Jan 23, 2017 10:01 AM EST By Avery Robbins, UniversityHerald Reporter

Foldable phone or tablet seems to take the internet by storm in the past few months after numerous patent leaks suggest that notable smartphone brands will unveil their own kind of flexible flagships in the near future.

LG and its flexible hybrid phone

A recently leaked patent filed by LG seems to indicate that the South Korean giant is ready for a foldable-smartphone competition with Samsung.

The complete patent application was first revealed by GSMinfo and it's been reported that the filing mentions about a flexible panel sporting OLED technology. Based on the descriptions, it can be argued that LG is planning to manufacture a 2-in-1 smartphone where the handset could become a tablet when unfolded with a hinge at the center of the device to make it flexible.

Samsung and its foldable Galaxy X

The news about LG's latest patent filing shifts the attention from the rumored foldable phone Galaxy X from Samsung. However, it is safe to assume that Samsung could reveal the flexible device earlier than LG given the timing it filed the patent.

Back in 2015, Forbes wrote the exciting news about Samsung filing a patent for a foldable phone. It doesn't materialize up till today - almost two years after the document was uncovered.

However, the bits of its details are leaked one by one - up to a point where tech crowds have come to believe that Samsung will most likely to introduce the world's first foldable phone this year.

Meanwhile, LG's filing a hybrid smartphone-tablet patent could indicate that it is heading to the same direction as Samsung but it might seem too early to discuss the launch with so little information.

LG could be supplying the foldable display for Samsung, Apple and Google

Previously, it's been reported that LG could supply the flexible screen for Samsung, Google and Apple; and Softpedia has also learned that LG did design such feature but the product won't be carrying its own brand.

With that being the case, the recently-leaked document could hint at the other brands getting flexible screen supply from LG but the company might not be releasing one in the near future.

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