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We first saw the curved display with Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus, but LG has just upped the ante with their just announced LG G Flex. We’d seen the curved screen before, but now we’ve got an announcement, specs, press pics- the whole nine yards.
Why the curved screen? For starters it looks awesome and stylistically sets LG apart from the competition, but there are some practical purposes for the curved display as well:
- Increased comfort due to phone curving more naturally from your ear to your mouth
- Sound level increase of 3dB due to microphone having closer proximity to your mouth
- Better grip
- Increased comfort when store in back pocket.
Our own unscientific research shows that about 9% of smartphone users carry their phone in their back pocket – I’m one of them – and I can imagine this percentage will increase due to the 6-inch display and added comfort.
Potential concerns about the drastically curved screen would include how it responds better or worse to being dropped and resting on a flat surface. I also wonder if the multimedia viewing and gaming experience will be improved, hindered, or unaltered. Time will tell, but Koreans will find out first: it’s launching their in November and while the G Flex will be made available in other regions afterwards, no announcements have been made in that regard.
Here’s a quick rundown of the LG G Flex specs:
- 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM 8974)
- GPU: Adreno 330, 450MHz
- 6-inch screen
- HD resolution (1280 x 720), Curved P-OLED (Real RGB)
- 2GB RAM
- 32GB Storage
- 13.0MP rear camera
- 2.1MP front camera
- 3,500mAh battery
- Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
- Bluetooth 4.0
- USB 3.0
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- NFC
Apparently LG had to pull some pretty neat tricks to create a curved battery as well, but since the battery is embedded, we’re unlikely to get a look until someone cracks it open.
All this curved goodness fits in a frame that’s only 160.5 x 81.6 x 7.9/8.7mm and weighs just 177g. The variation from 7.9 to 8.7mm is of course due to the curved display.
G Flex Got Back
Another unique feature of the LG G Flex is that there are no buttons on the sides of the device, where you would typically find the power button, volume rocker, camera button and so forth. These have been relocated to the rear of the device and propped up with some added functionality.
Thus is also the case with the LG G2 and the manufacturer says that it reduces accidental button presses and makes adjusting volume while in a call much easier. There is also a rear LED that acts as a countdown timer for the camera and when you receive several missed calls from the same number consecutively, it will blink red to notify you of a potential urgent situation (or clingy significant other).
Here’s a claim that I’m sure reviewers will put to the drop test: a self-healing back cover.
The elastic coating has the ability to recover from the daily wear-and-tear scratches and nicks that un-cased smartphones are likely to receive, keeping the G Flex looking newer longer.
Lock screen innovations, face detection, and dual window multi-tasking mode are also invited to the party.
The LG G Flex has only been announced in the Titan Silver color, and just to remind you, these specs could certainly change based on geography.
The specs are certainly solid but the main question here is what do you think of the curved display?
[polldaddy poll=7512648]
Head on over to our brand new LG G Flex Forums!
Nice, but not for me.
The curve on that screen looks so extreme as to potentially be awkward.
We’ve moved from CRT’s to flat screen displays. Now we’re back to curved. I guess this means the next phone will be a foot wide.
Nice, I’d take this over the N5 if I were in the market for a new phone.
I’d love to play with it and see what it’s all about, but I’m skeptical.
Why would you put a smartphone next to your ear?
You had me until I read 6″ screen. Seriously, I want a phone, not a tablet that can make phone calls.
seems like it would be a great phone but super awkward in your pocket. and 6″ is too much. 4.7-5.2″ is my sweet spot
I’d love to see this in person
Curved display was excellent on the nexus s and galaxy nexus
Honestly, good luck getting that in your pocket. It’ll have to go in sideways to lie flat on your leg. I’ve never seen a pocket that wide.
Looks better than a bent iPhone 5.
*G2
Um… in your back pocket? Don’t you worry about breaking the glass when you sit on it?
I think the idea is to put the phone’s screen against your buttocks, which should, in theory, contour to the curves of your posterior, thereby making it less likely for the screen to crack.
That is unless you have…BUNS OF STEEL.
Looking at the press pic this thing is running 4.4… It just needs to be ever so slightly more warped than the GNexus, and if course run stock Android.
So. This phone has a 720p display. Major deal breaker bros.
The curve is nice for those that use their back pocket, but not so nice for those that use their front pocket. It will be interesting to see what these curved phones look like with Otterbox cases
yeah same here, carry it in my front pocket. Back pocket, I’d end up sitting on it.
720p display?
Exactly. 720 is meh. They should have copied the Note 3’s specs.
Now, if only there were a mSD card slot I would be sold.
Was the Samsung galaxy nexus curved glass or curved display?
Just the glass is curved.
Its launching “their”
It has increased functionality in some using scenarios, but imho also decreased functionality in other scenarios.
cons:
– Putting it flat on a table and using it with one hand, won’t be as easy as with regular phones.
– Looking on the screen from the side, pictures will look distorted. (Not the most common scenario, but why else should we complain about viewing angles and washed out colors when viewing from an angle.)
– Carrying the phone in front pockets will be much more uncomfortable. (Yes, 6″ screen phones fit in most trouser front pockets)
– Carrying your phone in your back pocket has some inherent problems:
> sitting down…
> easy to steal (try stealing something out of a jeans front pocket without someone noticing)
If it was flexible, as the name suggests, it would be full of win. But the concave curving on an UNFLEXIBLE phone, comes with as many benefits as problems.
Nexus S was first with the curved screen not the G Nex.
^ This.
You beat me to it.
I hate to be a snob but I was interested until I saw it’s only 720p. Especially on a 6 inch screen.
Especially on a curved 6″ screen
Oh wow, I didn’t even notice that. I saw all of those beastmode specs and just assumed 1080p. Disappointing for a monster handset like that. Why cheap out on the screen when everything else is already top of the line?
I agree. I would like an explanation as to why they couldn’t or chose not to include a 1080p display.
Quite simple actually. They are following Apple’s marketing strategy: repackage last year’s tech as “NEW”, then add current year specs into next generation device. The vicious cycle continues
Ok it LOOKS awesome but right now what happened if you accidentally get in your car with your phone on your pocket?….you sit down on your padded driver’s seat and end up applying a decent amount of pressure to you phone and phone screen but overall no harm no foul; but NOW with this curved display from LG wouldn’t you think that just the amount of pressure from your body weight would be enough to “flex” the screen and the entire phone from curved to flat if accidentally sat down upon and I don’t know guys I just think it’s a bad design idea. Curved screens are nothing more than a gimmick and I would bet money you won’t see too many more curved glass smartphones to hit the market.
I think the idea is to put the phone’s screen against your buttocks, which will prevent you from flexing the screen to flat position.
yeah i dont see this being something that works… It you step, sit, lay, on this phone there is a good chance the screen breaks. Also i lay my phone on my desk and use w/o holding… not really possible with this unless you get the rocking motion down, also…. no way this is going in my front pocket….. What we need is a phone that CAN curve when you are holding it and be flat any other time…
Is the screen a unbreakable polymer plastic, if not forget about it.
Here is a good read : http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/10/27/lg-g-flex-is-official-in-korea-6-inch-720p-oled-screen-snapdragon-800-and-self-repairing-back-panel/
I like it better than the Galaxy Round
Agreed.
Aside from looks I would disagree.
The Round has a 1080 screen vs 720, is lighter, smaller and thinner but still has 5.7″, has 3GB RAM plus a micro SD card and 4K video. On the down side it has no FM radio and smaller but probably removable battery.
That said i can’t really see the point of curved screens at this stage, more of an annoyance if anything.
taking cues from goggle with pentile screens
They may be on to something. Here’s a picture of a bent iPhone after having it in your back pocket. Let’s also keep in mind that our faces are curved as well. But who uses smartphones to talk anymore?
http://i1-news.softpedia-static.com/images/news-700/Warning-iPhone-5s-Bends-Easily-Don-t-Wear-It-In-Your-Back-Pocket.jpg?1381147593
As I understand it, this is only coming to Korea?
Like I said for the curved Samsung phone… What’s the point?