Samsung
Round

The Galaxy Round (model: SM-G910S) was a smartphone released by Samsung into the Korean market in partnership with local network operator SK Telecom in October 2013. It was the world’s first smartphone with a curved display. At the time it cost approximately $1000. It was a key device for Samsung as it sought to push the boundaries of smartphone design, particularly in the area of flexible and curved displays, which at the time was seen as the future of mobile devices. It featured a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a horizontal curve, meaning the display curved from left to right rather than top to bottom. This curve was subtle, designed to fit more comfortably in the hand as well as fit snugly to the user’s ear and cheek. The screen was plastic rather than glass. Samsung also introduced both a roll effect and gravity effect functions. The “Roll Effect” allowed users to tilt the phone on a flat surface to check information like the time, missed calls, or battery status without pressing a button to turn on the screen. The “Gravity Effect,” enabled users to interact with the screen by tilting the phone, for example, allowing them to switch between music tracks when the phone was on a desk. The phone was quite similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 which had been announced a month earlier. It featured the faux  leather-and-stitch-inspired plastic back cover design. Despite its innovative design, the Galaxy Round was more of a concept device rather than a mainstream product. It was only released in South Korea, and there was no global rollout, indicating that it was more of a niche product designed to showcase Samsung’s technological capabilities. The curved display design did not catch on immediately with consumers, primarily due to the lack of a clear advantage over traditional flat screens. However, the Galaxy Round laid the groundwork for future Samsung devices with curved screens, such as the Galaxy Note Edge, and later the highly successful Galaxy S6 Edge and Galaxy S7 Edge, which featured curved edges on both sides of the display. Arguably this phone is also the godfather of foldable smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which was introduced in 2019, given it was the first phone from Samsung using flexible display technology. Shortly after the Galaxy Round was launched, Korean arch-rival LG, announced the LG G Flex which had a vertical curve, meaning the display curved from top to bottom rather than left to right.