The Galaxy Note Edge was the first Samsung smartphone with a curved display. The Note Edge had the curve on one side of the screen and was well received by mostly everyone, so it was only natural for Samsung to double down on the concept.
As a result, Samsung started putting curves on both the left and right side of its flagship displays with the Galaxy S6 Edge that launched a year after the Note Edge. Until the Galaxy S8 came along, Samsung was keeping the curved display exclusive to its very best phones, like the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the Galaxy S7+.
Then, for two years, Samsung opted to use curved displays on all Galaxy S models (with the Galaxy S8 and S9), but it was a relatively short-lived stint. Except for the Galaxy S20 series, Samsung has offered at least one model with a flat display in each new flagship release in recent years.
And it was a move welcomed by many. Indeed, after having used Samsung's curved displays for so long, it was refreshing to use a Galaxy flagship with a flat screen. But recently, after making the Galaxy S20 Ultra my primary phone following the use of the Galaxy A53 for a few weeks, another realization hit me: I like curved displays, too.
Curved display or flat? I can't say which I like more
Basically, I'm torn between which of the two I like more. I don't use an S Pen so the only real disadvantage with curved displays for me is the unnecessary reflections that are caused by light hitting the curved part at various angles (and higher chances of the display cracking upon drops, though I use a case so that's not a big fear). Other than that, those curved screens offer more eye-candy, and while I'm more of a function over form person, those curves are a major attraction.
But, again, when I use phones with flat displays, I like those as well. I guess what I'm getting at here is that I don't mind either, and most folks probably don't care if their phone's display is curved or not, unlike what tech-savvy customers might say, just as long as the display quality is great (and arguably, even that's no longer a huge concern, seeing as how Samsung's mid-range phones have excellent displays as well).
To me, whether or not the screen is curved makes little difference, and I'm sure that's the case for many of our readers. Which is why I think Samsung is doing an excellent job of giving you a choice. Yes, it's not a true choice because you can't keep all Galaxy S Ultra features and decide what kind of screen you want, but still, it's good to see curved displays are not present on all Galaxy S models these days.
