Samsung is hoping to release a bendable Galaxy Note next year

Authored by theverge.com and submitted by well897

Fresh off the unveiling of its new Galaxy Note 8 last month, Samsung says it’s now aiming to introduce a foldable phone in 2018, reports the Associated Press. The phone would feature a bendable display and would be released under the company’s flagship Galaxy Note line. Dongjin Koh, president of mobile business at Samsung told reporters at a news conference in South Korea there are still hurdles to overcome and release would be pushed back if they’re not resolved.

It’s clear the company is still perfecting the technology while infinity displays (which use flexible OLED panels to bend around the edge of a smartphone) remain popular and its flagship phones are still selling like hotcakes. “When we can overcome some problems for sure, we will launch the product,” said Koh. “We are digging thoroughly into several issues we must overcome, as we don’t want to just make a few, sell a few and be done. We want to hear that Samsung made a very good product,” Koh said. “We have a plan to adopt a foldable display in our roadmap.”

This is the first time Samsung has publicly spoken about plans for a foldable phone, despite rumors around the release of one that have been swirling for many years. Samsung reportedly produced a number of dual-screen smartphones made up of two OLED displays joined by a hinge this year to test the promise and capabilities of a foldable device.

Samsung unveiled a bendable AMOLED display prototype back in 2012 named Youm, and last year, it applied for a patent for a foldable phone that bends like a flip-phone handset. Other companies have also sought to produce bendable devices, with Lenovo revealing prototype phones in 2016 that bend around a user’s wrist and a tablet that folds in half.

jem5x5 on September 12nd, 2017 at 13:13 UTC »

"If we just keep running this story every year, eventually it'll be true"

timOkills on September 12nd, 2017 at 12:26 UTC »

The word "bendable" always triggers my memory of testing how far I could bend the bendable pen of my classmate in elementary school. He was so proud of this pen and I felt really bad for him after I found that you cannot bend it more than about 90°.

So, no bendable phone for me please...

thecatfoot on September 12nd, 2017 at 12:12 UTC »

Full circle back to the flip phone