LG made a bit of noise with its curved batteries and displays, but as usual Samsung beat it to market and it’s the first company to introduce a curved-screen smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Round is the name and it’s more or less a Note 3 with a curved 5.7-inch 1080p display. Qualcomm’s 2.3GHz MSM 8974 chipset is running the show and it’s backed by 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It also has a 2,800mAh battery and a microSD card slot.

Interestingly, the screen is curved horizontally rather than vertically like the quasi bend we saw on the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus. Samsung also includes a new feature that allows users to access an info screen simply by rocking the phone, even when it’s locked.

The real question is how it will feel in real life, and by that we don’t mean how it will feel in your hands – but in your pocket. Putting such a curve on a massive phablet should make it quite a bit more pocket-friendly, especially if you’re into tight jeans.

We’re not sure curved displays are the way to go for all phones, but they might make phablets a bit more practical. The market will have to decide whether curved screens are a gimmick or not.