Skip to main content

Samsung built a bizarro flip phone with smartphone-caliber specs

Samsung Leader 8
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Samsung has taken the wraps off of its latest phone — and it’s a flip phone called the Samsung Leader 8. What makes this phone a little different from others, however, is that under the hood it’s almost as capable as any other flagship phone you’d see on the market.

For starters, the phone features the Snapdragon 821 processor — which is the chip you might have seen in 2016 flagships like the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy S7. On top of that, you’ll find a nice 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The phone also features a 2,300mAh battery — which may not sound like much, but will probably get the phone through the day thanks to the much smaller display, which sits in at 4.2 inches.

When it comes to the camera on the back, the phone sits in at 12MP with an f/1.7 aperture. Right under the camera, you’ll see a fingerprint sensor — which seems like a pretty awkward positioning for a flip phone. The phone doesn’t stop at great specs either — it supports Samsung service you’d find on other phones, too, like Samsung Pay and wireless charging.

It’s certainly an interesting concept, though if you live in North American you probably won’t be able to get your hands on it. Samsung hasn’t announced anything related to pricing or availability just yet apart from the fact that it will be available in China — but if it is launched in other countries it will likely only be in other parts of Asia.

This isn’t the first time in recent years that companies have revisited the idea of a flip phone. Just last year Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy Folder 2, which had midrange specs rather than the flagship specs you’ll find on the new device. Not only that, but in June LG launched the LG Exalt LTE — which also happened to be the first LTE-only device available from Verizon.

So are we seeing a resurgence in the humble flip phone? Probably not — but it’s still fun to see the form factor live on despite the fact that most of the world has moved on.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
Qualcomm is about to make cheap Android phones better than ever
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 render.

Qualcomm is adding a new top-tier mobile chipset to its portfolio — one that takes the best bits of its flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 silicon, makes some concessions, and serves it all up in a more affordable package. The result of those efforts is the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, which is slated to appear inside phones from Xiaomi and Honor in the coming month.

Qualcomm is once again pushing generative AI capabilities for its latest silicon, touting features like image expansion, support for AI models from the likes of Meta to create an intelligent on-device assistant, and readiness for Google’s Gemini Nano model. So far, these things have remained exclusive to Google's Pixel and Samsung flagships, but it appears that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 will finally bring them to a larger audience.

Read more
These Samsung phones are getting a big update this month
Someone holding the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with the display turned on.

We all love getting a big software update on our phones, and if you bought a Samsung phone within the last year or so, you should have one coming your way very soon.

Last month, Samsung announced plans to release its One UI 6.1 update — which includes its new Galaxy AI features — to a variety of its 2023 smartphones. Samsung said the update was coming in March, but we're close to halfway through the month, and there had been no update on One UI 6.1 since. Thankfully, it looks like the update is still on track for a timely release.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: news, rumored price, release date, and more
Leaked render of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.

In the half-decade we've had folding phones, they have operated at opposite ends of the spectrum. One side wants to maximize power and productivity with tablet-like foldables, while the other wants to make your phone as minimalistic as possible. Samsung caters to both of these groups with its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series, and it’s had five years of experience in that department.

We’re still a few months away from both the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, but the rumor mill is steadily churning so far. Here’s what we know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 so far.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: release date

Read more