It is common knowledge that Samsung has been working on phones with flexible screens. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Samsung has ramped up development on these “bendy” phones to avoid being beaten to the product launch finish line.
The production of these phones is simple really, just swapping out the glass screens for plastic. The OLEDs you find in plenty of other displays can be put on flexible materials—like metal foil, which then makes it possible to create a device that is both unbreakable and bendable.
Samsung hasn’t revealed how much money exactly they have sunk into these phones, but it is rumored to be a very sizable amount. However, the report points out that Samsung was feeling some heat from LG and Sharp in the display market. Seems that’s enough to rush out a bendy phone as soon as possible.
This is just what the company plans to do. The Journal reports that a “person familiar with the situation” told it that devices will be released in the first half of 2013.
I understand that these phones are flexible and less prone to damage, but what else can they claim to offer? Some people originally thought you might lose color and resolution, but recent showings by Samsung prove otherwise. I think these phones will end up being chalked up as a gimmick and won’t last for very long but might grab some initial hype and sales. If I want to entertain myself, I think I still have a Stretch Armstrong laying around from when I was 5. I don’t need a bendy phone.
Source: Wall Street Journal