PETALING JAYA, Jan 29 — This is it, the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. It’s a flip phone that comes with a foldable display on the inside. Almost a year after the Galaxy Fold was introduced, Samsung is now putting its flexible display technology into a retro clamshell design. The clear renders of the Galaxy Z Flip has been revealed ahead of launch thanks to serial leaksters Evan Blass and Roland Quandt.
As seen in the early leaked images, the Galaxy Z Flip comes with a tall 22:9 display which can be folded in half. Unlike the Motorola Razr, Samsung’s new device is pushing a higher Full HD+ resolution of 2636 x 1080 pixels. As shown here, the screen has a punch-hole at the top for a 10MP selfie camera and it uses a new cover called “Ultra Thin Glass” which is said to be more durable than the current plastic film on the Galaxy Fold.
According to Roland Quandt, the internal display uses a 6.7″ Dynamic AMOLED Panel while the cover gets a tiny 1.06″ always-on AMOLED screen that is used to show notifications. Under the hood, it runs on a flagship-class Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor that comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage which isn’t expandable.
If you look closely at the hinge especially at the back of the folding mechanism, it shares a lot of similarities with the larger Samsung Galaxy Fold. When folded, you can see a prominent Samsung branding on its metal frame. Apparently, the Galaxy Z Flip has a stand feature which allows you to keep the device open at a 90-degree angle. What has been massively improved is that the device appears to be able to close flat without the noticeable “thigh gap.”
For imaging, the device gets a dual-camera setup on the cover which consists of a 12MP f/1.8 main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle shooter. It can also record 4K videos up to 60fps.
The device also gets a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and a volume rocker but it doesn’t come with a 3.5mm headphone jack which is expected for a new flagship-class device. Powering the device is a modest 3,300mAh battery that supports 15W fast charging via USB-C. Interestingly, the device will also support Qi Wireless charging up to 9W.
According to Roland, the Galaxy Z Flip is expected to be priced around EUR 1,500 (about RM6,746) and it will be released around 14th February 2020. As a comparison, the Motorola Razr is priced at USD 1,500 (about RM6,120) and it will be available via Verizon in the US on 18th February 2020.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is scheduled to be announced officially together with the Galaxy S20 series on 11th February 2020. Since Malaysia is a key market, you can expect the devices to be offered locally very soon. — SoyaCincau
