LG unveils curved-screen smartphone

LG unveils curved-screen smartphone

LG Electronics unveiled Monday a curved-screen smartphone, taking on rival Samsung in a niche market seen as a first step on the road to fully flexible products.

Image provided by LG Electronics on October 28, 2013 shows the company's new "G-Flex" smartphone, which uses flexible OLED screen technology to feature a curved 6-inch display

Despite its name, the "G-Flex" does not bend, but uses flexible OLED (organic light-emitting diode) to produce a curved six-inch display.

The model is "the best representation yet of how a smartphone should be curved," the president of LG's mobile unit Park Jong-Seok said, in a clear dig at Samsung.

Earlier this month, Samsung started retailing its "Galaxy Round" -- a 5.7-inch (14.5 centimetre) handset with a display that curves from side-to-side to fit the contour of the hand.

The "G-Flex" is curved on the vertical axis in order to, the company said, "follow the contour of the face".

Curved displays are already commercially available in large-screen televisions offered by both Samsung and LG.

The displays are supposed to offer a more immersive viewing experience but are significantly more expensive than standard screens.

The Galaxy Round is currently only available in South Korea and retails at 1.08 million won (31,600 baht).

Curved screens are still at a nascent stage in display technology, which is shifting towards flexible panels that are bendable or can even be rolled or folded.

LG said the G-Flex would be available to South Korean consumers from November, but did not provide a price estimate.

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