CES: First Look at LG's Bendable G Flex Smartphone

By Justin RubioLG's uniquely-designed G Flex is coming to the United States early this year, and at CES the company was showing off the brand new, bendable smartphone. I got to spend some time with the device and its curved display, and while I was intrigued by the form factor, the true purpose of the hardware design remained a bit of a mystery.

The curvature is slight, but is definitely more prominent than the curved-glass Samsung Galaxy Nexus. LG explained that one of the reasons for the shape was for comfort—both when resting it in your hand or when holding it to make a phone call—and while it performed as promised, I don't think that the lack of a curve on other phones is much of a problem to anyone.

Like the many curved televisions we're seeing at the Las Vegas event, the G Flex's design is also meant to create a more theater-like experience when viewing video in landscape orientation. This may be true with extra large TVs, but it has a negligible effect when it comes to a phone with a 6-inch OLED display and a 720p resolution.

With the help of an equally-unique battery, the G Flex can actually be bent to a flatter shape. Unfortunately, I was told to not try it while I was at the show floor booth, although an LG spokesperson did say it was possible.

LG added a few new hardware and software features with the G Flex, none of which actually rely on the device's shape. The company introduced new multi-window functionality, a method to unlock the device straight to a screen that displays your personal media, and the ability to use the LED light on the back of the phone—the G Flex uses a Rear Key like the LG G2—to make sure the camera is focused on your face when taking a selfie with the rear shooter. It's entirely possible that these features will come to the G2, which doesn't really make a case for the G Flex's design.

LG G Flex (top) and LG G2