The Galaxy Note Edge: Samsung's first smartphone with a bent display

[Dietrichw]

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It's been over a year and a half since Samsung briefly (and from a distance) showed off the Youm, a prototype of a smartphone with a curved display that wrapped around the right-hand side. While it seemed like a far-off reality at the time, Samsung announced today that the Youm's spiritual successor -- aptly named the Galaxy Note Edge -- would be coming out this fall. Sure, mass-producing a phone with a bent screen is a tremendous display of manufacturing prowess, not to mention something to show off at parties, but is there more to this unique handset than eye candy?

 

specs are the same as the note 4 so far

[JLCitadel]

Progress.

[Tro]

wtf is the point of that

[Thebman712]

i see no point in that bend

[LAwLz]

I don't like it.

Edge to edge displays are kind of stupid, and this just takes the stupidity to a whole new level. You need a tiny bezel on handheld devices to avoid accidentally pressing on the screen. This will just be annoying because your hand will accidentally start the camera app or whatever.

 

Small bezels = good.

No bezel = bad.

 

It does look cool but it's very much form over function in my eyes.

Or maybe I am wrong... Maybe it is the best thing since the car exhaust grill.

 

Edit: Never mind Anandtech says it has a very good palm rejection feature. I still don't see the point though.

[ZetZet]

i see no point in that bend

you can see stuff with a cover closed, even though you can see it now with a window.

[loepa]

what would happened if the phone fell on it's "edge" screen. I mean that edge almost has no bezel. kinda scary IMO. But a pretty nice idea.

[Thebman712]

you can see stuff with a cover closed, even though you can see it now with a window.

i still find that stupid

[jrfox87]

So stupid! As a right handed person who can use a Note one handed, I would be accidentally hitting things on the screen all the time!

[Rekx]

"innovation"

[ZeroBreaker]

Guys, I imagine this will be super useful for certain folks, like me. I keep my phone on my desk, but often don't see the tiny LED notification light while I am working, so cannot respond to important emails or messages immediately. Placing this sideways on a desk would be a great way to keep up with notifications, if they pull it off properly.

 

That said, it probably won't take off - huge amount of extra manufacturing power, with small amount of real-life gain for a niche market. Nice to see samsung innovating in something slightly less gimmicky (Only very slightly though).

[alby800]

"woah, did your phone get run over or some shit"

"nah, Samsung made it"

[LarsReviews]

 

Samsung’s latest curve is the Galaxy Note Edge, a phablet due in the U.S. this fall with a screen that gracefully cascades off to the right to add a little extra touch real estate.

In my hands-on time with the Edge, I experienced what that smooth 160-pixel-wide strip can provide: access to your favorite apps and controls, a bit of extra personalization, and an unobtrusive night-time clock that faces you when you’re in bed.

While the Edge is mostly a “they did it because they can” product, it’s an original design statement and an upsell that would make sense for anyone in the market for one of Samsung’s oversize Galaxy Note smartphones.

In my brief demo, the night-time mode was useful. Having rid myself of a clock radio a decade ago, I tend to grab my phone to check the time if I’m awakened at night. The Edge’s subtle feature—showing the time and date along the extra curved strip—would make it much easier to get right back to sleep.

The strip’s personalization option borders on cheesy: You can select photos and apply animations to let them subtly glide across the narrow, curved edge. But the tools give you enough free rein that creative people may find ways to make it truly beautiful.

The edge-based app launcher and music controls make sense. But the other main features, including text and email notifications and tickers for news, sports and stocks, aren’t yet customizable (or, frankly, attractive) enough. I’d like to see some other app developers and content providers weigh in on what to do with the Edge’s edge to make it truly compelling.

The rest of the phone is nearly identical to the just-announced Galaxy Note 4, the latest generation of 5.7-inch phablet. Its key features include an extremely high-resolution 2560 x 1440-pixel display and a 16-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization—a feature typically only found in standalone cameras. There’s one difference, though: a slightly smaller battery. There’s no telling how that will affect battery life —Samsung isn’t saying how many hours either device will run on a single charge.

Whether or not it finds a true utilitarian reason for existing, the Note Edge struck me as subtly avant garde, the kind of hardware that lets you one-up others without being too flashy.

 

Edit: Ok, I get the point of Samsung, but I feel this is unnecessary and will make the phone easier to brake. And the fact that it is curved on the right side, makes it really hard to use with one hand. 

 

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/personal-technology/2014/09/03/hands-on-with-the-galaxy-note-edge-samsungs-latest-curve/?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LatestHeadlines

[Suika]

The clock and music controls are the only appealing things for such an edge in a phone IMO.

I couldn't justify buying it over an ordinary note otherwise.

[LarsReviews]

The clock and music controls are the only appealing things for such an edge in a phone IMO.

I couldn't justify buying it over an ordinary note otherwise.

 

As a clock I use my Z2 with the Sony Dock in Daydream mode, if it is ever finished RMAing. On Video, the icons seemed a bit morphed by the curve. 

[Levent]

this is actually the most retarded use of curved screen. This thing would be pretty much shit to use with a custom ROM and touchwiz is shit too so its lose/lose situation.

[CtW]

As a lefty, I find the bend useless as It would be very hard for me to use it. 

 

MAKE A LEFTIE VERSION PLZ SAMSUNG KTHXBYE.

[Captain_Slow]

glad to see that Samsung is continuing in their trend of marketing expensive but useless tech. Should suit their current customer base pretty well.