In October 8, 2013, Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy Round, which proclaims as the world's first smartphone with a (deeply) curved display.
The device uses Samsung's flexible screen technology, but the phone itself doesn't actually bend. Instead of the slight vertical bend seen in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Samsung Nexus S, this smartphone features a horizontal 5.7" Super AMOLED curve, much like a half smile, that fits the contours of a person's face, and offers a "comfortable hand-grip feeling."
The curved display doesn't just offer aesthetic and comfort improvements, Samsung says. With the Roll Effect, users can tilt or roll the device on a table to check missed calls, remaining battery life and more. Additionally, Samsung has built in "one-hand operation features," which bring some new settings and controls to the sides of the screen.
Another new Samsung feature, the Gravity Effect, expands the role of gestures by adding rocking the device with a finger to see a music-focused interface.
The Galaxy Round features a 1080p HD display with Android 4.3 equipped Touch Wiz, and has Samsung's larger phone's staples such as Multi Window, all in a one-handed operation modes. Just like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 does.
With dimensions similar to the Note 3's, the Round is slim at only 0.3 inch thick and weighing 5.4 ounces. It should feel substantial for its size.
Just like the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and the Galaxy Note 3, the Galaxy Round has a 13 MP rear camera with autofocus and flash, and a 2 MP camera at its front. The camera is able to take 1080 pixel HD video capture, which is standard on higher-end Samsung smartphones.
The Galaxy Round with 2,800 mAH battery features a 2.3 GHz MSM 8974 quad-core processor, 32 GB of internal storage, 3 GB of RAM, and an a maximum of 64 GB microSD card slot.
Samsung has long followed the strategy of trying as many features and designs as possible to see what will become popular. It's also keen in including technology in devices simply for technology's sake, not because consumers really need those features.
"This is another example of Samsung trying everything and seeing what will work," Ovum analyst Jan Dawson said.
A curved display itself is not really a benefit to consumers. It doesn't actually help reading, typing, game playing, or other functions easier. In some cases, those actions could actually be more difficult, or awkward.
On the positive side, what the Galaxy Round does is help create a strong foundation in Samsung's position as a leader in hardware and components. With it, Samsung is showing the world what it's capable of creating. The Galaxy Round may also allow Samsung to examine new ways for consumers to interact with their phones, and some of those features could make their way to other flagship devices in the future.