Samsung Flexible Display Phone Coming Soon? Manufacturer To Release Curved Display Smartphone In October

It appears we will be seeing something new from Samsung (NASDAQ:SSNLF) by way of display technology within the next month.

In the wake of rumors about a Limited Edition Samsung Galaxy Note 3 featuring a flexible display, Samsung's mobile business head of strategic marketing, D.J. Lee, has confirmed that the South Korean manufacturer plans to release a smartphone with a curved display. Speaking with Reuters, Lee said the curved display smartphone will launch in South Korea in October. With few further details on the matter, fans and pundits alike have been left to speculate about what this phone will be like.

Many imagine a device capable of folding in on itself and able to take different shapes according to the user’s preference. But the South Korean news agency Yonhap News spoke with Park Sang-jin, president of Samsung SDI, which produces batteries for Samsung, who insists the curved-display devices will not be malleable.

"As plastic liquid crystal displays are strong enough to neither shatter even when dropped on the ground nor need frames, it is possible to produce devices with unique designs," Park said.

It appears the curved displays may be based on common LCD displays, which may be improved to make them shatterproof, resulting in more durable Samsung products; previous reports have indicated that Samsung was working with OLEDs to develop its flexible displays. Many popular Samsung devices such as the Galaxy S4 are heavily criticized for their inability to withstand drops and falls. This has potential to be a well-received improvement in place of fully flexible displays. However, many earlier reports indicate that the function of flexible displays may have never been to usher in flexible devices, but rather to allow for much thinner and lighter, unbreakable devices, with more room for larger batteries and other updated components.

Samsung notably unveiled its Samsung Yuom flexible display technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Devices featuring flexible displays were intended to go on the market in April, but setbacks delayed the release until at least November, recent reports have indicated. There is no word on whether these previously reported flexible display products and the curved display smartphone now being reported are one in the same.

Developing methods of mass producing such flexible components cheaply appears to still be a challenge for Samsung, according to Reuters. This could account for why the manufacturer has not yet introduced flexible displays to the mass market. An exclusive South Korea release could be Samsung’s way of testing its new curved display smartphone with consumers before releasing to international markets while it works to unleash the full potential of flexible displays.

What do you think about Samsung’s impending release of a curved display smartphone? Let us know in the comments below.

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