Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge Was the Coolest Thing I Saw Today

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It’s not often that I attend a tech event and leave knowing that I’ve seen something that’s going to change the way I expect to use a device that I already own, but that’s what happened after the Samsung event today. The introduction of the Galaxy Note Edge was by far the highlight of my day, and I’m still wowed.

Gear Diary Samsung Galaxy Note Edge-002

Get a look at what Samsung is calling their “next generation display”. It’s new, it may seem a little bit gimmicky (for now), but I also think it is brilliant.

The Galaxy Note Edge’s unique curved Edge screen provides quick access to frequently used apps, alerts and device functionality – even when the cover is closed – all with the swipe of a thumb. Users can also receive notifications directly on the Edge Screen while watching videos without disturbing their viewing.

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Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Product Specifications

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

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

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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I’m not normally a fan of Samsung devices; even though their screens are gorgeous, I usually feel like their cases are plasticky and (for lack of a better word –) cheap. I was pleasantly surprised by the new Note 4 and the Note Edge; while they are still a bit less solid and definitely lighter than the Xperia devices I am used to using, they felt nice in hand and looked stunning.

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The many possibilities offered by the independent screen on the beveled side of the Edge’s screen makes me wonder how long it will be before other manufacturers start putting similar smart layers on their devices’ screens.

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That’s the new Samsung Gear S watch in the background; I got lots of pics of it, too.  They’ll be up in another post, shortly.

Gear Diary Samsung Galaxy Note Edge-007

 

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I never really thought I would say it, but my next Android phone may be a Samsung Note Edge!

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I don’t yet have pricing information, but the Galaxy Note Edge will be available later this year in “Charcoal Black” and “Frost White”.

 

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She started in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie is best known for her device-agnostic approach, deep-dive reviews, and enjoyment of exploring the latest tech, gadgets, and gear.

3 Comments on "Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge Was the Coolest Thing I Saw Today"

  1. stevenshytle | September 3, 2014 at 9:34 pm |

    I love Samsung Galaxy S devices but as a left handed user, that doesn’t look right for me.

  2. I love my Note 3 and I love that the Note 4 looks even better than the 3…but s feels…gimmicky. I’d rather see notifications pop up with transparent text…kind of like the crawl that TV stations use during bad weather events.

  3. Yeah, I could see where this would not work well for left handed use. =/

    Joel, it didn’t seem gimmicky to me at all — it seemed like a brilliant use of the screen’s edge. I want it now. =P

Comments are closed.