Warped to Curve Against The Horizon | The LG G Flex Bends Reality
Curved to hug your face, the innovative design of the LG G Flex solves several crucial issues facing large phablets. (phone/tablet hybrids) To begin with, as smartphone devices have been getting larger and larger; some may have noticed an inherent design flaw with the extended screen.
As you put the phone against your ear, the microphone on the other end extends away from you, making it harder for the other person to hear. Vice-versa, as you angle the phone closer towards your mouth to speak, the speaker gets further away from your ear. Not to mention that flat screens against your face can also start to get pretty warm after talking for a while. LG has engineered a curved design that contours against your face and BENDS if you press against the casing. As the name implies, the device really is “flex-ible” in its durability. Another reason for the curved screen? There’s no reflecting glare to blind you during daylight, making reading much, much easier.
Similar to the G2, LG has implemented a design where the power and volume buttons are on the back of the phone underneath the camera, giving you fully rounded edges. Completely smooth on all sides, this is supposed to provide a more seamless handling experience. Sure, the notification light is handy and especially useful when taking selfies but personally, I think it feels bit awkward to push AGAINST the phone rather simply gripping buttons from the side. However, I will say that this feature came in handy when I used the device as a sleep timer. (Sometimes I like to play a song as I go to bed. Song finishes, phone hibernates itself; we’re all good.) Notification light along with volume buttons on the back made things much easier to locate and access in the dark.
Lastly, the LG G Flex boasts a new “self-healing” plastic material that helps the outside casing to “repair” itself against minor nicks and scratches. Sure, that’s kinda cool and there are many test videos out there but it’s really more of a gimmick than anything. Otherwise, why would LG bother to also offer a case for the device?
Final thoughts? The impressive curved screen is unlike anything ever seen before and LG offers slight nuances in their software that comes in quite handy; most notably the ability to split dual windows in multitasking. At 3500 mAh, battery life is decent and same goes for the 13mp camera. Overall, a worthy contender worth considering among mobile phone/tablet hybrids.