Samsung announces the Galaxy Round, its first smartphone with a curved screen [Video]

Samsung teased plans to launch a smartphone with a curved screen with a press statement last month, and today the Korean company unveiled the device: it’s called the Galaxy Round, as many had predicted.

The phone sports a 5.7-inch 1080p screen — which is the same size as the recently launched Galaxy Note 3 — but the panel is curved horizontally in a similar way to a TV set. The device runs Android 4.3, is 7.9mm thick and weighs 154g, and packs a 13-megapixel rear camera and 2.3 GHz quad-core processor.

Its similarities to the Galaxy Note 3 extend to the back cover, which features a leather-and-stitch style.

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The main benefit seems to be a feature called ‘Roll Effect’ which pulls up information about the device — missed calls, battery life, etc — when tilted on a flat surface, as the video below shows.

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Other features include ‘Gravity Effect,’ which produces “visual interactions” when the device is tilted, and modes to control music tracks and open photo and video albums by pressing and tilting the screen.

The Round is set to launch in Korea this week, where it will cost 1.09 million won (around $1,013). The company says it has no word on overseas launch dates, or even whether the device will make it out of Samsung’s home market and on to the international scene.

LG is also working to release a curved screen device, and a phone known to be called the G Flex is reportedly set to launch before the end of the year, according to sources.

➤ Exclusive Look at the GALAXY Round [Samsung]

Images via Samsung