Could flip phones be coming back? Samsung shows off ‘high end’ clamshell

Earlier this year, the world went wild over the return of Nokia’s 3310 – an icon from the era before phones went ‘smart’.

But could we see a return of another 90s classic – the flip phone?

Samsung this week announced a new flip phone with two 4.2-inch OLED screens would be coming to its home market of Korea (the W2017 was previously on sale in China).

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It’s a flip phone, but pretty high end – armed with fingerprint scanning, Samsung’s tap-to-pay system, and wireless charging.

The machines are making a major comeback in the Far East – and analysts have said that they could be due for a comeback in Europe, as people tire of iPhone-style models.

Adele appeared holding one in her hit video for Hello – and stars such as Rihanna and Vogue’s Anna Wintour have been pictured with the gadgets.

In 2015, tech analysts Gartner predicted there could be a comeback in Western Europe soon.

Flip phones have also dented smartphone sales in hi-tech Japan, one of the first countries to have internet-capable phones.

Takao Shinkai on Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper suggested the big reasons could be price (even the new versions are much cheaper), better battery life and the fact the things are hard to smash.