Lee Min-cheol, vice president at marketing for PCs at Samsung, told the assembled throngs at a South Korean laptop event that the electronics giant was in talks with suppliers.

"Like foldable smartphones, Samsung is collaborating with display makers to develop laptops with foldable displays that will not just simply fold in and out but create new value and user experience, amid the changing market trends for laptops", he said.

If Samsung pulls it off, then it could be a game changer for 2-in-1 devices. Currently convertible laptops try to flip and twist into tablet and media modes, but a foldable display would help create new designs.

Samsung hasn't named the outfits it is working with and there is no expected date for a prototype or retail device. But it has been suggested that HP's new Spectre Folio and Microsoft's "pocketable" Surface would be an ideal candidate.

If Samsung is at the stage where it is talking to suppliers, it means it is a long way down the road on development. It might take Apple a couple of years to get to this point and then claim it invented the idea.