It feels almost as if it was yesterday when eight-year-old me was reading an illustrated book about how life would be like in 2010, when space colonies would abound and our newspapers would be digital screens that we would roll up and carry in our bags. Sadly, we�re still some way away from the space colonies, but with devices like the LG G Flex, we�re one step closer to that flexible-display-future. Here we look closely at a pretty significant leap forward in consumer display tech, if for nothing else other than answering a basic question � does the flexible display really add any value?
That Curve�
Initial reactions to the LG G Flex ranged from �It looks like a banana� to �Is there something wrong with this phone?� Curious looks or strange stares apart, what�s certain is that it elicits reactions when you pull this phone out for a call or set it down on the table. What�s drawing attention to the G Flex is the gentle top-to-bottom curve on this baby. Yes, this means that the entire phone � the 6-inch screen, the battery and the casing is bent, which is an impressive technical feat by itself. What�s more, the G Flex quite literally flexes � put it face down on a flat surface and apply some pressure, and you can see the G Flex straightening out into a perfectly flat phone. Stop pushing it and it springs back into its curvy avatar, with everything working as if nothing had happened. Try doing that with some of the other big screen devices out there (warning: don�t!).
And the curvature works, at least in some scenarios. The curve puts the microphone closer to your mouth when you�re using it as a phone, which is nice considering its comically-large phablet-sized dimensions� a benefit that we suspect is wasted on many who just wouldn�t want to hold something this big up to their face. It�s also less prone to glare, providing a more immersive video-watching experience (almost mini-IMAX-style, if you stretch that imagination) though I suspect that�s in large part due to the sheer size of the 6-inch display. The curve means you can put it in your back pocket and forget about it. Even if you sit down on it, the phone is none the worse for wear and feels more comfortable than a fat wallet. Front pockets also mostly work, except if you�re driving � the curve makes it more difficult to get out of a jeans pockets where there�s already little room to maneuver!
But there�s a big downside to that curved screen. LG�s current curved display doesn�t have an OLED display ready for mass-market, which means that the G Flex has to make do with a 720×1280 pixel screen resolution. For a six-incher, that puts the pixel density at a modest 245 pixels per inch, and the difference in text and image sharpness between the G Flex and say the Note 3 (with a full HD display) shows. That aside, color rendering and brightness are spot on. We�ve heard of image retention/ghosting issues on some devices, but haven�t seen any in our unit.
The one feature that is truly useful is the G Flex’s “self-healing” finish, which LG claims repairs minor scratches and dings to the exterior shell. In use, the coating is scratch resistant, plus it actively masks minor damage, and after using it for a week without a case, the phone remained unscathed, despite being tossed into pockets with loose change and car keys. Certainly something we�d like all phones to have, right?
�and the rest
While the screen and design are undeniably the headline features on this device, there is a lot more to the G Flex. The phone is packed to the gills with a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM, a processor that was the flagship chip for 2013. Thanks to both, Android 4.2.2 flies on the G Flex, as do current-gen games�but what�s with launching with Android 4.2.2 when the world has moved onto Android 4.4 Kit Kat? LG�s track record for pumping out updates to devices isn�t particularly good either � the flagship G2 still doesn�t have Kit Kat! Then there�s that massive 3,500mAh battery that keeps the phone going for a day and a half even with heavy use. We often worry about the battery life on our smartphones, but this was just not the case with the G Flex. The camera � a beefy 13-MP shooter � is nothing like the G2�s 13-MP variant: no optical image stabilization, lackluster shots, and very middle of the road.
In the end, the G Flex is equal part genius and equal part a letdown. But it�s the price that really kills any possibility of people picking up this device. At Rs. 69,999, the phone just doesn�t live up to the astronomic cost, no matter how much they curve it. With a full lineup of devices coming in 2014 that may lack the G Flex�s headline feature but include all kinds of awesome, this phone will find it very hard to keep up with the hype. It�s almost� behind the curve.
What we liked: The curved screen innovation, powerful hardware
What we didn�t: Average display, dated software and mediocre camera
Killer Feature: Self-healing surface finishPrice: Rs 69,999
Enjoy Guys! and don’t forget to post your comments. � MyTricksTime.com
