• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechThe Mobile Executive

Samsung Rumored to Have Bendable and Two-Screen Phones on Tap

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 9, 2016, 8:48 AM ET
SKOREA-ECONOMY-TELECOMMUNICATIONS-COMPANY-SAMSUNG-RECALL
A woman looks at her mobile phone as she rides an escalator past an advertisement for Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 device at a Samsung store in the Gangnam district of Seoul on October 11, 2016. Samsung told customers worldwide to stop using their Galaxy Note 7 smartphones as it struggled to contain a snowballing safety crisis that threatens to derail the powerhouse global brand. / AFP / Ed Jones (Photo credit should read ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images)Ed Jones/AFP—Getty Images

The entire world seems to have settled on a black rectangle of glass and metal as the appropriate design for a smartphone, but Samsung is going to experiment with bendable and two-screen models next year, according to a new report.

The world’s largest smartphone maker is creating two models using organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens for 2017 in modest quantities to test market reaction, the Korean tech site ET News reported on Thursday citing anonymous sources. One model will be rectangular with a flexible, bendable OLED screen. A second model will resemble a tablet that can fold in half in the middle for a more phone-like experience, with a screen on the front and back.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune‘s technology newsletter.

The once fast-growing smartphone market has slowed this year, especially at the high end, with worldwide shipments forecast to increase less than 2%, according to IDC. That could be prompting manufacturers to offer more innovative and provocative new products to stand out. Apple (AAPL) is rumored to be working on new iPhones with edge-to-edge glass screens and wireless charging for next year, for example.

Samsung also wants to bury the memory of the exploding battery debacle that led to the worldwide recall and cancellation of its Galaxy Note 7 phone. A hot new product, assuming it avoids any technical malfunctions, could improve Samsung’s image and finances—the Note recall caused a 96% plunge in third-quarter earnings at the company’s mobile division.

Samsung has twice in the past sold phones with slightly bendable screens, ET News noted. In 2013, the Galaxy Round came with bendable right and left edges; and in 2014, a Galaxy Note Edge had one flexible side.

Samsung also showed off a smartphone with two screens connected by a hinge resembling a book binding in a YouTube video in 2014, the site noted.

Other companies are working on phones with flexible screens or dual screens similar to the rumored Samsung models, including Lenovo, Oppo, and JDI.

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Greg Abbott and Sundar Pichai sit next to each other at a red table.
AITech Bubble
Bank of America predicts an ‘air pocket,’ not an AI bubble, fueled by mountains of debt piling up from the data center rush
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 3, 2025
17 minutes ago
Alex Karp smiles on stage
Big TechPalantir Technologies
Alex Karp credits his dyslexia for Palantir’s $415 billion success: ‘There is no playbook a dyslexic can master… therefore we learn to think freely’
By Lily Mae LazarusDecember 3, 2025
43 minutes ago
Isaacman
PoliticsNASA
Billionaire spacewalker pleads his case to lead NASA, again, in Senate hearing
By Marcia Dunn and The Associated PressDecember 3, 2025
54 minutes ago
Kris Mayes
LawArizona
Arizona becomes latest state to sue Temu over claims that its stealing customer data
By Sejal Govindarao and The Associated PressDecember 3, 2025
1 hour ago
Startups & VentureLeadership Next
Only social media platforms with ‘real humanity’ will survive, investor and Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian says
By Fortune EditorsDecember 3, 2025
2 hours ago
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
Dave’s Hot Chicken is placing broad bets on AI to give the restaurant chain an edge in the chicken wars
By John KellDecember 3, 2025
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
North America
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos commit $102.5 million to organizations combating homelessness across the U.S.: ‘This is just the beginning’
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
5 days ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Anonymous $50 million donation helps cover the next 50 years of tuition for medical lab science students at University of Washington
By The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk says he warned Trump against tariffs, which U.S. manufacturers blame for a turn to more offshoring and diminishing American factory jobs
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Warren Buffett used to give his family $10,000 each at Christmas—but when he saw how fast they were spending it, he started buying them shares instead
By Eleanor PringleDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
MacKenzie Scott's $19 billion donations have turned philanthropy on its head—why her style of giving actually works
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.