Samsung is inching closer and closer to the release its next-generation SM-W2019 flip phone, if the latest rumours are to be believed – and it could rival its most powerful flagships.
While all eyes are now firmly trained on next year’s Galaxy S10 flagship (and of course the mythical Galaxy X foldable phone, if and when that arrives), Samsung continues to spread its bets across the mobile market – as evidenced by the recently revealed mid-range Galaxy A9 (2018).
It hasn’t forgotten about flip phones, either, and could be on the verge of unveiling a new throwback handset, according to recent reports.
The latest leak comes to us from Chinese social network Weibo (H/T SamMobile) and allegedly shows off hands-on photos of the Samsung W2019.
Like last year’s Samsung flip phone, its a loosely clamshell build that features a pair of displays – one of the outside of the device when its closed, and another that sits above its physical keyboard when opened.
That’s about all that can seemingly be verified – the images are decidedly fuzzy, and there’s nothing that clearly differentiates the device in-hand from last year’s W2018 Samsung flip phone, so who knows if they’re the real deal or just the latest mobile hoax.
Prior to this, it was spied by MySmartPrice that the device had apparently passed through China’s MIIT certification body, which paves the way for it be approved by other agencies in the country – namely TENAA – in the near future.
Related: Best Android phones
Image Credit: MySmartPrice
Earlier still, a Wi-Fi Alliance listing for the SM-W2019 was spotted, which revealed that while Samsung’s 2019 flip phone will ship with the older Android 8.0 Oreo operating system, it will support the future-facing 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard (now known as Wi-Fi 6), which suggests the presence of a new-gen SoC under the hood – Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 being the likeliest chip to feature.
As a further idea of what to expect from the Samsung W2019 flip phone, last year’s W2018 sported a pair of Full HD AMOLED display measuring 4.2 inches each. Given that device offered a 12-megapixel primary camera spec similar (but not identical) to Samsung’s 2017 flagships, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the W2019 come with two 12-megapixel rear sensors, as dual camera setups are now very much in vogue.
An upgraded 8-megapixel front ‘selfie cam’ has also been mooted, but as ever, these specs are purely conjuncture at this stage – we hope to learn more soon.
One final thing to note is that last year’s Samsung flip phone wasn’t overly affordable. Its price cleared the £1000 mark when converted from yuan, meaning you could likely bag a Galaxy S9 or iPhone XS for a similar outlay. Plus, the W20118 only appears to have been released in China, so you might not be able to buy one, even if you wanted to.
Still, Samsung’s next premium flip phone could well offer some clues as to what to expect from its next mainstream releases, so we’re intrigued.
Watch this space.
Should Samsung release a premium flip phone in the UK? Let us know over on Twitter @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
