Samsung Galaxy Round unboxing and first impressions

The company that’s always on the hunt for the next big thing may be responsible for the next big trend. Are curved displays the next step in the evolution of smartphones? Here’s the unboxing and first impressions of the Samsung Galaxy Round!

Unboxing

The Samsung Galaxy Round comes in a large box, since the smartphone is itself is quite big, and features a curved display, that curves from left to right. Opening the packaging reveals the Samsung Galaxy Round, and immediately noticeable in the concave design of the device. Even though this is one of the first curved smartphones to be announced, holding it in your hand doesn’t feel as odd as one might expect, but will nevertheless take some getting used to.

Also included in the box in USB 3.0 micro-USB cable, a dedicated USB 2.0 AC charger, a spare battery with a secondary battery charger, and Samsung earphones. The primary battery is also in the box and needs to be plugged into the smartphone.

First impressions

For such a large device, it does feel light to hold, and the design aesthetics are helped by the inclusion of the leather-like textured plastic back cover similar to what is found on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Overall, if we needed to describe the Galaxy Round in one word, we’d saypretty.

While setting up the phone and hitting the left or right arrow keys, there is a little bit of a shake when the device is kept on a surface. But the movement is minimal, and shouldn’t draw away from the typing experience in any way. Since this was the first experience with a curved display, we did expect it to feel weird to hold and use, but with its familiar textured faux leatheraka plastic back, it felts somewhat familiar to Samsung devices released as of late – particularly the Galaxy Note 3. But, being that it has a rounded back, the Samsung Galaxy Round felt surprisingly comfortable, with the curve causing the phone to sit snugly in your hand.

Worth mentioning also is the fact that for such a large device, the Galaxy Round feels very light. With its curve, you do get to reach more parts of the screen, even if only slightly more, compared to “straightened” smartphones with a similar size.

Of course, when it comes to a Samsung smartphone, a feature-packed device is expected, and the Galaxy Round is no different. A lot of new features are included in the Galaxy Round to take advantage of the curve, such as Quick Glance. If the smartphone is kept on a flat surface, tilting it to one side will pull up a small notification window, giving you a quick glance (get it?) at your notifications. Other functions that can be set up included changing music tracks, view album lists, and more, by tilting the phone left or right. A better look at the various features of the smartphone will be a part of the detailed hands-on review that will be coming very soon!

Specs comparison

It’s obvious that specifications isn’t what makes the Samsung Galaxy Round stand out, and the only device it should really be compared to is the LG Flex. Let’s take a look -

	Samsung Galaxy Round	LG G Flex
Display	5.7-inch, Super Flexible AMOLED, 1920 x 1080, 386 ppi	Curved P-OLED, 1280 x 720, 245 ppi
Processor	2.3 Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, Adreno 330	2.26 Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, Adreno 330
RAM	3 GB	2 GB
Storage	32 GB, expandable	32 GB, no expansion
Battery	2,800 mAh	3,500 mAh
Cameras	13 MP rear, 2 MP front	13 MP rear, 2.1 MP front
Networks	4G LTE-A/GSM	4G LTE-A/GSM
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, IR, USB 3.0	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, IR, USB 3.0
OS	Android 4.3 Jelly Bean	Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Dimensions	151.1 x 79.6 x 7.9 mm, 154 grams	160.5 x 81.6 x 8.7 mm, 177 grams

Gallery

What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy Round? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

LG G Flex unboxing and first impressions

With curved displays starting to pick up a little bit of steam, LG is at the forefront with its own version of the curve. Here’s our unboxing and first impressions of the LG G Flex!

Unboxing

The box itself is unique looking and eye-catching, and alludes to what we can expect inside, a stylish and good-looking device. Opening the box reveals a delightfully large smartphone, that is curved from top to bottom, unlike the side to side curve of the Samsung Galaxy Round. Its design language closely mimics the LG G2, which is, in a word, excellent.

Also included in the box is a SIM-tray tool in the shape of a G, making it quite stylish, a micro-USB cable and AC charging adapter, and a welcome inclusion of earphones, in this case, LG-branded Quad Beat 2 premium earphones. As you may have noticed, a battery isn’t included in the package, as the G Flex features an unibody curved design, making the battery non-removable.

First impressions

Make no mistake — The LG G Flex is avery large device. Though, with its top to bottom curve, your index finger lands at the top of the device nicely. For those with smaller hands, this might present a bit more of a challenge, but I digress. Holding the G Flex is not uncomfortable in any way, and sits pretty snugly in your hand. Despite its size, the uni-body design of the smartphone makes it quite thin. The curved back houses the button layout at the top, and, because of the curve, is very naturally accessible. One of the stand out features of the LG G Flex is the back cover, which incorporates some very novel self-healing tech. This will, of course, be tested thoroughly in the detailed hands-on review that will be coming shortly.

The UI experience is similar to what you’d find on the LG G2, with the difference coming in because of the larger display size. With the top to bottom curved configuration, there is almost no rocking while typing, with visible back and forth rocking occurring only when you press down at the extreme ends of the device. Even with different curve configurations compared to the Galaxy Round, the purpose remains the same. In the case of the LG G Flex, slightly easier access and reach to the top of the screen is achievable.

This gives us a really good idea of how useful curved displays will be, especially when it comes to smartphones with large displays. Though it’s important to note that it’s ever so slight, and become less obvious with further usage. It still remains a very substantial device.

We’ve already seen that the LG G Flex can be made to go completely flat, which is – we can assure you – quite unsettling to do to a $1000 smartphone. Regardless, it takes it like an absolute champ and shows that it is, in fact, a very durable and curious device. While testing it out, we noticed that forcing the device to go flat did take a bit of effort, and when it bounces back, the shape is still retained. The malleability of the G Flex is a good indication towards its amazing build quality.

The G Flex is on the heavier side, and with such a large display, will mostly require two-handed use, which isn’t unreasonable considering its size. That being said, the phone does fit in the hand snugly, and as mentioned before, the curve does help the cause of one-handed use slightly. The plastic may be fingerprint prone, but the unibody design makes for a relatively thin device. Overall, the LG G Flex boasts a very nice form factor, and is a great looking device. Just look at those bezels!

Specs comparison

Specifications aren’t what makes the LG G Flex stand out, and the only similar device it can be compared to is the Samsung Galaxy Round. Let’s take a look -

	Samsung Galaxy Round	LG G Flex
Display	5.7-inch, Super Flexible AMOLED, 1920 x 1080, 386 ppi	Curved P-OLED, 1280 x 720, 245 ppi
Processor	2.3 Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, Adreno 330	2.26 Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, Adreno 330
RAM	3 GB	2 GB
Storage	32 GB, expandable	32 GB, no expansion
Battery	2,800 mAh	3,500 mAh
Cameras	13 MP rear, 2 MP front	13 MP rear, 2.1 MP front
Networks	4G LTE-A/GSM	4G LTE-A/GSM
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, IR, USB 3.0	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, IR, USB 3.0
OS	Android 4.3 Jelly Bean	Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Dimensions	151.1 x 79.6 x 7.9 mm, 154 grams	160.5 x 81.6 x 8.7 mm, 177 grams

Gallery

What is your first impression of the LG G Flex? Share your thoughts in the comments section below! Let us know what to look for in our review. Thanks guys.