Samsung launches the Galaxy Note Edge, a smartphone with a curved edge display
Hot on the heels of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 launch Samsung unveiled a much more eye-catching new smartphone dubbed the Galaxy Note Edge. We have been expecting a product to launch with Samsung’s often teased new wrap around screen technology and here it is.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge shares a lot of commonality with the Galaxy Note 4 in its core hardware. So we don’t have to go through all the innovations and tweaks Samsung brought to its stylus packing note-taking phablet again here. The key difference presented in the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is – the edge. Holding this smartphone in your hand the right hand edge of the screen wraps over that edge of the smartphone chassis.
What use is the right side edge display?
The utility value of the edge display is said to provide users “a new way to access information, engage with their mobile device, and express their personality and tastes”. Of course it’s not just a simple screen real-estate extension, Samsung has programmed its UI to make particular use of the edge pixel display. The basic uses of the screen edge were shown at Samsung’s UnPacked event in Berlin and included the provision of “quick access to frequently used apps, alerts and device functionality – even when the cover is closed – all with the swipe of a thumb”.
Imagine you keep your smartphone in a book-style case, then with the Galaxy Note Edge you can still easily see and interact with your touch-screen on its side. Notifications can be set to appear in this space and for watching movies, for example, the transport controls can be confined to this edge of the screen.
Technology first – usefulness a second thought
I think Samsung has done quite well to make its technology quite useful in this hardware application. It seems a much better product than the ‘Galaxy Round’ smartphone. However the firm often seems to be a technology first, rather than an ideas first company – inventing things and then striving to find uses for them. Marketing people always say you should do it the other way round – find a need and make something to match that.
What do you think of the new Samsung Galaxy Note Edge? Would you buy it rather than the traditional Note phablet if it is priced similarly?
Full specifications for the Galaxy Note Edge are tabulated below:
| Network | 2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE): 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz 3G (HSPA＋ 42Mbps): 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz 4G (LTE Cat 4 150/50Mbps) or 4G(LTE Cat 6 300/50Mbps) *May differ by country and carrier. |
| AP | 2.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor |
| Display | 5.6 inch (141.9mm) Quad HD+ Super AMOLED (2560 x 1440 + 160) |
| OS | Android 4.4 (KitKat) |
| Camera | Rear Facing: 16 Mega pixel Auto Focus camera with Smart OIS Front Facing: 3.7 Mega pixel camera with f1.9 |
| Rear Facing Camera : HDR (Rich tone), Selective Focus, Rear-cam Selfie, Beauty face, Virtual Tour Shot, Shot&More, Dual Camera Front Facing Camera : Selfie, Wide Selfie |
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| Video | Codec: H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, VC-1, WMV7, WMV8, Sorenson Spark, MP43, VP8, Recording & Playback: up to UHD |
| Audio | Codec: MP3, AAC/AAC＋/eAAC＋, WMA, AMR-NB/WB, Vorbis, FLAC(＊) (＊) Ultra High Quality Audio (~192KHz, 24 bit) support |
| S Pen Optimized Features | Air Command: Action Memo, Screen Write, Image Clip, Smart Select, S Note, Snap Note, Direct Pen Input |
| Additional Features | Multi Window |
| Ultra Power Saving Mode | |
| Voice Recorder (Normal Mode, Interview Mode, Meeting Mode, Voice Memo) | |
| Download Booster | |
| S Health 3.5 | |
| Dynamic Lock Screen | |
| Briefing | |
| Edge screen UX : Revolving Interaction, Immersive apps(Camera, Video, S Note), Ticker board, Express me, Quick Tools, Night Clock, etc |
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| Google Mobile Services | Chrome, Drive, Photos, Gmail, Google, Google+, Google Settings, Hangouts, Maps, Play Books, Play Games, Play Newsstand, Play Movie & TV, Play Music, Play Store, Voice Search, YouTube |
| Connectivity | WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80) MIMO PCIe GPS / GLONASS / Beidou NFC, Bluetooth® v 4.1 (BLE, ANT+) IR LED (Remote Control), USB2.0, MHL 3.0 |
| Sensor | Gesture, Accelerometer, Geo-magnetic, Gyroscope, RGB, IR-LED Proximity, Barometer, Hall Sensor, Finger Scanner, UV, Heart Rate Monitoring, SpO2 (Dependent on market) |
| Memory | 32/ 64 GB Internal memory ＋ microSD slot (up to 64GB) 3GB RAM |
| Dimension | 151.3 x 82.4 x 8.3mm, 174g |
| Battery | Standard battery, Li-ion 3,000 mAh, Fast Charging (Adaptive Fast Charging & QC2.0) |
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