Samsung will launch an official leather case in at least two colors for its Galaxy Z Flip foldable smartphone, expected to arrive on February 11. That’s based on a set of recently leaked images pushed to Twitter by WinFuture’s Roland Quandt.
The images are as clear as can be expected and show a case that has been split into two parts. One half of the overall design covers the top portion of the foldable smartphone. That’s got a cutout for the cameras, as well as the side buttons. That wraps around to hug the top edge as well as the left and right edges.
The lower portion follows a similar design and is embedded with the standard Samsung logo branding. The key difference in that segment is that the edge cutout has been applied to the bottom. Presumably, that’s to leave space for speakers and any ports found along that edge.
There are two colors shown for the case. The first is a silver-white coloration. The second coloration shown is a standard black.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is almost a flagship flip phone
While the Galaxy Z Flip isn’t expected to launch until tomorrow, Samsung has already published at least one ad for the gadget. It has also appeared in several other leaks, including an unofficial hands-on video that appears to align with expectations.
Setting aside exterior design cues, the device itself will approach flagship status but not quite reach it. To begin with, Samsung will reportedly pack the gadget with a Snapdragon 855+ processor. That’s as opposed to the undeniably more powerful Snapdragon 865 SoC. The latter processor will undoubtedly make its way into the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, expected to launch alongside the Galaxy Z Flip.
That chipset may or may not be coupled with the newer and faster LPDDR5 RAM. Conversely, it may utilize LPDDR4 instead, making it slower in that way too.
At the surface, there will be two 12-megapixel snappers on the outside of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. According to rumors, those will be accompanied by a minuscule 1.05-inch “Focus Display.”
Opening up the metal and glass handset will reportedly reveal a healthier 6.7-inch OLED display panel.
Will the cases fully protect the device and is it worth the cost?
The newly-leaked case appears to protect every edge of the design with enough bumper that protrudes just enough to protect in a fall. That is, with the exception of the hinge when the gadget is closed.
Now, in all likeliness, Samsung designed the case with enough overlap that edge will be safe if the phone is dropped. The company has been prone to the occasional oversight in its design before. But Mr. Quandt also indicates that these cases won’t come cheap, although no price bracket is given. So there shouldn’t be any issues there.
The pricing of the case, if it falls in line with previous Samsung cases, could range upwards of $100. When the company released a similarly leather-bound case for its first folder, the Samsung Galaxy Fold, that case cost $129.99.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Leather Cover Silver/Grey. Won’t come cheap. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/u8EJVGb6vF
— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) February 8, 2020