Samsung launches W2016, a Galaxy S6 trapped inside a flip phone body

The Samsung W2016 is a Galaxy S6 trapped inside a flip phone body. Or is it the other way?

Spotted earlier this week in China’s TENAA listings, the W2016 has received a quiet official launch. But that’s about the only quiet thing about this flip phone, which features a decadent Galaxy S6-inspired design and an equally outrageous spec sheet.

Some may call the W2016 excessive. But for Samsung, and presumably certain demographic groups in Asia, this dual-screened device makes total sense. Just like the Galaxy S6, the W2016 comes with a sculpted aluminum frame, a curved metal back, and metallic accents. Even the speaker perforations and USB slot on its bottom evoke Samsung’s early 2015 flagship.

Coming in gold or silver, the device is rather heavy, at 204 grams. It’s also 15.1 mm thick when closed, but that’s the price you need to pay for style, not to mention the two 3.9-inch 1280 x 768 AMOLED displays and T9 numeric keypad.

Specs include an Exynos 7420 processor, 3GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. The rear camera is 16MP, while the front one is 5MP. The device runs the Chinese version of Samsung’s TouchWiz, based on Android 5.1 Lollipop. There’s also wireless charging, a 2000 mAh battery, and dual-SIM LTE.

For all intents and purposes, the W2016 is a genuine, if very unusual, Android flagship.

We don’t have info on the price of the Samsung W2016, or its eventual availability outside of China. For some reason, flip (smart)phones are still a thing in East Asia, but we would be surprised if Samsung sold the W2016 elsewhere.

Samsung Gear VR lands in stores today from Amazon and others

Right on schedule, the Samsung Gear VR has finally arrived today via Best Buy, Amazon, and AT&T — with T-Mobile also expected to offer the handset starting next week. While Samsung released two “Innovator Editions” of the Gear VR ahead of this one, the new Gear VR is the first fully commercial ready model and comes at a fairly aggressive price of $99.99.

The Gear VR basically sits somewhere between higher-end VR solutions like the Oculus Rift and low-end solutions like Cardboard and its many clones and relatives. Like the Cardboard family, the Gear VR utilizes an existing smartphone as its brains, but unlike the former, the Gear VR has extra sensors and components that help provide a more immersive experience than you’d get with Cardboard. Gear VR also has a much more unified library of games, media apps, and services, and is made in partnership with Oculus — further cementing the fact that this is the real deal.

See also: Samsung Gear VR reactions at Oculus Connect1

At launch, there are over a hundred games and apps tailored for the Gear VR, with plenty more to come, including 25 brand new made-for-VR games and experiences arriving in early December.  Some of the most critically acclaimed VR titles available for the Gear VR right now include Land’s End (from UStwo, of Monument Valley fame), Mortal Blitz VR, Netflix, and more. There’s also the Oculus Store — Oculus’ portal to finding great VR-optimized experiences.

Bottom-line, if you’re looking for a mainstream VR experience that isn’t the wild west that is Google’s Cardboard platform, the Gear VR is worthy of your consideration. On the downside, the Gear VR is only compatible with a handful of devices: the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+, and the Galaxy Note 5.

Anyone pick up the Gear VR yet, or plan to? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below!

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Galaxy J3⑥ launched in China with 5-inch AMOLED display and 2,600 mAh battery

Remember that time when Samsung said it would cut down on the number of models it released? Well, a year later, it didn’t quite happen. Especially in the entry-level market, where Samsung is happily churning out new models, dumping old naming conventions for new and increasingly fanciful monikers.

Case in point, the Samsung Galaxy J3⑥, which just made its debut in China. Yes, the circled 6 is part of the actual name of the device. Our best guess is it has something to do with the auspicious nature the number 6 has in the Chinese culture. If we’re wrong – and we may very well be – we welcome an explanation.

The Galaxy J3⑥ comes with a 5-inch HD AMOLED display, a technology that so far, has been confined to the upper echelons of Samsung’s product line. The fact that AMOLED is making its way downrange could be a sign that Samsung is pulling all stops in its fight with the Chinese companies that have taken the entry-level market by storm. Two other premium features are rumored to be coming to cheap Samsung devices soon: Samsung Pay and fingerprint sensors.

Other specs of the Galaxy J3⑥ include an unspecified quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz, 1.5GB of RAM, just 8GB of expandable storage, an 8MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, and a generous 2,600 mAh battery.

The design of the Galaxy J3 ⑥ includes sculpted sides evoking the Galaxy S6, though this is a plastic construction, despite of the metallic appearance. Available in black, white, and the obligatory gold, the J3⑥ features a plastic rear cover. The device is 7.9 mm in thickness, which is quite good for a budget device.

The Galaxy J3⑥ runs TouchWiz, with a slew of additional apps available on demand.

For now, it appears that the Galaxy J3⑥ is exclusive to China Telecom, though we wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung brought it elsewhere, perhaps with some minor modifications. No info on the official price just yet.

The Galaxy J3⑥ will go against phones from Motorola, Huawei, or Xiaomi, plus the OnePlus X (which we just reviewed), and a legion of other Chinese competitors.

Let us know your thoughts!