Justin Denison, SVP of Mobile Product Development, shows off the Infinity Flex Display of a folding smartphone during the keynote address of the Samsung Developer Conference Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

The smartphone industry has been searching for a breakthrough to revive a market mired in an innovation lull and a sales slump.

A potential catalyst is coming with the introduction of phones featuring that can be folded in half without breaking. That feat could make the devices more versatile for work and pleasure, by increasing screen space without making phones too big.

On Wednesday, Samsung provided a glimpse at a foldable-screen that it will release next year. It's expected to compete against several other flexible-screen phones.

But it's unclear whether the flexibility will have mass appeal, especially when the bendy devices are expected to cost more than $1,000.

Justin Denison, SVP of Mobile Product Development, talks about the Infinity Flex Display of a folding smartphone during the keynote address of the Samsung Developer Conference, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)