Samsung usually launches their flagship Galaxy S phone at around March, and rumors are now starting to circulate about the upcoming GS6. Reports from Korea suggest that alongside the normal GS6, Samsung will also release a S6 Edge phone that will use a curved plastic-based flexible AMOLED display.
An early flexible phone prototype
Unlike the Note Edge, the S6 Edge will have curved edges on both sides of the phone. According to the Korean reports, Samsung is already showing prototypes privately at CES. It seems that the Korean company is very optimistic, and they hope to sell 10 million S6 Edge phones in 2015, and over 35 million regular GS6 phones.
Samsung's first flexible phone, the Galaxy Round was only produced in very limited quantities. The Note Edge was released world-wide, but never sold in large quantities either. But Samsung are now constructing a new 6-Gen flexible OLED fab and this will increase Samsung's capacity and lower their production costs dramatically. SDC is currently producing flexible OLEDs in a 5.5-Gen line with a capacity of only 8,000 substrates per month.
While curved displays are nice, Samsung is already developing their next-generation foldable OLEDs. In November 2014, SDC demonstrated two foldable OLED prototypes - a 5.5" (WQXGA, 2048x1526, 464 PPI) panel that folds in half and a 10" tri-foldable AMOLED (Full-HD, 218 PPI). The 10" AMOLED will enable the company to release a tablet that can be folded when not in use.
This move is a bit of a headscratcher for me...
I have yet to read a review that sees the curved edge sported by the Note Edge as a major advantage and from all I have heard sales of the Note Edge so far remain quite modest (though given the price and dimension of the product some of that was to be expected).
Still I wonder why Samsung believes a dual curved phone is a going to sell well? Ok, at least by making the shape symmertric it might look more pleasing to the eye.