Samsung still thinks high-end flip phones are a thing
The Samsung-W2017 is reportedly coming to Korea soon in the hopes that flip phones are still cool.
What better way to bring back early 2000s nostalgia than with a chunky flip phone? Samsung is rumored to bring a new version of the high-end folding W2017 to its home country of South Korea, according to ET News (via The Investor).
It seems strange that just weeks after launching the premium Galaxy S8, Samsung seems to still have a soft spot for Android flip phones. It launched the Galaxy Folder in 2015, the Galaxy Folder 2 in 2016, and then the Samsung W2017 last November. (Remember the Galaxy Golden from 2013?) Each of the phones had limited availability; the W2017 was only sold in China, for example.
Imagine a Samsung Galaxy S device, then make it a flip phone. That's essentially the W2017.
Now it seems like Samsung may add at least one more country to the list of places you can buy the W2017. An anonymous telecom carrier official told ET News that the phone was coming to Korea soon, but couldn't confirm an exact launch date. It might also come out as a special edition.
Besides a premium price, this flip phone may also get some high-end features. It's said to come with Samsung Pay, a fingerprint scanning and wireless charging, according to the report. Some reported specs include the following:
- Two 4.2-inch OLED screens (which would make the phone huge when open!)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor
- 64GB of storage
- 2,300mAh battery
- 12-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front facing camera
- Water and dust resistance
It's still unknown where else the phone will go on sale. We're hoping it comes to more countries, if only for that really great nostalgia factor.
Samsung declined to comment on this story.