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Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 5 Retro pays tribute to the iconic SGH-E700 flip phone
Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip 5 Retro, a limited edition version that pays homage to the iconic SGH-E700.
Tecno's Phantom V flip phone puts a circular display on its cover
Tecno's Phantom V Flip is the first flexible flip phone with a circular cover screen, and its voice assistant has built-in ChatGPT.
Samsung's $1,450 Galaxy Z Flip 5G will land in the US on August 7th
Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip is the best foldable we've tested so far this year. What's peculiar is just how quickly Samsung cooked up a new version of its charming foldable flip phone. The company officially announced the Galaxy Z Flip 5G this morning, and as its name suggests, the device packs the next-generation network support the original missed out on.
Motorola has a two-for-one deal on its foldable Razr phone
If you really want a foldable smartphone, Motorola's two-for-one deal on its new Razr flip phone could be worth checking out.
Samsung's clamshell foldable phone may be called the Galaxy Z Flip
Samsung may not be particularly attached to the Galaxy Fold name. Historically reliable leaker Ice Universe has claimed that Samsung's reported clamshell foldable phone will be called the Galaxy Z Flip, not Fold 2, Bloom or other rumored names. We'd take the claims with a small grain of salt when there isn't much corroborating evidence (Ice acknowledged that the logo is a mockup), it would make sense given the nature of the device -- it's a flip phone that folds in the Z axis, after all.
Samsung adds some power to its latest Android flip phone
With the tactile buttons, nostalgic looks and snappy foldability, flip phones have a certain je ne sais quoi. But nobody wants to use a feature phone like a caveman, so Samsung has just revealed its latest model, the Galaxy Folder. It's arriving right after rival LG's Gentle flip phone, but is quite a step up. Along with 4G LTE and Android 5.1, it's got a higher-res 3.8-inch, 480 x 800 screen, twice the RAM (2GB), a sharper 8-megapixel camera and a much bigger battery. Imagine! That'll let you do most of what you normally, then fold your phone away like Lindsey Graham. No, really imagine, because it's available in Korea for $250, but ain't likely to come here.
LG's got a flip phone that runs Android Lollipop
Flip phones aren't just for retro hipsters and the elderly anymore... well, actually they kind of are. But they're super popular in Asia, and now you can get one that'll run the latest apps: LG's Gentle flip phone. The faux-leather adorned device is running a bleeding edge version of Android 5.1 Lollipop and packing 4G LTE. Otherwise, it's not exactly a power-user's dream with a 3.2-inch 480 x 320 screen, 3-megapixel rear camera, 4GB of (expandable) storage and 1GB of RAM. But for just 200 thousand won ($175) it would make a fine second phone, provided you live in Korea -- it's unlikely to come here, and similar flip phones can be pricey to import.
Senator Lindsey Graham on how to properly break your phone
During a recent campaign stop in South Carolina, billionaire presidential candidate and hairpiece aficionado Donald Trump decided to share Senator Lindsey Graham's personal cell phone number with the crowd (and all of televised America). This resulted in his phone being inundated by calls from across the country. So what's Senator Graham (R-SC) to do with a number that may as well be scrawled across every truck stop bathroom in the nation under "For a good time call"? Well, first, he got himself a new phone. Then he teamed up with Independent Journal Review, a news and politics forum, to give his trusty old flip-phone the send-off it deserved -- which apparently includes lots of fire, golf clubs, blenders, bokken and long falls.
I tried to live with a high-end feature phone. I can't.
The feature phone. Still big in Japan. Still being sold in the millions. Still relevant, though? And does it even matter what a 30-something tech writer at a Western tech site thinks? Japan's large elderly population -- people who haven't even heard of Angry Birds, Gmail or Uber -- they're the ones sticking to their flip phones. Hardy, easy to use and cheaper than an iPhone. (If you need a primer on the phenomenon of gara-kei, you should probably read up on that here, but in short, it's how Japan's mobile phone market sped ahead with early technologies, then faltered when smartphone competition arrived.) So let's try using one. The best and newest feature phone available in Japan, no less. It's pitched as bringing the best smartphone features to the flip form factor. Is it better than a plain, old smartphone? Good lord, no.
Motorola's march toward mobility
We owe a lot to Motorola and its team of inventors and engineers. The company made breakthroughs in portable radio and brought us one of the first-ever cellphones. It launched the flip phone, the clamshell and the wildly popular RAZR V3. There have been some ups and downs along the way, and the company's endured more than its share of corporate hand-changing, but with its Moto series and Nexus 6, it's now back amongst the smartphone elite. In this week's Rewind, we take a look at some of the milestones in Motorola's quest for portable communicators.
Samsung brings Korea's elderly a new flip-phone with dual screens
Samsung's Master range of flip-phones for the elderly only launched in May, and already the company is ready with a follow-up. The new Master Dual's biggest new feature is, unsurprisingly, the addition of a 2.2-inch display above the clamshell that complements the 3-incher that's tucked inside. In every other respect, we're looking at a pretty basic device, with a 3-megapixel primary camera, GPS and 2G radios. On the upside, it does have a peace-of-mind feature if you're concerned about your folks, since the phone will alert relatives if it hasn't been used in a set period of time. If you're in Korea and have 300,300 won in your back pocket (around $280) then you can grab one of these from your local branch of SK Telecom.
LG's Wine Smart is an Android flip phone for the messaging elderly
Friends ("The One Where the Monkey Gets Away") is on TV, Alanis Morissette is angrily screaming "You oughta know" on the radio, your bff messages you on WhatsApp. What's the misfit in this picture? Nothing if you're rocking LG's Wine Smart -- a rare smartphone flip phone. Nostalgia from the 90s (or, really, 2007) aside, the Wine Smart isn't all that unusual. Flip phones are still popular in certain markets, and why wouldn't you want one with the latest version of Android, a 1.2GHz processor, 8-megapixel camera and expandable memory? Well, that's exactly what the Wine smart has, although if you were hoping LG's 2K display might filter down from the G3, you'd be fresh outta luck (3.5-inch, 480 x 320 is what you'll have to settle for). The inclusion of a "safe keeper" function that alerts friends or family if you fall suggest this is pitched at an older crowd. But, then there's a dedicated button for a instant messaging app, too. We're sure LG knows its market though, so who are we to question? Oh, there's an FM radio too. Perfect for that Morissette revival, whenever and wherever LG decides to release it.
Samsung hopes 'respected older generations' will dig its new flip-phones
It may be a tad ageist to presume that some older folks prefer simple flip-phones to souped-up smartphones, but Samsung isn't making any apologies. In fact, the firm's just introduced a new line of clamshell phones in South Korea aimed at "respected old generations." Dubbed "Samsung Master," the class of handsets keeps things tame (and decidedly 2008) with 2G and 3G radios, a 3-inch screen, pedometer and FM radio. Of course, even a feature phone would't be complete without some flair. Not only are the phones available in black, red and silver, but their backs and keypads wear the faux stitched leather that's become a staple in the company's more cutting edge phones, tablets and laptops. If you happen to find yourself in South Korea with 240,000 won (roughly $234) to spare, you can snap up the distinguished-looking flip-phone for yourself.
Gadget Rewind 2004: Motorola RAZR V3
It's our 10th birthday, and to celebrate we'll be revisiting some of the key devices of the last decade. So please be kind, rewind. Motorola had been slinging its "hellomoto" campaign for several years by the time the RAZR V3 hit the scene in 2004. It's likely that you'll remember the iconic design of this handset, either as your communicator of choice or with a faint twinge of envy at never having scored one yourself. This ultra-slim flip phone had a backlit keypad that screamed Tron and its magnesium and aluminum outer shell gave it a lightweight, yet solid build. Motorola made the right move by providing an array of colors to choose from -- not quite the rainbow of flavors that today's Moto X offers, but it was enough to satisfy those with funkier tastes. As its name implied, the RAZR V3 was the switchblade of cellphones and cut a strikingly sharp figure, especially when flipped open. A minor downside to the design was its width; at just over 2-inches it was an exception at the time, although still a few notches below what most of us are pocketing today.
Another Samsung flip-phone leaks out: the Hennessy, with dual 480 x 320 displays
In the realm of Samsung flip-phone rumors, color us confused. Earlier, we saw a manual on Samsung's site for a Galaxy Folder (SHF-E400K), with dual 800 x 480 displays, a dual-core Snapdragon 400 CPU, 2GB of RAM, gold trim and LTE support. Now, we're seeing a so-called Samsung Hennessy (SCH-W789), another dual-screen clamshell model with 320 x 480 resolution on both of its 3.27-inch screens, a quad-core 1.2GHz CPU, 5-megapixel camera, dual-sim support and, yes, a "Luxury Gold" color trim option. The latter model has leaked multiple times from Asian rumor sites, while the presence of a manual and photos for the Folder seem to all but confirm that model. We remain skeptical, though, as the sources may have mixed up the similar-looking models, and in any case they may never arrive in the US. If they're real, though, we've obviously underestimated the size of the cognac-and-cigar throwback market.
Leaked Samsung 'Galaxy Folder' suggests return of the dual-display flip phone
It feels like yesterday we were discussing the alleged death of form factor diversity in the smartphone world, and now Samsung comes up with this: a mid-range clamshell called the Galaxy Folder (SHV-E400K) with displays on both sides of the lid. According to Japanese site RBMen, which discovered a Korean-language user manual for the device on Samsung's website, at least one of the displays is a 3.7-inch AMOLED panel with 800 x 480 resolution. Other specs include a Snapdragon 400 dual-core chip, 2GB of RAM and LTE support. The basic design is nothing new to Samsung, which came out with the similar SCH-W2013 in China last year, and the SCH-W999 a year before that, but it's good to see evidence of its survival in 2013 -- and especially if it's destined for Samsung's home market. If it was up to us though, we'd put some e-ink in that second display.
Samsung's SCH-W2013 is a quad-core, dual-screen flip phone, designed for Jackie Chan
It's been almost a year since the ridiculously expensive SCH-W999 launched on China Telecom, so it's about time for Samsung to come up with yet another dual-screen flip phone to lure folks with too much money. Launched in conjunction with a big charity concert (again) earlier today is the SCH-W2013, a 1.4GHz quad-core (likely an Exynos 4412) device with Android 4.0 and dual-3.7-inch 800 x 480 Super AMOLED touchscreens. On top of that there's 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, microSD expansion of up to 64GB, 1,850mAh of battery juice, an eight-megapixel main imager plus a whopping 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. As with many flagship devices on China Telecom, the W2013 comes with dual-SIM support: one for CDMA2000 800/1900 and the other for GSM 900/1800/1900. The damage? Well, there's nothing official yet, but it's believed to be somewhere between ¥18,000 ($2,900) and ¥20,000 ($3,210). After all, it ain't cheap to hire Jackie Chan (and he was also given a W2013 at the concert).
Samsung announces GT-B9120 for Android flip phone fans in China
The emergence of Android, and the decline of the flip-phone form factor happened as such, that the two aren't all that well acquainted. Samsung, however, wants to firm-up that relationship, bringing the two together once more. The GT-B9120 is the result. A flip phone with Google's Gingerbread operating system from the Galaxy-maker, headed for the Chinese market. There's dual 3.5-inch 480 x 800 screens, and a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260 doing the business. A 5-megapixel camera will send photos off to the 16GB internal storage, and HSPA, WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth make up the wireless options. Somewhere someone's dream has just been answered, we just hope that person is in China.
Samsung's two-faced SCH-W999 Android plays the dual core, dual SIM game
Remember Samsung's second-gen dual-screen Android clamshell we spotted about a month ago? Well, here it is at last: announced in partnership with China Telecom, this SCH-W999 flip phone packs two 3.5-inch 480 x 800 Super AMOLED panels back to back, along with a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8660, Android 2.3 with TouchWiz, HyperSkin back cover (as featured on the Galaxy Nexus for grip plus anti-smear), five megapixel camera, Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi and WAPI (China's not-so-successful take on WiFi, basically). Like many phones on China Telecom, the W999 comes with dual SIM slots and dual-mode connectivity (GSM and CDMA2000, with the latter offering EV-DO 3G), but with the additional support for penta-band radio for globetrotters. Want to nab one? We're looking at a 2012 launch, though there's no word on prices just yet -- well, just so you know, the predecessor W899 starts from ¥8990 ($1,410), so good luck with your garage sale. We got you some pictures from the China launch event after the break, courtesy of Samsung Mobile. %Gallery-140983%
Samsung's SCH-i929 and SCH-W999 dual-screen clamshell get certified in China
Ready for a heavy dose of Android this morning? Then enjoy this Samsung double whammy freshly delivered from China. On the left we have the China Telecom-branded SCH-i929, a 9.7mm-thick handset featuring a Snapdragon MSM8660 chip (likely clocked at 1.5GHz), 4.5-inch 480 x 800 AMOLED display, eight-megapixel camera and GSM plus CDMA2000 connectivity. All of this makes the i929 a near-identical cousin of the Galaxy S II LTE -- same processor, same chassis, but obviously with different network compatibility. Of course, the real star of the show is the SCH-W999, a follow-up to the SCH-W899 of the same dual-screen clamshell form factor. As you can see on the right, on the outside this phone features a 3.5-inch 480 x 800 AMOLED display along with three touch buttons, while on the inside it packs a similar screen plus a physical keypad. Like the i929 above, this funky flip phone is also powered by a MSM8660 chip and supports both GSM and CDMA2000 on China Telecom, though its camera is limited to five megapixels instead. Anyhow, we'd certainly love to get hold of a world-friendly version of this 204 gram beast, so what do you say, Won-Pyo Hong? %Gallery-137682%
