Samsung is working on two new smartphone products with bendable organic LED screens, it is being reported.
Bloomberg cites unnamed sources saying the two products could be available early next year, and that one of these is a five-inch phone that folds out to become an eight-inch tablet, comparable to a cosmetic compact.
According to analyst Lee Seung Woo of IBK Securities, the inclusion of a suitable user interface could mean the concept would be a “game changer”.
“Next year is a probable scenario,” Woo told Bloomberg.
“Their biggest obstacle was related to making transparent plastics and making them durable, which seems resolved by now.”
Late last month Patently Mobile noted Samsung has been working on foldable technology for years. However, flexible OLED screens have progressed greatly of late, with silver nanowire-based touch technology helping bring such devices much closer to reality.