Samsung be first to the curved smartphone party but LG claims the G Flex take on the curvy form factor is the "real" deal, being the first "curved to follow the contour of the face."
In other words unlike the gently concave display found in the Galaxy Round, the G Flex curve follows the horizontal (rather than the vertical) axis.
“The LG G Flex is the best representation yet of how a smartphone should be curved,” the company states. “The LG G Flex with its distinctive design, innovative hardware and consumer-centric UX represents the most significant development in the smartphone space since smartphone became part of our regular vocabulary.” Indeed.
Other than the flexible 6-inch 1240x720 resolution OLED display, the G Flex also features a 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, 13MP camera and a 3500 mAh battery inside a package 7.9-8.7mm thick and 177g heavy.
While UI enhancements taking advantage of the curvy format appear to be lacking (other than a "Swing Lockscreen"), the G Flex does have one unique, if unrelated, feature-- a “Self Healing” coating on the back cover. Apparently bearing the same powers as the X-Men's Wolverine, the elastic recovers from the nicks and scratches daily use involve, keeping the G Flex nicer-looking for longer.
The G Flex will be available in LG's home Korea from November 2013, with other territories to follow on an as yet unannounced date.