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New Samsung smartphones: To release two bendable smartphones in February 2017?

Students walk out of a showroom at the headquarters of Samsung Electronics in Seoul October 28, 2011. | REUTERS/JO YONG-HAK

Samsung is always working on something innovative to add in their product lines. But this time around, they may go beyond expectations as reports claim that the South Korean tech giant is developing a smartphone with a unique kind of screen.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Samsung is set to introduce to the public two new smartphone models that will feature bendable screens. One is said to be a version that can be folded in half similar to a cosmetic compact, while the other one is a 5-inch screen handheld device that can be expanded as an 8-inch device that is similar to a tablet.

While there is no official confirmation yet, rumors suggest that these new devices will be coming as early as 2017. It is worthy to note though that these devices with foldable screens are not entirely new to the public.

During the CES 2013, Samsung showed to the audience a concept video of what the foldable device might look like. Featuring a short skit, the video showed the second concept, which is a tablet that turned into a smartphone when folded in half. Gizmodo also noted that the purported codename of the foldable-phone project is called "Project Valley." Moreover, the public has been teased with the same concept by other companies before. It can be recalled that Sony and Sharp have also boasted similar technologies.

Still, Samsung is not wavered with the competition on hand especially since the company is the biggest supplier of OLED panels for mobile products. Samsung is also the first one to introduce to the world a new screen format which is the one found in 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 Lee Seung Woo, an analyst at IBK Securities in Seoul.

As of now, Samsung continues to work on the new technology. If they are able to successfully complete the project, they can unveil it as early as February 2017 just in time for the Mobile World Congress.