Jan 13, 2017 04:32 AM EST By Staff Writer, UniversityHerald Reporter

Samsung is taking a huge step towards smartphone reinvention this year. A new report claimed that the tech giant from South Korea will unveil foldable smartphones that can be used as tablets in this year's third quarter.

The report came from The Korea Herald, which claimed from a source that Samsung is preparing to release more than 100,000 units of the device in Q3 2017. The smartphone will have panels that fold out and when unfolded, can be used as a 7-inch tablet.

Samsung had already developed smartphones that have panels facing inward, so it's safe to assume that making one that faces outward is just a small matter for the company. The description of the so-called foldable smartphone fits a patent released recently by Samsung. Check it out over on SlashGear. It bears the title, "Foldable electronic apparatus having display panel with variable curvature."

Samsung is not alone in their planned launch of foldable smartphones. LG Electronics is also expected to manufacture more than 100,000 foldable devices in the fourth quarter of 2017.

LG's development of the fold-out technology began two to three years ago, and The Korea Herald's source claimed that the company has a more advanced method than Samsung. However, LG may provide their fold-out smartphone tech to other companies such as Apple or Huawei. Samsung differs because they plan to use the tech on their own products.

It remains to be seen whether or not Samsung's foldable phones will be released this year. After all, an official word from Samsung about the matter is yet to be had.

In other news, Samsung is expected to release its next flagship phone, the Galaxy S8, on April 18, 2017. A leaked case render for the device showed that it's not ditching the standard 3.5 millimeter headset jack on the bottom, which is opposed to what seems to be the current norm among new and upcoming smartphones lately.

The case render for the Galaxy S8 showed three buttons (the volume and power/lock) on the phone's side. A flash or sensor can also be seen above the phone's camera location, and a USB-C port is shown on the bottom, CNET reported.

Would you buy a foldable smartphone in the near future? What do you think of the Galaxy S8 keeping the headset jack? Sound off in the comments section below!

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