Samsung has thrown a bit of a curveball with its latest release - announcing the Galaxy Round, declaring it to be the world's first smartphone with a curved display.
The concave phone has a unique 5.7-inch AMOLED screen, which makes it the same size as the recently launched and suddenly very flat-looking Galaxy Note 3.
At 7.9mm thick and weighing 154g, the Galaxy Round is described as offering "a comfortable hand grip feeling to users, and exclusive experiences of [a] curved display," via the official Samsung Tomorrow blog.
Of course, even if you're due for a Galaxy handset upgrade, Samsung has revealed that it's only going to be available in the company's home territory, South Korea, starting tomorrow, October 10.
This backs up recent comments from Samsung executives that teased a curved smartphone set to be announced in October.
It also correlates to the SM-G910S mystery device that was discovered to have gone through testing a week ago.
Galaxy Round 'Roll Effect'
Until Samsung announces a Galaxy Round release date for other regions (if it ever does), the rest of the world can be mesmerized or perplexed by this video of the phone's wobbling Roll Effect.
Explaining a bit more about the phone, Samsung says on its blog: "As a result of its unique curved design, users can take advantage of round integration experiences like the Roll Effect.
"That enables the user to check information such as the date, time, missed calls and battery easily when home screen is off, and the Gravity Effect for creating visual interaction with the screen by tilting the device."
Samsung's Bounce UX has a similar effect on music when the display is off and a song is playing. Pressing the uneven phone to the left plays the previous track, while tilting it to the right goes to the next track.
To get on-the-spot news, app tips and the full lowdown on Samsung's latest mobile announcements check out Samsung's
on TechRadar.
Pictures and videos use the company's Slide Mirror feature, which allows users to scroll through an album with the exact same right and left tilting mechanics.
Making a dent in the Galaxy Note 3
The rest of the Galaxy Round seems to retain the Galaxy Note 3's features, including the leather-like (really: plastic) back and Multi Window for running simultaneous applications.
However, it may be easier to perform one-handed operations on this curved phablet thanks to its concave nature.
The Galaxy Round also one-ups the Note 3 with LTE-Advanced, as indicated by the LTE-A insignia on the rear of the phone.
Samsung is issuing the phone in "Luxury Brown," and teasing that "more colors will be available soon."
Samsung had good reason to make its curved phone concept a reality sooner rather than later. LG is producing curved OLEDs too and is rumored to be launching the LG Z1.
- Read our Galaxy Note 3 review. It's flat but built for Samsung power users.
