What is the LG G Flex
The LG G Flex is a new 6-inch smartphone and the first to benefit from a curved plastic OLED display that is capable of bending under pressure. Built around the foundations of the flagship LG G2, this phablet-sized phone has a powerful quad-core processor and 13-megapixel camera, but it's the flexible body that's the real eye-catching feature.
It's the first flexible phone to enter mass production and although the LG G Flex is currently only available in Korea, it will be in the UK in early 2014. It's a damn exciting and genuinley interesting phone, so we were keen to see how this curved phone compared to more standard phones.
Editor's note: This isn't a full review but our first impressions based on initial time with the product. We will publish a full review when it's available on sale in the UK.
LG G Flex: Design
First things first, the LG G Flex has a very noticeable and pronounced curve to its design. With both the phone’s body and screen featuring a vertically concave bend, the G Flex’s curve is relatively deep with a 700mm radius. While this curve is hard to quantify, it means the phone now hugs the curve of your face while making a call, putting the microphone closer to your mouth.
This isn't the only benefit, however. The idea, on paper, is it makes the phone less liable to damage if sat on or squashed within a bag. During our hands-on with the LG G Flex we found that the G Flex is capable of withstanding considerable amounts of pressure; you can, for example, bend the phone into the shape of a standard, non-curved smartphone without any trouble.
The phone’s curved nature isn’t its only standout feature, however. Like the LG G2 before it, the LG G Flex’s physical buttons are all on the rear. They feel more natural than on the G2, too, which makes us wonder whether the G2's design had half an eye on the G Flex all along.
Despite the LG G Flex weighing in at a considerable 177g, it doesn't feel particularly cumbersome. The curved body gives it an ergonomic fit and the weight is evenly distributed. Although almost 50g heavier than the rival Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the G Flex is much lighter than the identical size Nokia Lumia 1520.
While having its undoubted benefits – the phone fits very comfortably in your pocket – the G Flex’s curved nature isn’t without its niggles. During early use we found that performing everyday smartphone tasks such as typing a message felt awkward and unnatural, though given we only used it for a short time we could put this down to unfamiliarity.
For all the talk of the curved screen, the G Flex has another potentially more practical feature: a self-headling body. LG has given the G Flex a 'self-healing rear' thanks to a specially modified resin coating over the standard plastic body. While we have seen video evidence of this self-healing back in action, during our limited hands-on time with the G Flex we were unable to test it first-hand. We will take keys and coins to the phone’s rear during our full LG G Flex review when it goes on sale in the UK.
LG G Flex: Screen Quality
At this stage, then, we're tentatively optimistic about the curved design. That said, it does come with one important compromise. While the LG G Flex's screen is pleasantly bright and vivid, it only has a 1,280 x 720 resolution where 1,920 x 1,080 has become the norm.
Although video content still appeared sufficiently detailed on first viewing, getting closer to the screen does reveal a slight amount of pixelisation. We can’t see this being an issue for many, but it's a shame LG can't match its closest rivals just yet.
LG G Flex: Camera
On first impressions the LG G Flex camera looks like a solid but far from standout performer. With a 13-megapixel camera lining up on the phone’s rear, early test shots in less than ideal indoor lighting proved sharp and detailed with just a smidge of noise creeping in.
The camera app has the same plentiful number of options and modes as the G2, which is great for some but may prove overwhelming for novices. We'll need to spend more time with the G Flex to find out whether it performs the same as the G2 here, but it seems more than likely it will.
The front camera is 2.1-megapixels, but we didn't have time to try it out.
LG G Flex: Features
Like most phones these days, the LG G Flex feels more than capable of tackling basic tasks with complete ease. That's little surprise given it retains the 2.26GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM seen in the G2, a combination that should ensure it matches the fastest phones out there.
It's not running the latest version of Android, however. Instead it runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS with LG's UI overlay. It's not the worst Android skin by any means, but the LG UI can at times feel slightly convoluted and over engineered. We would hope to see some minor refinements moving forward.
Given the phone’s, large, curved shape, LG has produced something special for the battery: the world’s first curved battery. A 3,500mAh Lithium-Polymer offering, the LG G Flex battery should easily see users through a full day’s moderate usage. Further testing is needed to verify this, but that's one of the highest capacity batteries we've seen in any phone.
LG G Flex: First Impressions
The curved screen of the LG G Flex is certainly more than just a gimmick, but it's bound to come at a premium (LG has yet to announce UK pricing). As with all new technologies, it might still be a bit raw to tempt many to jump in early, but LG should be applauded for the engineering and design innovation at work here. It's the kind of phone makes us excited about phones again.
Next, read 7 Reasons Why Curved Phones Will Be Awesome