Flip phones may have been all the rage at the start of the millennium, but devices like the original Moto Razr that once took the world by storm are just a distant memory circa 2016. However, even these days when mobile phones almost exclusively mean giant slabs of glass and metal, some companies like Samsung and LG are trying to revive the nostalgia surrounding the good old clamshell mobiles. Both companies have been launching Android-based clamshell smartphones on and off for the past few years, and although these devices will only ever appeal to a very niche audience, the companies apparently have a large-enough market for such smartphones to keep coming back with new launches each year. That being the case, Samsung Electronics is now rumored to have an all-new Android-powered clamshell in the pipeline.
The device, which comes with model number SM-W2017, is said to be a high-end smartphone that embodies retro-chic by combining the nostalgia of the days gone by with the functionality of a 2016 smartphone. The device apparently has an internal codename of ‘Veyron’, and was recently certified by China’s electronics certification agency, TENAA. The device had earlier been listed on Geekbench, giving us a look at its possible hardware specs. That includes a 4.2-inch 1080p Super AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 820 SoC, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage that can be expanded by way of a microSD card of up to 256GB in capacity. Imaging options will include a 12-megapixel primary camera and a 5-megapixel secondary camera, while the battery will likely be a 2,300 mAh unit. The handset will come with a fingerprint scanner, and Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) will be pre-installed.
The Samsung SM-W2017 will support LTE connectivity, and is expected to come with an NFC chip which should make it compatible with mobile payment platforms, such as Samsung Pay and Android Pay. According to some sections of the online tech media, the device is expected to be unveiled officially on November 3, although there’s no concrete info right now about its pricing. The device was also cleared by the U.S. FCC earlier this month, so it will be interesting to see whether Samsung is planning to bring it to the U.S. at some stage. Having said that though, it is important to remember that the earlier clamshells from Samsung and LG were almost exclusively meant for far-east Asian markets, such as China and South Korea. Whether this one bucks the trend remains to be seen.