Samsung Expected to Release Flexible Smartphones by Next Year

Samsung might be on the verge of releasing a phone with a truly flexible display in 2017.

The Korean-based phone manufacturer has reportedly been toying with several new smartphone models that will have bendable screens as their standout feature, according to Bloomberg.

And new rumors from a Korean website with a history of leaking accurate information have suggested that Samsung might release a foldable phone as early as next year, KnowYourMobile reported.

And this won’t be the kind of folding flip-phone we’ve seen in the past. According to various patents Samsung has applied for, the display itself will fold in half without any damage or image quality destruction, according to Stuff.

In a U.S. Patent application discovered by Patently Mobile, several figures show a foldable device — complete with a fingerprint or iris scanner. The new theoretical handheld even has a port built into the hinge that could charge the device when it’s folded in half.

One of the devices could reportedly even switch from a smartphone to a tablet — displaying a 5-inch screen when folded in half, but unfurling into an 8-inch display, Bloomberg reported.

Samsung’s bendable phones are being worked on under the codename “Project Valley,” and reports suggest that the phones could be released as early as February.

One of the foldable devices, which the rumors claim will be dubbed the Galaxy X, is expected to be released alongside four other Galaxy flagship models next year — but in all likelihood, the first truly foldable phone might outshadow the buzz around the other devices.

If these rumors turn out to be true, it would give Samsung a head start over Apple, who is rumored to be working on an iPhone with an OLED display — slated to be released later in 2017.