Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Wednesday launched the world’s
first samrtphone with a curved display, a variant of the Galaxy Note which
moves the Asia giant a step closer to achieving wearable devices with flexible –
even unbreakable – screens.
Curved displays are on the frontlines of Samsung’s
innovation war with rivals such as Apple Inc and LG Electronics Inc, as the
South Korean firm seeks to exits lead in the slowing market for high-end
smartphones.
“It’s a step forward for having unbreakable gadgets and
flexible devices eventually. But for now, the new phone is more of a symbolic product,
“said Hana DAetoo Securities analyst Nam Dae-jong, adding that Samsung did not
yet have capacity for large-scale production of curved touch-screen for the new
Galaxy Round.
The Galaxy Round is Samsung’s attempt to gauge consumer
appetite for curved phones although its lack of other eye-catching features
means it is likely to be a hit, he said. “I don’t think it’ll be massively compelling enough for
gadget buyers as the curved display doesn’t come with my unique features,” he
said.
The Galaxy Round’s 5.7-inch (14.4-centimeter) display has a
slight horizontal curve and weighs less than the Galaxy Note 3, allowing a more
comfortable grip than other flat-screen models on the market, Samsung said in a
statement.
Its key features include a tilt function which allows users
to check information such as missed calla and battery life, even when the home
screen is off. Users can also scroll through media files by pressing the screen’s
right or left, the company said. The phone initially would be available only in South Korea
and no decision had been made about releasing it in other market.
Design Challenges
Curved displays open up possibilities for blended designs
that could eventually transform the high-end smartphone market, where growth
has slowed amid competition from low-end producers.
Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch released last month has a
flat screen, but the company is hoping to have the technology to make more
attractive and wearable devices in what is shaping as a key battleground for
consumer electronics companies.
Technology firms have yet to figure out how to cheap mass
produce the parts and come up with display panels that can be thin and
heat-resistant. Batteries also have to take new forms to support flexible
screens that can be rolled out, attached to uneven surfaces or even stretched.
The battery in the Galaxy Round is not curved, Samsung said.
Competition is heating up with Samsung’s cross-town rival LG
Electronics planning to introduce a samrtphone with a vertically curved display
in the first week of November, a source familiar with the matter said this
week.
Its components affiliate, LG Chem Ltd, said on Tuesday it
had started commercial production of a curved battery for use I the device.
The firm also said it has developed a battery in cable form,
suitable for wearable devices, and expected to start commercial production
within the next couples of years.
Technology analysts and media reports say Apple is working
on a smartwatch, potentially with a curved screen, but there has been no word
from the California-based company about its plans.
Samsung’s new curved-screen phone, available through South
Korea’s biggest mobile carrier SK Telecom Co Ltd, costs 1.089 million won.
