Samsung is set to introduce two phones with bendable screen next year, it has been claimed. The firm has already shown off the folding OLED screen technology several times – but it is believed it has now finalized products that will use it.
Bloomberg claims ‘Samsung is considering introducing two new smart phone models that will feature bendable screens, including a version that folds in half like a cosmetic compact, people familiar with the matter said.’
The devices using organic light-emitting diodes could be unveiled as soon as early 2017. That would likely give it a head start on new Apple Inc. iPhones. The second Samsung model will have a 5-inch screen when used as a handset, which unfurls into a display that’s as large as 8 inches, similar to a tablet.
Samsung, the biggest supplier of OLED panels for mobile products, has pioneered the development of new screen formats with its multi-sided Edge smartphones. Using advanced display technology may help the company recapture customers from Apple and boost earnings that have slumped for the past two years.
“This product could be a game-changer if Samsung successfully comes up with a user interface suitable for bendable screens,” said Lee Seung Woo, an analyst at IBK Securities Co. in Seoul. “Next year is a probable scenario. Their biggest obstacle was related to making transparent plastics and making them durable, which seems resolved by now.”
Code-named “Project Valley,” Samsung could unveil one or both of the devices as soon as February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. That timing would give Samsung a head-start on Apple’s iPhone using OLED screens that may be released later in 2017.
