Samsung to release two bendable phones early 2017

(Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters)Samsung logo at the Samsung Electronics headquarters in Seoul, South Korea

South Korean tech giant Samsung is eyeing to introduce two bendable smartphones next year, new reports say.

According to Bloomberg, anonymous sources have revealed that Samsung is planning to unveil two smartphones with foldable screens next year.

The first phone will reportedly be unveiled early next year and it is capable of folding in half like a compact makeup kit. The second phone has a 5-inch display that can be expanded into tablet-size when folded out. As for the technology of the said bendable smartphones, they will be using organic light emitting diodes (OLED).

When Samsung was asked for a statement, the company said that it can't comment based on market speculation.

Samsung is known to pioneer several innovations in smartphones like the multi-sided Edge smartphones.

"This product could be a game-changer if Samsung successfully comes up with a user interface suitable for bendable screens," said IBK Securities Co. analyst Lee Seung Woo. "Next year is a probable scenario. Their biggest obstacle was related to making transparent plastics and making them durable, which seems resolved by now."

Rumor has it that the first phone or maybe even both devices will be introduced to the public in February, just in time for the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain. From a marketing perspective, it is also a good move for the tech giant to unveil the devices before Apple's newest iPhone's launch later next year.

As for its other flagship products, it is also rumored that Samsung may call the next model from the Note family, Note 7. The reason behind this is to place the said Note device along with the Galaxy S. Plus, the rumored bendable phones will not also be grouped under the Galaxy S line.

In other news, it was recently reported that Samsung Electronics, Apple's tightest competitor, will be manufacturing the Cupertino-based company's OLED screens for next year's iPhones. Aside from both company's huge competition in the smartphone department, they also ended up suing each other in 2011.

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