Behold the future! Well, behold a future. This future is one in which we all have smartphones with curved screens.
It’s mildly exciting, in a way. As we previously daydreamed, perhaps having a curved-screen smartphone would cut down on lethal cases of the dropsies: Instead of dropping your phone face-down and ruining the screen, perhaps the curvature of your phone would cushion the blow somewhat.
Samsung today outed the Galaxy Round, which it’s touting as “the world’s first curved display smartphone.” Not to be confused with previous Google-branded Samsung smartphones that featured a piece of curved glass over a flat display. It’s reminiscent of the previously-announced Galaxy Note 3, albeit with a slight left-to-right bend (LG is rumored to be prepping a forthcoming curved-display smartphone that bends from top to bottom).
Pocket-lint has a nice comparison piece highlighting the similarities and differences between the Note 3 and Round. The Round’s lack of a stylus is a big one, as is the fact that those of us in the U.S. probably won’t see the Round here anytime soon. It’s initially going to be available in Korea without a contract for the equivalent of around $1,000 U.S.
As for what the curved screen gets you, Engadget notes that a few software niceties will mesh with the hardware: “For example, tilting the phone to the side will offer up notifications, battery levels and more at a glance.”
Here’s a quick video showing off the Galaxy Round’s “Roll Effect”:
[youtube=http://youtu.be/UIEExKSjWi4]
Samsung Announces GALAXY Round in Korea [Samsung]