TECH: Smartphone makers bet on foldable screens

Samsung and several rivals are preparing to roll out redesigned smartphones with flexible screens that can be folded in half without breaking. That could make the devices more versatile for work and pleasure, by increasing screen space to the size of a mini-tablet and folding like a wallet so they can revert to the size of regular phones. In an indication of how difficult it is to make a flexible screen that’s also durable, Samsung first announced its plans to build a folding-screen phone five years ago. But it’s not clear whether flexible-screen phones will have mass appeal, especially because the devices are expected to cost more than $1,000.