Samsung To Offer Flexible Display Phones By Next Year [Samsung Looks To Introduce Phones With Flexible Displays Next Year, Aims For Earlier Over Later]

Posted on TFTS by Steve Anderson on Friday, 28. October 2011 under: Computers & Computing, Mobile/Cell Phones, PCs, Notebooks, Netbooks & Tablets

Just a couple days ago, we came out with the story out of Nokia World, that the crew out at Nokia was looking to introduce a phone with a flexible display that would allow you to control various functions by twisting, bending, flexing, or even just tapping at certain portions of the phone to make your functions happen. But now, someone else is looking to step in on that market, and it’s the crew out at Samsung.

Samsung, on its recent earnings conference call, disclosed its plans to bring out flexible displays, starting with smartphone handsets, but eventually working their way up to tablets and other items. Samsung’s technology is said to revolve around pixels that make their own light, rather than using a backlight, which allows for added flexibility.

There’s still quite a bit Samsung wasn’t saying, though, about this particular move. For instance, just what the “other” is in their other device plans–it’s hard to see mobile gear go much beyond smartphones and tablets, unless you start factoring in MP3 players. Though admittedly, a flexible display would probably make for one killer wristwatch, when you come right down to it, and would be an easy competitor for the array of wrist-mounted hardware currently available, which is often large and clunky. Also on the question block is how much control Samsung’s version of the flexible display would offer. Nokia’s flexing allows you to manipulate items on screen, while no one’s telling just what Samsung’s version does yet.

But still, Samsung plans to bring the flexible display out early in 2012 as opposed to later in 2012, so it’s sufficient to make me wonder if they won’t go showing these at CES, which is only about two months off as it sits.

And what do you guys think? Will Samsung’s flexible display phones give them an edge in the marketplace? Or will buyers see this as more of a gimmick than a valuable feature? No matter what you think about the whole thing, we want to hear from you, so head on down to the comments section and tell us what you think!