LG G Flex promises bending, self-healing powers. Does it deliver?

This week marks the launch of the LG G Flex, a smart phone with a concave curve and what LG describes as a "self-healing" finish (more on that in a bit). The G Flex is powered by a Snapdragon 800 processor and the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system. It's also relatively expensive: $300 plus 2-year contract on AT&T or Sprint, and 24 monthly payments of $28 on T-Mobile ($672 total). 

Is it worth the cash? Well, that depends on what you want out of your smart phone. As Jerry Hildenbrand of Android Central notes, first and foremost, it helps to know what the device can do, and what it can't. 

"You can't fold [the G Flex] in half to slip it in a pocket, but it will likely be OK if you sit on it," he writes. "It's not designed for be bendable, but designed not to break if it flexes. There's an important distinction that needs made here. Grabbing each end and trying to fold it in half will do little more than crack the glass if you have the strength in your hands. But pushing on the rear of the phone will cause it to flex and flatten out, hopefully saving the screen." 

Second caveat: The promises implicit in the "self-healing" back only go so far. 

"When we scraped the back lightly with a penny, the minor scratches we created faded within seconds," writes the team at Laptop Mag. "However, three slightly deeper scratches we created near the rear key remained unhealed even after three days. On the bright side, because the back is so glossy and has a striped texture, it was hard for us to see any scratches without shining light directly on the back and looking very closely." 

In other words, the curves and bends and self-healing magic of the Flex are likely to be the kind of things you show-off to your buddies – cool, but not exactly game-changing. 

Still, the device is a powerful one, with more than enough juice to keep up with market-dominating rivals such as the iPhone 5S and the Samsung Galaxy S4. 

"As you'd expect, the phone is fast as can be; everything's been smooth and snappy during my time with the device, and I haven't run into any stutters or performance-related problems," writes JR Raphael of Computerworld. "The G Flex also excels in the realm of stamina: The phone boasts a 3500mAh non-removable battery that should satisfy even the most demanding of needs. I've consistently made it from morning to night without ever coming close to hitting empty." 

Interested? You can place your pre-order for the Flex today.