Samsung May Introduce A Bendable Phone In 2017

The electronics company Samsung is considering releasing two new smartphone models with bendable screens, according to Bloomberg Technology,

The company has been fiddling with the idea since 2008, when it showed a prototype video of a folding OLED Display at the Society for Information Display (SID) exhibition. OLED displays are thinner, have brighter colors and are less draining on the battery than those in most current phones. They are also the only display on the market flexible enough to make a foldable screen a reality.

Samsung, the biggest supplier of OLED panels for mobile products, is known for innovative screen formats. Models in the S and Note lines feature screens that stretch over the edge of the device, a concept unique to the company.

One version of the potential new products is said to fold in the likeness of a makeup compact. The second model is reported to have a five-inch screen when used as a handset, that opens up to an eight-inch display, similar to a tablet.

The new models may be available as early as 2017. Currently under the codename “Project Valley,” Samsung could reveal one or both of the devices as soon as February, in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress.

The company may also name the next version of its Note device the “Note 7,” skipping a number, to bring it in line with its flagship Galaxy S smartphone range. The new bendable products will not be named under the Galaxy S line.