Samsung took the world by surprise this morning by unveiling not one, but two variants of the Galaxy Note 4. Not only did we get a more regular looking new Galaxy Note device but we now also have something called the Galaxy Note Edge that stands out with its beautiful curved display. When the first Galaxy Note was released in 2011 it took everyone, including Samsung by surprise by becoming such a quick success. With each new addition to the Note series that success has only grown, even to a point of outselling the Galaxy S series in some markets of the world. Now, Samsung has put an even bigger bet on Note sized phones with their new Galaxy Note Edge device that will surely make a bang in the market with its curved display.
As for the Note 4, you are still looking at a 5.7-inch display, just the same as last years Galaxy Note 3 but still a huge display for a smartphone event by today’s standards. The differences in the displays are in the resolutions. The Galaxy Note 4 has a significant resolution increase as opposed to the Note 3, coming in at 2560—1440p, that’s Quad HD folks. That resolution means that you will no longer even be able to see the pixels on the Note 4’s display and who doesn’t love that? What good is a Quad-HD display without a way to take beautiful pictures to look at, Samsung thought the same thing. The Note 4 is packing a 16MP camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), essentially the Galaxy S5’s camera only better with the inclusion of OIS. Not only is the rear-facing camera good, on the front of the Note 4 you will find a 3.7MP selfie machine of a camera which Samsung has touted as having wider shooting angles and a panoramic mode used for taking “group selfies”.
Enough about the Note 4, lets get back to the exciting part of this morning, the Galaxy Note Edge. On this huge phone you immediately notice how the display curved over the right side of the device. This curved part of the display functions as an entirely separate touchscreen used for a favorite apps dock, notification bar, and even an alarm clock. This secondary display also allows you to do things such as scrolling through your notifications while you have an app open on the primary display. This second display is sure to add a new level of productivity to people who lead busy lives and have notifications constantly rolling in.
Both the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge seem to be great devices that we can’t wait to get our hands on and play around with and we can’t wait to hear more about them. As of now Samsung has not given prices for either of the devices but they did say that the Note Edge was designed as a more “premium” device and would cost more than the Note 4. This was assumed due to curved display’s costing more and being more difficult to manufacture. While Samsung has definitely taken the smartphone market by storm over the past few years with their Galaxy S and Galaxy Note Series, they have struggled to keep up the pace they once had. As it becomes more and more difficult to come up with new features and unique looks, Samsung along with every other smartphone manufacturer is struggling to keep up the sales. But Samsung has put their chips on the table yet again with the Galaxy Note Edge, offering a unique curved display but at increased cost to the consumer. Only time will tell how this plays out for Samsung.