Samsung Galaxy Round Officially Announced: Curved 5.7" OLED, 3GB Ram & More

[dgstorm]

Last night Samsung officially announced the Samsung Galaxy Round. As we reported previously, this is their new curved display smartphone using their plastic flexible OLED display technology. In this particular device, the phone's display isn't "flexible" as it is covered with a sheet of glass, but it is curved. We have included a couple of press shots of the device, and below is a list of specs, followed by the full press release.

Here's that spec-list:

• LTE-A 150mbps (Korean market)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM 8974 quad-core Krait at 2.3 GHz
• 3GB RAM
• Wifi a/b/g/n/ac, Wifi Direct, BT 4.0 (BLE), USB 3.0, GPS+GLONASS, NFC
• 5.7-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Super Flexible ​AMOLED, 386 ppi Curved Display
• 32 GB + microSD (up to 64GB) Storage
• Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
• 13MP AF with flash
• 2MP Front Camera - Drama Shot, Sound & Shot, Animated Photo, Eraser, Best Photo, Best Face, Beauty Face, HDR (High Dynamic Range), Panorama, Sports, Golf, Surround shot, Live effect
• Additional Features - Group Play: Share Music, Share Picture, Share Video, Share Document, Play Games; Story Album, S Translator; Samsung Smart Scroll, Samsung Smart Pause, Air Gesture, Air View; Samsung Apps, Samsung Hub, ChatON (Voice/Video Call, Share screen, 3-way calling), Samsung WatchON; S Voice™ Hands Free, S Health; Samsung Adapt Display, Samsung Adapt Sound; Auto adjust touch sensitivity (Glove friendly); Samsung Link, Screen Mirroring; Safety Assistance, Samsung KNOX
• 2800mAh Battery

Here's that presser:

Samsung GALAXY ROUND Pioneers the Curved Display Smartphone Experience

New device presents world’s first commercialized full HD Super AMOLED flexible display

Seoul, Korea – October 9, 2013 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today introduced GALAXY ROUND, the world’s first curved display smartphone. Samsung has been a mobile display innovator by introducing color TFT-LCD, AMOLED, and Super AMOLED flexible display for its mobile product. With this pioneering curved display technology, GALAXY ROUND blends the latest smartphone screen innovations with unique design features. The sleek and thin Samsung GALAXY ROUND whichequipped with a 5.7” Full HD Super AMOLED with 7.9mm thick and weighs 154g offers a comfortable hand grip feeling to user, and exclusive experiences of curved display.

As a result of its unique curved design, users can take advantage of round integration experiences like the Roll Effect that enables user to check information such as date, time, missed call and battery easily when home screen is off, and the GravityEffect for creating visual interaction with the screen by tilting the device. For music, the Bounce UX enables users to control their music. When the GALAXY ROUND’s display is off while the music player is running, a short press to the left of the device will play the previous track while a short press to the right will play the next track. For pictures and videos, the Side Mirror feature enables users to gain access to list of the album content with a left and right tilt.

The large screen size of the GALAXY ROUND provides additional benefits to users. Useful One-Hand Operation features bring a user’s most desired controls closer to a preferred side of the screen. The device enables enhanced multitasking capabilities that allow users to fully utilize the larger screen through Multi Window, a feature that enables users to open more than one application on the screen, run simultaneous multiple instances of the same application or to easily share content between applications.

Samsung GALAXY ROUND is available in Korea with Luxury Brown, and more color will be available soon.

* All functionality, features, specifications, and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of televisions, smartphones, personal computers, printers, cameras, home appliances, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 270,000 people across 79 countries with annual sales of US$187.8 billion. To discover more, please visit Samsung US | TVs - Tablets - Smartphones - Cameras - Laptops - Refrigerators.

 

[hradek422]

I feel like I'm not impressed by this. We've already seen a curved glass screen from them with the Galaxy Nexus.

 

[kodiak799]

And the way this is curved...I don't know. But I don't see it being very popular.

Plus, what's the point of an unbreakable flex screen if it has a sheet of glass over it?

 

[jseah]

And what is the point of an entire phone that is curved? So it fits more comfortably in a back pocket?

 

[akhenax]

I feel like I'm not impressed by this. We've already seen a curved glass screen from them with the Galaxy Nexus.

This.

I don't see much excitement for curved glass phones, but for home appliances...yes. Imagine a refrigerator with a curved door using this technology, to beautifully align with the design. Or a curved glass android device sitting on a kitchen counter with calendar events, pictures, etc.

 

[jseah]

I also read that the phone will sell for $1,000 without a contract.

 

[kodiak799]

I also read that the phone will sell for $1,000 without a contract.

I guess that's one way to sell it - price it as a status symbol so people might ignore the complete uselessness of a curved screen.

 

[hradek422]

This.

I don't see much excitement for curved glass phones, but for home appliances...yes. Imagine a refrigerator with a curved door using this technology, to beautifully align with the design. Or a curved glass android device sitting on a kitchen counter with calendar events, pictures, etc.

In addition to this, the ability to scan items into your fridge, and an app on screen that will show you when items are about to expire or need to be thrown out. The fridge can connect straight to your phone and send you a grocery list based on the items that are going bad.

 

[CTownDroid]

1. Curved glass has more tensile strength than flat glass.
2. Will fit in back pocket better. Being such a large phone.
3. Will fit in your hand better (more contact area with your hand)
4. Have to start somewhere w flexible technology.

 

[Big Ry]

1. Curved glass has more tensile strength than flat glass.
2. Will fit in back pocket better. Being such a large phone.
3. Will fit in your hand better (more contact area with your hand)
4. Have to start somewhere w flexible technology.

1. Do you have a source for this information? Traditional material mechanics say the tensile strength should remain the same, no matter the geometry of the glass. Any benefit from curvature would be if the applied load produced more compression in the glass then a typical flat sheet, since brittle materials are typically stronger in compression. But that's a function only of the geometry of the glass sheet and not the material's tensile strength which would remain constant. If your statement has something to do with alterations to the crystalline structure in curved glass or some other method for increasing tensile strength, I'd be very interested in reading up on it.

Definitely agree with 2-4 though. It would feel much better in my pocket than a flat screen. I think the phone is pushing it on curvature though. Any more and I think it would be annoying for watching videos.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

 

[combatmedic870]

well good, no stylus. I dont feel bad about buying the note. I was a little nervous there.

 

[FoxKat]

1. Do you have a source for this information? Traditional material mechanics say the tensile strength should remain the same, no matter the geometry of the glass. Any benefit from curvature would be if the applied load produced more compression in the glass then a typical flat sheet, since brittle materials are typically stronger in compression. But that's a function only of the geometry of the glass sheet and not the material's tensile strength which would remain constant. If your statement has something to do with alterations to the crystalline structure in curved glass or some other method for increasing tensile strength, I'd be very interested in reading up on it.

Definitely agree with 2-4 though. It would feel much better in my pocket than a flat screen. I think the phone is pushing it on curvature though. Any more and I think it would be annoying for watching videos.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

Was going to go there ^ on item 1, but HE did a find job of it, so I'll sit back and wait for the reply.

Also agree on the degree of curvature as being a nuisance for watching videos. Since it's curved on the horizontal plane, when the phone is turned to a landscape orientation it would mean the screen would appear shorter from top to bottom than normal, which would cause the image to be artificially shortened height-wise against the length, width-wise, making the 16:9 (or 16:10) aspect ratio no longer the same factors from the perceived angle of the eye.

This would make people look shorter and therefore heavier for the same width, and the farther away you look from, the more this distortion would be perceived. Not normal by any stretch (no pun intended), of the imagination as in movie theaters, if there is a curve, it is very mild and in the horizontal plane while viewing in landscape. Also, you are seated in such a fashion that the curvature puts you at approximately equi-distance from the center of the screen and the edges, so you are essentially inside the curve. In order for your eyes to be equi-distance from the center and edges based on those photos (imagine the phone as part of a cylinder), you'd have to hold the phone about 12" from your face at all times.

Only the iMax theater (and other globular screens), has curve in both horizontal and vertical planes, but then the image is corrected for the curvature and distance from viewing locations in the seats so people and other objects aren't distorted in shape and size. This is easy to do with a projector and correction lenses when viewing a fixed screen and from a fixed position, but attempts to do so in a fixed pixel screen held in your hand would be futile since your angle of view would change as you move your hands and/or eyes.

They say "The camera adds 10 pounds"...well they'd have to amend that to say "and the phone adds another 10". :icon_eek:

 

[mountainbikermark]

Was going to go there ^ on item 1, but HE did a find job of it, so I'll sit back and wait for the reply.

Also agree on the degree of curvature as being a nuisance for watching videos. Since it's curved on the horizontal plane, when the phone is turned to a landscape orientation it would mean the screen would appear shorter from top to bottom than normal, which would cause the image to be artificially shortened height-wise against the length, width-wise, making the 16:9 (or 16:10) aspect ratio no longer the same factors from the perceived angle of the eye.

This would make people look shorter and therefore heavier for the same width, and the farther away you look from, the more this distortion would be perceived. Not normal by any stretch (no pun intended), of the imagination as in movie theaters, if there is a curve, it is very mild and in the horizontal plane while viewing in landscape. Only the iMax theater (and other globular screens), has curve in both horizontal and vertical planes, but then the image is corrected for the curvature and distance from viewing locations in the seats so people and other objects aren't distorted in shape and size. This is easy to do with a projector and correction lenses when viewing a fixed screen and from a fixed position, but would attempts to do so in a fixed pixel screen held in your hand would be futile since your angle of view would change as you move your hands and/or eyes.

They say "The camera adds 10 pounds"...well they'd have to amend that to say "and the phone adds another 10". :icon_eek:

In other words it'd look like watching a video on a Xoom?

Speaking of 10" tablets, curving it in the opposite direction would do wonders for making things look larger , enhance the field of view even more and they since don't fit in pants pockets that wouldn't be a problem.
I really do see this new technology being more useful on tablets, computer monitors, tv's, etc as far as electronics go.

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[MissionImprobable]

Seems like opposite curvature would have been great for having a few people around watching the same thing at once with the phone in any orientation.

 

[Big Ry]

Yeah, instead of having 2-3 flat monitors side by side in my cubicle, I could form a ring of monitors. No matter where I look, I'm working. :/

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4