Samsung Makes a Play for the Hearts of Car Fanatics: Meet the BMW M Edition Phone

If until now the best way to express your love for BMW was with a special phone case, this time you can go all-in and get the all-new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra BMW M Edition.

Samsung's market strategy is likely to upset some fans, but the device is a South Korea-exclusive, so if you live elsewhere, buying it is going to be close to impossible. This is the bad news.

The good news is that Samsung has included a plethora of extras for diehard BMW M fanatics.

The mobile device doesn't sport the top specs, as it features 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. I’m a little surprised the company isn’t offering 1TB of storage space, so the maximum storage tier remains exclusive to the standard model.

In the standard configuration, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, which is now powered by a Snapdragon chip in all markets, comes with at least 256GB of storage and 8GB RAM. Sure enough, customers are very likely to go for more storage, especially because the operating system is eating up some 60 gigabytes due to the pre-loaded applications (there’s a lot of bloatware in there, there’s no doubt about it). The top version is fitted with 1TB of storage and 12GB of RAM.

In terms of specifications, this BMW M Edition phone is identical to a standard Galaxy S23 Ultra. The special part, however, is a hard case paired with a dedicated theme that shows up when starting the phone. Customers get to see a new BMW-inspired boot animation, while the visual style when using the device includes other small touches, such as a limited-edition wallpaper in BMW M colors. Most likely, it’s just a matter of time until the software goodies make their way to the web for everybody else to use, but when it comes to hardware, that’s exclusive to those who buy this version.

Samsung says the inspiration for this limited-series phone comes from the E30, which was the first-generation M3 announced by the Germans at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra BMW M Edition, however, isn’t only about the mobile device. Customers are also getting lots of extras, including a portable air compressor, a photo book, a poster, an analog clock, driving lessons at the BMW Driving Center in South Korea, a key ring with interchangeable emblems, and a BMW roundel. Everything is packed into a box whose design is inspired by the original M3 and can be yours for about $1,400 in the local currency. The standard Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage can be purchased in the United States for $1,1199, so BMW fans need to pay some $200 more if they want to show their love for the German carmaker.

Samsung will only make 1,000 units, and the pre-order program runs until February, when SK Telecom should start shipping the device to customers.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Mercedes EQ edition

This isn’t the first time when Samsung is offering a special edition of the Galaxy S lineup aimed at car aficionados, as the company used a similar approach for the previous-generation flagship as well.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra was launched in a special Mercedes EQ edition, once again limited to buyers in South Korea. The pack included a unique case, a keychain, a Mercedes-branded card holder, and so on.

While these special edition phones are great, the main shortcoming is their limited availability. Only sold in the domestic market, Samsung’s limited-edition bundles are missing a great opportunity to boost sales in international markets, especially as the demand is likely very strong.

For now, Samsung just sticks with an approach that’s extremely frustrating for customers, and at some level, it contributes to ridiculous prices if you want to buy the special-edition phones from scalpers.

Other phones aimed at car fanatics

Samsung isn’t the one that’s investing in mobile devices created for people who love cars more than anything else.

While rival Apple isn’t necessarily interested in such limited editions, hoping the iPhone would continue to sell like hotcakes just because, Huawei previously launched a Mate 40 RS Porsche Design in several versions, including a version aimed at collectors.

Just as expected, the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 40 RS sports special styling, including an increased focus on ceramic, specifically used to reproduce the aerodynamic look of a sportscar.

In most cases, the special-edition phones aimed at car fans don’t come with anything else than improved looks, whereas the technical specifications remain the same as on the standard models. The Huawei Mate 40 RS didn’t make any exception, as it was powered by the same Kirin chip as the regular smartphone.