An image depicting what’s said to be Samsung’s new dual-screen flip phone bearing the model number SM-G9298 leaked online earlier today, showing a black device with a curved screen and a relatively empty top bezel with Samsung’s branding. The Dutch source claims that the phone in question was the same one that was recently certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) and the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), adding that the handset will likely be marketed as the Galaxy X. Finally, the SM-G9298 is said to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 system-on-chip (SoC) and support wireless charging, the same source claims, though previous reports indicated that the South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer is looking to position the Galaxy X as an alternative Android flagship. Given how the Snapdragon 821 has already been succeeded by the Snapdragon 835 featured in the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, it’s dubious whether the Galaxy X will ship with the 2016 chip or if that name stays reserved for Samsung’s first device with a foldable screen while the SM-G9298 is marketed under a different moniker.
Another seemingly outdated feature of the SM-G9298 was revealed by the aforementioned WFA certificate that indicated the device is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, though that particular model might have just been a prototype that wasn’t meant for mass production. Industry insiders previously stated that Samsung is looking to manufacture between 2,000 and 3,000 Galaxy X prototypes before deciding on the final design of the handset that’s expected to be unveiled in either late 2017 or early 2018, and the smartphone that can be seen in the photograph above may be one of those experimental units. On the other hand, the model number of the device indicates it might be a successor to the SM-G9098, a 2014 flip phone that also featured two screens. While relatively tall, the newly leaked unit is expected to flip vertically and if it takes more design cues from the SM-G9098, it will feature identical screens on both the front and the back side of its top element.
Given how the SM-G9298 was already certified by a number of U.S. regulatory and standards agencies, the device may launch stateside in the near future, though it remains to be seen how long Samsung takes to announce it and what its official name ends up being.