Samsung launches world’s first curved display smartphone

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd today unveiled the world's first smartphone featuring a curved display, a variant of the Galaxy Note, in a development that  brings the Asian giant closer to making wearable devices with flexible, even unbreakable screens.

Curved displays are hot features as the company looks to score on technology against rivals such as Apple Inc and LG Electronics Inc, with the South Korean firm seeking to take the lead in the slowing market for high-end smartphones.

Reuters quoted Hana Daetoo Securities analyst Nam Dae-jong as saying it was a step forward for having flexible devices eventually, but for now the new phone was more of a symbolic product.

The Galaxy Round comes as Samsung's attempt to gauge consumer appetite for curved phones although its lack of other eye-catching features meant it was not likely to be a hit, he said.

The Galaxy Round's 5.7-inch (14.4-centimetre) display comes with a slight horizontal curve and weighs less than the Galaxy Note 3, affording a more comfortable grip than other flat-screen models on the market, according to a Samsung statement.

Among its salient features is a tilt function that allows users to check information such as missed calls and battery life, even with the home screen off.

The Galaxy Round's bendable screen would allow users to take advantage of a "Roll Effect" to check the date, time, missed call, and battery status information, even when the home screen was off. According to Samsung a separate "Gravity Effect," would allow people to interact with the phone by tilting it. Samsung also added that when the music player was running but the display was off, the user could press the left side of the device to play the previous track or the right side to play the next track.

The phone would be on sale in Korea only for now, and the company is yet to announce pricing or potential US availability.

The news comes following Samsung's Korean rival LG's announcement that it would start mass production of a flexible OLED display for smartphones. The flexible panels use plastic instead of glass, which allows them to bend.

Meanwhile, according to technology analysts and media reports Apple had announced it was working  on a smartwatch, potentially with a curved screen, but there had been no word from the California-based company about its plans.

The new curved-screen phone from Samsung, is available through South Korea's biggest mobile carrier SK Telecom Co Ltd, and comes with a 1.089 million won ($1,000) price tag.