Samsung is said to be working on bendable phones, with form factors currently not available on the market.

It has previous released a curved handset before, the Samsung Galaxy Round, which had a concave screen, while the Galaxy S7 edge has a wrap around display like its predecessor. But the devices talked about now will be able to bend as a design feature.

Bloomberg claims its sources revealed that a couple of bendy phones are in the pipeline. One will fold in half "like a cosmetic compact" and another transforms from a 5-inch smartphone into an 8-inch tablet.

Both are said to be coming in 2017.

Samsung has actually demonstrated similar concepts in the past. OLED displays offer the ability for flexible screens and the company has previously suggested that future form factors could make more use of that talent.

According to Bloomberg, that could now be on the cards as the Korean firm looks to get one up on Apple.

Analyst Lee Seung Woo, who works for IBK Securities in South Korea, believes that it might not be Apple that will be rocked by Samsung bendable smartphones. "This product could be a game-changer if Samsung successfully comes up with a user interface suitable for bendable screens," he said.

"Next year is a probable scenario. Their biggest obstacle was related to making transparent plastics and making them durable, which seems resolved by now."