Dubai: Samsung’s Note Edge is based on the design of Note 4 with same specs and features but the entire right edge of the screen is curved.
Holding the Edge feels different compared to the usual handsets as it is wider than Note 4 and it stands out from the crowded smartphone market.
The 5.6-inch Super AMOLED device (2560 x 1440 resolution with 524 pixels per inch) runs on Quad-core 2.7 GHz processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage capacity and can be expanded up to 128GB via micro SD. It weighs 174 grams. The curved portion adds 160 pixels per inch. Even though the curved portion has separate features, the whole screen is one piece and there is no physical separation.
The edge screen has helpful utilities and it is for early adaptors but is not going to set the world on fire.
The edge is an app launcher and it is faster than opening in usual method. What Samsung has done is that it is moved the usual apps from the home screen to the edge.
Eight screens can be added to the edge out of the 18 total found in the app store. Samsung has tied with Yahoo to give news, finance and sports headlines as run on. Apart from these, Twitter, social media feeds and notifications can be viewed as run on. The contents scrolls up vertically and it is difficult to read in the portrait mode.
There are limited apps that can run from the edge. As this is a limited edition, how many developers will spend time for this have to be seen?
The advantage of the screen is that when launching an app the edge screen is also utilised as the normal screen and the edge is blacked out.
Swiping up from bottom of the edge screen will take you to the settings where the panels, information stream can be managed. The night clock option on the edge screen is useful as the screen turns off, the edge screen turn into a night clock and the timing for the night screen can be set. The clock mode subtly illuminates the edge screen with time, date and alarm information.
Swiping down from the top of the edge screen will give access to the ruler, stopwatch, timer, voice recorder and torch light apps.
The edge screen alone be activated by swiping first to the right and then to the left.
It is very useful when using the camera app, as all the controls are moved to the edge screen to give more screen real estate.
I did not find any of the panels on the edge screen compelling to use on a day-to-day basis.
The home key is also stuffed with fingerprint scanner. On the left of the home key is the multitasking key but all these keys are not illuminated like in the previous models.
The fingerprint scanner can log 10 finger prints and works very well. Samsung has included the IR blaster on top of the device.
The S Pen stylus is more and the stylus worked well on the curved edge also.
Press the button on the S Pen and the Air Command menu will appear on the screen allowing users to open Action Memo, Smart Select, Image Clip and Screen Write. The density of the digital ink changes as you press harder on the screen.
But the issue is that that many apps optimised for S Pen cannot be found on the Google or Samsung app stores.
The 16MP autofocus camera with LED flash also has optical image stabilisation for taking better snaps in lowlight conditions and to record steady videos.
Samsung has limited the number of features and the app looks neat. The modes available are auto, rear-cam Selfie, selective focus, panorama, beauty face, dual camera. There is an option to download more features from the Samsung app store like surround shot, animated photo, sports shot, food shot, sound & shot and sequence shot.
The images captured are sharp and rich in details. Samsung has tightened up the camera’s ability to take more detailed landscape shots. It does a decent job of taking pictures in pitch dark conditions.
Video capturing is excellent with many options like 4K recording (3840 x 2160), QHD (2560 x 1440) 1080p, 720p and VGA (640 x 480). It can record 2160p at 30 frames per second, 1080p at 60 frames per second with optical stabilisation and dual-video.
The 3.7MP front-facing camera with a fast f/1.9 aperture has a 90 degree lens to allow more area for selfies. Tapping the screen or by placing the finger on the heart rate sensor or by saying smile, cheese, capture and shoot to take selfies. The same modes on the back camera can also be downloaded from the Samsung app store if needed. The front camera can record in Full HD.
The Samsung’s fast charge feature charges 40 per cent of the battery in just 30 minutes. The ultra-power saving features found in Note 4 find its place on Note Edge also.
The 3,000mAh removable battery is smaller than Note 4’s 3,200mAh battery but gives one full day of use for moderate users. It played back videos for more than 11 hours compared to Note 4’s over 13 hours. The second screen is a bit of a power drain. It is not priced yet but definitely it is expected to cost more than Dh3,500.
