Samsung is reportedly considering the introduction of two new bendable smartphones as soon as next year.
According to Bloomberg, the devices would feature two different types of bendable screens, including one that folds in half and a handset with a 5-inch screen that expands to an 8-inch display.
Bloomberg said the flexible screens would be made using organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), and could be released as early as February 2017 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. That timeline would likely give Samsung a jump on Apple, which is also expected to come out with OLED displays next year.
Samsung has previously released videos featuring foldable concept devices, but has not commercially produced such a product.
But Samsung could have some competition in the flexible phone market.
Earlier this year, Apple filed patents for “flexible electronic devices” that would enable users to bend and twist their phone to complete functions. The company also laid out the possibility of a tri-fold device that incorporates both bendable and rigid components.
Both devices, Apple said, could be folded for storage.
Like Samsung’s reported concept, Apple said its bendable displays would be made of multiple layers that may include a touch sensor and an OLED array.
Despite the patent, though, Apple’s release of such a device is far from certain. The company has announced no plans to release such a device.
Credit: USPTO/Apple Inc.
Filed Under: Devices
