Samsung has not given up on its hopes to launch its first smartphone with a flexible display this year. It now appears that it will do so with a special edition of the Galaxy Note 3 that will launch next month. Confirmation reportedly comes from a company spokesperson talking to South Korea’s “Asian Daily.”
The plastic OLED Youm-branded display would be encased in the rigid Galaxy Note 3 case so that it would not actually bend or flex at all though. It would still be thinner and lighter than the Galaxy Note 3 with a glass OLED display.
More importantly, the move would allow Samsung to claim to be the first to release a smartphone with a flexible display. Both Apple and LG are also working on products with flexible displays, including the oft-rumoured Apple iWatch, and it’s clear that Samsung wants to beat its competitors to market. Launching its flexible displays first would help Samsung shed its reputation as an imitator in favour of one where it is seen as an innovator, much as its rival Apple is.
There is no word on where this special edition Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will launch but South Korea, Samsung’s home country, appears to be a strong candidate. It remains to be seen if we will see it in North America.