The global explosion of touchscreen smartphones may be pushing the flip phone era into oblivion, but Samsung is one company that wouldn’t totally give up on them. The Korean company is producing premium flip smartphones under its Samsung W series, and the Samsung W2017 is the latest addition to that series.
The Samsung W2017 is a successor to last year’s W2016, and it comes with spectacular features like dual touchscreen displays with a keypad and high-end specs like a Snapdragon 820 processor.
Perhaps the most astonishing detail about the Samsung W2017 is that it’s expected to cost around $3000 😮 , making it more expensive than two iPhone 7s, one Google Pixel and one Xiaomi Mi MIX combined together.
Samsung W2017 Flip Phone Specifications, Review and Highlights
The Samsung W2017 sports two touchscreen displays on either side of the flip cover, allowing you to operate the phone while it’s closed. Both displays are 4.2 inches in size, have a Full HD pixel resolution and are manufactured with Samsung’s own Super AMOLED panels.
It’s powered by a Quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor with a speed of 2.15 GHz. The processor is paired with an Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal memory which can be expanded up to 256GB with a microSD card.
At the rear of the W2017 is a 12MP camera with a f/1.7 aperture, PDAF, a LED flash and fingerprint scanner below it. Upfront is a 5MP camera with a f/1.9 aperture. Talking about sensors, the Samsung W2017 also comes with a heart rate sensor in addition to its biometric verifier.
Somewhat disappointingly, the W2017 comes with a hybrid dual Nano SIM slot, and considering that this smartphone is likely to be sold only in China, this wouldn’t go down well some people. However, I have a feeling that those who would have a grouse with  it wouldn’t have the wherewithal to buy it, afterall if Samsung didn’t sell the W2016, why would they launch the W2017?
As you would expect, the Samsung W2017 supports 4G LTE network bands with VoLTE and offers fast wireless connectivity with Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2 * 2 MIMO) [4G and Wi-Fi on a flip phone…Mehn, I’m still mesmerised -_ – ]. The smartphone packs a 2300mAh battery with wired and wireless fast charging and runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.
Samsung W2017Â Full Phone Specifications
Technology
- 2G – GSM.
- 3G – HSPA.
- 4G – LTE with VoLTE.
- SIM Type – Hybrid Nano SIM.
- OS – Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
- Dimensions – 127.8 * 61.4 * 15.8 mm.
- Weight – 208 g.
- Display – Dual 4.2-inch Super AMOLED Touchscreen displays (Front and back of flip), 1920 * 1080 pixels Full HD.
- Build:Â Metal frame with glass back.
- Form Factor:Â Flip Touchscreen.
- Colours – Gold & Black.
Hardware
- Processor Name/Technology – 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 820.
- Processor Speed – 2.1 GHz.
- Number of Processor Cores – Quad-core.
- Graphics Processor – Adreno 530.
- RAM – 4 GB.
- Internal Storage – 64 GB.
- External Storage – microSD, up to 256 GB.
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Light, Proximity Sensor, Fingerprint Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor.
Camera
- Rear – 12 MP, PDAF, 1.4μm pixel size, f/1.7 aperture, LED flash.
- Video recording – –
- Front-facing – 5 MP, f/1.9 aperture.
Multimedia
- Music Support – AAC, AMR, MP2, MP3, M4A, MKA,.
- Loudspeaker – Yes.
- Audio Technology – –
- Video Support – MP4/MPEG4/H.263/H.264 player.
- FM Radio – –
Connectivity
- Bluetooth – v4.1.
- Bluetooth Profiles – A2DP, LE.
- WiFi – Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2 * 2 MIMO), Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot.
- GPS – Yes, GLONASS.
- USB – microUSB v2.0.
- USB OTG – –
- NFC – Yes.
- 3.5mm audio jack – Yes.
Battery
- Battery – 2300 mAh.
- Charging – Fast Charge – Yes, wired and wireless.
- Power Management – Marshmallow’s Battery Saving mode.
- Extra Features – –
- Launch Date – November 4, 2016.
- Availability – TBA.
- Sales stores/platforms – TBA
Samsung W2017Â Availability and Price Details in Nigeria, Kenya & Ghana
The Samsung W2017 is expected to be launched soon in China in Black and Gold colour versions. Though it hasn’t been confirmed officially, the Samsung W2017 is expected to sell for around $3000.