Last August, Samsung brought a bit of early 2000s nostalgia back to the tech world when it unveiled the SCH-W789 “Hennessy” flip phone. In a sea of high-tech slabs, the old-school clamshell initiated a lot of head scratching – it offered only 320 x 480 pixels against the typically full-HD screens of late, a weak 1.2 GHz CPU, and an underpowered 5MP camera. However, the Hennessy wasn’t for the average consumer – it ended up being exclusive to China, where less expensive flip phones remain popular.
Samsung followed the Hennessy with a blinged-out dual-screen flip phone called the Galaxy Golden. The Golden, aside from being gold, was limited to the Korean market and included dual 3.7-inch touch screens and a 1.7 GHz processor. It ran Android 4.2 Jelly Bean (with a TouchWiz skin) and offered the popular S Health fitness app that is standard on Samsung’s “normal” smartphones. It was marketed as an easy-to-use handset for beginners.
Now, Samsung is raising the bar and producing a high-end flipper, complete with the latest and greatest components seen on recent flagship smartphones. Leaked images and wireless certification documents from China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center (Tenaa) detail the SM-W2014, complete with two 3.67-inch 800 x 480 Super AMOLED touch displays, a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU, a 13MP rear-facing camera (paired with a 2MP front-facing shooter), and 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
The phone itself is a dark gold/brass color with what appears to be a stitched leather back, reminiscent of the new Galaxy Note 3. It will also include a built-in FM radio. Additionally, it will run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean straight out of the box.
Unfortunately for many people who would like to relive the Motorola Razr V3 days, this top-of-the-line flip phone – like the “Hennessy” before it – will probably be a China-only exclusive.
