The Samsung Galaxy Round is official: a 5.7-inch smartphone with a curved display
Despite the fact that some enthusiasts seem to always find fault with whatever Samsung has to offer, the company has remained the dominant Android device manufacturer for the past couple of years. Thanks to this dominance, it is more likely to take a few more risks and try new things that other companies. In the past, taking chances has brought Samsung such hits as the Galaxy Note, but of course things don’t always work out that well. Today, Samsung announced another slightly risky device trying out a new feature, the Samsung Galaxy Round. The smartphone is a lot like most current Samsung devices, with the exception of the curved display. In fact, it is almost exactly like the Galaxy Note 3 (complete with the faux leather back), just curved slightly at the sides.
Clearly, the new form factor has some aesthetic and potentially practical differences in use, but in addition to the obvious Samsung has also included new software to actually make good use of the design change. Much like Samsung’s software is needed to get the most out of the S Pen, the new Galaxy Round will rely on custom software that responds to tilting and rocking the bowed smartphone.
On the regular smartphone side of things, the Galaxy Round packs a 2.3GHz processor, 3GB of RAM, 2,800mAh battery, and 32GB of storage into the curved frame. Other hardware includes a 13MP camera and the standard plethora of sensors. Software is the standard Samsung-modified Android 4.3, with the addition of Galaxy Round specific tweaks mentioned earlier.
Currently, the device is available only in Korea for a price of about $1,000 (converted), but I don’t doubt that if successful, we will see a broader release sometime soon. Though the merits of the design change aren’t entirely clear yet, the Galaxy Round does at least manage to be truly unique in a sea of slab smartphones. And while this isn’t likely what people would have first though of when flexible displays were mentioned, it will certainly be interesting to see where the technology goes from here.
[Samsung Tomorrow 1, 2 via The Verge]