Samsung announced it will be launching a bendable OLED smartphone in Oct., 2013, according to reports by Verge, Gizmodo, BBC and others. The flexible OLED screens will be introduced into the smartphone model GALAXY Note 3, and only a limited number will be sold. As the first OLED smartphone to enter the market, it is expected to catalyze OLEDs commercial applications.
At the CES expo in Jan. 2013, Samsung displayed a flexible OLED TV prototype built from glass. Although, the company’s resin technology is immature, resin will be used in the new GALAXY Note 3. According to reliable sources, the flexible monitors cannot be folded like paper, and can be viewed as an interim product.
Korean manufacturers including Samsung and LG have previously launched flexible OLED TVs. However, OLED TVs were not well received by the market due to its higher price and shorter lifetime compared to average TV. Bendable OLED smartphone applications are much more suitable, as the average rate for switching phones is two to three years.