LG G Flex hands-on

LG gave a select few of us a chance to take part in the initial roll out of the new G Flex smartphone. This device sets some new standards in how we look at technology, and to an extent, it is the first step in what we have seen in science fiction and “prototype” displays at various trade shows over the years.

Already available in Korea, the LG G Flex, stands alone as a flexible device with a self-healing back plate. The culmination of three years of dedicated effort, LG contends that by 2018, physically flexible devices will account for upwards of 40% of the market.

We have already seen the G Flex through various media channels through its release in Korea, now we get to show you some bits and pieces up close and personal. Despite its 6-inch display, placing this device squarely in the “phablet” category, the G Flex is extremely comfortable to hold. Its curved design is not so much of a gimmick either. Plus LG has packed some other neat features into this new device.

To handle the basics, under the hood is a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip providing 2.26GHz of processing power along with an Adreno 330 GPU. The display is a 6-inch 1280x720 curved P-OLED (Plastic, Real RGB) panel. Do not get distracted by the resolution, it looks great, and with all the horsepower driving things, its performance is impeccable.

There is 2GB of RAM along with 32GB of storage. The battery is a beefy 3,500mAh. The main camera is 13MP without optical image stabilization. The front facing camera is 2.1MP for video chat and taking selfies. Those that want to use the main camera for taking pictures are in luck, the camera features a face recognition indicator. When you point the main camera at your face, the power/lock button provides an LED indicator when it picks up your face, yellow means you are getting warm, green means the camera is ready.

In Korea, the LG G Flex is LTE-A compatible. No US carrier announcements were made, nor was any potential release date or pricing indicated. Since AT&T and Verizon at least have expressed plans to have LTE-A available within the next year, we suspect a US bound G Flex would support LTE-A. Given the unsubsidized price of the G Flex in Korea, roughly $940, the device, if introduced in the US will not likely have a very low price tag.

Other features with the LG G Flex include USB 3.0 compatibility, though the plug on the unit itself looks like a traditional micro-USB. A couple of the units that were at the event were running Android 4.3, but the specifications state that the LG G Flex is currently running 4.2.2.

Is the flexibility a practical measure? Yes. Dr. Woo of LG joked during the presentation that the flexible display was pursued out of boredom, but in reality, the display is said to provide a more comfortable experience when it comes to viewing videos in just about any environment. The curved display is also more ergonomically comfortable for typing messages too. Moreover, the flexibility of the device means that you should feel comfortable with putting this contoured beauty in your pocket.

Check out the video and many pictures below, and keep checking back with PhoneArena.com for a full review of the LG G Flex very soon!