For a few years now, the media have been bashing Samsung for sticking with the same formula for their smartphones and tablets, and have recently started to change things up. We saw that with the Galaxy Note 3 last year with the faux leather back, and then the Galaxy S5 with that soft touch back that looked like a golf ball or band aid. This past September, when Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 4 at IFA, they also announced the Galaxy Note Edge. Which hardware wise it’s basically the same smartphone. However it has a curved screen. The edge of the phone is curved a bit, and basically works as like a news ticker, and can also be used as a ruler and such.
When the most of us saw the Galaxy Note Edge back in September, we were really amazed, and thought it was really cutting edge. But now that we have the Galaxy Note Edge in hand, it’s not as cutting edge as we thought. Don’t get me wrong, it’s something different, and cool. But it can use some work. That’s not a bad thing, though. Most first generation products get that line in their review “not bad for a first generation product” and when I post the full review of the Galaxy Note Edge, it’s likely to be the same story. I’m very interested to see what else Samsung does with this curved display that they’ve been working on.
The Galaxy Note Edge lacks some app support, but that’s always been the case with proprietary software. Like Samsung’s Multi-window, and LG’s Q Slide. Right now, at the time of writing this, there are a handful of panels that are available for the “edge” part of the screen. Some are very cool, like the Yahoo Sports ticker, and the data usage monitor. But if there’s one thing Android users love, it’s choice and customization. Which will come with time and developer support. But you do have to use the Samsung App Store, which means if you root your phone and flash AOSP onto your Galaxy Note Edge, all the features for the “Edge” are gone, as they are baked into Touchwiz.
So this is not to bash Samsung, but it’s to keep the hype to a realistic point. The Galaxy Note Edge is cutting edge, but there’s more work that needs to be done here. And I can’t wait to see what they do with the Galaxy S6 Edge in the Spring.