If you have been following MySmartPrice, chances are high that you have read our previous article on the Samsung W2019 – a new smartphone in the unusual clamshell form-factor. Previously, we had reported about the W2019 being certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The device subsequently made its official appearance on the TENAA and the MIIT websites as well indicating that Samsung was planning to release the device in the near future.
Barely a week since we filed that report, the official support page for the device has appeared on the company’s Chinese website, as per a report by 91Mobiles.
Samsung W2019: Hardware, specifications
While the spec-sheet of the W2019 has not been confirmed yet, we do know from the TENAA listing that it will feature a dedicated Bixby button on the left side of the upper flip panel. The Samsung W2019 is also expected to feature flagship-grade specifications that include a dual camera setup similar to the one on the Galaxy Note9. This could mean that the primary camera on the phone could feature variable aperture. The secondary camera with the telephoto lens is likely to feature f/2.4 aperture and is also likely to support 2x optical zoom.
The leaked image from TENAA also indicates that the handset will feature twin displays. The fingerprint scanner of the handset will be on the side panel. The clamshell form factor of the handset also means that the device gets a T9 keypad with dedicated keys for home and recent apps. The glass-clad back panel also indicates the possibility of support for wireless charging.
While not confirmed, the W2019 is likely to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC (and not Samsung own Exynos 9810 chipset). Since the W2019 is the official successor to last year’s W2018, we can expect it to ship with at least 6GB of RAM as well. The rest of the specifications remain under wraps for the time being.
Samsung W2019: Expected launch date, price
With the appearance of the handset on Samsung’s own support page, we can more or less confirm that the handset is indeed on the verge of being officially launched. We might have to wait for the official launch date, though. It is possible that Samsung would make an official announcement about the release of the W2019 by the first week of December. In fact, December would also mark the first anniversary of the announcement of the W2018, the W2019’s predecessor from last year.
In case you are wondering why is Samsung experimenting with a clamshell design in 2018, here’s a snippet of information.
Clamshell phones were all the rage in the far east (mostly China and Japan) back in the mid-2000s. With the advent of the iPhone and the gradual extinction of the smartphone keypad, clamshell designs soon became antiquated. There is no denying, however, that people from the region still have a soft spot for the good old clamshell design. For the same reason, it is unlikely that the W2019 would ever make it to other markets outside of China.
