With just over a week to go before the highly anticipated launch of Samsung's upcoming flip phone, dubbed the SM-W2018, a fresh set of leaked images of the phone has emerged, showing it retaining an unlikely design trait.
The leaked photos of the SM-W2018 have come from SlashLeaks, indicating that the device will feature a dedicated button for launching Bixby. Even though we have a software option to fire up the virtual assistant, the possible inclusion of the Bixby button on the new flip phone suggests that Samsung won't let the feature turn obsolete so soon.
"Given the limited reach of the company's flip phones, the SM-W2018 could have done without the Bixby key, and no one would have batted an eyelid," SamMobile said, adding that the leaked photos of the SM-W2018 are strong evidence that the Bixby button is here to stay.
Other than the Bixby button, everything else the leaked photos show is already known. The phone will have two 4.2-inch Full HD displays, an alphanumeric keypad with a circular navigation key setup and a brushed metal design that looks classy.
According to recent rumours, the SM-W2018 will have flagship-level specifications, including a Snapdragon 835 processor, 64GB internal storage, 4GB or 6GB of RAM, a 12MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera and a 2,300mAh battery.
On the software front, the phone is expected to run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It's unclear whether the phone will get Android 8.0 Oreo given its extremely niche market segment, SamMobile reported.
According to a report from last week, Samsung is expected to unveil the new SM-W2018 flip phone on December 1. However, the device is very likely to be reserved for the Chinese market, with a price tag of close to $2,000.
