There are rumors that Samsung is developing a dual-screen and a foldable phone, with the former set for release in 2017. This new product seems like the company's way of trying to stand out and start fresh, following a forgettable 2016 with its "exploding" Galaxy Note 7s.
ET News, a Korean IT news site, reported that Samsung is currently developing two types of foldable smartphones that are not related to each other. These foldable units are part of the company's "two-track strategy."
The dual-screen smartphone, which will be utilizing two flat displays on each side, will be similar to the one Japan Display, Inc. introduced recently as part of "Project Valley." This dual-screen has a hinge in the middle that allows it to bend. This dual-screen display makes the device look more like a tablet than a smartphone since it doesn't have a separate display when it folds.
Sources are saying that Samsung will be launching the dual-screen smartphone in 2017, as a way to test the market's response to the device before they launch the foldable smartphone. The move is seen as the company's way of introducing an innovative new product, hoping it would stand out, according to Fortune.
Samsung has had a forgettable 2016, following the disaster that the "exploding" Galaxy Note 7 bought the company. Samsung was forced to do a worldwide recall of the device and cancel the Note 7. Jobs&Hire reported that the cause of the explosion has already been confirmed.
The recall of the Note 7 caused a 96% drop in Samsung's mobile division third-quarter earnings. The company's worldwide shipments, especially in the high-end segment, are also expected to have slowed down this year.
This won't be the first time Samsung tried introducing in the market a smartphone that bends. In 2013 Samsung produced, though in small quantities, the Galaxy Round, a smartphone that bends on the right and left side of the display. Though it is not yet confirmed, the dual-screen display that Samsung is planning to introduce hopefully fares better.
