LG Electronics Co yesterday unveiled a curved-screen smartphone, taking on rival Samsung Electronics Co in a niche market seen as a first step on the road to fully flexible products.
Despite its name, the “G-Flex” does not bend, but uses flexible OLED (organic light-emitting diode) to produce a curved 6 inch display.
The model is “the best representation yet of how a smartphone should be curved,” LG mobile unit president Park Jong-seok said, in a clear dig at Samsung.
Earlier this month, Samsung started retailing its “Galaxy Round” — a 5.7-inch handset with a display that curves from side-to-side fitting the contour of the hand.
The “G-Flex” is curved on the vertical axis, the company said, to “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 only available in South Korea and retails at 1.08 million won (US$1,000).
Curved screens are still at a nascent stage in display technology, which is shifting toward 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 next month, but did not provide a price estimate.
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