samsung bent display

Samsung is expected to unveil its flagship Galaxy S5 later this month, but the company may already be looking for its next "next big thing." According to a new report from The Korea Herald, the South Korean company plans to release its first "bent" smartphone in late 2014, finally bringing the technology to market after it first made an appearance over a year ago at CES 2013.

Before you start drooling over the idea of a foldable smartphone, we should clarify what Samsung's bent smartphone really is. Unlike a regular slate, the screen here wraps around the side of the device, creating an extra sliver of display real estate that can be used to display notifications or controls. That's it. The device can't actually bend, though it will make use of the company's flexible OLED technology.

The first bent smartphone will reportedly launch as a niche device, similar to the Galaxy Round, with just a few million copies hitting the market. This strategy allows Samsung to test the market without making a huge investment, and could pave the way for future breakthroughs. If its first bent handset is a a success, we may even see a foldable smartphone hit stores sometime in 2015.