While flip phones have largely fallen out of fashion here in the States, especially when it comes to smartphones, the form factor remains popular in many Asian markets. Samsung appears to be capitalizing on that with the new SCH-W999, an Android phone in the classic flip style with a screen on both sides of the top section. Keep it closed and it’s a rather thick slate, open it up and you’ve got access to a full touchscreen and number pad.

The screens have to be shrunk somewhat to fit the frame of course, but at 3.5 inches it still makes for a sizable device. 800 x 480 resolution on an AMOLED panel should make for a pretty solid viewing experience, and hardware nav buttons on the dial pad will make it easy for users to get around Android when the screen is flipped up. A 1.5GHz processor and 5 megapixel camera round out the package.

The SCH-w999 is joined by the more pedestrian SCH-i929, yet another Samsung Galaxy S II variant with a 4.5-inch screen and an 8 megapixel camera. The photos are courtesy of a Chinese standards office, which says that both phones are headed for China Telecom in the near future. Specific Android versions aren’t mentioned, but Gingerbread seems to be a safe bet. There’s no word on pricing or availability yet, not that it’ll matter for most of our western readers – unfortunately, high-powered flip phones don’t seem to make it out of Asia in most cases.

[via Engadget]