Samsung Offers Glimpse Of Galaxy Z Flip Smartphone

Electronics giant Samsung offers a surprise teaser of square folding smartphone during Academy Awards event

Samsung Electronics has offered consumers a glimpse of a new folding smartphone, dubbed the Galaxy Z Flip smartphone.

It offered the surprise teaser of the new device first hinted at last year, during the Academy Awards ceremony at the weekend.

Samsung is prepping for the Galaxy Unpacked event on 11 February, where the Galaxy Z Flip smartphone is expected to be officially unveiled.

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Galaxy Z Flip

The advert (found here) shows the phone in action, including flipping open to reveal a single large screen.

The advert also shows the square flip phone “sitting” at a 90-degree angle on a desk, with the top of the screen facing vertically for a better video chat experience.

It is reported that the smartphone will be in two colours – black and purple – and it looks to have a smaller outer screen on its shell, which will display notifications.

In some ways it is similar to the Motorola Razr, which is also a folding flip phone. That device is a modern twist based on the hugely popular flip phone of the 2000s.

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When the Motorola Razr clamshell is opened (or flipped open), instead of being presented with a screen and a physical keyboard as per the original device, the user is confronted with a single foldable display, much like the Galaxy Z Flip.

Folding phone

When it arrives, the  Galaxy Z Flip will be Samsung second folding phone, after its troubled Samsung Galaxy Fold device was launched in 2019.

Samsung had intended to launch that device on 26 April 2019 in the US, and in the UK on 3 May, at a cost of $2,000 (£1,800).

The Galxy Fold. Image credit: Samsung

But Samsung was soon forced to postpone the launch after early reviewers reported faults with the folding display, which halted media events for the device in the Far East.

The boss of Samsung, co-CEO DJ Koh in Juy 2019 had admitted that the delayed launch of its folding smartphone, was ‘embarrassing.’

He reportedly said he had pushed the Galaxy Fold to market “before it was ready.” An executive in June had confirmed that the faults had been fixed with the device.

Samsung relaunched the Fold in early September 2019.

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