Samsung “Hennessy” Android flip phone details leaked

Just when you thought that clamshell phones, also known as flip phones, were totally out of fashion, someone comes up with an attempt to revive the form factor. That someone, in this case, might be Samsung, as new details of its next flip phone surface.

Codenamed “Hennessy”, the Samsung SCH-W789 is rumored to have a dual-screen setup, with both screens measuring 3.5 inches and sporting a rather average 320×480 HVGA resolution. The CPU is unnamed but is said to be a quad-core with a clock speed of 1.2GHz, making it possibly a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200. It will have 1 GB of RAM and a 5 MP rear camera.

These specs are slightly different from an earlier leak which named the CPU as a Snapdragon S2. The information also mentioned a resolution of 800×480, which would have put the Hennessy closer to two other flip phones launched by Samsung in 2011 and 2012. The SCH-W789 will be running Android 4.1.2, which is probably decent given the hardware.

Those who have developed an aversion to flip phones probably need not worry, as this phone might be released only, or at least first, in China, just like Samsung’s SCH-W999 and SCH-W2013. There are no details as to the price, though it would probably be in the same range as the SCH-W999, which cost around $1,500. With a model that comes only in “Luxury Gold” color, it’s only fitting that it would have a luxurious price tag.

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Samsung is trying everything else, why not a flip phone?

Coming soon: an Android OS handheld that resembles the phone you had before Google even existed.

Samsung is going retro with a new phone for the Galaxy family. According to a choppy language translation of the Korea-based Digital Daily, Samsung's new phone -- the "Galaxy folder" -- is set for an August release in Korea as a low-end model. It will run Google's Android operating system with LTE support. It's said to have a small touch screen, as well as a physical keypad.

Why take the step backwards in time? Perhaps the design, with a smaller screen, is cheaper and could make for an inexpensive entry phone in emerging markets outside Korea too. Perhaps the Jitterbug senior handset is proving to be a secret runaway success that Samsung simply can't ignore. We'll know if we start seeing Samsung Folder ads next to those for Lipitor in Smithsonian Magazine.Leaked photos show the clamshell design that harkens memories of taking four and a half minutes to punch out one line of text.

Samsung has forged a different path design-wise than its top rival, Apple. Samsung has created multiple phones that appeal to niche markets, while its Cupertino competition designs phones that appeal to the broadest swath of consumers possible.

Next up?

Via GSMArena and Gotta Be Mobile.

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