Everyone has heard of a foldable smartphone - but not everyone has seen one. In fact, a smartphone with a completely foldable screen was just a concept, a mere idea... until now. Three weeks into 2017 and it is already shaping up to be a great year for smartphone technology.

Back in 2005, Nokia had an interesting idea: foldable smartphones. The idea then turned into concepts. Concepts then had applied for patents. Aside from Nokia, Samsung, and Apple also applied for patents.

However, these were merely concepts put on the back burner due to the lack of foldable screen technology. Now, the OLED screen panels are making it possible.

In 2013, Nokia was granted a patent for a foldable device. Just on September last year, the same patent was approved again. It reads: "The display assembly is configured to be moved outward in the space defined by the housing parts in response to an opening movement of the housing parts."

As of the moment, Nokia has yet to release a statement confirming their plans to produce a foldable smartphone. Samsung, on the other hand, plans to release a foldable smartphone model within the year.

Samsung has been working on a foldable smartphone for years. According to reports, Samsung is expected to release more than 100,000 units of fold-out devices in the third quarter of the year. Samsung was one of the first companies to secure the fold-in phone technology.

According to reports, the South Korean multinational conglomerate company will produce a device which can fold out into a 7-inch tablet. This will help consumers use the phone as a tablet.

Aside from Samsung, LG was also reported to be planning a mass-production of more than 100,00 foldable devices during quarter 4 of 2017. According to reports, LG's foldable technology is far more advanced compared to Samsung's.

On the other hand, Microsoft has also been granted a patent which shows its plans to make a flexible smartphone. According to the patent, it looks like Microsoft is planning to create a smartphone which opens up to for a tablet-like display.

Speculations suggest the upcoming Microsoft Surface Phone will be released with this foldable display technology. Microsoft's foldable smartphone technology is also expected to be released within the year.

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