by Mikee Ocampo Falcis
The smartphone market has turned into a virtual catwalk after two manufacturers recently unveiled bombshells in a bid to catch the eyes of the most discerning tech geeks. Manila Bulletin had the ramp extended from the international scene to here, giving TechNews first crack of the Samsung Galaxy Round and the LG G-Flex.
Turn on the lights. Play the music. Let the show begin!
LG G-Flex
LG uses flexible OLED screen technology for a striking curve on the horizontal axis. G-Flex is between 7.9 and 8.7mm thick at various points, weighs 177g, and has a 6-inch 720 x 1280p display. It sports a 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel camera, and a 3,500mAh battery.
The G Flex features include a “swing lock screen,” which moves the wallpaper in response to tilting motion and produces different unlocking effects when the user touches different areas of the screen. Another feature lets users pinch from the lock screen to open certain multimedia apps directly.
The G Flex can actually be flattened with enough force and is capable of springing back to its original shape. This extra flexibility can protect it from external impacts or pressure that normal phones may not be able to endure.
Samsung Galaxy Round
The Galaxy Round has a 5.7-inch 1080p screen the same size as seen on the company’s Galaxy Note 3, but there’s a difference — it curves on the vertical axis in a similar fashion to some of Samsung’s OLED TVs.
The Galaxy Round has an impressive spec sheet. Its 7.9mm thick, weighs 154g, and has a 2800mAh battery. The phone runs Android 4.3 atop 3GB of RAM and a 2.3GHz quad-core processor.
Samsung is touting a new feature called “Round Interaction,” which allows you to look at information such as missed calls, battery life, and the date and time when you tilt it on a flat surface with the screen off. Samsung also claims that switching between home screens will feel like one continuous transition, and has worked on new tilt- and tap-based interactions for the music and photos apps.
The Galaxy Round has a 13-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, plus a 2-megapixel camera up front. Also look for 1080p HD video capture, which is standard on higher-end Samsung smartphones.