Galaxy Note Edge: Hands On with Samsung's Useful Curve

Samsung’s Note Edge stands out due to its 5.6-inch screen, which cascades over the right side of the device. The curved section works independently of the main screen, and serves up handy snippets of information and news. We think it’s one of the most unusual, interesting devices to come from the company yet.

Recently, Sharp and Sprint launched the Aquos Crystal smartphone, which made us remember the days when companies cared more about making their phones visually interesting. Our cries for other manufacturers to do something similar have been heard today, by Samsung and its new Galaxy Note Edge. The device was revealed alongside the Galaxy Note 4, with which it shares the vast majority of technical aspects, but little of its style.

The standout feature is a curved screen, but unlike the Galaxy Round, the screen only curves on the right hand side of the Note Edge, dropping away like it’s going over a waterfall. Rather than a pointless screen continuation purely there for aesthetics, it operates separately to the main display, adding functionality. The Note Edge’s screen measures 5.6-inches, 0.1-inches smaller than the Note 4, but shares the same 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. The extra curved section adds 160 pixels the width.

Hands on video

It looks like nothing else we’ve seen before. Viewed from the base, the phone curves off to one side, shunning the symmetrical design we’re so used to seeing. The phone is still very slim, so the flow isn’t too jarring, and it certainly doesn’t feel odd in your hand. Provided you hold the phone in your right hand, that is; holding it in your left makes the curved screen harder to use in a natural way. Sorry lefties. Today is not your day.

What’s the point?

Think of it like a quick access bar, an interactive home screen, and an interesting way to personalize your phone’s look, all in one place. Slide the screen to the side, and you’re shown thin digital strips displaying a news feed, stocks, S Health information, notifications, the weather, and more. Scroll down and you get some short cuts to the camera, the torch, a voice recorder, and a handy ruler.

All these screens can be re-ordered, added, or removed, plus it can display either a continuation of your wallpaper, or a contrasting image for a more striking look. It looks best when it bends the background image around the edge of the phone, emphasizing the Note Edge’s unique shape. Samsung’s updated S Pen stylus works with the Edge’s screen too, and hovering over the icons tells you their function.

The Edge’s curve makes most sense when you use the camera app and the video player. In both instances, the entire main screen is dedicated to the viewfinder or the movie you’re watching, and all the main controls are shifted off to the side. An unobscured view of both is great, and the curved screen means you don’t have to tap the display to make the controls reappear. LG minimized the on-screen clutter in its new camera app seen on the G3, but it can make navigation frustrating. The Edge bypasses this disadvantage with its always visible, but never intrusive buttons.

Does this raise it above being a gimmick?

It’s early days, but it’s truly refreshing to see such a daring design, particularly from the usually restrained hands of Samsung. There are definite advantages to having slightly more screen real estate, some of which are realized here, but enduring success may come down to Samsung encouraging developers to integrate the expanded functionality into more apps.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge is exciting, beautifully designed, and best of all, different

The rest of the phone operates and feels like the Galaxy Note 4. The screen is stunning, easily matching the LG G3, perhaps even bettering it with the improved contrast and brightness offered by the Super AMOLED panel. It’s blisteringly fast — a 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 and 3GB of RAM pretty much guarantees that — and Samsung’s new Android UI is considerably less annoying than before.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge is exciting, beautifully designed, and best of all, different. If there’s a downside, it’s that we may not be able to buy it anytime soon. Samsung said it would release the phone in selected markets, which if it’s anything like the Galaxy Round, means it may never come to America or Europe at all. The thing is, the Galaxy Round is a gimmick, but we can see value in the Note Edge. It may be the first of its kind, but we doubt it’ll be the last.

Hands on: Samsung’s dramatically different Galaxy Edge spills over with potential

Hands on video

What’s the point?

Does this raise it above being a gimmick?

Highs

Lows

Editors' Recommendations