Samsung recently introduced Galaxy Note Edge in India priced at 64,990 INR. This new innovative Note variant has a folded side edge that primarily differentiates it from the Galaxy Note 4. Will this enhance your Note experience? Is it worth the extra cost you pay? We have had some time to test this new Samsung innovation and here are our initial impressions, trying to partially answer some of these questions.
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Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Quick Specs
- Display Size: 5.6 Inch Super AMOLED, 1600 X 2560p HD resolution, 524 PPI, Gorilla Glass 3
- Processor: 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805 Quad Core with Adreno 420 GPU
- RAM: 3 GB
- Software Version: Android 4.4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI
- Camera: 16 MP, Can record 4K videos, OIS +
- Secondary Camera: 3.7 MP, can record 1080P Videos, f 1.9 aperture, 120 degree Wide angle lens
- Internal Storage: 32GB
- External Storage: 128 GB using MicroSD card
- Battery: 3000 mAh
- Connectivity: 4G LTE-A Cat.6 / 3G HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80) MIMO PCIe , Bluetooth v4.1 LE / ANT+, GPS / GLONASS / Beidou , USB2.0, MHL 3.0 and Infrared LED
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge India Unboxing, Quick Review, Comparison with Note 4[Video]
Design, Build and Display
The folded side edge might seem like a subtle design change at first glance but as soon as you power on the display, you realize that it is a significant change which might also take some getting used to. Due to the folded side edge, the power key has been shifted on the top, which can be slightly inconvenient, owing to the large device footprint.
Pulling out S-Pen from its holster or pressing the hardware home button are some convenient ways to unlock this device. The other design aspects are well thought off and executed with precision. It is mostly similar to Note 4 with the same slim and slick profile which feels very good to hold in hand.
The Display is 5.6 Inches in size with ample 1600 x 2560 pixels spread across it. The extra pixels (apart from Quad HD 1440 x 2560) belong to the added side edge. It’s a sharp super AMOLED panel but we found it a notch below Galaxy Note 4 in terms of brightness and how it handles the characteristic Blue AMOLED tint (on white background) when observed from an angle.
Is the folded side edge on Note Edge an advantage?
The side display edge seems quite useful for multitasking. You can decide what apps or folders you wish to place on the side edge for quick access. In our initial few hours of usage, we haven’t been plagued by any issue of irritating unintentional touches on the side edge.
When you open browser , video player or any other app, the side edge merges with the flat display but the curve is still quite prominent as years of smartphone experience has conditioned us to flat displays. We hope this wouldn’t feel odd after a week or two. From productivity point of view, we do like the side edge on the display.
Processor and RAM
The processor used is Snapdragon 805 with very powerful Adreno 420 GPU, 4 Krait 450 cores clocked at 2.5 GHz and 3 GB RAM. The performance was very smooth and snappy in our time with the device. Note edge can handle the dense pixel matrix quite well. Out of 3 GB, 1.8 GB RAM is available on first boot which is sufficient enough for efficient multi-tasking – the forte of Galaxy Note Edge.
Camera and Internal Storage
The camera is again similar to Galaxy Note 4, which is a good thing. When held in landscape orientation, the shutter key and other software buttons shift to the side edge, thus leaving you a neat view finder window. Camera performance is great in full light and low light conditions. The Auto Focus is snappy and there is no shutter lag. The front 3.7 MP camera is also a pretty decent performer.
Internal storage is 32 GB out of which approx 24 GB is available on first boot. There is no separate partition for apps and you can use the entire space as you please. There is option for further128 GB MicroSD expansion and this shall keep all classes of users happy.
User Interface and Battery
Out of the box, Galaxy Note Edge is running Android 4.4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI on top. Samsung will upgrade this to Android 5.0 Lollipop, sooner rather than later, but even the current software version offers a lot to explore. There are several options and all features in the book, which you can try from.
Battery capacity is 3000 mAh and on brightness cranked up to its max value, the battery drain is quit rapid. Good thing is the Galaxy Note Edge supports rapid charging. Based on a weekend of usage, we estimate that average users will be able to drive around one day of battery backup. We will comment more on the same after we have spent some more time with the device.
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Photo Gallery
Conclusion
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge makes better use of the curved display technology, as compared to Galaxy Round and LG G Flex. However, it doesn’t provide reason for us to rank it above its flat display counterpart – the mighty Note 4 (which is also a lot cheaper). The curved display is an admirable change and perhaps with extended period of usage, we will like it a lot more. Galaxy Note Edge will be available in first week of January for 64,990 INR.
