Samsung’s new luxurious smart flip phone has the widest aperture camera lens yet
Samsung unveiled a new expensive flip phone, the Samsung W2018, during a launch event in China today, as first reported by GizmoChina. Many of the W2018’s specs are on par with the S8 and Note 8, with one exception: the camera lens.
The W2018 is the latest addition to Samsung’s W line, which gets updated with a new flip phone every year. It’s also the 10th anniversary of the W series, which is still popular in Asia. They are priced higher than typical Samsung global flagships, like the S8 and Note 8. A cheesy Chinese ad for the phone reads, “Hi Bixby, what’s true luxury?”
With an aperture of f/1.5, Samsung claims that the W2018’s 12-megapixel rear camera can capture sharp images in less light than the cameras on rival phones can. It also has a 5-megapixel front camera. Through software, the camera can sense when there’s enough light to switch to f/2.4 and capture more of the background in photos. The phone will launch with Android Nougat, instead of Oreo.
The W2018 has a 4.2-inch full HD AMOLED front display, and a 4.2-inch full HD inner display. As retro touches that make me nostalgic as I type them, it has a directional pad and a number keypad. There’s a fingerprint scanner beside the rear camera, like other Samsung models, and a Bixby button for voice assistance. It comes in gold and platinum in a metal-and-glass body protected by Gorilla Glass.
It’s equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 256GB storage options. A 2,300mAh battery powers it all.
As an attempt to sweeten the deal for luxury lovers, Samsung says that W2018 buyers also get perks like concierge help at airports and subways, free software tech support, and a hotline just for VIPs. The phone will get released in China first and the price is yet to be announced, but we can guess it might be even higher than the W2017’s price tag of $3,000. That’s a lot to pay for tech support and taking clear photos at night.
