Samsung's Latest Galaxy Z Flip5 Is A Retro Throwback - But You Can't Have It
Today, Samsung announced a new special edition Galaxy Z Flip5 Retro. This limited-time smartphone evokes nostalgia with its indigo blue and silver colors that were also found on the classic Samsung E700 flip phone. To further flesh out the nostalgia of a bygone era, the Galaxy Z Flip5 features a unique Flex Window cityscape pixel animation and an early 2000s-inspired pixel graphics UX.
If you were around in the early 2000s, you've likely seen or maybe even owned a Samsung E700. When it launched in 2003, it was Samsung's first phone to have a built-in antenna, and it went on to sell 10 million units. This isn't the first time the E700 has been revisited, as the tech company reissued the phone in 2007 with a few upgrades to ride its wave of popularity.
The Galaxy Z Flip5 Retro will be sold exclusively on the Samsung website. However, if you live in the U.S., you are out of luck, as the press release does not mention a U.S. release. Instead, the Galaxy Z Flip5 will launch in Korea, Germany, and the U.K. on November 1 and a day later in France and Australia.
Same phone, new look
Those who can pick up the Galaxy Z Flip5 Retro will get more than a stylized device with their purchase. Included with the limited-time smartphone are some goodies that pay homage to Samsung's past and a Collector card with an image of the SGH-E700 that features a unique serial number for collectors.
Three Flipsuit cards designed to represent different stages of the company's life are also included. The first Flipsuit card is gray and features the original Samsung logo from 1938, with its circular design housing three stars and three stripes. Additionally, the other standout Flipsuit card featured in the bundle has a red background with a black variant of the 1979 Samsung logo. Included is also a Flipsuit case to make use of the cards. Additionally, there are stickers of Samsung's logos throughout the years in the bundle.
If you're expecting any hardware improvements with this variant, you will be disappointed, as the smartphone is expected to have the same components as the base Galaxy Z Flip5. This means it will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and feature a 120 Hz AMOLED 2X 6.7-inch main display and a Super AMOLED 3.4-inch cover display. Of course, it will have those thin hinges that fixed one of the biggest problems with foldable phones.