It seems hardly a week goes by without an exciting new development in the world of smartphones, and recently all the talk has been on a very interesting idea – curved phones.
LG and Samsung have already revealed their curved devices, which are being made available to the South Korean market in a bid to gauge interest.
So could Apple be next with a curved iPhone? It would be unusual for the technology giant to not even be in the development stage, if this is where the industry is heading. But then again, we never really know.
According to a report by Bloomberg, two new iPhones are in the making and have large, curved screens to make the most of pressure sensitive technology. If true, they would certainly break the mould.
The news provider says a “person familiar with the plans” has revealed that a curved screen will detect different levels of pressure that a finger places on it. The design would see the iPhone take on a horizontally convex shape, the sides rounding down into the hand. This is the opposite to the Samsung Galaxy Round, which bends up at the ends and down in the middle. The LG Flex is flexible and bendable. It’s almost as if the three manufacturers have shared out the different curvatures.
The “source” continues to reveal that the two models have screen sizes of 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. They could come to market in the third quarter of next year, but this may be without multi-pressure sensitive functionality.
And as to what number the models will end up with; that is anybody’s guess. The release of the 5c and 5s at the same time in October broke the traditional Apple release mould. Could a curved model by an iPhone 6? We will have to wait and see.
But we must remember that all this is speculation from an unnamed “source” at Apple. It would not be a surprise if the rumours were completely fabricated to throw competitors off the scent.
At this stage it is hard to see how a curved smartphone will benefit users. A convex screen is sure to be more susceptible to scratches, and we’ll all have to buy new cases to fit the bulk. And won’t it feel weird to hold? We’ve become so used to flat touchscreens it could take another evolutionary leap to teach our opposable thumbs a new way of moving.
