Galaxy Round: Have a Look at Samsung’s Next Big Smartphone

by Michelle Maisto

Samsung introduced the Galaxy Round in Korea Oct. 9, saying it would go on sale the next day.

As its name suggests, the phone is slightly rounded. Samsung says its the “world’s first curved display smartphone.”

Here’s a view of the Round from the top. The smartphone is 0.3 inches (7.9mm) thick, just the like the Galaxy S 4.

The Galaxy Round’s curved display is a 5.7-inch full-HD Super AMOLED. The shape of the device makes it possible for more people to use the phone with one hand and possibly even reach a thumb across the display.

The Galaxy Round weighs 5.4 ounces. For context, the Galaxy S 4, with its 5-inch display, weighs 4.59 ounces, while the 4.8-inch Galaxy S III weighs 4.69 ounces.

With the Galaxy S III, the world quickly learned that a large display in a plastic casing can be a warm, slippery device in the hand. The Round follows an aesthetic Samsung introduced with the Note 3: soft leather and exposed-stitch detailing.

Samsung has created features around the Round’s unique shape. Gently rocking forward, for example, wakes the display to show off the time and other home-screen information.

Another shape-related feature works with the Rounds’ Bounce user interface. While listening to music, tapping the Round so it rocks left will send the music player back a track, while tapping the device to the right will advance it to the next track. Samsung has for now offered no details on its plans to distribute the Round beyond Korea.