Samsung just unveiled its new foldable flip phone, the Galaxy Z Flip
- Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip on Tuesday, a new foldable smartphone that resembles a flip phone.
- The Galaxy Z Flip has a 6.7-inch screen and will be launching on February 14 for $1,380.
- It's a completely different form factor than last year's Galaxy Fold, which is more expensive at nearly $2,000 and has a larger screen that unfolds to become a tablet.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Samsung announced the Galaxy Fold only a year ago, but it's already showing off a new phone with a foldable display.
The phone, called the Galaxy Z Flip, has a clamshell design much like the Motorola Razr, which launched just days before Samsung's Unpacked event on February 6. Like the Razr, Samsung's new Galaxy Flip's design also looks like a modern take on the classic flip phone from the early 2000s.
The Galaxy Z Flip will be launching on February 14 for $1,380, making it slightly less expensive than the $1,400 Galaxy S20 Ultra.
The unveil also comes after Samsung teased the announcement with a commercial that aired during the Oscars on Sunday night.
The Galaxy Z Flip has a 6.7-inch display on the inside, and a small screen on the front for showing notifications, the time, and other types of information. Samsung also says the phone's screen is made of ultra-thin foldable glass, which is a big departure from last year's Galaxy Fold.
That phone, which has a completely different form factor that opens up like a book to reveal a tablet-sized display, has a plastic screen. The new Flip also has a bezel-free display with a hole-punch-like cutout for the camera, similar to Samsung's flagship Galaxy phones, unlike last year's Fold.
Samsung also says the Z Flip has a new hinge designed to prevent debris from entering the phone, which should hopefully prevent any durability issues as was the case with the Galaxy Fold. The company also says the phone should be strong enough to withstand being folded and unfolded more than 200,000 times.
As was the case with the Fold, Samsung also made some changes to the phone's software to take advantage of its flexible design. The Z Flip has a new mode called Flex Mode, which allows you to split an app above and below the fold in the middle of the display. The firm showed how the phone could be use to view a YouTube video in the top section of the screen and type in a comment on the bottom portion of the display, for example.
The Galaxy Z Flip launches as the foldable smartphone market has become increasingly crowded, with companies like Motorola and TCL entering the space. It's also a critical launch for Samsung following the release of last year's Galaxy Fold, which faced a delayed launch after the device's screen malfunctioned for some reviewers. The Z Flip is Samsung's opportunity to prove that it can overcome the Fold's shortcomings and establish itself as a leader in what it clearly sees as being the next-generation of smartphones.
This story is developing, please refresh for the latest.