Flexible smartphones expected in 2013

Smartphones with flexible screens are expected to be released during 2013, with several leading companies working on the technology.

According to the BBC, Samsung is expected to be the first company to deliver devices based on the technology, with several other firms including LG, Philips, Sharp, Sony and Nokia also working on flexible devices.

While flexible components have been used in some commercially available displays since 2006, including the Amazon Kindle, a key challenge has been creating a touchscreen display on which both the optical frontplane and backplane of the display are flexible.

To create a fully flexible device, there are a number of other components, including batteries, microprocessors, circuit boards and the cover, which also need to be flexible.

The report also notes the development of Graphene, a lightweight carbon-based transparent material which is flexible, as strong as a diamond yet only one atom thick, has given the industry a possible replacement material for the silicon traditionally used in microprocessors.