Samsung favours smartphones with so-called flexible OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology, and is confident that they will be "very popular among consumers worldwide".

BBC: Bend me, shape me: Flexible phones 'out by 2013'

Yesterday though, LG said on a financial-results call with investors that it would introduce a smartphone device with a flexible OLED screen in the fourth quarter of this year.

FORBES: LG Touts Smartphone?With Flexible Screen By End Of 2013

In past years we reported on many OLED patents by Apple including a flexible OLED based haptic display, OLED based BLUs for LCDs, OLED control schemes and others.

FORBES: That Apple Flexible Display For a Future iPhone, Cool And Cute

Now, a team of researchers from AGFA-Gevaert, IMEC, Holst Centre and Philips have prototyped a 12- x 12-centimeter flexible OLED lighting panel that swaps out the ITO for highly-conductive transparent resin electrodes.

ENGADGET: Resin replaces ITO in latest flexible OLED prototype

Samsung is not the only one with OLED technology, but Samsung is believed to be the most advanced and closest to bringing flexible, bendable and unbreakable OLED screens in mass produced phones and tablets.

FORBES: Samsung's Bendable Phone Could Break Apple's Innovation Hegemony

In comparison, OLED screens are flexible and can bend to give viewers a more immersive viewing experience, said Ahn.

FORBES: LG On Google TV, Beating Samsung And Sales Targets For OLED TV

Apple has already tried to patent a flexible, wrap around display, which has to be an OLED screen, even though CEO Tim Cook claims OLED is not good enough for Apple.

FORBES: The American Company That Samsung Relies On For Success

Corning is also pushing new glass products such as Willow Glass, a super-thin, flexible glass, and Lotus Glass, for use in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and next-generation LCD displays.

FORBES: Corning Q2 Earnings Drop 39% On Falling LCD Sales [Updated]