Samsung, LG could announce curved OLED smartphones this month

Smartphone innovation seems to be heading in the direction of flexible displays. Reports are now coming in that smartphone manufacturers Samsung and LG are vying to be the first in the market with a flexible display handset. While a final product has still not made an official appearance, both companies are heavily hinting about it, according to Unwired View.

Samsung was caught last week by the Asian Daily confirming that it will be launching a Limited Edition of the Galaxy Note 3 with a flexible display in October with the name Galaxy Note 3 Active, according to the source. The company has now clarified that the new handset could be announced as soon as next week. Samsung had earlier hinted at a number of model variants of the Note 3, and it now looks like we are going to get a glimpse of the next one soon.

LG's new Z flexible display handset should be seen this month (Image credit: ZD Net)

LG is not far behind, though. Leaked images of the company's next handset have now popped up on ZD Net, that hints at some of the features that can be expected. This includes a model mock-up of LG's next smartphone (as seen above). Details gleaned from the image point to the new LG handset coming with a concave curved display. It also seems like the new device will either be called Z (signifying the “Z” dimension or axis) or the Z1. The LG Z is reportedly already in production and will be launched later this month.

It should be noted, though, that neither the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Active nor the LG Z phone will actually be flexible per say. Internal components like the battery and the circuit-boards need to be worked out. Instead, the companies are working out the display flex properties to reduce the existing bezels and make the screens more durable. The source has also said that the companies will be rolling out their new handsets in a limited fashion, as neither can produce flexible OLEDs in serious mass-market quantities yet.