Samsung flips open its Galaxy Z Flip phone
The Galaxy Z Flip offers up a different take on foldable smartphones, although we're still waiting on precise news of Australian availability.
To kick off its Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco today, Samsung showed off its worst kept secret, the foldable Samsung Galaxy Z Flip handset. As the leaks suggested, it's a foldable phone in what is essentially a "clamshell" style form factor, somewhat similar to the new Motorola RAZR phone.
There are a number of new features in the Galaxy Z Flip phone, however. For a start, the Galaxy Z Flip will feature an "infinity O" holepunch camera for selfie taking in front of a flexible glass display.
Where Samsung's previous foldable phone, the Samsung Galaxy Fold features a flexible plastic display, meaning it's less durable, Samsung is claiming a world's first with an ultra-thin glass display on the Galaxy Z Flip. Its claim is that it's capable of folding and unfolding up to 200,000 times, which is similar to its claims around the Galaxy Fold.
Folded up, the Galaxy Z Flip won't do much more than simple notifications from the outside. Internally, it can rest on its hinge, allowing an effective "split" of its screen display that Samsung calls "Flex Mode" so that you can, for example, play a YouTube video at the top of the display while commenting on it below.
Samsung didn't reveal much around core specifications for the Galaxy Z Flip at the start of its launch event, but it did state that it would go on sale in the US for US$1,380. At current conversion rates that would suggest around AUD$2,000, but that may not include sales taxes – a common play in the US market – so that could rise up when the Galaxy Z Flip becomes available here.
Samsung Australia says that the Galaxy Z Flip "will be launched in Australia in the coming months".
Garry McGregor, Vice President, Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics Australia said, "The Galaxy Z Flip also doesn't just fold for fun. Samsung has harnessed the potential of this foldable category and created a device that again is designed to change the way we interact with our smartphones and others. Thanks to the free stop folding hinge and Flex Mode you can video conference, take selfies and much more, in a different way."
Want to know more? Take a look at our overview of the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Launch.
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