Samsung finally makes the W2017 Android flip phone official

Almost exactly one year after unveiling the W2016 high-end Android-powered flip phone in China, Samsung is back again with another such device. The successor for the W2016 is unsurprisingly called W2017, and it's been leaking in one form or another since June. And today it's been announced for the Chinese market.

Like the W2016, the new W2017 comes with top of the line specs, packed into the clamshell design that was so popular many years ago. The W2017 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820, aided by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage expandable via microSD.

Samsung W2017 official images

It has a couple of 4.2-inch 1080p Super AMOLED touchscreens, one on the outside and one on the inside. The main camera is a 12 MP f/1.9 unit with 4K video recording support, while selfies are taken care of by a 5 MP snapper on the front. The phone works on 4G networks, and has a 2,300 mAh battery. Its dimensions are 127.8 x 61.4 x 15.8 mm, and it weighs 208g thanks to its metal frame.

The flip phone has a fingerprint scanner, an Always On Display, and fast wireless charging support. It runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The W2017 will be released in China soon, and it will most likely be confined to that one market forever, judging by what happened with its predecessor. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but it's expected to go for a whopping CNY 20,000, an amount that at the current exchange rates means about $2,953 or €2,661. That would make it even more expensive than the W2016 from last year, which retailed for CNY 9,999 ($1,476 or €1,330).

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