Samsung forges ahead on flexible mobile devices, report says

(Credit: Video screenshot by Bonnie Cha/CNET)

Samsung is pushing ahead with flexible mobile devices, a new report claims.

Samsung is currently putting the final touches on flexible displays made of plastic rather than glass, The Wall Street Journal is reporting today, citing an unidentified source with knowledge of the company's plans. Once Samsung's development phase is complete, the company plans to start mass producing the displays for release in the first half of 2013, according to the Journal.

Samsung Display last year posted a video showing a concept device that comes with a flexible screen. The video showed the AMOLED display being bent and folded while folks held video chats and read books on an e-reader. Months prior, Samsung showed off a foldable OLED screen. The company didn't say at the time if either of those products would ever launch.

However, according to the Journal's source, Samsung has been hard at work on the technology and wants to be the first company to get such screens to store shelves. LG and Sony, among other companies, are also working on prototypes, but are reportedly not close to mass production.

If Samsung does indeed launch flexible displays next year, it might eventually meet some competition from Apple. Earlier this year, Apple filed for a patent related to "electronic devices with flexible displays." There's no telling if that technology will actually come to one of the company's products.