[(Title)]Smartphone makers bet on foldable screens as next big thing - ABC News

For the past few years, the smartphone industry has been searching for a breakthrough to revive a market mired in an innovation lull and a sales slump.

过去几年，智能手机行业一直在寻求突破，以恢复陷入创新歇期和销售衰退的市场。一种新型的可折叠成半而不至于断裂的手机即将出炉。

A potential catalyst is on the horizon in the form of flexible screens that can be folded in half without breaking.

Samsung and several rivals are preparing to roll out such screens to make devices more versatile for work and pleasure.

三星和几个竞争对手正准备推出这种屏幕，使设备更加通用，以供工作和娱乐之用。

The foldable screens could increase display space to the size of a mini-tablet, but fold like a wallet so they revert to the size of regular phones.

可折叠的屏幕可以增加显示空间到迷你平板的大小，但是像钱包一样折叠起来，恢复到正常手机的大小。

But there are questions about price and durability.

If the new phones fulfill their makers' ambitions, they will become a leap ahead for an industry whose origins can be traced to the old flip phones that consumers once embraced as cool and convenient.

但是这种产品存在价格和耐久性的问题。如果新手机实现了制造商的雄心壮志，那么这将成为一个行业的飞跃。

Foldable-screen phones, though, won't need hinges because they have continuous displays that can bend.

不过，可折叠电子屏幕手机不需要用铰链来链接，因为它们有可弯曲的连续显示器。为了表明制作一个同样耐用的灵活的屏幕有多么困难，三星在五年前首次宣布了建立可折叠屏幕手机的计划。

In an indication of how difficult it is to make a flexible screen that's also durable, first announced plans to build a folding-screen phone five years ago.

It wasn't until Wednesday, though, that Samsung finally provided a glimpse at what it's been working on.

不过，直到星期三，三星才最终给我们带来了该产品的惊鸿一瞥。

"We have been living in a world where the size of a screen could only be as large as the device itself," said Justin Denison, Samsung's senior vice president of mobile product marketing.

三星移动产品营销高级副总裁贾斯汀·丹尼森说：“我们生活在一个屏幕尺寸可能与设备本身一样大的时代。现在，我们刚刚进入了一个新的层面。”

"We have just entered a new dimension."

Except for a fleeting look at a device he held in a hand, Denison provided scant information about the phone.

Samsung says it will be ready to hit the market at some point next year.

三星表示，它准备在明年的某个时候打入市场。

Smartphone makers are looking for something to excite consumers as they replace phones less often because new models are pricey and aren't that much different from their predecessors beyond slightly better cameras and batteries.

手机制造商寻找刺激消费者的东西，因为他们少用更换手机，因为新手机价格昂贵。与前辈相比，新款手机的摄像头和电池没有多大的不同。IDC的数据显示，这是全球智能手机销售量较前一年连续四个季度下降的主要原因。在过去的12个月里，智能手机销量下降了4%。根据IDC的计算，世界领先的智能手机销售商三星在此期间的出货量下降了7%。

That's the main reason worldwide smartphone sales have fallen from the previous year for four consecutive quarters, according to IDC.

Add it all up, and smartphone sales declined by 4 percent during 12 months ending in September.

Samsung, the world's leading seller of smartphones, suffered a 7 percent decline in shipments during that period, based on IDC's calculations.

But it's not clear whether flexible-screen phones will have mass appeal, especially when the bendy devices are expected to cost more than $1,000.

但目前尚不清楚手机是否具有大众吸引力，尤其是当这种设备预计耗资超过1,000美元时。

Royole Corp., a small Silicon Valley company, is hoping to sell early versions of its FlexPai foldable-screen phone for $1,300 to $1,500 once it comes to the U.S. — something that won't happen until next year, at the earliest.

硅谷一家小型公司Royol eCorp.希望其FlexPai可折叠手机的早期版本售价为1300至1500美元，但最早要到明年才会出来。目前，中国将于下月开始供应这批产品，价格大约相当于1300美元。

For now, it will be available in China starting next month, at a price equivalent to about $1,300.

While the idea of a device being able to bend into different shapes may sound good, IDC analyst Ramon Llamas is skeptical about how practical and durable they will be.

虽然设备能弯曲成不同形状的想法听起来很好，但IDC分析师拉蒙·拉马斯对设备如何实用和耐用表示怀疑。

One of the biggest questions is whether the quality of the screens will degrade as they get repeatedly folded.

最大的一个问题是，当屏幕反复折叠时，屏幕的质量是否会下降。Royole说，Flex Pai可以弯曲超过20万次而不会损耗。

Llamas said.

Royole said its FlexPai can be bent more than 200,000 times without deteriorating.

Other foldable-screen phones running Google's Android software are expected to be available, too.

谷歌Android软件的其他可折叠屏幕手机也将可用。华为上个月证实，它正在研发一款屏幕灵活的手机。

Huawei confirmed last month that it is working on a phone with a flexible screen.

LG Electronics is widely expected to unveil one at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas in January.

人们普遍预期LG电子将在1月在拉斯维加斯举办的CES电子产品展上推出一款产品。LG没有回应置评请求。

LG didn't respond to a request for comment.

Royole CEO Bill Liu said.