Samsung has today announced its much-anticipated Galaxy Round, its first smartphone with a curved OLED display. The handset is almost identical to the recently-released Galaxy Note 3 in every way, which means it has a 5.7-inch 1080p display, a 2.3GHz quad-core processor, and 3GB of RAM. The difference is it’s slightly curved.

It’s not quite clear what benefits this display brings; Samsung hasn’t made it “unbreakable,” and it seems as though the shape of the device may make it uncomfortable to use or hold against your face. I suspect the main aim of the Galaxy Round, then, is simply to prove Samsung can make a smartphone with a curved display — before any of its competitors.

The South Korean company has tried to make it useful, though. There’s a new feature called “Round Interaction” — demonstrated in the video below — which displays the time, any missed calls and email notifications, as well as the handset’s battery life when you tilt the handset on a flat surface. It’s ideal for quickly checking your notifications at your desk.

https://youtu.be/UIEExKSjWi4

The Galaxy Round has a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 2,800mAh battery. It also has a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, and like the Galaxy Note 3, it will ship with Android 4.3 and Samsung’s latest TouchWiz user interface pre-installed.

The devices measures just 7.9mm thick, weighs 154 grams, and has a faux leather back. It will make its debut in Korea tomorrow, priced at 1.09 million won (approx. $1,013). Samsung is yet to announce plans for an international rollout.

• SourceSamsung