Monday 28 October 2013

Despite the size, I can't help but want to try LG's G Flex


Over the last couple of months we've been seeing a lot of curved devices. Both Samsung and LG have taken center stage when it comes to the new style of smartphone, with high profile devices eating up the limelight long before they ever saw an official announcement. Samsung was first up, though, with their Galaxy Round, and LG waited nearly 20 days to unveil their direct competition with the G Flex.
As often as the devices were leaked, and as often as we heard some kind leaked piece of information, the final products from both companies were still a bit surprising. You can imagine that there's already talk about which curved device is better, and perhaps that's for the best. It is the way of the world, I guess.

As far as specifications go, the pair of devices do share some commonalities. For instance, both devices boast 32GB of storage with the option to expand it, and have a 13MP camera on the back. However, while the similarities may be interesting to some, the differences may be what pushes one device in front of the other.
The Samsung Galaxy Round boasts a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 1920x1080, and that curves from left-to-right. There's 3GB of RAM, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor clocked at 2.3GHz. There's a 2-megapixel camera on the front-side, and the Galaxy Round is running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean under the latest version of Samsung's TouchWiz UI.
LG's G Flex boasts a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 2.1-megapixel camera on the front, and it's running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean under LG's custom software. The G Flex has a 6-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1280x720, which curves from the top to the bottom.
They both throw words around like ergonomic, but LG's got immersive in there, too, just for good measure.
The truth is, I think the G Flex is more of a test device than anything else, especially compared to Samsung's Galaxy Round. Sure, the G Flex does have some powerful specifications, but the display is just too big and not sharp enough, even for its size. Moreover, it's not running the latest version of Android under the hood, which is a huge mark in the negative category if you ask me. Especially with Android 4.4 KitKat supposedly right around the corner.
And again, let me stress this: I do believe the G Flex is just way too big. At six inches we're no longer talking about a smartphone, but a tablet. And I've never wanted to use my tablet as a phone. But, LG's marketing may have gotten to me. First, they start by tossing that "immersive" word around, and then they go on to suggest that watching a movie on the G Flex is similar to an "IMAX-like" viewing experience. I've never been to an "IMAX-like" experience (I've been to play IMAX experiences, mind you), so I'm curious what that's like.
That's not all, though. LG also talks about the back of the G Flex as if it were some kind of mutant. They say it's a "self-healing" cover, There's a scratch-resistant film on the plastic, which allows for the owner of the device to remove light scratches as they appear. LG says this is like Wolverine from the X-Men.
I say, "Give it to me!"
The G Flex looks like a test subject device that managed to make it out into the real world, and the display is too big, but I can't help but want to get my hands on one and try it out. I'm not sure there's any way to make me want to use a screen larger than 5.7-inches for a device I use every day constantly, but maybe a curved display would make me change my tune. And maybe that's what LG's aiming for.
Then again, they need to launch it in more than one market to make that possible, so fingers crossed.
What do you make of the G Flex? Do you think it's going to be your next phone, whether you have to wait for LG to launch it in your region or you order it unlocked? Or do you believe the curved display just isn't worth the "gimmick?" Let me know what you think.

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