By Erick Mack.Gizmag
The new LG Flex is billed as the "world's first curved, flexible smartphone," but once you get your hands on one it becomes clear right away that only half of that line is really true for practical purposes. It is a beautiful, sleek and powerful phone with an elegant curve to it, and yes, it does have a flexible display, but that display has been set in a rigid case that prevents it from actually flexing.
- Not that I was able to even try. At the G Flex station of LG's booth for CES 2014, the first caveat the company's marketing folks passed on before talking about any of the phone's positive attributes was a disclosure that it doesn't actually flex or bend. LG's promotional website for the G Flex claims it can be forced into a flat position "for a limited period of time only," but warns against attempting to bend it inward or twist.Instead, the majority of the pitch for the G Flex is about the advantages of its curved screen, which is just slightly concave, and vaguely mimics the curve of old-school landline handsets. LG's people told me that this helps better deliver sound to and from the phone during calls and also provided a better viewing experience from the display.The only part of LG's rationale for the curve that I could really get on board with was its tactile advantages. As I first learned with a Moto X, a little bit of curve on the back of a phone actually does make a difference, and handling the G Flex for a while, I began to think that this could soon become a truism in the smartphone world. The G Flex is nice to hold, and there's at least a certain amount of enjoyment (or maybe just novelty, I'd need to spend more time with it to know for sure) to tapping, swiping and typing on a touchscreen that isn't completely flat. The curve isn't the only unique feature of the G Flex form factor on display at CES. LG was also giving demonstrations of its self-healing back panel, which can make minor scuffs and scratches disappear in just a few minutes. It's hard to say if the special coating on the back that makes this possible would stand up to truly normal wear and tear, but it certainly works as advertised to heal at least a small portion of abuse.
