Samsung launches curved ‘Galaxy Round’

Samsung Electronics will Thursday launch the world’s first curved-display smartphone running on SK Telecom’s LTE-A networks in a move highlighting the emergence of yet another device innovation and the strong partnership between the pair.

The price was set at just over 1.08 million won for the “Galaxy Round,” which is available in a single brown color, according to the two firms on Wednesday.

Samsung said while the display was not flexible ― it doesn’t move back and forth, nor is it moldable ― it has taken on distinct features of flexible displays to create a curved panel that is more user-friendly.

The 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display curves inwards from the sides, with the radius of the curve measuring 40 centimeters.

“The main idea is the grip, which is very comfortable because of the curved shape that helps the phone fit right into the palm,” said Ko Ho-jin, a spokesman for Samsung.

The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s quad-core running 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and runs on the 4.3 Jelly Bean platform, the latest update of Google’s Android operating system.

At 154 grams, the new model is about 10 percent lighter than the Galaxy Note 3, thanks to more use of plastic, and is thinner by 0.4 milimeters.

With the Galaxy Round, Samsung is the world’s first company to officially unveil a smartphone with a curved display.

The batteries for the Round, however, are not curved. LG Electronics is reportedly planning its version of a curved phone to be released as early as the end of this month.

Samsung SDI, a global leader in small-sized batteries, has said it was already able to produce curved batteries and it would be a matter of time before commercialization began.

Meanwhile, Samsung and SK Telecom once again confirmed the strong alliance they have been enjoying for years since Samsung first launched its Galaxy smartphone lineup to compete against Apple’s iPhones launched in partnership with KT Corp.

By Kim Ji-hyun (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)