Are curved-screen smartphones the next big leap for mobile handsets, or a design quirk of 2013 that'll be chuckled at in the future? LG and Samsung are hoping for the former.
Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Round smartphone earlier in October, with a 5.7-inch screen that curves from side to side. Now rival LG has announced its G Flex, although its six-inch screen curves from top to bottom instead.
The latter has been heavily leaked in recent weeks, but was confirmed this morning. It will go on sale in Korea in November with plans to launch it elsewhere in the world at a later date, although no UK release has been confirmed yet.
Why a curved smartphone screen? LG says it aims to reduce the distance between your mouth and the microphone when holding the handset up to your ear, comparing it to traditional telephones in that respect.
LG claims that the curvy form makes calls 3dB louder than flatter handsets, and is also rather ambitiously promising an "IMAX-like experience" when watching video on the device.
"The LG G Flex with its distinctive design, innovative hardware and consumer-centric UX represents the most significant development in the smartphone space since smartphone became part of our regular vocabulary," said LG's mobile president and CEO Dr. Jong-seok Park.
LG is also shouting about the fact that it's not just the G Flex's screen that's curved: its battery is curved too. It also promises a "Self Healing" coating on the rear cover of the device, to see off "daily wear-and-tear scratches and nicks".
The G Flex and Galaxy Round may be flaunting their curves in different directions, but the two Android smartphones will still be direct competitors. Samsung's handset went on sale in South Korea this month, although no international launches have yet been confirmed.
The fierce rivalry between Samsung and LG can be seen in the early release of the G-Flex. Just before the Galaxy Round was announced, LG said it was expecting to launch its first curved-screen smartphone in 2014.
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