“It is our everlasting goal to continue to provide a more immersive, best-possible viewing experience to consumers,” said Hyun-Suk Kim, President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “In the near future, our children will describe their TVs at home as something with a curved screen, not the flat one that had long been in use.”

Samsung has been the number one brand in the global TV market for ten consecutive years since 2006, selling over 427 million TVs. Throughout the past decade of its TV manufacturing history, Samsung has acted much more like a start-up meeting risks head on, never slowing down the pace of challenge and creativity.

Challenging the Norm in the TV Industry

In addition to producing a number of world firsts, the company has continued to innovate within the overall technologies and components that enhance the performance and quality of its products. State-of-the-art design has also been a major focus for the company’s TV lineup.

With the 2006 launch of the three million unit-selling R7 (‘Bordeaux’) TV, followed by the ToC (Touch of Color, or Crystal design) TV, the Full HD 3D TV with the world’s first 3D screen, to today’s immersive Curved UHD TVs, Samsung has created products that successfully anticipate, understand and meet consumer needs. Significant industry milestones include the creation of the 29.9mm world’s slimmest TV in 2009, the 110-inch world’s largest UHD TV in 2013 and the 105-inch Curved UHD TV in 2014.

As a result of Samsung’s continuing exploration to find the better ways to enjoy TV, smart TVs became a mainstay in homes around the world. In 2010, Samsung opened the world’s first TV application store and adopted the smart TV user interface – Smart Hub – a year later in 2011. Since then, the company has introduced voice, gesture and facial recognition technology, as well as incorporating the Tizen operating system for improved, intuitive usability and connectivity.

Samsung’s 2016 Smart TVs make it easier for consumers to discover and access all their favorite content and services, from TV and movies to games and program information, all in one place. The Samsung Smart Control remote serves as a single control unit for nearly all devices connected to a Samsung Smart TV, eliminating the need for multiple remote controls. Featuring IoT hub technology, the 2016 SUHD TV can also connect with and control more than 200 SmartThings compatible devices – whether it’s to see who is ringing the doorbell, lock the doors or turn off the lights – all from the TV.

The Launch of the SUHD Era

For the best viewing experience possible, Samsung’s biggest focus has been on improving picture quality—the essential value of TVs. This is well demonstrated in how Samsung has been spearheading the improvements in picture quality of modern TVs; from FHD to UHD, 2D to 3D, smaller to bigger displays, and from the conventional flat displays to curved ones.

The 2015 launch of the SUHD TV was a major contributing factor to achieve the ten-year market leader milestone, enhancing the brand’s overall product line. The popularity of this premium TV range can be attributed to SUHD offering the best possible picture quality, design and connected user experience, enabling consumers to enjoy ultra high definition television in any environment.

At CES 2016, Samsung announced the latest SUHD TV with Quantum dot display – featuring the world’s only cadmium-free, 10 bit panel Quantum dot technology. Quantum dot is a next-generation display material that uses nano-size semi-conductor particles to express dazzling brightness, a broader range of colors and the most accurate color representation of any display material.

Setting the year 2016 as a starting point for the next decade of leadership, Samsung will continue to push the envelope to the limit in order to demonstrate why the company is still in the lead and what its TVs are truly capable of.

“Over the last ten years, our TV sales and rate of innovation have been buoyant and are born from our ongoing desire to offer the best in technology, content and services,” said Hyun Suk Kim. “As we move into a new era, in which the TV experience is more immersive and spectacular than ever, we will not lose sight of the values and consumer understanding that has helped us earn our longstanding market leadership.”

The technology behind Samsung’s curved display and glass materials has become one of the key components of the company’s design philosophy. The contoured lines are aesthetically beautiful and create more possibilities in functionality. Since the launch of the industry’s first smartphones with curved displays, Samsung has pushed the limits of technology to lead the way in revolutionizing how the world views information.

Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus: The First Smartphones With Curved Displays
The Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus, the first smartphones with curved displays, were released in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Both feature a gentle curve on the front sides of the phones. The design not only improves appearance of the devices, but it also enhances grip, making talking on the phone more comfortable. The curved screens also make the devices less vulnerable to damage if dropped.

Galaxy Round: Vertical Curve

Released in 2013, the Galaxy Round was curved vertically. Because it resembles giwa (or traditional Korean roof tiles), it earned the nickname “Galaxy Giwa.” The curved glass of the 5.7-inch screen of the Galaxy Round has a soft curve which, with 400R and Sag 2.55mm specifications, improves grip. Additionally, when shaking the device while the screen is locked, an image of water flows across the screen, an impressive and visually appealing feature.

Galaxy Note Edge: Brand New UX
Samsung continued to release more products incorporating the use of curved glass, and as such, its technology consistently advanced. This was evident in October 2014, when the company released the Galaxy Note Edge, which featured the thinnest curved screen yet. It was the first product to introduce “Variable R” curved glass, meaning instead of having a single curve rate like its predecessors, there were multiple curvatures contained in the single 0.55t glass screen. The curved glass of the Galaxy Note Edge was available in 6.3R (minimum value) and Sag 5.56mm, demonstrating the considerable improvement of Samsung’s curved glass technology and would be the foundation for the creation of the dual edge screen of the Galaxy S6 edge.

Galaxy S6 edge: The Pinnacle of 3D Glass Technology
The unprecedented dual edge display of the Galaxy S6 edge is the most advanced 3D glass technology that exists today, and required extensive research and experiments by the device’s development staff. Though thinner with a 0.4t body, this seemingly indestructible device is stronger than any previous curved screen, with a higher curve rate than all other existing smart devices. Designed for both beauty and function, the Galaxy S6 edge pushes the boundaries of curved glass technology.

Gear Fit and Gear S: Curved for Better Fit
Samsung released its Gear Fit in April 2014, the company’s first attempt at introducing its distinctive design in wearable devices. Its contoured face and innovative design with a narrow 1.84 inch screen in 57.45R and Sag 8.0mm distinguished the Gear Fit from other wearables, making it both stylish and comfortable to wear. In November, Samsung released the Gear S, a wider version of the previous model. The wider 2-inch screen in 45.88R and Sag 8.0mmn allowed for greater usability, and impressed users with the preloaded S Health, a mobile application that tracks the progress and health status of the consumer.

Understanding Curved Glass: 2D, 2.5D, 3D

2D glass is flat on both sides. It can be found on the two oldest models of the Galaxy S and in most smartphones. It was followed by 2.5D glass, which was the beginning of curved displays. 2.5D glass has a convex or concave surface on only one side; the other side is flat. Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus are both examples of devices that use 2.5D glass. 3D glass is different because neither side is flat; as such, the technology for bending this glass required sophisticated engineering. To produce 3D glass, advanced thermoforming technology is applied to glass that must be as thin as it is strong. Samsung continues to improve its thermoforming technology by consistently creating new products.

The two measurements of curved glass are R value and Sag value. The R value represents the radius from any point. A single R is a perfect circle with a non-variable radius. A variable R is an ellipse and has a different value dependent on the point of measure. The technology to create a variable R is more advanced and Samsung introduced this technology with the Galaxy Note Edge.

The second value is the Sag rate. This measures the height from the top to bottom of a curve. The deeper the curve of any display, the more advanced the technology behind it.

While consumers all the world over have grown to favor smartphones with curved screens for the glass’ strength and stylish design, curved technology is not only limited to mobile devices. In fact, this very technology has created an entirely unique media viewing experience both at home and at the office.

Curved TVs: Gentle Viewing Immersion
Released last year, the curved TV has become known for its immersive properties. Its beautiful soft curve of 4200R minimizes the viewing distance from the center of the screen to the peripheral areas, reducing the need to repeatedly adjust focus. This feature exclusive to curved televisions results in less eye strain, particularly during action scenes.

Curved Monitors: Easier on the Eyes
Earlier this year, Samsung released a number of computer monitors with curved screens that, like curved TVs, lack display distortion and are much easier on the eyes than traditional monitors. While the monitors smaller than the 29 inch model have a 4000R curve, the 29 inch model and bigger varieties measure in at 3000R. Being the first company to introduce models with these specifications using its own technology is a remarkable achievement on Samsung’s part.

Beauty With Purpose
Curved glass is beautiful and complex. As curved technology evolves, the possibilities of design also grow. Samsung developers continue to think of ways to use these new technologies to make life easier and more aesthetically pleasing for everyone.

Samsung’s Curved TVs are designed to provide a more immersive experience, giving the viewer a better sense of depth and greater contrast. Samsung’s Curved screens give a more cinema-like experience when viewed from any angle because the panoramic effect makes the TV seen larger than it actually is. It also provides a more comfortable viewing experience because the viewing distance is more consistent.

In 2014, Samsung launched the “Coliseum” global marketing campaign, which is probably the way Samsung Curved TVs were introduced to most consumers, through advertisements on TV, in newspapers and in stores. The spots put the viewer in the ring, in front of a clan of angry gladiators.

Samsung subsidiaries in countries all around the world have also crafted marketing campaigns for the Curved TV using vividly colorful, locally relevant pictures on the screen of the TV.

The images below, which can be found on the Facebook pages of Samsung Electronics subsidiaries, are a selection of the some of the most visually impressive examples. Which one do you like the most?