Could flip smartphones become a new trend?

The LG Wine Smart is one example of a clamshell smartphone sold outside Asia. (LG)

Rumours that a Samsung high-end flip smartphone will be launched in 2016 are getting stronger as leaks from TENAA, China's state telecommunications certification authority, have been reported in various high tech websites. If this model does come to market, it will join the LG Wine Smart, which got the trend underway when it was unveiled in the summer.

Coming after phablets and before bendable screens, the latest smartphone trend could be a nod to the past in the form of flip phones. They are stronger and offer better screen protection than a standard smartphone, although aesthetically they are thicker and less "sexy."

The new Samsung smartphone, codename SM-W2016, is reported to have two 3.9-inch (768 x 1280 pixels) Super AMOLED displays, one internal and one external, a 2.1GHz Exynos octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM, and storage capacity of up to 64GB. It is said to have a 16-megapixel main rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera. It is also thought to be 4G capable and to run on Android Lollipop (5.1). On paper, it looks like a relatively high-end phone despite its old-school appearance. Surprisingly, Samsung has apparently opted for a numeric rather than an alphabetical keypad, even though the latter is more suitable for SMS and chatting on social networks.

Samsung has tried this type of handset before, but just in Asia. This summer, it launched the Galaxy Folder, a mid-range flip smartphone, two years after its first attempt in the form of the Samsung Hennessy.

One of Samsung's main rivals launched a flip smartphone this summer, suggesting that this type of phone could become more common. The LG Wine Smart is a 4G smartphone with a 3.2-inch display which also runs on Android Lollipop (5.1), but is made with low-end components.

These smartphones are very popular in Asia, but it is difficult to say whether they will be a success in Europe and the U.S.