Check out our review of the LG G Flex smartphone.
LG announced the G Flex smartphone at the end of October, but only for lucky buyers in South Korea, with just a vague hint it would release the phone elsewhere in the future. While it wasn’t the first phone with a flexible screen to be put on sale – that honor goes to Samsung with the Galaxy Round – it’s arguably the more interesting of the two, and through a leak and a smattering of official information, the good news is it looks like we can expect it to arrive in the U.S. and other countries soon.
In case you didn’t pay much attention to the LG G Flex when it was announced, here’s a reminder of what makes it cool. The 6-inch, 720p screen is curved from top to bottom, and is said to be highly durable, while the rear panel has a special coating which absorbs light scratches, like a smartphone version of the T-1000. Both of these aspects sound great on paper, but do they really add anything in the real world?
LG has released a video showing these features in action, and you can see it below. A brush with bronze strands is swept along the rear cover at up to 750 grams of pressure, producing ugly scratches across the surface. However, a few minutes after the brush stops, the scratches have disappeared. It’s really quite impressive. To prove how strong the flexible screen and its glass is, weights from 8KG to 32KG are rested on top, but the phone doesn’t sustain any damage, and pops back into shape when the weight is lifted.
It’s a convincing demonstration of the LG G Flex’s headline features, but what makes the video special is it was posted on LG’s UK-specific YouTube channel. No reason to do so if the phone isn’t headed that way soon. Additionally, a leak from @evleaks says LG has signed a deal with AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile, all of whom will be stocking the phone. Finally, an article on the G Flex’s Korean launch also quoted an LG executive, who said a release in America, the UK, and in China was next on the firm’s list, and that discussions with networks were well underway.
So, if you’re excited about the LG G Flex, you may not have long to wait until you get the chance to buy one.
