LG’s Flex phone actually heals itself after a key and knife assault

LG has spent plenty of time hyping up the curved screen of its Flex Android smartphone, but the device’s unique “self-healing” capabilities looks to be even more useful.

The Flex’s rear is coated with a special material that LG says can heal itself after being scratched. Putting that claim to the test, YouTube tech personality Marques Brownlee took a pair of keys and a very sharp knife to the Flex’s back. The results will surprise you.

The Flex mostly cleared up the light scratches from Brownlee’s keys (it didn’t completely remove them, but there’s a definite improvement). It was less effective at surviving a sharp knife cut. He notes that it “half-heals,” but this is (hopefully) a far rarer scenario for phone damage.

Brownlee also tried to “flex” the Flex by putting pressure on the phone’s screen to flatten it. The result? It simply snapped back into place.

It looks like the LG Flex can withstand the typical wear and tear of dropping your phone, having it in your pocket with a pair of keys, and other clumsy scenarios. Eventually, I expect to see similar material make its way to other phones (and hopefully, to your phone’s glass screen).