It's not too often we get to review a product with a completely new form factor, but we relish the opportunity when we do. This time, we're taking a closer look at the LG G Flex, one of two curved smartphones that have come out of Korea over the last two months. The idea of a curved device is enough to pique anyone's interest, but there's one thing holding it back from mainstream acceptance: the price. Retailing for the US equivalent of $940, this unique handset isn't for the budget-conscious, and it isn't going to make your every dream come true either. To most potential buyers, the return on investment is pretty low; it's high-end, sure, but is it worth paying a $200 or $300 premium just for the shape? We believe you already know the answer to that, but keep on reading to find out if we agree with you.
HARDWARE
Even though there are only two curved smartphones right now, LG predicts the market for curved displays will grow to as much as $2.5 billion by 2018. If that's the case, we're witnessing the beginning of something big. Perhaps it's appropriate, then, that LG's inaugural device is... well, big? At 160.5 x 81.6 x 8.7mm, the G Flex, which features a 6-inch display, could be considered large even compared to theLG G2 or the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Still, it's actually a tad smaller than most other 6-inch handsets. The Lumia 1520 is just as thick as the Flex, but quite a bit taller and wider; even the 5.9-inch HTC One Max is taller and wider (and a great deal thicker). Both devices are also more than an ounce heavier than the 6.24-ounce Flex, making LG's handset feel comfortable by comparison. The sides are flat near the top, providing a place to rest your fingertips. Of course, they do curve inward toward the bottom.
That said, curves can bring a phone's ergonomics to another level. The Samsung Galaxy Round, which arcs from left to right, was much more comfortable than the Note 3 because its curves allow the phone to rest naturally in the hand. Since the G Flex arcs from top to bottom, however, it feels a little more awkward than it would if the phone were simply flat; my index finger frequently slips off the edge because the phone curves up and makes the sides harder to reach.
The glossy back cover comes with a brushed-metal look and is a little slippery, but as odd as it sounds, we don't mind it so much on the G Flex (more on that in a moment). It's also a huge dust magnet: It was nearly impossible to completely clean the phone, no matter how hard we tried. The G Flex uses the same rear buttons as we've seen on the G2 near the top, but this time the power button doubles as an LED notification light. Just above that, you'll find the 13-megapixel camera with flash on one side and infrared on the other. The buttons and camera rest on a small hump that rises just above the rest of the chassis.
The G Flex is currently available in Korea, but will soon be on sale in Hong Kong, Singapore and Europe. We're still awaiting word on whether it will get picked up by a US carrier, but for now, LG's keeping quiet about its plans. The company provided us with a Korean review unit, which comes with quad-band GSM/EDGE, CDMA (800/1900), tri-band HSPA+ 42 Mbps (850/1900/2100) and dual-band LTE-Advanced (850/1800). We weren't able to test the phone on LTE, but we had no problem connecting to AT&T's HSPA+ network. You'll also get dual-band WiFi with 802.11ac support, USB On-The-Go, DLNA and Bluetooth 4.0+LE.
In real-life use, we were satisfied with LG's claims. We did plenty of pushing and pulling on the device to test its physical limits, and none of our efforts resulted in cracking or any kind of damage to the chassis. Pushing down on the back immediately made us think of a large spring that offers only a little bit of give under enough pressure. Unless you've been doing a lot of finger push-ups lately, we don't think the flex feature is something you can take advantage of unless you go out of your way to do so; if you want to really flatten the device, you'll need to apply pressure with the palm of your hand, or pull on the edges of the phone like you're tearing a piece of stale bread.
Before we discuss how the display looks, let's address another common question: Does the G Flex actually have a flexible display, or is it just curved? We're happy to report that it's not only flexible, but it's also much more so than we would've expected. Of course, this isn't so obvious when it's bonded to the G Flex's chassis, but we had the opportunity to handle one of the phone's displays when it wasn't attached to the rest of the body, and it's surprisingly similar to a plastic playing card. It's bendable in both directions and can even bend around my thumb -- LG said that it could tolerate up to a radius of 400mm
The lower resolution is clearly noticeable on the G Flex; text, graphics and videos just don't have the same kind of clarity that we've grown used to. However, there are quite a few positives that help make up for this shortcoming. The best part of the curved screen is its superb viewing angles, but in all fairness, we were highly impressed by the panel's viewing angles even when it was lying flat, so the curves simply enhance it. On top of that, the G Flex's screen is bright enough to read outdoors.
| LG G FLEX | SAMSUNG GALAXY ROUND | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $940 | $1,000 |
| Dimensions | 160.5 x 81.6 x 8.7mm (6.32 x 3.21 x 0.34 in.) | 151.1 x 79.6 x 7.9mm (5.95 x 3.13 x 0.31 in.) |
| Weight | 177g (6.24 oz) | 154g (5.43 oz) |
| Screen size | 6.0 inches | 5.7 inches |
| Screen resolution | 1,280 x 720 pixels (245ppi) | 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (386ppi) |
| Screen type | Plastic OLED | Super Flexible AMOLED |
| Battery | 3,500mAh | 2,800mAh |
| Internal storage | 32GB | 32GB |
| External storage | None | MicroSDXC (up to 64GB) |
| Rear camera | 13MP, f/2.4, AF, LED flash, HDR (No OIS) | 13MP, AF, LED |
| Front-facing cam | 2.1MP | 2.0MP |
| Video capture | 1080p @30fps or 60fps | 4K (3,840 x 2,160) |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | v4.0+LE | v4.0+LE, EDR |
| SoC | 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 | 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 |
| RAM | 2GB | 3GB |
| WiFi | dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| Operating system | Android 4.2.2, LG UI | Android 4.3, TouchWiz |
SOFTWARE
If you've been following LG over the last few years, it may not surprise you to hear that the G Flex is not running the most up-to-date Android firmware (nor the preceding version). Instead, you'll need to survive on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean for now. We asked LG when we might expect to see KitKat, the latest version of Android, but so far the company has declined to comment. In other words, if you're going to buy the G Flex, make sure you love it for what it currently is, and not what you hope it will become.
Image & Source : Engadget
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