<s>
The	O
LG	B-Application
G	I-Application
Flex	I-Application
is	O
an	O
Android	B-Application
phablet	B-Application
developed	O
and	O
manufactured	O
by	O
LG	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
unveiled	O
by	O
the	O
company	O
on	O
October	O
27	O
,	O
2013	O
for	O
a	O
release	O
in	O
South	O
Korea	O
,	O
and	O
carrying	O
similarities	O
to	O
its	O
G2	B-Application
model	O
,	O
the	O
smartphone	B-Application
is	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
first	O
to	O
incorporate	O
a	O
flexible	B-Application
display	I-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
"	O
self-healing	O
"	O
rear	O
cover	O
which	O
can	O
repair	O
minor	O
abrasions	O
on	O
its	O
own	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
G	O
Flex	O
was	O
met	O
with	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
by	O
critics	O
,	O
who	O
characterized	O
the	O
device	O
as	O
a	O
proof	O
of	O
concept	O
for	O
bleeding	O
edge	O
flexible	B-Application
screen	I-Application
technology	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
device	O
targeted	O
towards	O
the	O
mass	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
G	O
Flex	O
was	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
durability	O
,	O
performance	O
and	O
the	O
visibility	O
of	O
its	O
screen	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
panned	O
for	O
being	O
too	O
similar	O
in	O
hardware	O
,	O
software	O
,	O
and	O
design	O
to	O
the	O
G2	B-Application
,	O
having	O
a	O
low-resolution	O
display	O
that	O
suffered	O
from	O
noise	B-Algorithm
and	O
image	B-Device
retention	I-Device
issues	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
presenting	O
no	O
compelling	O
justification	O
for	O
the	O
curved	O
display	O
in	O
relation	O
to	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
high	O
price	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
succeeded	O
by	O
the	O
LG	B-Application
G	I-Application
Flex	I-Application
2	I-Application
in	O
January	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2013	O
,	O
LG	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
unveil	O
prototypes	O
for	O
two	O
OLED	B-Device
flexible	B-Application
displays	I-Application
at	O
an	O
exhibition	O
organized	O
by	O
the	O
Society	O
for	O
Information	O
Display	O
;	O
a	O
55-inch	O
television	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
5-inch	O
"	O
unbreakable	O
"	O
display	O
meant	O
for	O
mobile	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2013	O
,	O
rumors	O
from	O
a	O
"	O
person	O
familiar	O
with	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
launch	O
plans	O
"	O
suggested	O
that	O
LG	O
was	O
planning	O
to	O
release	O
a	O
phablet	B-Application
with	O
a	O
curved	O
,	O
6-inch	O
OLED	B-Device
display	I-Device
known	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
G	O
Flex	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
in	O
January	O
2014	O
,	O
LG	O
announced	O
a	O
U.S.	O
release	O
for	O
the	O
G2	B-Application
across	O
several	O
major	O
carriers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ad	O
was	O
met	O
with	O
attention	O
from	O
media	O
outlets	O
,	O
who	O
considered	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
bizarre	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
TechCrunch	O
writer	O
going	O
as	O
far	O
as	O
dubbing	O
it	O
the	O
worst	O
commercial	O
for	O
a	O
smartphone	B-Application
ever	O
,	O
and	O
Kate	O
Hutchington	O
of	O
The	O
Guardian	O
declaring	O
it	O
"	O
more	O
disturbing	O
than	O
the	O
act	O
of	O
taking	O
your	O
mum	O
to	O
see	O
Nymphomaniac	O
on	O
Mother	O
's	O
Day.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
G	O
Flex	O
's	O
physical	O
design	O
resembles	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
LG	B-Application
G2	I-Application
,	O
consisting	O
of	O
a	O
polycarbonate	O
shell	O
with	O
a	O
curvature	O
of	O
700	O
millimetres	O
(	O
28in	O
)	O
,	O
with	O
volume	O
and	O
power	O
buttons	O
located	O
on	O
the	O
rear	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
directly	O
below	O
the	O
camera	O
—	O
the	O
power	O
button	O
also	O
contains	O
an	O
LED	O
lamp	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
notification	B-Application
light	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
G	O
Flex	O
's	O
internal	O
hardware	O
is	O
almost	O
identical	O
to	O
the	O
G2	B-Application
,	O
with	O
a	O
2.26GHz	O
quad-core	O
Snapdragon	B-Architecture
800	O
processor	O
with	O
2GB	O
of	O
RAM	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
LTE	O
or	O
LTE	O
Advanced	O
networks	O
where	O
available	O
,	O
32GB	O
of	O
internal	O
storage	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
infrared	O
emitter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
G2	B-Application
,	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
G	O
Flex	O
's	O
display	O
is	O
a	O
6-inch	O
(	O
15cm	O
)	O
,	O
720p	O
,	O
flexible	B-Algorithm
OLED	I-Algorithm
display	I-Algorithm
coated	O
with	O
Gorilla	O
Glass	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
also	O
incorporates	O
a	O
non-removable	O
3500mAh	O
battery	O
specifically	O
optimized	O
for	O
the	O
G	O
Flex	O
's	O
curved	O
form	O
factor	O
-	O
it	O
curves	O
around	O
the	O
frame	O
to	O
fill	O
any	O
empty	O
space	O
;	O
LG	O
claims	O
it	O
's	O
the	O
world	O
’s	O
first	O
curved	O
battery	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ability	O
to	O
film	O
in	O
4K	B-Architecture
(	O
2160p	O
)	O
resolution	O
was	O
added	O
through	O
a	O
subsequent	O
software	O
update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
G	O
Flex	O
ships	O
with	O
Android	B-Application
4.2.2	I-Application
"	I-Application
Jelly	I-Application
Bean	I-Application
"	I-Application
with	O
a	O
similar	O
user	O
interface	O
and	O
software	O
to	O
the	O
G2	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
minor	O
new	O
features	O
were	O
added	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
"	O
dual-window	O
"	O
split-screen	O
multitasking	O
mode	O
,	O
and	O
alongside	O
the	O
G2	B-Application
's	O
existing	O
optimization	O
options	O
for	O
one-handed	O
use	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
slide	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
on-screen	O
navigation	O
keys	O
to	O
one	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aside	O
from	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
optical	O
image	O
stabilization	O
(	O
which	O
was	O
excluded	O
because	O
it	O
would	O
make	O
the	O
image	B-Algorithm
sensor	I-Algorithm
too	O
tall	O
for	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
body	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
G	O
Flex	O
's	O
13-megapixel	O
camera	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
G2	B-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
"	O
Face	O
Tracking	O
"	O
shooting	O
mode	O
to	O
assist	O
users	O
in	O
taking	O
photos	O
containing	O
themselves	O
with	O
the	O
rear-facing	O
camera	O
,	O
which	O
automatically	O
focuses	O
on	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
face	O
,	O
and	O
uses	O
the	O
power	O
button	O
's	O
notification	B-Application
LED	I-Application
as	O
a	O
status	O
light	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2014	O
,	O
LG	O
began	O
rolling	O
out	O
an	O
update	O
to	O
Android	B-Application
4.4.2	I-Application
"	I-Application
KitKat	I-Application
"	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
other	O
improvements	O
,	O
the	O
update	O
adds	O
"	O
Knock	O
Code	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
security	O
feature	O
introduced	O
by	O
the	O
LG	B-Application
G	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
2	I-Application
which	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
unlock	O
their	O
device	O
by	O
tapping	O
certain	O
quadrants	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
in	O
a	O
sequence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LG	B-Application
G	I-Application
Flex	I-Application
will	O
not	O
officially	O
be	O
updated	O
to	O
Android	B-Application
5.0	I-Application
"	I-Application
Lollipop	I-Application
"	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
G	O
Flex	O
was	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
durability	O
and	O
bendability	O
,	O
with	O
Engadget	B-Application
reporting	O
that	O
they	O
"	O
did	O
plenty	O
of	O
pushing	O
and	O
pulling	O
on	O
the	O
device	O
to	O
test	O
its	O
physical	O
limits	O
,	O
and	O
none	O
of	O
our	O
efforts	O
resulted	O
in	O
cracking	O
or	O
any	O
kind	O
of	O
damage	O
to	O
the	O
chassis.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
phone	O
itself	O
was	O
panned	O
for	O
being	O
lackluster	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
being	O
too	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
G2	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
was	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
performance	O
and	O
battery	O
life	O
,	O
the	O
G	O
Flex	O
's	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
were	O
also	O
panned	O
for	O
being	O
too	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
G2	B-Application
,	O
with	O
its	O
software	O
in	O
particular	O
being	O
criticized	O
for	O
not	O
containing	O
any	O
features	O
specifically	O
intended	O
to	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
curved	O
screen	O
(	O
besides	O
the	O
lock	O
screen	O
wallpaper	O
tilting	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
phone	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
the	O
removal	O
of	O
optical	O
image	O
stabilization	O
from	O
the	O
camera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
G	O
Flex	O
's	O
curved	O
display	O
was	O
praised	O
for	O
having	O
good	O
viewing	B-General_Concept
angles	I-General_Concept
and	O
brightness	O
levels	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
promised	O
,	O
having	O
a	O
lower	O
level	O
of	O
glare	O
than	O
most	O
smartphones	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
display	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
having	O
a	O
significantly	O
lower	O
resolution	O
than	O
other	O
flagship	O
phones	O
and	O
a	O
grainy	B-Algorithm
appearance	O
,	O
while	O
Ars	O
Technica	O
also	O
noticed	O
issues	O
with	O
image	B-Device
retention	I-Device
and	O
uneven	O
lighting	O
on	O
screen	O
contents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LG	O
's	O
decision	O
to	O
introduce	O
its	O
flexible	B-Application
display	I-Application
on	O
an	O
abnormally	O
large	O
phone	O
was	O
also	O
noted	O
;	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
LG	O
billing	O
the	O
display	O
as	O
having	O
a	O
more	O
"	O
immersive	O
"	O
viewing	O
experience	O
for	O
movies	O
,	O
The	O
Verge	O
felt	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
's	O
 [ immersive ] 	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
sheer	O
size	O
of	O
the	O
display	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
And	O
I	O
do	O
n't	O
care	O
what	O
it	O
's	O
made	O
of	O
:	O
a	O
6-inch	O
smartphone	B-Application
is	O
never	O
going	O
to	O
feel	O
comfortable	O
on	O
my	O
face	O
while	O
I	O
make	O
a	O
phone	O
call	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Engadget	B-Application
ultimately	O
gave	O
the	O
G	O
Flex	O
an	O
83	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
device	O
was	O
"	O
a	O
cross	O
between	O
a	O
status	O
symbol	O
and	O
a	O
proof	O
of	O
concept	O
[	O
in	O
some	O
respects ]	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
contending	O
that	O
the	O
device	O
was	O
too	O
expensive	O
(	O
costing	O
about	O
US$940	O
upfront	O
)	O
and	O
recommended	O
that	O
consumers	O
wait	O
for	O
options	O
with	O
more	O
"	O
reasonable	O
"	O
prices	O
before	O
considering	O
to	O
buy	O
a	O
curved	O
smartphone	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Verge	O
gave	O
the	O
G	O
Flex	O
a	O
7	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
,	O
arguing	O
that	O
given	O
its	O
high	O
price	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
nothing	O
"	O
compelling	O
"	O
about	O
the	O
curved	O
screen	O
as	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
G	O
Flex	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
"[felt]	O
like	O
a	O
tech	O
demo	O
,	O
an	O
R&D	O
prototype	O
that	O
was	O
accidentally	O
swapped	O
in	O
a	O
shipping	O
crate	O
with	O
the	O
G2	B-Application
.	O
</s>
