The flip phone is a form factor that's largely been left behind with the rise of smartphones, save for Samsung, who regularly releases new smart flip phones in China and select other countries. And this week the company introduced another such model.
The Samsung W2019 is a new smart flip phone that runs Android and packs some high-end specs. It's got two 4.2-inch 1920x1080 Super AMOLED displays, one external and one internal, and it's got a fingerprint reader on its side. Inside the phone is a directional pad, number keys, Send and End keys, and Android navigation buttons like Back and Home.
Samsung's W2019 can compete with many other Android flagships when it comes to its internals, as the phone is packing an octa-core Snapdragon 845 processor along with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a microSD card slot for adding up to 512GB of additional storage. There's a dual 12MP rear camera setup on the W2019, with the main sensor offering a variable aperture with f/1.5 and f/2.4, while the second camera has an f/2.4 aperture. The dual rear cameras also offer features like optical image stabilization and 2x optical zoom.
Rounding out the Samsung W2019's spec list is an 8MP front-facing camera for all your selfie needs, a 3070mAh battery, a dedicated Bixby button, USB-C, and Android 8.1 Oreo. Unfortunately, the Samsung W2019 follows in the footsteps of many other recent smartphones in that it lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The Samsung W2019 will be available through China Unicom, with pre-orders starting November 11. Pricing for this high-end flip phone will be set at 18999 yuan, or around $2,731 USD. Customers who purchase this luxury Android flip phone will have access to concierge features as well as extras like phone disinfection, discounted screen and battery replacements, and exclusive hotline service.
Like Samsung's other Android-powered flip phones, it's unlikely that we'll see the W2019 available outside of China and maybe a couple of other countries. That's kind of disappointing because this is a pretty interesting device, offering high-end specs and a form factor that we just don't see a lot of in the smartphone world. With such a high price tag, though, it seems unlikely that the W2019 would enjoy strong sales if it were brought to the U.S., so it's also understandable that Samsung may not want to bother with a wide release.
What do you think of the Samsung W2019? Would you carry a smart flip phone if the form factor were more widely used?
