Samsung W23 Flip launches as a first-gen luxury clamshell foldable smartphone alongside its flagship W23 sibling

Samsung and China Telecom's shared history of collaborating on flip phones with a high-end appeal was re-booted when the former made the breakthrough to market-ready foldable smartphones. Therefore, the W23 as an upgrade for the W22 was somewhat predictable in 2022. However, it might come as a pleasant surprise for some that it has acquired a Flip sibling for the first time this year.

The W23 Flip is the only version of Samsung's 2022 clamshell with a gold hinge and frame to go with its otherwise shiny black colorway. It has the same specs as a 'normal' Galaxy Z Flip4 - except that it gets 12GB of RAM as opposed to 8GB in most SKUs out there - not to mention the 512GB of internal storage that is well out of the reach of the average unit.

The flagship W23 has also been re-designed to exude its series' "self-confidence", to the extent that the Z Fold4's normal Gorilla Glass Victus+ rear panel has been swapped out for black ceramic. In addition, it also gets a RAM upgrade, from 12GB to 16GB. Both 'new' devices are identical to the foldables on which they are based otherwise, however.

Nevertheles, the W23 Flip and W23 have launched at the considerably elevated premium of 9,999 yuan (US$1,380) and 15,999 yuan (US$2,209) respectively. By contrast, the standard Galaxy Z Flip4 and Fold4 start at US$848 and US$1,570 respectively on Amazon today.