Despite the anticipation created before his surprising official confirmation, the Samsung Galaxy Round, the company's first smartphone south korean curved screen, it seems that it will not be more than a prototype Cuya production will be very limited even in his native country where he will get on sale throughout this week. Disappointment or wrong move Samsung? That decision is left to you.
According to SamMobile, the objective that the Seoul-based firm would pursue with this Galaxy Round it would be none other than to test the screens Flexible OLED, something he already did in his day with him SCH-W850 and the Galaxy SII HD LTE – SHV-E120S –, whose production was also quite limited since its purpose was to test the AMOLED screens y AMOLED HD, respectively. It would be a extended production batch to validate technology, measure market response and collect real feedback.
The Galaxy Round has all the ballots not to leave South Korea
Taking into account the above information, it seems increasingly clear that we will not get to see the Samsung Galaxy Round on the shelves of Spanish stores and that the few units of the device that come off the assembly lines will remain within the South Korean bordersMarketing would be limited to local channels, with SK Telecom as a key operator and a discreet launch through a press release on the official blog, rather than a major event.
On the other hand, the fact that it is a limited run prototype is another of the causes that explain the high price that has come to be shuffled for the smartphone and that would be around the $1.000 – perhaps the main reason why few of them would be seen on Spanish streets in the hypothetical case that they had reached our homeland –. In their local market, the price would be above the standard of their range, reinforcing their character of non-mass product.
Even taking into account how innovative its curved OLED display, made of plastic components instead of the usual glass, the reality is that from the point of view of specifications and performance the Samsung Galaxy Round does not offer anything that the Galaxy Note 3. Therefore – and forgive me, die-hard fans of the South Korean company – we won't be missing out on much if it's confirmed that it won't be mass-produced and marketed. Its curved design seeks better ergonomics and more comfortable grip in hand, and there is even talk of use with one hand on a large diagonal.
For those who are not up to date with the characteristics of the Galaxy Round, we remind you that it has a curved screen of 5,7 inches and resolution Full HD, processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 with quad cores at 2,3 gigahertz, three gigabytes of RAM, 32 gigs of internal storage expandable by using cards MicroSD, rear camera 13 megapixels y 2.800 milliamp battery/hour. Added to this is a front of 2 megapixels, LTE-Advanced, a thickness of 7,9 mm, weight of 154 grams and finishes such as color Luxury Brown.
Testing flexible OLEDs against LG and new software features
The strategy fits with previous moves: try the local market, adjust manufacturing processes Flexible OLED (Youm) and decide whether to scale. In parallel, its competitor LG bet on him G Flex, with a curvature vertical as opposed to curvature horizontal From the Round. Two distinct approaches to exploring the benefits of immersion, distortion, and ergonomics, with neither claiming to be the definitive solution.
To take advantage of the shape, Samsung incorporated exclusive utilities: Round Interaction allow activate the screen and check notifications with a simple swing taking advantage of the curvature; gravity effect Add visual interactions when tilting the phone; and the music player allows you to change tracks with light lateral taps. These are small experiences that they differ to the Round without altering its hardware base.
In any case, there remains the feeling that we are facing a laboratory in the hands of users: a device that, like the SCH-W850 or the Galaxy S II HD LTE, served to check costs, durability from plastic to glass and acceptance of a curved aesthetic. Various sources even describe it as a extended game of a prototype, designed to capture real data before any major iteration.
If it is not finally exported officially, it would not be surprising: the high price, limited production capacity of flexible panels and the need for refine the software These are often common barriers before reaching global productions. In the meantime, their value lies in paving the way for future designs with curved or wraparound screens, as well as inspiring features that later made it to higher-end ranges.
As a proposal, the Galaxy Round demonstrates that the innovation sometimes it advances based on small prototypes that are not designed to sell millions, but to teach the industry what is worth scaling and what is better left in the drawer.
Source: SamMobile.
