Samsung Electronics may be considered the king of smartphones from an Android perspective, but if today’s reports are to be believed then it looks as though the South Korean company could be about to embark on a plan that could really change the face of the smartphone industry forever.
According to “people familiar with the matter”, the electronics giant is said to be planning on introducing two new smartphones in early 2017, each of which would ship with a fully functional, bendable OLED display that would literally leave other manufacturers playing catch up.
The reports, which have been catapulted into the public domain, are suggesting that Samsung could be looking to make this huge splash in the market as early as possible in 2017. That could potentially mean that next year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in February could play host to one of the biggest announcements and unveilings that the smartphone arena has seen for quite some time. When announced, the sources are suggesting that Samsung would introduce two different device sizes that would each come with their own characteristics.
One of the smartphones is said to come equipped with a 5-inch display built around bendable OLED technology. Consumers would be invited to use the device like a normal smartphone in the first instance, but would also have the option to open the display up to reach a whopping 8-inches in order to use it like a tablet.
The other device, which is said to be the smaller of the two new introductions, would be more like a traditional 5-inch smartphone, but with the ability to fold in half so that owners can slip it safely and conveniently into a pocket or bag that’s short on space. Lee Seung Woo, who is an analyst at IBK Securities Co., recognizes the huge impact these devices would have:
This product could be a game-changer if Samsung successfully comes up with a user interface suitable for bendable screens. Next year is a probable scenario. Their biggest obstacle was related to making transparent plastics and making them durable, which seems resolved by now.
Seung Woo raises a very interesting point when he discusses whether or not Samsung can successfully create “a user interface suitable for bendable screens”. There’s definitely a segment of the market that will instantly purchase whatever the new technology is and climb on board as early adopters. With that said, if the bendable screen is used purely as a gimmick and doesn’t actually introduce any real tangle functionality that users can interact with and benefit from, then it’s likely that it will be nothing more than a fad.
(Source: Bloomberg)
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