I have to laugh at critics – they tell us that Samsung is no longer innovative, that their designs are boring, always the same, that they need metal…lots of metal. Those same critics raved about the LG G3 when it came out, yet it had no metal, just plastic, but that was okay, because it looked like metal??? Now, with the new Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, we have a device that actually shows some real innovation (and has a real metal frame and edges), and they still call it a gimmick – the LG Flex was the cat’s meow…talk about a gimmick – but with the Edge’s curve you can actually use it to perform functions. My point is, that the Galaxy Note Edge is a beautiful device…but the real question is does it have the specifications to back up the name or is its beauty only skin deep? The benchmarks are out – something else I do not take much stock in, but that is another story – and we are happy to report that the Note Edge does indeed hold its own…in fact, even surpasses the Galaxy Note 4 in a few.
The Galaxy Note Edge is a true high-end device like its brethren, the Galaxy Note 4. They have the best of everything at this point – the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core Krait 450 processor clocked at 2.7GHz, backed up with an Adreno 420 GPU and 3GB of RAM. The Note Edge has a 5.6-inch display (the Note 4 has 5.7-inches) but the extra size is made up on the curved Edge of the display – all with a Quad HD (QHD) resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and they are running Android 4.4.4 KitKat with a heavy dose of TouchWiz.
We must make ‘Note’ of a couple things – keep in mind that these scores are with affected by powering a QHD display for ‘on display’ tests and when compared to the iPhone 6 remember that it uses a ‘lighter weight’ OS than does Android and add to that the burden of TouchWiz.
When we look on the CPU side of things, and strictly at the Android devices, we see that that Galaxy Note Edge is at or near the top in ratings – juggling with the Droid Turbo (no TouchWiz) or the Galaxy Note 4. The iPhone 6 beat it in the single core test, but that is no surprise as the Cyclone CPU core in the Apple A8 is the next generation core and the Snapdragon Krait 450 is the last in a series before the 64-bit processor is unleashed for 2015 models. When it comes to the AnTuTu, The Note Edge’s score of 46284 was bested only by the newest Droid Turbo.
The newest Adreno 420 GPU found on the Galaxy Note Edge, definitely is an improvement over the prior renditions, however, it has quite a load to bear with the Quad HD display’s resolution. The testament of its strength is that it can push a QHD display and still be on the same level as the FHD displayed devices with only 1080p and the Adreno 330. It is almost on par with the iPhone 6’s PowerVR GPU in offline tests, but the iPhone pulls forward with on-screen tests. So for those that were wondering if the Galaxy Note Edge was just another ‘pretty face,’ you can rest assured that it is as powerful as the Galaxy Note 4…beauty and brawn, always a nice combination.
Please hit us up on our Google+ Page and let us know if you will be picking up the Galaxy Note Edge…as always, we would love to hear from you.