MWC 2014: Bend it like Samsung - world's first flexible tablet could debut at Mobile World Congress

Home / News / Bend it like Samsung: world’s first flexible tablet could debut at Mobile World Congress

Samsung is reportedly planning to surprise us all with the world’s first flexible tablet at Mobile World Congress.

According to Chinese site ET News’ sources, Samsung’s bendy tablet can fold up to a 90 degree angle. It’s a dramatic transformation in which a flexible screen definitely has to be involved.

Samsung has already more than proven itself the flexible screen department. The Samsung Galaxy Round – the world’s first curved smartphone with a flexible display – is already out, and it also presented some impressive flexible displays at CES, along with a (horribly cheesy) video showing off a foldable tablet concept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3E7fUynrZU

The Korean Tech giant was also granted a design patent for a tablet with a flexible display, which came to light last December.

All of the evidence cleary shows that Samsung is more than capable of manufacturing a flexible tablet then, but why would you want one?

Best of both worlds

I remember when I slid my HTC HD2 out of the box for the very first time, gawping at its 4.3in screen. It was, at the time, the largest smartphone in the world, and the display alone was bigger than an entire iPhone.

Times have, however, changed. We now live in a world where a phone like the LG G2 Mini has 4.7in screens and the Xperia Z Compact matches the HD2’s original 4.3in size.

We’ve fallen in love with big phones. They’re more pleasant to use, they display more content, and web browsing, reading and watching movies are all much easier on the eyes.

But we all have our limits. Mine is the gargantuan 6.4in Sony Xperia Z Ultra. Even with my fairly large shovel hands and deep pockets, I struggle using it like a normal smartphone.

I’m not really a tablet person either. I can’t carry one with me wherever I go, and the 5.2in screen of the LG G2 is plenty big enough for my needs.

A tablet or super-sized phablet which can fold in half however, would be the holy grail. Fold it open when watching movies, bend it back into size when you’re out and about – it’s the best of both worlds.

Yes, a 90 degree folding tablet will be pretty useless for anything other than showing off, but like the Galaxy Round or LG G Flex, it’s a proof of concept which will lay down the foundations for the truly flexible devices of the future. And I can’t wait.

As for us, we’re going to head into Barcelona with tentative optimism. We’ve been let down by rumours before, and the heartache of being stood up by a flexible tablet will be too much to bear.

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.