Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics will release a special edition smartphone bearing the theme of K-pop band BTS on July 9.

"Say hello to the best of us," Samsung said in a social media post uploaded onto Twitter. A teaser video showed seven purple-colored hearts representing each BTS member and the logo of the seven-member band. Pre-orders will start on June 19, but the exact model of the smartphone was not disclosed, raising fans' curiosity.

"I think it will be Z Flip," said Tag, a user from South Korean technology community Clien. Another user nicknamed Sobaeksanmaek said: "Maybe it's Galaxy Fold." Z Flip and Galaxy Fold are Samsung's premium foldable smartphones released in February this year and October last year, respectably.

In an effort to strengthen the company's global marketing promotions and appeal to younger consumers, Samsung forged a partnership with BTS in February this year through "CONNECT, BTS," a global contemporary art project involving international artists. BTS has promoted Samsung's Galaxy smartphones via online advertisements.