LG's 'unbreakable' G Flex' spotted

By Joseph Hanlon

Last updated 14 October 2013

In case you weren't confused by Samsung's bendy Galaxy Round smartphone, LG has a curved one of its own in the soon to be announced G Flex.

Armed with what is reported by Engadget to be a 6-inch screen, the G Flex will see Samsung's slightly curved screen, and match it with a similar distorted display, making a phone that looks like an unenthusiastic smile from the side.

There's no details yet on what else we can expect from the phone in regards to hardware, but it is a safe bet that LG will pack in very similar processing parts to what it has announced in the G2 handset - a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, etc. The big question will be how big is the curvy battery inside this model, as 6-inch screens have been known to be quite power-hungry.

But then, perhaps this is one of the advantages of the new bendable screen technology. We understand that it is virtually indestructible, thanks to the use of a flexible plastic substrate, rather than glass, but perhaps this new OLED screen tech is also more power efficient.

Does it really have to be bent?

Having an unbreakable phone is a pretty great feather in LG's cap, but does it really need to curve the phone to make its point? The same goes for Samsung; marketing value aside, is a curved phone in your trouser pockets likely to be more comfortable than something with a flat surface?

As we understand it, the screen is actually more flexible than the frame of the phone will allow it to be in practice. With the new plastic displays, the screens should be able to bend over onto themselves, however the bits and pieces inside the phone would also need to be as well. Given these limitations, would it be better to have a flat phone and a huge sign that says 'Unbreakbale'?

I'm all for phones that bend and roll-up in the future, but until then, let's keep our phones pants-friendly.