Samsung Plans To Out Bended Displays In 2014, Foldable Screens In 2015

With rivals Samsung and LG outing their own curved smartphones last month, some probably expected a short reprieve from the craze of unconventional smartphone form factors. It seems, however, that it was only the opening salvo and Samsung, who fired the first shot, is ready to take it to the next level all the way to 2015.

The curved displays that the Samsung Galaxy Round and the LG G Flex sported are definitely not the dreamy, hi-tech fantasy displays of the future that many probably imagined or envisioned. In a way, however, they were the necessary first step not only to test the manufacturing process and materials, but also to gauge the market reception. Samsung already has the next steps in mind and, based on this slide from the Samsung Analyst Day presentaiton in Korea, the company is quite ready to proceed full steam ahead.

Come 2014, Samsung plans to produce bendable or bended displays, presumably to release smartphones and devices that are curved in more pronounced angles. Just recently, the LG Flex appeared in a video that showed how the smartphone is actually flexible, though it really only shows how resilient the device it to pressure. It is probably not the same bendable qualities that Samsung has in mind. However, the slide does use the word "bended", so we wonder if this actually means devices that will be bended at fixed angles instead.

More interesting is what Samsung has planned for 2015 and beyond. Based on the slide, the Korean company plans to bring out foldable displays to the public, which is probably much closer to the fantasy of such deformable screens. Samsung may already be a few steps ahead, having already demonstrated something close to that last year with its Project YOUM. If Samsung pushes through with those plans, then 2015 will indeed be an interesting year for mobile devices.

Of course, 2015 is still far away, and Samsung has clearly marked the transition from bended to foldable displays as having technological barriers that have yet to be overcome. This could very well be referring to the other components that make up a smartphone, such as batteries, processors, and chips, that may still not be so bendable and foldable even when the display already is.

VIA: Sammy Hub