Photos of a Samsung phone said to be the SM-W2018 have now surfaced online. The photos come from @MMDDJ_ on Twiiter and as is clearly evident from the images, this is a flip phone. What is further adding to the likelihood of this being the SM-W2018 is that it does display the model number of the device when booting up (as shown in the first image below). Of course, Samsung is no stranger to flip phones, as in spite of what is considered to be a general decline in the appeal of the form factor, the company has continued releasing new models aimed at specific regions. Most recently came the Samsung SM-G9298 which was announced in August of this year and before that, the SM-W2017 which was announced back in November of 2016 and which this latest model is considered to be the follow-on device to.
Which is where things get more interested as the SM-W2017 was designed to be an ultra-premium device. In addition to sporting a flip phone form factor, the SM-W2017 also came with a heightened build quality and also a spec list to rival most current (at the time) flagship smartphones. Which is exactly what is being suggested with this follow-on device. As back in July of this year a report came through suggesting the SM-W2018 may come with another set of specs to rival the current crop of flagship smartphones. For example, the suggestion is the SM-W2018 will feature 6GB RAM, 64GB storage, and will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. A spec combination which can be found on most 2017 flagship devices.
Irrespective of its premium design, build quality, and specs, as has been the case with previous flip phones from Samsung, all indications point to this new one also being a phone which will be limited in its availability. Namely, it is unlikely to make it to markets outside of China. More pertinent to most buyers though, is that like the previous version it is is expected that the SM-W2018 will arrive with a very high price attached. One which greatly eclipses the likes of the Galaxy Note 8, the Pixel 2 XL, or the iPhone X for that matter.
