Bloomberg revealed Samsung is planning to unveil two different devices at MWC 2017, citing people “familiar with the matter.” Under development as “Project Valley,” one will be a device that folds in half “like a cosmetic compact” and the other a 5-inch smartphone that can be unfolded into an 8-inch tablet.
Although the reports remain unconfirmed, Samsung has previously demonstrated concept folding displays that show how they could revolutionise smartphone designs. The idea could give its next-generation devices a unique feature to attract consumers, many of whom have become tired of increasingly familiar handsets.
The company has previously publicly released videos that showcase its ideas for the technology. Its plans to develop folding OLED screens are no secret, with Samsung Electronics Director Lee Chang-hoon telling investors in January that work is going according to plan. Samsung hasn’t officially acknowledged it intends to launch phones with the flexible displays though.
Bloomberg’s report corroborates a similar one from South Korean news site ET News in April. It also revealed Samsung is targeting a 2017 launch and said the company is viewing the devices as flagship products. Samsung is eyeing flexible displays as something new and unique to offer to consumers, coming after its other display innovations.
The company was one of the first to use OLED panels on smartphones, displays made of organic light-emitting diodes that are brighter and have more vivid colours than traditional LCDs. It remains the biggest supplier of OLED displays in the mobile industry.
Samsung is no stranger to unique display designs either. Its Edge display features glass that extends round to the sides of the handset, making the screen appear larger and adding extra functionality to the device. Since its initial debut, phones equipped with the Edge display have grown popular with consumers. Samsung currently launches Edge and non-Edge variants of its flagship Galaxy S series.
Flexible panels could be Samsung’s next big thing in mobile displays. One analyst described the technology as a “game-changer” if the screens prove to be easy to use and robust enough for everyday life.
“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 to Bloomberg. “Next year is a probable scenario. Their biggest obstacle was related to making transparent plastics and making them durable, which seems resolved by now.”
The phones are still several months away though and plans could change if further unexpected manufacturing delays are encountered. Samsung is reportedly undecided on how it will brand the devices but has ruled out placing them under its “Galaxy S” flagship moniker. The unique displays will command their own unique naming system.
