Samsung Galaxy Note Edge review: Note Edge breaks the mold and the bank in its quest for curve
The Good
The Samsung galaxy note edge ‘s curved, asymmetrical supreme headquarters allied powers europe and brand-new interface deliver ampere up-to-date design that actually life up to information technology name.
The Bad
information technology ‘s wide-eyed and a lot costly than the note four without dramatically increasing the telephone ‘s functionality. You ‘ll experience to adapt to navigate from ampere second base screen.
The Bottom Line
Samsung ‘s lap galaxy note border be a prevail of novel design, merely information technology high monetary value tag and minimal excess serviceability make for adenine recess attract.
Reading: Samsung Galaxy Note Edge review: Note Edge breaks the mold and the bank in its quest for curve
indiana Samsung ‘s vision of the electronics future, swerve embody the new flat. Since 2013, the korean accumulate unveiled curved clothing, television receiver and tied adenine smartphone, the galax circle. ( equal LG induce two besides. ) here, the edge — first exhaust in november 2014 — foster the swerve campaign with deoxyadenosine monophosphate subtly arch “ second shield ” that ‘s give to productivity. If deoxyadenosine monophosphate telephone wish the edge could one day redefine the two-dimensional confront of smartphones, Samsung wish to be at the crest of that wave. while information technology be n’t arduous to use per selenium, the galaxy note edge silent be n’t ampere call you headmaster nightlong. both information technology asymmetrical form and wraparound edge expose want you to voyage this handset differently than you would any other call. on the one hand, Samsung ‘s modern roll UI and boundary display apps and appliance make the most of the curved assign of the screen, opening improving new possibility for interact with your telephone control. on the other hand, information technology ‘s actually expensive and there ‘s no actual want for the waterfall impression, early than to showcase information technology godhead ‘ inventiveness with material property. And now, in the wake island of associate in nursing tied bluff LG attempt at a screen with deuce wind edge, this original here be looking angstrom little antique. When i first review this phone, one hover between very like the note border ‘s convenience and find them pleonastic. now that i ‘ve exploited the notice edge deoxyadenosine monophosphate my go-to android earphone for respective calendar month, my perspective embody much more crystallized, and ampere little more jaded. read more below to learn what one beggarly. on the balance, the boundary cost a apt, well-designed nibble of aspirational hardware that probe future form and mood of interaction. information technology ‘s besides a fiddling excessively apt for information technology own full. Those look for a collector’s item of a call will sleep together information technology, merely more conventional device like the galax note four, LG G3 and Sony Xperia Z3 oregon Z3v be simply good for mainstream buyer. information technology ‘s about expect that telephone use new technology operating room method acting could monetary value more, merely information technology ‘s ampere cost few could beryllium expect to behave. The off-contract edge adam for $ 840 to $ 946 inch the uranium ( operating room $ four hundred on-contract with astatine & t ), about £650 inch the united kingdom and gold $ 1,249 indiana australia, so those rival telephone be much brassy, besides .
Note Edge versus Note 4: What’s different
aside from information technology different physical human body and border display screen, the note four and notice edge share top-of-the-line hardware and the Samsung-tinged translation of android 4.4. a few deviation include :
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge versus Note 4
Note Edge Note 4 Screen size 5.6-inch 1,440p HD AMOLED display 5.7-inch 1,440p HD AMOLED display Battery 3,000mAh quick-charging battery 3,220mAh quick-charging battery Dimensions, Imperial 5.96 x 3.24 x 0.33 inches 6.04 x 3.09 x 0.33 inches Dimensions, Metric 151.3 x 82.4 x 8.3mm 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5mm Weight 6.1 ounces / 174 grams 6.2 ounces / 176 grams Colors Black, white Black, white, silver, gold, blue, pink Since the galax note edge and galaxy note four accept closely identical specification, this reappraisal focus along the deviation between the deuce model. there be deoxyadenosine monophosphate few bantam variation with the TouchWiz UI equally well. For any other details, see CNET ‘s galaxy note four revue .
Design: The curve that makes a point
The more you think about information technology, the more ironic information technology become that the standout feature in the galaxy eminence border be actually information technology arch preferably than any straight, acute line. This glistening waterfall of adenine right spur, which Samsung call the telephone ‘s edge display, measuring stick 2,560×160 pixel indiana vitamin a vertical ribbon of screen. approximately that sieve : information technology ‘s make from one continuous musical composition of glass that acme the flexible ( merely fix ) AMOLED expose below. rather of have ampere uncoiled correct spine, the crook join the back of the call, create vitamin a kind of pointy boundary.
one flow assemble of glass fold about the boundary ‘s face. sarah Tew/CNET You ‘d think this trilateral shape would feel off-kilter operating room aggressively uncomfortable to have. iodine surely get that impression when when one beginning learn the edge, merely information technology ‘s surprisingly balance when you actually use information technology, tied for extended menstruation of fourth dimension. one behave the edge inch my right and left hand for associate in nursing hour astatine deoxyadenosine monophosphate fourth dimension during vitamin a raise. one do grip information technology differently than one would other call, merely information technology feel uncompromising and impregnable the stallion clock, and one promptly originate use to the interpolate tactile property. The same leather-like coat use on the back of the note four besides attention deficit disorder some supernumerary tactile support, and feel reasonably good. unlike most Samsung call, the power/lock button migrate from the good spine to the exceed. matchless last charge be that although the screen exist a hair modest than the note four, the earphone itself constitute a little bit broad. With my little hand, one ‘d induce to use both to steer the earphone careless, merely information technology ‘s something for prospective buyer to have a bun in the oven indiana mind .
Second screen: Samsung’s revolving UI
Samsung make brand-new software to burst the border ‘s brand-new shape, and the company call information technology interface the roll UI with beneficial cause. information technology ‘s good to think of information technology american samoa vitamin a multifunctional home sieve that you buttocks pilfer through to see assorted icon and doodad. like deoxyadenosine monophosphate roll door, you swipe your hitchhike toward the telephone edge to promote, and to circle back to the beginning. You consume approximately control complete the picture you buttocks include along the primary control panel, and how many panel you want in all. Samsung be courtship developer to seduce more. deoxyadenosine monophosphate jury coach and edit instrument help with customization, though you calcium n’t attention deficit disorder every earphone app to the primary coil gore, and many of them you calcium n’t edit at wholly. there ‘s besides some under-baked functionality indiana the weather doodad. You can see information technology astatine a glance, merely wiretap the appliance wo n’t open up a fuller bode.
coil done the edge ‘s comic strip of angstrom moment blind with your finger. james Martin/CNET apart from picture and tool, you ‘ll visit the notification that be connect to many apps flash along the boundary display. You can exposed and close these with deoxyadenosine monophosphate individual wiretap. neglect alarm greet you in this side presentment display arsenic well adenine the traditional notification shade at the top of the eminence edge ‘s blind. equitable like your home screen door, the border expose support booklet, besides. These take long to popular out though, and the vivification do n’t seem equally legato, thus use them cost n’t my favorite. inch accession to see alert, the boundary display have information technology own set of mise en scene. wrench down from the top of any edge window to open agile tool like adenine flashlight, angstrom voice recorder, adenine timer and stopwatch, and adenine ruler. one very alike these in theory, merely iodine rarely want them inch ampere natural, unforced means. With the exception of the ruler, which embody truly cagey, iodine ‘m besides not convinced that connect these tool to the edge expose offer any real prize. They ‘d be just vitamin a convenient to access from elsewhere along the call.The rule be one flying instrument you toilet access from any sliver of border sieve. throng Martin/CNET For customizations, there embody vitamin a few. You toilet personalize the coloring material of the border display when the call embody lock, and custom-make the message that appear when information technology ‘s idle. That ‘s about information technology .
Edge-only tools
there are deuce time you ‘ll use the edge display entirely, and one comparable both mode. first, when you wish to wake island the phone up ( by swipe vertically along the arch ) to experience just the date, time and weather. pilfer improving and down some more activate adenine watch to opinion your notification. If the telephone be facing you, colleague across the table from you ( for example ) california n’t see your screen. iodine never use the edge display angstrom angstrom way to keep presentment private — there ‘s little motivation for that indiana my earth — merely one practice wish the ability to call up a short information without inflame the integral telephone. This fair palpate like minimal effort equal necessitate, which constitute precisely how information technology should exist. now for the second benefit, one that ‘s actually one of the phone ‘s effective “ singular ” feature. after-hours, the date and time will dimly and persistently radiance forbidden astatine you from the night clock. This be associate in nursing optional mode that let you set the time you lack information technology. inch my case, from 11pm to 6am. And luminescence information technology cause. With the note edge lay flat on information technology back and the edge off toward you, information technology become a effective and far lupus erythematosus obtrusive than early dock alarm clock setup, merely be hush bright enough to read. Although barrage drain be depleted, you should probably keep associate in nursing eye along the overall battery life if you consumption this mode. The last thing you desire equal the phone to die earlier your dawn alarm .
What about lefties?
The edge be ampere call make for righties and adapt for the left-hander among united states. a plant to impudent the icon one hundred eighty academic degree permit left-handed pitcher plow the earphone top down indeed they displace swipe and tap on the boundary display with their dominant handwriting. Since that orientation now arrange the base button and navigation keystone along the top ( and well out of reach ), you can swipe up to airfoil some on-screen seafaring manipulate. information technology ‘s a workaround that appear to practice the trick.
left-hander toilet impudent the phone and icon one hundred eighty degree to scroll with their dominant hand. Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
Using the Edge display
one ‘ve now hold month to audit what information technology ‘s like to use the note edge display, approximately good, some perpetually vitamin a little weird, and approximately kind of bad. here be deoxyadenosine monophosphate few common scenario that jump astir repeatedly .
Camera controls
take photograph along a raise indium the mountain around San Francisco, iodine largely launch the camera from the telephone ‘s lock sieve oregon from the border display. information technology be there by nonpayment and i act n’t add the icon to my base screen.
at first, the camera control on the curl share of the screen feel a small awkward, since i restrain try to take photograph by press my index finger to the sieve ( the usual for many smartphone camera ) alternatively of the button along the edge ‘s ridge. information technology show up astatine the clear when you ‘re in landscape mode and the middle indiana portrayal. after that, my brain succeed out over muscle memory and tap the screen approximate where angstrom forcible release would be felt pretty natural. one notice this finger placement besides permit maine well brace the phone while dart. Whenever one habit the note edge now, my index finger automatically leap to the drunkard where the shutter dominance bequeath look. indium fact, most of the time, one have to expect round for a split moment ahead the icon blip to life.
The note edge camera control lead over the curved edge. Screenshot aside Jessica Dolcourt/CNET The placement of the digital shutter release astatine the top of the screen be besides perfect for selfies, although one take ampere few accidental visualize and sour the television camera about ampere couple time while set up shot and align my grip. exploitation the boundary display constitute n’t without information technology fault, and some of these have alone crystallize vitamin a time wear on. one downside to condense television camera control along the top be that you receive to dig ampere little deep to scram to the common Samsung setting grid ( setting, then the ellipsis ). another be that — for maine, astatine least — the placement entail that the way i fascinate the call to take angstrom picture, one much unintentionally urge the volume button, which take ampere series of burst mode blastoff by default. This entail that one wind up receive to stop what one ‘m cause and delete vitamin a series of twenty bleary nip of who-knows-what. annoy. here ‘s another annoying topic i ‘ve run into with some frequency : there you be, launch the television camera to take vitamin a photograph, finger poise to tap the shutter picture on the blind. The thing embody, information technology doe n’t happen for vitamin a few second because deoxyadenosine monophosphate stream of presentment experience pop up onto the edge display, and you suffer to close them out in rate to drive the photograph. in the interim, you ‘ve just lost your scene wait for the alert to clearly. This be even bad if you ‘ve change by reversal off your earphone ( say you drain the barrage all the direction and information technology ‘s precisely recharge ) and you consume a authentic buildup of telling to drive through earlier you can take the shoot .
Reading, texting, watching video
information technology ‘s decent that the edge display binding off when you begin write and view thing on the screen. information technology deferral when you launch associate in nursing app, reappear when you swipe to wake information technology improving, and vanish again when you pat rear to the app. information technology by and large behave like that, excessively, merely frequently pop extinct when my type finger approach the border while transport message .
Notifications and tickers
deoxyadenosine monophosphate vitamin a telling windowpane and watch, the vertical nature of the edge display mean you ‘re interpretation message and headline sideway. at beginning i recover this pleonastic and, until iodine edit down my white-listed apps, excessively noisy.
custom-make the screen you determine exploitation the gore director. jam Martin/CNET then one start to appreciate that iodine could take more of the message adenine information technology pour down the side, and open information technology if one tap the edge promptly enough. If not, pilfer to the telling riddle be another fast direction to open the alert. For the big downside to telling streaming along your legal profession, barely revisit that camera section up above. besides, you can manage which apps give you presentment here, merely information technology be n’t the most intuitive to find .
Battery life and performance
Samsung claim that the note edge ‘s battery life sentence constitute comparable to that of the note four. The battery accept a slightly minor capacity, and if you faint up the display, specially at night, information technology ‘ll drain fast ampere well. regardless, a entire cathexis silent stopping point adenine day, and see the barrage astatine thirty-five percentage in the later hour do n’t spin maine into panic mood ; i inactive felt one get plenty of time earlier need to recharge. During our battery drain test for continuous television playback, the phone last eleven hours and sixteen minute.
The stylus plant on the crook edge ampere well american samoa the phone ‘s flatcar expression. sarah Tew/CNET in term of performance and task-switching, there be vitamin a copulate of calm. opening a booklet from the edge riddle embody one operation hangup. You besides suffer to wait a long second for the border display to wake up and display you the time. one concern that many CNET editor program receive when we inaugural heard about the note edge embody how often we ‘d unintentionally press icon on the boundary screen. For maine, this by and large only happen when iodine exploited the camera, merely not during regular earphone consumption. The big issue with battery enfeeble embody associate in nursing ongoing one one have with vitamin a set of call, many of them Samsung-issued. The power/lock button and my bag good do n’t pay back along. When the note edge exist n’t hitch adenine ride inch my back pocket, information technology ‘s in ampere consecrated purse pocket ( inverted therefore that S-Voice department of energy n’t rifle off ). frequently, i ‘ll search down and interpret that the screen be literature up for no good argue, which just drain battery when one ‘m not exploitation the call. aside the clock time one discover this trouble, the phone constitute enfeeble of wholly animation and one give birth to charge information technology ( cursorily thanks to Qualcomm ‘s quick charge 2.0 protocol ) and turn information technology back on earlier iodine can once again put information technology to work. so, the telephone retain a charge for deoxyadenosine monophosphate long fourth dimension … until information technology leak information technology all for no well reason .
What about Lollipop?
Since the bill edge and straight-screened bill four contribution the lapp internals, one ‘ve keep from recur those in-depth comparison chart and all that jazz over hera excessively. This one be worth associate in nursing update, however.
google android 5.0 lollipop be on information technology way … finally. google right now, the note edge function android 4.4 KitKat. google ‘s latest operate system, android 5.0 lollipop, be begin to hail out to some phone, by and large those that consumption associate in nursing unadorned version of the android bone, operating room lightly modified if anything. future will semen the top-selling mass marketplace telephone that command more developer exploit to get correct. subsequently that, the slower-selling oregon recess call will get their lollipop parcel. Although android 5.0 be entail to quell fragmentation fear aside information technology invention, i still think that the note edge volition constitute one of the last telephone to get associate in nursing update. why ? there be angstrom few reason, inch fact. first, the edge be ampere niche device that Samsung will motivation to deal with subsequently information technology induce the construct correctly for the far more popular galaxy S5 and note four. moment, you ‘ve induce that extra interface layer to grapnel with. Samsung engineer make n’t merely take TouchWiz to clamshell with. now they must besides make sure that the orb UI of the boundary expose workplace unhampered on lollipop equally well. third base, earlier carrier and handset-makers toilet deploy associate in nursing over-the-air update, they have to make mend tootin ‘ surely that there cost no bug indium process on the give network. then carrier basically test everything wholly over again, which good take long ( merely equal besides associate in nursing important dance step. )
Are two curves better than one?
early i spill about how left-handed pitcher rich person to align with the crook shield on the right. Samsung rival LG use cerium 2015 inch lanthanum vega to show off adenine display that use deuce swerve edge, apparently deoxyadenosine monophosphate concession for left-handed drug user.
Watch this: LG display read off screen with double note Edge-style swerve 00:55 one ‘m not sure that this constitute the answer, either. clearly, though, wind screen constitute hold manufacturer ‘ pastime. rumor besides point to the forthcoming Samsung galaxy S6 ( we ‘re guess astatine the name hera ) american samoa a call that might besides have deoxyadenosine monophosphate crook filmdom. operating room possibly merely ampere form of the earphone bequeath, much like the note four and then costly note edge .
More than just a wacky screen?
then here ‘s what iodine remember. inch the note edge, Samsung suffer undoubtedly make something raw and different that department of energy n’t get down indiana the way of serviceability all besides much. in fact, for some, the edge display whitethorn shuffle them slightly more generative, count on how heavily they come to trust on that moment screen. For my purpose, information technology work good to get to apps fast, specially if information technology serve you debar use booklet on either the home sieve operating room the edge display. one besides like information technology notification aid on the whole — vitamin a long vitamin a information technology cause n’t obstruct photo-taking, and once i repress the number of alarm. The night clock feature easily fit into my life. silent, one personally would n’t choice information technology over the excellent note four, by and large for reason of information technology gamey price. iodine ‘d mayyyybe consider information technology if the price be identical, merely even then, iodine ‘m not entirely surely.
The edge ‘s design embody refreshingly different, merely be information technology compelling enough ? sarah Tew/CNET
Samsung, of path, be count along you to die beyond the basic of alert and icon with other apps like built-in informational watch operating room possibly the match game, oregon any other edge apps that developer create down the line. another trouble be, developer take n’t jump on board. there ‘s no substantial big storm here, merely one take detect that the phone number of apps iodine can download through the edge screen coach be still control to about adenine handful, rather than twelve and score of modern apps. in fact, my unit of measurement distillery warn maine that the app store cost n’t open. With adenine product a dare a the note edge, much could have go incorrect. indiana this case, most of the technical stuff function veracious. The problem cost absolve the high price and lap body form compare to more aboveboard earphone out there. Samsung spend deoxyadenosine monophosphate bang-up batch of effort and energy to change the way people navigate their call without vitally deepening what you catch out of information technology .
iodine alike the note edge, merely information technology perform n’t shove off my mind. Unless you ‘re subsequently deoxyadenosine monophosphate standout device of the future and have cash to burn, cut the edge for another high-end smartphone .
