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The latest news about Samsung’s expected smartphone with a flexible display just leaked via @evleaks on Twitter.
The account, which has leaked images of devices in the past, posted an image that’s believed to be the Samsung Galaxy Round. The device resembles the Galaxy S4, but it has slight dip in the middle that causes the phone to curve along a vertical axis (think of it curving sort of like a hot dog bun or curving a piece of paper that’s situated in portrait mode).
Samsung declined to comment.
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The product release comes as Samsung faces a slowdown in its core smartphone market. Consumers are still buying mobile devices but not at the rapid clip of past quarters. That means companies like Samsung must find other ways to wow buyers and get them to fork over the money for new devices. A curved display, while not completely new to the market, could be one factor that attracts consumers to the company’s phones.
Samsung could announce the supposed Galaxy Round as soon as this week, according to press reports out of Asia. D.J. Lee, the head of strategic marketing for Samsung’s mobile business, late last month confirmed the company’s plans to launch such a phone in October. He made the comments during an event in South Korea to launch the Galaxy Note 3 smartphone.
Since that time, speculation has ramped up about what the device will look like and what it will do. The phone is expected to feature a plastic display rather than one made of glass, something that would make it more durable and would allow it to curve slightly to fit the shape of a user’s face. However, the device is unlikely to be a true flexible display that can bend back and forth.
LG, meanwhile, also has been prepping a smartphone with curved display, dubbed the G Flex. The company likely will introduce its phone in November, as CNET previously reported, although that date could shift.
Update, 1:50 p.m. PT: Adds background information.
