It’s been a while since the rumored Samsung SM-W2018 flip phone made an appearance in the headlines but the device made a comeback earlier this week as an insider from China claimed that the smartphone is currently undergoing testing. Furthermore, the source adds that the smartphone presently runs the firmware version ‘W2018ZCU0AQI9’ which may very well be the case, though it should be noted that searching for this particular firmware gives no returns related to the leak at hand.
The idea that Samsung may be developing a new flip phone is not new, as earlier this year, a Samsung device bearing the model number SM-W2018 reportedly passed through China’s regulatory agency TENAA. At that time, the smartphone was believed to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM. Later this summer, a new report emerged to remind industry watchers of the Samsung SM-W2018 and suggested that the device might actually make use of premium hardware components powerful enough to place it in the same category as the Galaxy S8 series. This would include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset as well as a larger amount of RAM for a total of 6GB, and 64GB of internal flash memory. Furthermore, the device was said to be equipped with two 4.2-inch displays facing opposite sides and boasting a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 each, as well as a 2,300mAh battery. Other rumors added that the upcoming flip phone could take advantage of a 12-megapixel main sensor as well as a 5-megapixel shooter for selfie enthusiasts.
As of this writing, there’s simply too little information to go by in regards to the Samsung SM-W2018. Several clues so far have suggested that Samsung is developing a new flip phone as a sequel to last year’s SM-W2017, but the South Korean tech giant has yet to confirm or deny this possibility. In any case, it’s worth noting that the Samsung SM-W2017 was launched in China in November 2016, and if a direct sequel is on the way, then chances are that it might be introduced approximately a year later. Either way and not unlike the Samsung SM-W2017, the sequel will most likely be reserved for the Chinese market. The company already launched a new flip phone earlier this year called the SM-G9298 and it is available exclusively through China Mobile.
Samsung W2018 start testing！W2018ZCU0AQI9
— 萌萌的电教 (@MMDDJ_) September 26, 2017