Less than a week after Nokia announced plans to further develop its prototype flexible phone, Samsung has announced it has its own plans for flex-phone technology.

According to PCWorld, Samsung revealed plans to launch phones with flexible displays in 2012. Samsung is hopeful for an early 2012 arrival of the new flexible phones, but much of that may be lip service at this point. Samsung has had great success recently with their product line and the intention is to build off the success of their smartphones for now. Ultimately, tablets and other portable devices will have the same flex screen ability should the initial offering become popular among consumers.

The idea is intriguing to be sure. We’ve heard about flexible displays for some time and have watched and waited for someone to begin development. Whether Samsung, Nokia or some other manufacturer lead the way remains to be seen, but there is no doubt the technology is on its way.

Convincing consumers that they need a flexible phone is going to be a challenge. While the feature does have a certain impressiveness and could create a sense of envy, the benefits of the device will need to be examined further when they’re released. We suspect a flex-phone could take a beating a bit more than today’s rigged models. Perhaps, angling the display in problematic light will become simpler. However, there are a number of questions as well. Can the internal hardware be made to flex and be sturdy enough to avoid damage? Will the flex-phones have built-in limits to avoid over bending or accidental snapping? We’ll see, but one thing’s for sure, you’ll need two hands to take advantage of flex displays.

Final Thoughts

Overall the idea is a good one, but maybe manufacturers should look at folding displays instead of flexible for tablets and portable devices larger than smartphones. Currently, the biggest feature request is mobility. Users want to take their information and devices with them everywhere with as much ease as possible. Folding displays could allow for tablets to be shrunk to the size of a wallet and placed in a pocket, whereas flexible displays do nothing for mobility unless they can eventually be rolled up like sheets of paper.

Your Thoughts

What do you think about the flexible displays? Are they the wave of the future? Do you plan to buy one as soon as they are available? Let us know in the comments!

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