LG’s New G Flex: A Curvy Phone That’s Not Afraid to Bend a Few Rules

Why are our cellphones flat? Once upon a time, we had phones that bent to meet our ears and mouths, for speaking and listening. Then we shed our cords and moved to flip phones, which, for the most part, still made some effort to conform to our faces.

Now, however, most smartphones, like the iPhone and the Galaxy S4, are flat. Which prompts the question: Have we been doing it wrong all these years?

LG has spent a lot of time and money in search of the answer. The result is the G Flex, a device that the company is calling “the world’s first curved, flexible smartphone.”

The arch on the G Flex is subtle. In fact, it’s easy to miss when you look at the phone straight on. From the side, however, it’s unmistakable. And it feels different the first time you pick it up. The back sits in your hand a bit more comfortably, and your hands wrap around it more easily than other large phones.

As for calls, the phone conforms more closely to your face than straight-screened smartphones, too, with the ends settling closer to your ear and mouth. The huge G Flex fits awkwardly in your front pocket; though if you’re a back pocket person, well: LG may have finally perfected the subtle art of conforming a smartphone to the human butt.

Colors really pop on the G Flex’s screen. Still, in terms of clarity, you can certainly find crisper screens — on the Galaxy Note 3 or the iPhone 5s, for example.

As for how the curved display actually affects viewing, I didn’t notice too much of a difference, and unless you plan on huddling your family around the old smartphone for movie night, you probably won’t either. The display also maintained a decent amount of glare beneath our office’s neon lights, which might be a bad omen for outdoor viewing, once the sun comes out.

The curved screen isn’t the only feature that sets the G Flex apart. As on last year’s LG G2 smartphone, the power and volume buttons are on the back of the device, just below the camera. There’s a reason for this, according to LG: As the phone screen sizes increase, it becomes more difficult to reach for buttons on the side. And as far as screen sizes go, the G Flex is massive. The iPhone 5s has a 4-inch screen. The Galaxy Note 3, a “phablet” noted for pushing the boundaries of appropriate display size, is 5.7 inches.

And the G Flex? Six freaking inches.

That makes it unwieldy for smaller fingers. And, ultimately, the button placement is one of those things that feels different for the sake of being different. Even once you’re used to it (and it takes some getting used to), it doesn’t feel all that much better than side buttons.

The volume up key, meanwhile, doubles as a camera button. That could be a handy feature, but due to the size of the phone, you’ll find yourself contorting your hands to get your fingers out of the camera’s line of sight.

Here’s a cool thing, though: You can actually forgo the power button when waking up the phone. Grab the phone, knock twice on the display and, boom, you’re in. When it’s time to put the phone away, give an empty portion of the screen two knocks, and it’s back to slumber land. It’s definitely a gimmick, but it’s a useful one. I found myself using it frequently.

Oh, and one more thing about the back of the phone: LG says it’s made from a “self-healing polymer” — not unlike the scratch-resistant coating your car may currently be sitting under. The coating, LG says, is intended for the sorts of accidental scratches that can occur in your pockets, so you shouldn’t run out and start scratching the thing with a rock.

Which is exactly what I did: Against LG’s warning — and my better judgment — I gave the back of the phone a small, deliberate scratch. And, well, when it comes to self-regeneration, the G Flex isn’t T-1000. The scratch was small, but it’s staying on the phone for good. (The Wall Street Journal tested it out and was more impressed, however.)

LG says its phone is flexible, but don’t get too excited. If you go in expecting something akin to all those emerging technology videos where researchers bend screens like paper, you’re bound to be disappointed. Thing is, you could get a screen as bendy as you like, but you still need a battery and other parts that do not bend. LG has managed to design a battery with a bit of give, so the Flex does, technically, earn its name. You can press down the phone so that it lies flat on a table, both on its front and on its back.

The phone may make a bit of a creaky sound when you do that, but rest assured, it’s OK.

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So does the curve make the phone? Well, as initially suspected, the screen is a gimmick. It’s certainly possible to foresee an era when more of the technology we carry is built with real human beings in mind. And, hey, maybe someday flexible technology will truly live up to its name.

As mentioned, LG didn’t just toss a curved display on an otherwise throwaway phone. There are some cool features like knock to unlock. The battery life is solid, and the 13-megapixel camera is decent, though not the best. The phone is still running an older version of Android Jelly Bean (4.2.2), however, which is a major downside. It’s unclear when the phone will be updated to the current version of Android (4.4).

The LG G Flex will run you $300 with a two-year AT&T or Sprint contract. If you’re looking to pick it up unlocked, you can snag it for between $700 and $900, depending on which version you go for. That’s a bit pricey seeing as how, off the top of my head, I can’t really conceive of anyone who needs a curved phone. Or, for that matter, a 6-inch curved phone.

If you’re looking for an Android handset with a large screen, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 remains a solid choice, as does LG’s own Optimus G Pro. Neither phone is quite as unwieldy — or pricey — as the Flex. 

The best feature of LG’s G Flex may, in fact, be its legacy. Following the G Flex, don’t be surprised to see more manufacturers experimenting with the curve. After all, the world we’re living in isn’t flat. So why should our phones be?

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