Samsung announces new phone that combines the power of smartphones and the charm of flip phones

The new Samsung W2018.Samsung

Mobile phone maker Samsung has announced a brand-new phone that combines the power and utility of smartphones and the nostalgic charm of flip phones. Called the Samsung W2018, the new device is an expensive flip phone that boasts the capabilities of the company's current generation flagship phones.

The new phone was announced by the company during a launch event in China. The phone features two large screens and a physical dial pad and directional buttons on the inside, giving users a very unique experience that gives them the best of both worlds.

The Samsung W2018 has a 4.2-inch AMOLED outer screen that allows it to function like typical smartphone when it's closed. When it is opened, users can utilize yet another 4.2-inch HD inner display, as well as the physical key pad. The phone comes in gold and platinum, and the body is of metal build.

The devices also include modern features like Samsung's software assistant Bixby and a fingerprint scanner at the back of the device. The unique phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and 6 GB of random access memory (RAM). Once released, the phone will have Android Nougat but will most likely get Android Oreo sometime in the future.

With its specifications, the W2018 is on par with the current generation flagship phones Galaxy S8 and Note 8, both of which were released earlier this year. However, the flip phone actually edges out the flagship handsets in one category — the camera.

The W2018 rear camera features a 12-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/1.5. With it, the flip phone boasts the widest aperture phone camera lens to date. Its camera allows the W2018 to capture sharp images even in low light conditions. When there's enough light, it also automatically switches to f2.4 aperture in order to capture more of the background in its images.

The Samsung W2018 is currently only set to be released in China. Its price has not been announced.