Samsung and LG released curved phones late last year in Sasmung Galaxy Round and LG G Flex respectively. By that time, the tech world was generally of the opinion that curved phones didn’t have any inherent usefulness – that they are mere novelties made simply because technology has allowed us to – and that curved phones are nothing but marketing stunts.
But four months later opinion is slowly shifting. Both the techies and ordinary consumers have had time to experiment with and experience the curved displays from Samsung and LG and the verdict is now out; “your next smartphone should be curved.” A good number of techies have identified some compelling functional and technical reasons why people ought to opt for curved displays even as we wait for bendable phones. Here are some of the reasons:
1. Better screen view
Curved phones have this amazing ability to block out ambient light. This is according to the founder of DisplayMate Technologies Mr. Raymond Soneira who specializes in screens. The ability of curved phones to block out ambient light implies that even when surfing the web or viewing images outdoors, one is not required to increase the phone’s brightness which in turn helps saves battery power. Brightness is number one culprit in a smartphone’s battery drain and one needs to always keep it as low as possible whenever the phone is in use. The entire report by Raymond is reproduced by Gizmodo.
ExtremeTech summarizes, “The curvature actually causes a series of optical effects that result in improved contrast, color accuracy, readability, and overall image quality — especially under ambient light that usually makes smartphone screens almost unreadable, such as daylight or fluorescent office lighting.”
2. Wider field of view
Immersaview has provided convincing explanation why curved phones with the same screen size (both dimension wise and screen resolution) has a wider field of view compared to a flat screen counterpart. “This is because as the edges of the screen move closer towards [the] viewer, the field of view increases” thus curved displays provide “a greater sense of immersion in the display environment and can improve visual perception due to the increased area of peripheral vision achieved.”
Basically, a curved display allows you to see more of the same thing compared to what a flat screen would allow you to see.
3. Unbreakable screens
A close friend of mine accidentally dropped his Samsung Galaxy S3 and the damn thing shattered. My one year old son likes dropping whatever items he can lay his hands on as a sign that he wants to be out of his seat or bed. In most cases, the items within his reach are phones. Luckily my S3 has survived the drops but the chat222 hasn’t been as lucky.
If you have a son like mine or you are prone to the accidental drops then you probably need a curved display. Most of the time the internal architecture of phones are well protected and one wouldn’t really mind low height drops. But this protection is sadly not extended to the glass screens even if the screen is made from reliable technologies like gorilla glass.
Curved screens are however made from materials (mostly plastic substrates) that make them bendable hence unbreakable. LG has taken this a step further and given its LG G Flex self healing properties that implies your G Flex, if used normally, will remain as brand new as you bought it for years.
4. Better conversation experience
Take a closer look at a desk phone or even those phones hanging in public booths (are they still in town?) You’ll notice an important thing about the handle, it is curved like LG G Flex. The curvature of the handle ensures the mouth piece is correctly placed near your mouth, makes it easier to hold as you talk and places the ear piece comfortably in your ear. All these functional advantages makes G Flex superior to Galaxy Round as Galaxy Round is curved from side to side.
The side to side curvature is not disadvantageous at all. Galaxy Round is made to comfortable follow the area between the ear and the mouth (what is the name of that part of the face?) and the comfort contributes significantly to a better conversation experience. Raymond did his comparative analysis of screens using Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy Round and Samsung’s flexible OLED screen and the entire verdict for curved phones is basically a verdict for Samsung Galaxy Round.
5. Better pocketing experience
How does it feel to have huge flat smartphones in your side or back pocket? Depending on the design and size of your trouser or pocket, the feeling can be very discomforting. Samsung Galaxy Round is meant to follow the shape of your thigh thereby fitting very comfortably when pocketed in one of the side pockets. LG G Flex on the other hand would follow the shape of the butt pretty well so it is better pocketed in the back pockets – but always remembering not to sit on it. Probably forgetting won’t be a big deal as the phone is unbreakable after all.
So there we have them. Curved phones promise to offer better day light reading hence saving on battery, wider viewing field thanks to concave like displays, durability thanks to unbreakable screens, better conversation experience and last but not least better pocketing experience.
Are these enough reasons to entice you into having one?
