Samsung is well known for releasing dozens of different devices in any given year. These devices run the gamut from super cheap phones meant for pre-paid carriers in the US, dual-SIM variants in many countries internationally and even up to super expensive phones that retail for well over $1,000. It’s normally these higher-end phones that make the headlines and it’s because they normally push the limits of what was thought possible with technology, whether it be a faster processor, better camera or a new form factor. Last year with the Galaxy Note Edge Samsung introduced a brand new form factor that featured a second screen that wraps over the edge of the device, seamlessly blended with the main screen that it’s attached next to. The biggest issue with the Edge was the price, which at launch was selling for around the $1,000 mark or more.
With Project Zen Samsung looks to be taking the idea of the Galaxy Note Edge and moving it towards a more affordable spectrum. It looks to feature the same form factor of the Note Edge with a single curved edge that houses a separate display from the main one, but it’s the other features of the phone that look to be different. First off it’s going to be a smaller phone, with a 5.4 to 5.5-inch display instead of the 5.6 and 5.7-inch display found on the Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge. Internally it’s rumored to be powered by a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808, the very same processor inside the new LG G4, instead of Samsung’s own in-house Exynos line. There will of course be an S-Pen since this is a Note series phone, 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with OIS, 8-megapixel front-facing camera and 16GB of internal storage.
Moving to the big brother the Galaxy Note 5 looks to be pushing the limits of mobile technology once again, with two rumored prototypes under testing. One prototype looks to feature the Exynos 7422 processor as well as a QHD (2k) display. The Exynos 7422 supposedly features Samsung’s own in-house modem and will be the first system-on-a-chip that is an all-in-one solution (ePoP) featuring the CPU, GPU, RAM, modem and even the storage on a single chip. This would be a one-up on the previous solution we’ve seen from Samsung in the Galaxy Alpha that featured the RAM and storage in a single chip. There’s also a rumored second model that features a 4K display and an Exynos 7430 chipset, but it’s possible that this won’t be available in time for the Note 5’s scheduled release in the Fall.