Is Samsung really launching a flip phone version of the Galaxy S6?

Images of a new Samsung flip phone have emerged online, boasting a Galaxy S6-style premium finish and specs. So is Samsung really about to launch an expensive new clamshell handset here in the UK?

This month Blackberry brought back the slider phone, in the form of its excellent Priv handset, and now it appears that Samsung is set to launch a brand new premium flip phone at the start of 2016.

Clamshells are still popular devices in Asian markets, but usually make up the cheaper end of the mobile phone market, with basic features on offer. However, the latest rumours suggest that this Samsung flip phone will boast Galaxy S6-style design and specs, making it one of the most premium clamshells in quite some time.

Samsung’s flip phone features dual 3.9-inch Super AMOLED screens boasting a 1280×768 pixel resolution (that’s 382 pixels-per-inch), which should be just as bright and vibrant as the Galaxy S6’s display, if not quite as sharp. One of the screens is positioned on the front of the phone, for checking notifications and most likely accessing your favourite widgets. It’s also going to be the most convenient screen for watching video. The other display is hidden away inside the clamshell.

Beneath that second screen you get an old-fashioned numeric keypad, complete with a directional pad for skipping through menus and Android’s usual back, home and recent apps buttons – suggesting that this will be an Android Lollipop or Marshmallow device.

Interestingly, the Samsung clamshell is also rumoured to pack the same 64-bit Exynos 7420 processor as the Galaxy S6, as well as 64GB of storage and a 16-megapixel camera, plus a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

That metallic frame will be far from cheap too, with a hefty 204g weight.

With these kinds of specs, we’d expect to see Samsung launch the flip phone in style at the start of 2016. However, the real question is, will the handset ever reach the UK? Chances are, probably not. Despite us getting all teary-eyed with nostalgia at the thought of a good clamshell, we wouldn’t want to pay top dollar for a phone packing an old-school numeric keypad regardless of the sexy design and premium innards.

We’ll bring you more info when we have it.