SK텔레콤은 세계 최초로 휘는 화면(플 렉서블 디스플레이)를 탑재한 삼성전자의 스마트폰 갤럭시 라운드를 10일 국내 시장에 단독 출시한다고 9일 밝혔다.
이 제품은 가로 방향으로 화면이 휜 것이 특징이다. 앞서 LG디스플레이 가 공개한 휘는 화면 패널이나 삼성전자가 과거 출시했던 갤럭시 넥서스가 세로 방 향으로 화면이 휘었던 것과는 차이가 있다.
가로 방향으로 휜 화면을 적용하면 5.7인치 큰 화면을 장착하고도 한 손에 잡힐 만큼 쥐는 느낌이 뛰어나다고 SK텔레콤은 설명했다.
제품 사양은 2.3㎓ 쿼드코어 애플리케이션프로세서(AP)에 3GB 램, 1천300만 화 소 카메라 등 갤럭시 노트3와 비슷하다. 다만, 유리 대신 곡면 플라스틱 화면을 적 용해 두께가 0.4㎜ 얇은 7.9㎜이며 무게도 10%가량 가벼워져 154g에 불과하다.
제품 색상은 갈색(럭셔리 브라운)이며 출고가는 108만9천원이다.
Samsung launches curved “Galaxy Round”
By Kim Ji-hyun
Samsung Electronics will today launch the world’s first curved-display smartphone today running on SK Telecom’s LTE-A networks in a move highlighting the emergence of yet another device innovation and the strong partnership between the pair.
The price was set at just over 1.08 million won for the “Galaxy Round,” which is available in a single brown color, according to the two firms on Wednesday.
Samsung said while the display was not flexible -- it doesn’t move back and forth or is moldable -- it has taken on distinct features of flexible displays to create a curved panel that is more user-friendly.
The 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display curves inwards from the sides, with the radius of the curve measuring 40 centimeters.
“The main idea is the grip, which is very comfortable because of the curved shape that helps the phone fit right into the palm,” said Ko Ho-jin, a spokesman for Samsung.
The phone is power by Qualcomm’s quad-core running 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and runs on the 4.3 Jelly Bean platform, the latest update of Google’s Android operating system.
At 154 grams, the new model is lighter than the Galaxy Note 3 by about 10 percent, thanks to more use of plastic, and is thinner by 0.4 milimeters.
With the Galaxy Round, Samsung is the world’s first company to officially unveil a smartphone with a curved display.
The batteries for the Round, however, are not said to be curved, as LG Electronics is reportedly planning its version of curved phones to be released as early as the end of this month.
Samsung SDI, a global leader in small-sized batteries, has said it was already able to produce curved batteries and it would be a matter of time before commercialization began.
Meanwhile, Samsung and SK Telecom once again confirmed the strong alliance they have been enjoying for years since Samsung first launched its Galaxy smartphone lineup to compete against Apple’s iPhones launched in partnership with KT Corp.
(jemmie@heraldcorp.com)
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