Do you miss the flip phones of the ’90s and early 2000s? There are plenty of people who are nostalgic for the design, even if they don’t want to give up the convenience and power of modern phones. Well, Samsung’s W2018 will give users the best of both worlds, though it’s currently only been announced in China.
The W2018 is an interesting piece of hardware that combines a flip phone with a modern smartphone to make a truly unique device. The phone features a 4.2-inch outer display and a 4.2-inch inner display. The dual screens are nice, but the really neat feature is that this phone features a physical dial-pad and directional buttons. Additionally, it offers modern features such as Bixby support and a fingerprint reader on the back of the device.
In terms of internal hardware, the phone offers specs similar to current Galaxy S8, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and 6GB of RAM. One difference between this and the standard S8, aside from the obvious design changes, is the camera. The W2018 offers rear-facing 12-megapixel 1.5 aperture camera with Optical Image Stabilization. This means that, when taking photos in well-lit areas, the camera will switch to 2.4 aperture, and in low-light, it will have an aperture of 1.5. This should allow users to get better pictures when the lights are dim.
The phone does have one major downside, and that’s the price. If you thought the iPhone X was a bit too much, the W2018’s will likely be even worse. The W2017 cost $3,000 and we expect this one to cost about as much, if not more. Aside from a unique flip smartphone, Samsung is offering some unique perks with this phone such as concierge service at subways and airports, free software support, and services at a reduced cost.
As of now, the phone is set to launch in China and there’s no official word on whether or not we’ll see a release in other markets. If so, the price will likely be high enough to ensure that it remains a niche product, even it does see a wider release.
This isn’t the first smart flip phone that Samsung has released. The models remain popular in Asia and Samsung announced the Leader 8 earlier this year.
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