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5, tailor-made completely for the Chinese language market. These units added to the usual foldable expertise with luxurious supplies like ceramic backs and gold trim. With 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage the W24 was priced at roughly CNY 15,999 (round $2,198), whereas the W24 Flip supplied 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for round CNY 9,999 (roughly $1,374).

Whereas the core {hardware} aligned with their international counterparts, that includes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip and comparable digicam setups, the W24 sequence stood aside because of its unique design parts. They had been straight-up opulent, and Samsung reserved them just for choose markets.

The Galaxy A82, identified in South Korea because the Galaxy Quantum 2, was one in every of Samsung’s stranger experiments — and a surprisingly highly effective cellphone on the identical time. It packed a Snapdragon 855 Plus chip, a 120Hz AMOLED show, and a 64MP foremost digicam with optical picture stabilization, making it nearer to a flagship than most A-series units on the time.

What set the A82 aside, although, was its quantum random quantity generator chip. Samsung marketed it as a lift for security-conscious customers, providing supposedly higher safety for apps like banking, messaging, and authentication. It was a unusual concept, even when the sensible advantages had been exhausting to note. The cellphone launched in South Korea at KRW 699,600 (round $622). Outdoors of Korea, the A82 by no means noticed a broader launch. That was a disgrace, as a result of beneath the advertising and marketing gimmicks, it was a well-built, high-spec system that would have given US consumers an attention-grabbing different to dearer flagships.

Earlier than the fashionable age of foldables even began, Samsung was already mixing nostalgia and luxurious with units just like the Galaxy W2016. This high-end flip cellphone ran a full model of Android, full with twin 3.9-inch touchscreens, a T9 bodily keypad, and a smooth design made from glass and steel. It regarded like a basic clamshell from the surface, however beneath the hood, it had {hardware} akin to the Galaxy S6, together with a Samsung Exynos processor and a 16MP digicam.

The W2016 launched completely in China at a hefty worth, reportedly round CNY 9,999, or roughly $1,570. That might be equal to nearly $2,100 in at present’s cash. It was by no means meant for mass-market attraction; as an alternative, it catered to a distinct segment group of consumers who wished the status of a conventional flip cellphone with out giving up fashionable smartphone options. For US shoppers, it remained an unique curiosity.

The Galaxy A80 appeared to be Samsung proving it might nonetheless innovate with its telephones. As a substitute of a notch or a punch-hole digicam, the A80 used a intelligent slider-and-flip mechanism: the rear cameras popped up and rotated ahead for selfies, leaving its 6.7-inch OLED show fully uninterrupted. The triple digicam setup included a 48MP major sensor, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 3D depth sensor — all doing double responsibility for selfies and common photographs.

Past the standout design, the A80 supplied a Snapdragon 730 chip, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and 25W quick charging. Nevertheless, it lacked two fan favourite options that will proceed to fade from high-end telephones: a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The cellphone launched at round £616 (round $780) through UK retailers, making it considerably dearer than its sibling, the Galaxy A70. Whereas questions on long-term sturdiness hovered over the flip mechanism, the A80 stays one in every of Samsung’s boldest designs that by no means formally landed within the US.

The Galaxy M51 wasn’t flashy, nevertheless it was a midrange monster the place it counted: battery life. Samsung packed an enormous 7,000mAh battery inside, making it the biggest capability the corporate had ever put in a cellphone on the time. It additionally mixed a Snapdragon 730G chip with a 6.7-inch AMOLED show and 25W quick charging. A full top-up nonetheless took round two hours, however the M51 delivered endurance most telephones might solely dream of.

The system additionally supplied a succesful quad-camera setup, together with a 64MP foremost sensor, and it held its personal basically efficiency assessments. Whereas it wasn’t formally offered within the US, it might have simply discovered a house amongst consumers who prioritized sensible specs over flashy extras.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Particular Version was a premium iteration of its foldable lineup of telephones, launched completely in South Korea and China. This mannequin stood out with its slimmer and lighter design, measuring simply 10.6mm thick when folded and weighing 236 grams, making it extra transportable than its customary counterpart.

The system featured an 8-inch foremost show and a 6.5-inch cowl display, each barely bigger than these on the common Z Fold 6. A major improve was the 200MP foremost digicam, changing the 50MP sensor present in the usual mannequin. Below the hood, it housed the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy processor, paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Nevertheless, to attain its smooth profile, Samsung omitted S Pen help.

Priced at roughly KRW 2,789,600 (round $2,035), the Particular Version supplied a mix of efficiency and exclusivity, although it remained out of attain for a lot of attributable to its restricted regional availability.

We had been stunned to find what number of telephones Samsung has withheld from the US through the years, typically as a result of they had been designed for particular areas and typically as a result of they had been just a bit too uncommon. Past those we’ve already highlighted, there have been a lot extra we might have included, from rugged Xcover fashions to different battery monsters just like the Galaxy F62 or experiments just like the Tizen-powered Galaxy Z3.

Listed below are just a few extra attention-grabbing examples that deserve a nod.

Samsung Galaxy Ok Zoom (2014)

The Galaxy Ok Zoom was half smartphone and half point-and-shoot digicam. It packed a 10x optical zoom lens that bodily prolonged from the physique, making it lower than pocket-friendly however genuinely spectacular. It was one in every of Samsung’s extra daring experiments, although it by no means formally made it to the US.

Samsung Galaxy A55 (2024)

The Galaxy A55 supplied a steel body, stable efficiency, and a beautiful show — exactly the type of midrange cellphone that often sells effectively within the US. Nevertheless, Samsung broke its sample by skipping a US launch, leaving consumers with no pure successor to the favored A54.

Samsung Galaxy Beam and Beam 2 (2012/2014)

Want a built-in projector in your cellphone? Samsung thought you would possibly. The Galaxy Beam sequence might challenge movies and displays straight onto a wall. It wasn’t precisely a best-seller, nevertheless it was one in every of Samsung’s extra charmingly bizarre concepts and one which by no means took off outdoors of Asia.

Have been there every other attention-grabbing Samsung telephones you as soon as had an eye fixed on, however by no means received an opportunity to purchase within the US? Tell us within the feedback.