A mysterious Samsung smartphone with model number of SM-G9298 had recently received certification from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at the end of the previous week. The smartphone has also received approval form Wi-Fi Alliance. Rumors had hinted that it may be a dual screen flip phone from the company.
By looking at the leaked image, it can be understood that the phone does not feature any sensor above the screen. Hence, it seems to be a flip phone. Speculations suggest that it could be a successor of the SM-W2017 flip phone from Samsung that was launched last year.
The predecessor of SM-W2017 had a model number of SM-W2016. Hence, the successor of SM-W2017 should have SM-W2018 model number. However, the model number of the leaked phone suggests that it could be a different product. Other rumors hint that it could be the first foldable smartphone from Samsung that is dubbed as Galaxy X by the rumor mill.
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It has been found that the flip phone shown in the leaked image is driven by Snapdragon 821 chipset and it carries support for wireless charging. The WFA certification of the phone revealed that it is running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS. These older specs indicate that it may not be the Galaxy X which is expected to come with flagship specifications.
Samsung had released a flip phone with a model number of SM-G9198 in 2015. It was powered by Snapdragon 808 chipset which was the next best SoC in 2015 after the Snapdragon 810 that powered most flagship phones in that year. Its predecessor SM-G9098 was launched in 2014. However, in 2016, Samsung did not launch a successor for SM-G9198.
The new SM-G9298 will mostly likely roll out as a successor of SM-G9198. Since SM-G9198 was launched in August 2015, the SM-G9298 is speculated to release in the Q3 2017. The SM-G9198 was the first phone from Samsung to be powered by Snapdragon 808 chipset. The SM-G9298 could be the first smartphone from the company to be fueled by Snapdragon 821, the next best chipset after Snapdragon 835. Since the device has been certified by FCC in the U.S., it seems that the South Korean company is prepping up a new flip phone for its U.S. fans.
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