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NEW DELHI: LG has officially launched its first curved screen smartphone, G Flex, in India at Rs 69,999. The model had been unveiled in the country in December last year, and is the first smartphone in the market to have a curved display. It has been available for the past couple of days via online stores in the country.

At this price, the model is the most expensive Android smartphone in the market.

Soon Kwon, managing director, LG India, said, "Curved flexible displays are a groundbreaking technology that enhances consumers' viewing experience by many degrees. LG's latest offering, G Flex, combines innovation and technology along with sleek, curved design that not only delivers a more comfortable grip and fit, but offers better voice and sound quality. G Flex represents a new era in the smartphone space where curved and flexible displays are no l onger a sci-fi fantasy."

Also read: LG G Flex: First impressions

LG G Flex is the second smartphone in the world to have a curved screen, next only to Samsung Galaxy Round. LG G Flex has a 6-inch flexible OLED screen that is curved along the horizontal axis. The phone's 3,500mAh battery is also curved.

Though the screen is flexible by itself, the glass casing does not allow it to be bent at will. However, the phone still bends if sufficient pressure is applied on it as the glass film is thin enough to be bent slightly.

The G Flex's curved screen provides the same viewing experience from 1 feet away that a 55-inch HDTV does from 10 feet, LG claims.

Apart from the curved display, this phone has another unique feature - a self-healing back. LG has used a self-healing technology on the phone's back, which allows it to heal small scruffs and scratc hes on the rear panel within 5 minutes. This self-healing is due to a molecular substructure coating on top of the phone's back panel and depends a lot on the room temperature; hotter the room, faster the healing. However, deep cuts that pierce through the coating will not be healed.

Key specs of LG G Flex include a 720 display, 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. Just like LG G2, the new G Flex has the power key and volume buttons on the back, positioned below a 13MP camera with LED flash.

Earlier, LG said that the G Flex will be available for pre-orders in Singapore from December 8 and Hong Kong from December 13. It will hit other "key markets" of Asia by the end of the year. The smartphone will be available in Europe early next year and hit the US market thereafter.

It is rumoured that the successor of LG G Flex, expected to hit the market next year, will have a screen that will bend at 90-degree angle with ease. Samsung has also revealed that it will launch its first phone with a bendable screen next year.