Skip to main content

LG banks on the future being flexible, as the G Flex smartphone goes international

LG G Flex Close
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Check out our review of the LG G Flex smartphone.

When invitations plastered in pictures of the LG G Flex began to appear for a December 4 event in Hong Kong, we had high hopes it would signal the rapid international rollout of this exciting new device, particularly as it coincided with leaks regarding a French release around the same time. Sadly, that’s not quite the case for anyone in America or Europe, but there’s still some good news.

LG Flexible ScreenThe LG G Flex has been announced for both Hong Kong and Singapore, where it’ll hit the shops on December 8 and December 13 respectively. However, the press release also says other Asian markets will announced before the end of the year, which will soon be followed by other regions. With Asia covered, we should be up next.

Now, if LG is aiming to cover the East in the run up to 2014, it could be planning to show off the G Flex at either CES 2014 or MWC 2014 a few months later. Either would be a good launch platform for the phone, as it’s almost certainly going to be unique, given Samsung’s decision to keep the Galaxy Round in Korea. Trade shows such as these are ideal for demonstrating new technology, and the flexible screen and self-healing properties of the G Flex will see it stand out, even if it has already gone on sale elsewhere.

LG Flexible BatteryLG’s putting plenty of effort into creating curved and bendable phones, which involves not only producing the screens, but also special batteries (seen here to the left) to power the hardware, and expects the tech to become a major part of the smartphone market over the coming years. LG’s Head of Mobile Planning, Dr. Ramchan Woo, told SlashGear in an interview that by 2015, 12 percent of phones will be flexible and by 2018, that figure will have risen to 40 percent.

Explaining why LG is investing so much in flexible phones, he quipped, “We got bored of flat,” adding the G Flex is only the beginning, and that it has many surprises still to come. Finally, he confirmed the plan was to get the G Flex on sale in America sooner rather than later.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
AT&T Storefront with logo.

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Read more
Motorola is selling unlocked smartphones for just $150 today
Someone holding the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Have you been looking for phone deals but don’t want to spend a ton of money on flagship devices from Apple and Samsung? Have you ever considered investing in an unlocked Motorola? For a limited time, the company is offering a $100 markdown on the Motorola Moto G 5G. It can be yours for just $150, and your days and nights of phone-shopping will finally be over!

Why you should buy the Motorola Moto G 5G
Powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Moto G delivers exceptional performance across the board. From UI navigation to apps, games, and camera functions, you can expect fast load times, next to no buffering, and smooth animations. You’ll also get up to 128GB of internal storage that you’ll be able to use for photos, videos, music, and any other mobile content you can store locally. 

Read more
The Nokia 3210 is the worst phone I’ve used in 2024
A person holding the Nokia 3210, showing the screen.

Where do I even start with the Nokia 3210? Not the original, which was one of the coolest phones to own back in a time when Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace wasn’t even a thing, but the latest 2024 reissue that has come along to save us all from digital overload, the horror of social media, and the endless distraction that is the modern smartphone.

Except behind this facade of marketing-friendly do-goodery hides a weapon of torture, a device so foul that I’d rather sit through multiple showings of Jar Jar Binks and the gang hopelessly trying to bring back the magic of A New Hope than use it.
The Nokia 3210 really is that bad

Read more