Samsung Bendable Phone Speculated To Debut By MWC 2017

First Posted: Jun 08, 2016 05:10 AM EDT

The attention right now is for Samsung’s unveiling of the Galaxy Note 6 or 7. Moving forward, however, there is another rumor going around and it fast-tracks to 2017 with alleged bendable phones on the horizon.

The month started with speculations that Samsung was seriously contemplating on a foldable phone release, one of five flagships that mobile phone consumers can expect for 2017. All that was ramped up by the idea of seeing foldable displays and now analysts are backing that claim.

The Samsung bendable phones will be codenamed “Project Valley” and one (or both) of the devices could be unveiled as early as the Mobile World Congress 2017, which happens in February in Barcelona. If so, this would give Samsung a big jump over rival Apple, which is expected to unveil a new device using OLED screens in late 2017.

Two bendable phones are expected with one described as a version where one variant could fold in half similar to a makeup compact. The other could be a 5-inch version that can unfold and turn out to be a tablet-style gadget.

“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. “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 displays of the alleged Samsung foldable phones will likely be thinner if one is to consider the technology the Korean giant has at its hands. If Samsung is indeed able to come up with that, it can easily address the worries tied up to battery life which becomes a concern for power-guzzling and specialized displays.

To reiterate the statement of Woo, Samsung stands to start a new trend in mobile phone displays which has now become a practice of rival brands. Apple is following (though a bit late) next year but the obvious thing here is the phone display revolution which Samsung has started.

Critics still consider this rumor as requiring more backing but skimming through the credential of Samsung, the tech giant is someone that can certainly (or easily) pull it off.