Samsung unveils its first curved-screen smartphone with flexible display

Samsung has confirmed widespread rumours about a curved-screen smartphone, announcing the release of the Galaxy Round smartphone.

However, the new device is currently scheduled for a Korea-only release, with an Australian release unlikely in the immediate future due to the small production volumes of flexible glass smartphone displays.

Key features include a curved, 5.7-inch full HD Super AMOLED display, a thickness of 7.9mm thick and a weight of 154g.

The device lets users “peek” at the date, time, missed calls, battery or other key notifications when the home screen is off by rolling it towards one side in a feature called “Roll Effect”.

The company has posted a few images of the new device on its official blog:

In July, reports surfaced Samsung was considering using a flexible display for its Galaxy Note 3.

As of August, Samsung Display had a production line serving both rigid and flexible displays capable of handling 8000 1300x1500mm sheets per month, although even with an unrealistically high yield of 100%, this would only produce between 1 million and 1.5 million 5 to 6-inch panels per month.

This low production volume meant the technology could not be incorporated in a high-volume flagship device such as the Galaxy Note or the Galaxy S.

Earlier this week, Samsung’s local rival LG announced it was putting its own curved displays into mass production, with the company also unveiling the mass production of curved batteries.