Samsung once began to not only look different, it opened up new possibilities. Samsung revolutionized the mobile world in its own way when it introduced a monster Galaxy Note in 2011. Although they now have nothing to boast about, since the Note series is not alone in its kind, now everyone from HTC to Apple makes phablets and smartphones no smaller than 4.7 inches in size. Today for review Samsung Galaxy Note Edge.

Even though Samsung recently launched the new Note 4 series, the company is continuing with other innovations. This time we will talk about the Samsung Edge Galaxy Note smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge – Reviews

When we saw the new Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, we thought it was cool. Many abandoned it, thinking it was just another gimmick to attract interest in the company. But there were also those who were simply delirious with the idea of ​​getting this device. After using the new product for several days, we realized that Samsung is once again claiming gold.

New emotions with Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

Just like the recently released Note4, the Samsung Note Edge has a SUPER AMOLED screen with a quad resolution – HD 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. So the pixel density is slightly higher, i.e. +160 pixels to the screen width. Overall, the device has a simply fantastic screen, but pixel purists will certainly complain that the colors on it are too saturated.

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is a smartphone that has an aluminum bezel, just like the Note 4, but the bezel is coated with magnesium. This makes the device feel more plasticky in your hand, but no less durable, which is definitely a good thing when you're holding such a large phone. I liked the way this is designed, but there is a feeling that the fingers of the hand that holds the device will accidentally touch one of the applications located on the edge of the screen and open it when it is not needed at all.

New design

Samsung Note Edge gives you quick access to all your favorite apps and is completely customizable to suit your needs. All you have to do is tap the star icon to access all the apps and select the ones you want to have quick access to. I added Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and other app downloads; The seven selected apps will now be visible at once, but the rest can be seen by scrolling.

Samsung offers several dedicated apps for Edge, including a trending topics feed for Twitter, Yahoo News, calendar reminders, and more. Edge displays a custom message before you unlock your phone.

Like any first-generation device, Edge suffers from a lack of developer support, so many apps are missing. However, those that exist are functional, although not always beautiful.

What the Galaxy Note Edge Offers

Samsung's own panels such as calendar notifications and the so-called “briefing panel” are now more attractive and practical. You can edit your briefing panel to show only the notifications and information you need. For example, you can display the weather, email, Facebook, Twitter and other notifications so you never miss anything important. Samsung allows you to rearrange your panels in a special device settings menu.

You can also customize the key tools to access functions such as the flashlight, recorder, and timer by opening the blue panel. At night, the Edge serves as a dim clock, so you don't have to reach for your phone to make sure it's 6:30 instead of 4:00 and it's time for you to get up.

The coolest feature of the smartphone is multitasking, which is made easier by Edge. You can read the article and check by looking at Edge if you have any notifications from your favorite applications - Facebook, Twitter, Gmail or VK. When I want to return to my article, I simply touch the text and everything unnecessary disappears. Or, if the notification is important, I can tap the app icon to quickly launch it. Then a simple tap of the back button and I was back to reading.

Galaxy Note Edge 4 is the perfect phone for multitasking organizers and communication junkies. in social networks.

If you're left-handed, placing the Edge keys on the right side might seem like a huge problem. But this is only at first glance. When I held the phone in my left hand, my fingers cut into the edge and accidentally touched the buttons.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge specifications

In addition to the unique screen, Samsung Note The 4 Edge has almost the same specs as the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. It's all powered by the same Qualcomm 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor with 3GB of storage. random access memory. Samsung has packed 32GB of memory into the device, which you can expand with a card microSD memory up to 128 GB. Like the Note4, the Edge has a heart rate monitor, a digital fingerprint sensor, and an S-pen.

Galaxy Note Edge photo and camera

The Note Edge still has the same 2 cameras: a 16-megapixel rear camera and a 3.7-megapixel front camera, like the Note 4. This makes it possible to take high-quality pictures even at night. Colors are not always accurate and may appear faded. While I was using the iPhone 6 Plus for several weeks, I was convinced that the difference in quality, although there was a slight difference.

Battery

For some mysterious reason, Samsung has given the Note 4 Edge a 3,000mAh battery. It appears that the company was forced to install a smaller battery because of this fin, but fortunately it is not much smaller in practice. I didn't notice a huge difference in battery life, and I was able to use the gadget almost the whole day.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge can charge the battery from 0 to 50% in just half an hour. So if the battery is almost empty, 30 minutes of hugging the wall near the outlet and you are mobile again.

Bottom line

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge 4 is almost identical to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in terms of specifications, features and design, so it's hard to explain the huge price jump.

At a whopping $950, the Note 4 Edge is one of the most expensive smartphones you can buy. Even the iPhone 6 Plus with 64GB of storage is much cheaper than the 32GB Note Edge. The price is insane and beyond the reach of mere mortals. For experiments, the Galaxy Note Edge is too expensive.

Advantages

• Multitasking
• Unique design
• Sensitive S-pen.

Specifications

• Android 4.4.4, TouchWiz shell
• microSIM
• SuperAMOLED screen, 5.7 inches, 1440x2560 pixels, QHD, 525 ppi, 16 million colors, curved screen (5.6 inches main part - 2560x1440 pixels, curved - 2560x160 pixels)
• Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• S Pen for handwriting notes, drawing and more
• 3 GB RAM, 32 GB internal memory, memory cards up to 128 GB
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, 4 cores Krait 450 up to 2.7 GHz, Adreno 420, LTE Cat.4
• Acceleration sensor, gyroscope, proximity sensor, compass, barometer, UV sensor, heart rate sensor, blood oxygen saturation sensor, GPS/A-GPS/Glonass
• 16 megapixel camera, optical stabilization, video recording up to 2160p 30 frames per second
• Ant+, Bluetooth 4.1 EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, dual bands; microUSB (USB 2.0), USB Host, MHL, USB On-the-go; NFC, infrared;
• 3G 850/900/1900/2100; 4G 800/850/900/1800/2100/2600
• Battery 3220 mAh Li-Ion
• Dimensions – 151.3x82.4x8.3 mm, weight – 174 grams

Contents of delivery

• Telephone
• Battery Li-Ion 3220 mAh
• Charger with USB cable
• Wired stereo headset
• Instructions

Positioning

Each manufacturer has products that can be called experiments - these are models that test out certain technologies; with their help, companies conduct reconnaissance in force and assess market demand. You cannot create a production technology, learn to avoid problems, if you create only prototypes and do not release them into series - therefore, every company tries to try new technologies in practice. It seems technologically difficult to create devices with a curved screen - about a year ago, Samsung and LG created models with a curve around the central axis, for example, the LG G Flex became one of such models available for commercial sale. The sales geography of this model was very small, the price was extremely high, this is a price for the limited edition and the fact that the product is not like everyone else.

In many ways, such products are perceived as something niche, and that’s what they are - models for enthusiasts or those who are willing to pay the maximum amount for a device, as long as it is unique. Functionality and the need for the technologies used in this way fade into the background, or even the third plan. Usually such phones are bought by those who want to stand out, oddly enough, but they have quite a high image charge.

In the case of the Note EDGE, we see a complete analogue of the Note 4, built on a chipset from Qualcomm, in which they changed very little: a piece of the screen was bent on the right side and various reminders were made on this bevel. The difference in price from the standard version is 15 thousand rubles, that is, the cost is approximately 40 percent higher. Considering that this product is not mass market, goes on sale in a limited number of countries, in a small number of stores, no one expects high sales from it - this is a niche offer. Initially, I was extremely skeptical about this model, but after several weeks with the EDGE I changed my mind somewhat; this niche device has its own strengths.

Design, dimensions, control elements

The design of the case is completely identical to that of the Note 4, the same materials are used - plastic with leather-like embossing on the back surface, a metal frame with beveled edges, and due to the bending of the case it is made asymmetrical.

There are two body colors - black and white. I like both options, each has its advantages, and the choice of one color or another is a matter of your taste and mood.

The phone's size is no different from the Note 4 - 151.3x82.4x8.3 mm, weight - 174 grams.

The speaker in the device was moved to the back wall, the design is completely similar to the Galaxy S5 - Note 3 had a speaker on the bottom end. The changed location made the speaker even louder, in Note 3 you couldn’t complain about it, now the same melodies sound even louder, I tried to show this in our video.

There are microphones at the ends - there are now three of them in the device. Two on the bottom end, and one on the top. Three microphones do an excellent job not only with noise reduction in street conditions or in a noisy room, they have added some functions that are not typical for phones and have not been encountered by me until now. The voice recorder has been improved - now it has an “Interview” mode, when it records sound from two microphones - it is important to turn the phone with the end facing the interlocutor and preferably place it on the table. There is also a “Conference” mode, when sound is recorded from different sources. One of the new features, but unlike many, it is not at all useless and convenient in work and life.

The 16-megapixel camera module protrudes on the back panel and does not have any bezel. It protrudes slightly, and this is already familiar from Note 3, it does not cause any problems. Considering that the camera is in the middle, this even has its own advantage: the body rises, and the speaker sounds louder when the device is lying on the table.

The sensor under the camera has changed compared to the Galaxy S5, now it can not only measure heart rate, but also measure blood oxygen levels, stress, and ultraviolet radiation. Many parameters will become redundant for most, but many are not few, after all, extra money they don't ask for them.

At the top end there is an IR port for control household appliances. Your phone can act as a remote control for any device. And this sometimes saves and helps. I had several situations when hotel remote controls didn’t have batteries, and the phone saved me; with one click it turned into a full-fledged remote control. At home and when using TV services (cable or satellite channels) it also gives all the programs, schedule and search for them. Very comfortably. The service itself is from Peel.

On the left side there is a paired volume key, on the right side there is nothing but the screen. The on/off button is located on the top end, and this is inconvenient due to the height of the phone; you always have to reach out or work with it with both hands. The keys themselves are easy to use; they are also metal. At the top end there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack, while at the bottom there is a USB connector (microUSB standard 2.0). At the bottom you can also see a slot for the S-Pen stylus.

Let's talk about the front surface of the device - to the left of the speaker there is an indicator of missed events, it blinks blue, it can be turned off in the menu. There is a proximity sensor on the right, and even further to the right - front-camera, she received greater resolution and also new feature panoramic photo of your loved one. The mechanical central key remains unchanged, flanked by two touch keys.

Let's open the back cover. Inside we will see a slot for microSD memory cards; they are hot-swappable. Just below is a slot for microSIM cards, but to replace it you need to remove the battery.

One of the disadvantages that caught my eye is that, unlike the Note 4, the back cover is difficult to close in the area of ​​the USB connector; you need to press it and apply force. It is possible that due to bending this is not so easy to do. But other than that, there are no differences.

Display

We took the SuperAMOLED screen from the Note 4, folded the right corner and got a display for EDGE. At the same time, the manufacturer states that the diagonal of the main screen is 5.6 inches, and its resolution is 2560x1440 pixels, but the remaining 0.1 inches from Note 4 went to the side strip, its resolution is 2560x160 pixels.

A narrow and thin strip that allows you to display one line of text - this is enough for many reminders and controls. But you need to understand that this is not a separate screen at all, but a part of the main display - they form a single whole. You cannot turn on one screen and turn off the other, both screens work simultaneously. Another thing is that often when the side screen is working, a black background is shown on the main one, which does not consume energy in the case of AMOLED, and this made it possible to create such a solution.

Just like the Note 4, it uses Corning Gorilla Glass 3, but it is curved to fit the shape of the screen, this is another technological challenge - there are few such models on the market yet, you can count them on the fingers of one hand.

I will not dwell in detail on the characteristics of the screen, its settings, comparison with other models, this was all done, and in great detail, in the Note 4 review, to which I will send you from time to time.

Working with the side screen - possibilities and impressions

In the settings there is a separate menu item that is dedicated to the side screen - you can select any picture, and then its vertical piece will become wallpaper. It's not that interesting - it's almost impossible to show anything in such a strip. Another thing is that on this screen you can set various shortcuts and reminders. They are scrolled through one by one, let's start with the obvious, it can be a line with shortcuts, including folders. If you click on a shortcut, it opens on the main screen, but if you click on a folder, it also opens on the main screen.

It is possible to launch standard applications, such as a voice recorder, stopwatch, ruler, timer - they will only work on the side screen. It's quite convenient.

While you're using various apps on your phone, an incoming call appears on the side screen (all except when you're on the phone's Home screen or when it's locked). You can answer from the side screen, and this is not always convenient; a couple of times I made a mistake and rejected the call. But in general, you get used to such an organization, and you even start to like it.

In the Samsung app store you can find new “screens” and utilities for the side screen, they fall into the Express Me menu. There are not a large number of utilities yet, for example, there is one that shows the memory status. How necessary is it? That's the question. In many ways, the use of the side screen is still far-fetched; the company is trying to come up with use cases, but they themselves do not understand them.

For example, a couple of toys were released specifically for EDGE - basketball and chess, they use the side screen, but its use is very far-fetched.

Perhaps, of all the side screen modes, I like the night one the most - the time and air temperature are shown in white font. You can set the time range when this mode starts working. This is great on a table near the bed; in many ways it replaces a traditional alarm clock - it doesn’t shine very brightly, but is easily visible in the dark. Overnight operation in this mode consumes about 3-4 percent of the battery charge, which can be considered quite acceptable.

Finally, one more thing - in the screen settings menu there is an option to rotate 180 degrees, a first for Samsung phones. That is, the device can be rotated as you please, regardless of the location of the hardware button. Turning it upside down, you will see touch keys that replace those on the body.

Now let me just show you the side screen photos.

Battery

Li-Ion battery capacity – 3220 mAh. According to the manufacturer, the operating time in the main modes is as follows: standby mode - up to 850 hours of operation, talk time - up to 16 hours, video playback - up to 10 hours, music - about 50 hours. Since this device is based on a chipset from Qualcomm, and my Note 4 in the review was on Exynos, made using 20 nm technology, it was interesting to evaluate the difference in operating time and find out if there is any. It turned out that there is almost none - traditionally Qualcomm creates more energy-efficient solutions, but in Exynos this difference is eliminated by a new technical process. The end result is roughly comparable.

Under normal load, the device easily works for two days. This is one of the longest-lived smartphones on the market, and no one has been able to come close to it in this parameter. Regardless of what modes you work in, what you do on your smartphone, you can know one thing for sure - it will live longer than similar devices with the same screen diagonal. Under very heavy load, as in my case, it lasts until the evening - this is about 3-4 hours of screen operation, constantly online, transferring a large amount of data.

The device uses Adaptive Fast Charging & Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 technology, this is the first model with it. In the settings (item “Energy saving”) you can check the possibility of fast charging. In this case, with the original included charger, you can charge the phone halfway in half an hour, a full charge is possible in an hour and a half, while in an hour the device will be charged up to 90 percent.

Finally, I would like to note that, just like in the S5 and Note 4, they added two power saving modes. There is a regular power saving mode, in which you can limit the background operation of applications, enable gray colors for the screen (for AMOLED this is a feature - gray color consumes almost no energy). Moreover, in gray tones you can work almost anywhere, even watch videos - but it will be gray, which is not very pleasant and convenient.

Memory, memory cards, chipset, performance

Let's start with something simple: the device has 3 GB of RAM. The built-in memory is 32 GB, you have about 24 GB of space available for your programs and data. You can install a memory card up to 128 GB, there is almost no difference in access speed, so applications stored on the card will work just as fast.

The model is built on Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 – 4 Krait 450 cores up to 2.7 GHz, Adreno 420, LTE Cat.4. In synthetic tests there is no difference in performance from Note 4 to Exynos, they are quite comparable.

For comparison, examples of Galaxy Note 4 tests:

There is no point in repeating everything that is similar to Note 4 in this review, the devices are no different, you can read the Note 4 review, it covers in detail all the points related to this device.

I’ll just note that the Qualcomm version of Note 4, and accordingly the EDGE, uses a camera module from Sony (EXMOR RS), which gives quite typical pictures, comparable to those we saw in the Exynos version. The only difference is that in a number of modes the speed of the camera and its quality are worse - for example, when shooting at night, everything happens noticeably slower, and the resulting pictures are worse. But otherwise the difference is practically invisible. Look at sample pictures below, this is one of best cameras On the market.

Impression

In terms of sound quality and speech transmission, there are no differences from the Note 4 - everything is excellent, the device has no flaws. Sales of this model begin in November, the cost is 50,000 rubles, while Note 4 costs 35,000 rubles. Functionally, these are twin brothers, differing only in that the EDGE has a curved screen. Is it worth the overpayment of 15,000 rubles, is there an image component to this? The question is open - rather, the unusual nature of the phone is dictated by the limited edition, high cost, and it will find its audience. It can be called an expensive version of Note 4, which in itself is not bad. Is this device worth recommending? Here I am in doubt, since I always had a prejudice against this phone, it did not seem to me something noticeably better than Note 4, a kind of self-indulgence. In many ways, this opinion remains, but after a couple of weeks with EDGE, I liked the mode of operation of the additional screen at night, the ability not to be distracted during an incoming call, since it is displayed on a small screen. But it's definitely not worth the difference, and choosing wisely, I would give up EDGE. On the other hand, there is a category of people who buy the most expensive things, and for them this niche smartphone is an ideal find. They will definitely not be like everyone else and will be able to stand out. The question is whether people will know that EDGE is unique in any way. Yes, people pay attention to it, it attracts attention, but the value of this device is still unknown. And whether it will be known is unclear. In a word, the device is not for everyone; it is niche. And when discussing it, you should always remember this - no one ever intended to sell it in large quantities. The model turned out to be very nice in real life, but it’s definitely not worth the money.

The world is changing, and its demands are growing enormously. If 10 years ago the very possibility of devices without buttons was surprising, now no one can be amazed by a touchscreen smartphone. And if the general aspects of these gadgets have already stopped changing, manufacturers are actively attacking games with device design. Some experiments were outright failures, others were crowned with success. Now we will talk about one of the most controversial models of recent years - the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. Why is she so remarkable?

Design

If you take general provisions, then the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge smartphone almost completely repeats the design of one of its predecessors - Note 4. This similarity lies in the non-slip matte coating of the metal frame and the mirror edge. It's the same Home button on the bottom of the device, elegantly housed in the same soft-touch design as the Quad. But the delicious “cherry” on this “cake” of the world of technology is the curved screen, which can become both the advantage of the gadget and its problem. But more on that later.

If we talk about details appearance, the smartphone undoubtedly has a very attractive appearance. It is unusual in its curved side, but is familiar in terms of the location of the volume rocker on the left side and the Home key at the bottom. Due to the structural features of the right side, the power key has moved to the top of the gadget. This made using the smartphone less convenient, but there was no other way.

Also located on top is a jack for a standard headset. Here, however, as in most modern devices, everything is stable and unchanged.

Below, in addition to the microphone and the connector under Charger, you can easily remove the stylus. Slim, precise and very stylish. It sits nicely in the hand and interacts well with the display.

By the way, if we talk about the front part of the device, the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge black does not depart from the classics: on top there is a speaker, proximity and light sensors, a front camera and a diode. The composition is completed by the brand logo. At the bottom, as mentioned earlier, there is a key and several touch buttons.

Turning the smartphone over, you will find that its back panel is made of such material that the gadget fits nicely in your hand without slipping or causing discomfort. As with all models of this line, on the back, in addition to the logo, you can find the main camera and LED flash. The speaker grille is clearly visible from below.

About a smartphone in numbers

The first parameters worth noting are the dimensions. The smartphone is very thin and elegant. Speaking in the language of numbers, the thickness of the smartphone is only 8.3 millimeters. And this is taking into account the weight of just under 175 grams.

The second parameters are the display. The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge has a screen size of 5.6 inches with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. The curved part is a whopping 160 pixels wide, but counts as a separate screen.

However, the smartphone cannot be called small and convenient. It doesn't fit very well in a woman's hand. In terms of control, it is better to do everything with two hands.

Image

A nice feature of the gadget is its excellent color rendition. Manufacturers used a special technology that produces more natural colors. At the same time, brightness control remains at the same high level.

On the curved part, the picture is in no way inferior to the main image. Gorilla Glass 3, which is on this screen, nevertheless illuminates the image somewhat, so in order to read the notification, you have to slightly rotate the smartphone.

Sensor

Both screens are quite sensitive and responsive. The main one has the ability to support up to 10 touches simultaneously. To work with the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge with gloves, you just need to play a little with the settings. As mentioned earlier, the stylus and smartphone work together perfectly.

Edge display

The main feature of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, the price of which is slightly higher than 30,000 Russian rubles, can rightfully be considered the side screen. This revolutionary design was developed so that the user can have quick access to all the necessary functions and applications. All cases for this model are designed so that the owner of the gadget can use the side display.

There is a special store with themes for the sidebar. The manufacturer supplements it with various options both in terms of colors and patterns, as well as widgets for various programs. You can also create your own unique theme.

The principle of operation of the second display is simple - it is independent of the main screen. No matter what happens to the smartphone, alerts are always displayed on the side panel. This happens unobtrusively and quite elegantly. Music lovers especially liked the side display, because you can display a player on it, which will allow you not only to switch tracks, but also to keep track of their names.

Working with the sidebar

Some users like to compare the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge with Aladdin's lamp. Why? In order to activate the second screen, you need to rub it. If you quickly swipe up and down on the main screen several times, the result will be the same as if you swipe once on the sidebar - it will be activated.

In order to open the parameters of this part of the smartphone, you need to swipe up on the panel. The opposite movement will open the toolbar. By the way, during the initial boot it will display all the necessary information - weather, messages or missed calls, date and other pre-set notifications.

It's also funny that at some point the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge phone may turn into a line, again thanks to the Edge display customization. It can also be turned into a night table clock by programming a small glow at night.

Gestures

Despite the fact that the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge smartphone has stunning characteristics, it will require two hands to operate it. Since this is not always possible, the smartphone system provides some gestures that will make working with the gadget easier.

For example, in order to take a snapshot of the screen (screenshot), you need to move the edge of your palm over the sensor. If you swipe left and right from the edge with your thumb, you can reduce the screen size and operate it with one hand.

S Pen stylus

This small pen hides elegantly on the back of your smartphone. It’s nice that the developers made sure that it sits tightly in the port, does not fall out, and is easily removed.

Visually, the stylus is symmetrical and neat. Its tip is very precise, allowing you to work even with small objects.

Sensors

Perhaps the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge has a rather high price because it is equipped with quite a large number of different sensors. And we are not talking about the standard accelerometer, Hall sensor and others that are found in many devices. The Home button, for example, is also a fingerprint scanner.

Proprietary sensors deserve special mention. They can:

• Measure heart rate.
• Determine the intensity of ultraviolet radiation.
• Signal your stress level.
• Measure the level of SpO 2 in the blood.

Of course, in order for the test result to be as accurate as possible, you need to learn how to use the S Health application correctly and place your finger strictly in the indicated place and in the desired position.

Sound

The smartphone has one speaker. But that doesn't mean he's quiet. This is a source of fairly loud and clear sound. The frequencies are balanced, although in some reviews you can come across the opinion that there is still not enough bass.

Performance and memory

Conducted Samsung smartphone A Galaxy Note Edge review must include information about the device's performance. Essentially, hardware is that crucial part of a gadget that matters more than sound, screen or other features.

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge has a SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor. This is a quad-core miracle, with a clock frequency of 2.7 gigahertz in tandem with Adreno 420 graphics. Any test will show simply stunning results.

It is also worth mentioning three gigabytes of RAM. This is more than enough for the smooth functioning of several programs at the same time. The built-in memory is 32 gigabytes, which are very easily expandable.

Cameras

Like all modern smartphones, the Note Edge has two cameras. 16 megapixels and an aperture of f/2.2 are the indicators of the main camera. Optical stabilization and a built-in LED flash allow you to take fairly high-quality pictures with bright and soft colors.

The front camera is a 3.7 megapixel module with f/1.9 aperture. Main feature This camera can rightfully be considered the possibility of a widescreen selfie. This is a great opportunity to capture the communication of even the largest company.

And here there is an interesting play on the sidebar. An intuitive interface without unnecessary elements will allow you to quickly and easily learn how to use the cameras of this gadget. The same situation applies to filters.

The smartphone shoots video in Full HD at 30 and 60 frames per second. Plus stabilization and WQHD with a frequency of 30 frames per second and 4K. This is truly a new generation camera. The picture quality and detail, regardless of resolution, deserve respect.

Autonomy

Battery capacity is where the manufacturer saved money. To ensure that the device is as thin as possible with such parameters, the gadget contains a battery of only 3000 mAh. This is perhaps one of the obvious shortcomings of the smartphone, although if you use it moderately, the charge can last for several days. Those who have actively used the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge leave reviews and say that it only lasts for a day.

However, the same users highly praise the two energy-saving modes. The first one can work constantly, adjusting the brightness level and closing unnecessary background applications. The second will help the battery last as long as possible at a low charge level.

Cases

The case for the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is an accessory that can act not only as a way to protect your smartphone from falls and chips. There are models that can charge the battery and act as a stand for the gadget. The side panel is open in all variants.

conclusions

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is a modern and elegant gadget that will please even the most picky user. This is a revolutionary design in tandem with a premium screen, and an excellent camera that can take pictures even in dimly lit rooms. Its multitasking will allow you to flexibly and simultaneously manage not only several windows in the browser, but also various programs at the same time, without losing productivity. A carefully thought-out gesture system will allow you to control your smartphone with one hand with great comfort. Is it worth talking about a large number of different sensors?

The disadvantages of this gadget can be considered its unsuitability for left-handers and a rather weak battery. Some users also noted some imperfections in the side panel, but the manufacturer can be understood - this is truly a novelty in the world of technology. And we should hope that when the next model is released, all the shortcomings of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge will be taken into account.

Expensive innovations in almost flawless execution

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge was one of the main surprises at IFA 2014. Rumors that Samsung company is working on some kind of innovative smartphone with a screen that wraps up on the edge, there have been rumors for a long time, but no one expected to see the final product so early. True, the new product turned out to be very far from what was expected, although it is still very interesting.

As it turned out, the smartphone actually uses a curved screen, but it bends only on one side - the right one (if you hold the smartphone vertically, with the screen facing you). According to Samsung representatives (see our conversation with Oleg Budegechiev!), the decision to bend only one side was not due to technical difficulties or economic inexpediency, but solely due to ergonomic considerations.

At the same time, the price for the smartphone was still set very high: about 50 thousand rubles. That is, at the moment this is the most expensive smartphone in the non-luxury segment presented on the Russian market. We took a detailed look at what users will get for this money and how useful the folding edge is in real use.

Video review

First, we suggest watching our video review of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge smartphone:

Now let's take a look at the characteristics of the new product.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Note Edge (SM-N915FY)

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 MSM8974AB
• CPU Krait 450 @2.7 GHz (4 cores)
• GPU Adreno 420
• Operating system Android KitKat 4.4.4
• Touch display 5.6″, curved, Super AMOLED, 2560×1600, 524 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 3 GB
• Flash memory: 32/64 GB + 50 GB in the Dropbox cloud service for 2 years
• Supports microSD memory cards up to 128 GB
• Communications GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz, HSPA+ 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Communication FDD-LTE 800/850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100/2600 MHz
• Bluetooth 4.1 LE, A2DP, EDR
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
• S Pen stylus
• GPS with A-GPS, Glonass
• Gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, barometer, heart rate scanner, fingerprint scanner
• Cameras 3.7 MP (front), 13 MP (rear) with LED flash, autofocus, optical stabilization, f/2.0, 4K video shooting, Full HD 60 fps
• Battery: 3000 mAh, removable
• Dimensions 151×82×8.3 mm
• Weight 175 g

For clarity, we decided to make a table with the characteristics of other top-end tablets in the upper price category, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (we need it primarily in order to clearly see the differences in characteristics).

	Samsung Galaxy Note Edge	Apple iPhone 6 Plus	Samsung Galaxy Note 4	LG G3
Screen	curved 5.6″, Super AMOLED, 2560×1600, 524 ppi	5.5″, IPS, 1920×1080, 401 ppi	5.7″, Super AMOLED, 2560×1600, 515 ppi	5.5″, IPS, 2560×1440, 538 ppi
SoC (processor)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (4 cores Krait 400 @2.7 GHz)	Apple A8 (2 cores @1.4 GHz, 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture)	Samsung Exynos 5433 (4 Cortex-A57 @1.9 GHz and 4 Cortex-A53 @1.3 GHz)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4 cores Krait 400 @2.5 GHz)
GPU	Adreno 420	PowerVR GX6650 or GX6450*	Mali-T760	Adreno 330
Flash memory	32 GB	16/64/128 GB	32 GB	16/32 GB
Connectors	Micro-USB (with OTG and MHL support), 3.5mm headphone jack	Lightning dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jack	Micro-USB (no OTG or MHL support), 3.5mm headphone jack	Micro-USB (with OTG and SlimPort support), 3.5mm headphone jack
Memory card support	microSD (up to 128 GB)	No	microSD (up to 128 GB)	microSD (up to 128 GB)
RAM	3 GB	1 GB	3 GB	2/3 GB
Cameras		rear with optical stabilization (8 megapixel; 1080p video shooting) and front (1.2 megapixel)	rear with optical stabilization (16 MP; 4K video shooting) and front (3.7 MP)	rear (13 MP; 4K video shooting) and front (2 MP)
LTE support	There is	There is	There is	There is
Battery capacity (mAh)	3000	2915*	3220	3000
operating system	Google Android 4.4 KitKat	Apple iOS 8	Google Android 4.4 KitKat	Google Android 4.4 KitKat
Dimensions (mm)**	151×82×8.3	158×78×7.1	154×79×8.5	146×75×8.8
Weight (g)	175	172	176	155
average price	T-11028526	T-11031637	T-11028898	T-10848744
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge offers	L-11028526-10

*presumably
**according to official data from manufacturers

As we can see, we have before us an absolutely top-end configuration, which is very close to the Galaxy Note 4 and surpasses its competitors in a number of parameters (we emphasize that we are talking only about the stated technical characteristics, and not about user qualities).

In terms of technical characteristics, there is absolutely nothing to complain about. Well, it’s just a pity that the battery capacity is slightly less than that of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. But otherwise, this is an undoubted flagship. True, it cannot be said that in some respects it was out of competition and set new standards: we have already seen such a density of screen pixels, such an amount of RAM, and cameras with parameters no worse (and even better). But all together this still constitutes a truly flagship configuration.

Design

The smartphone came to us for testing without packaging or any additions, so we cannot comment on the package. Let's move on to a description of the device's design.

The appearance of a smartphone is perhaps one of its main features. In principle, there are many similarities with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. However, a key detail of the Note Edge completely changes the impression of the device. We are, of course, talking about a rounded edge and a screen “sliding” onto it. Without this detail, we would have just a nice tablet phone. With it you get an original futuristic gadget.

Deliberate asymmetry adds originality and eccentricity to the appearance of the device. It seems that the screen seems to be shifted to the right relative to the central axis. In the era of faceless symmetrical plastic “remnants”, such a solution looks, of course, very bold and expressive. And it’s not even possible to say unambiguously whether it would be better if there was a rounding on both sides and the front surface was absolutely symmetrical. Of course, from the point of view of the “wow” effect, the illusion that the screen wraps around the entire smartphone is much more advantageous. But if you evaluate the design in isolation from technical innovations, then the proposed solution is even more interesting.

The bending angle is about 45°. The question repeatedly asked on forums and in discussions about why this particular edge was rounded is quite simple to answer: it is assumed that the user will interact with the rounded edge with the thumb of his right hand. True, this automatically means that this smartphone is not intended for left-handers (which Samsung does not deny). And although, purely programmatically, it is possible to move information from a curved edge to the left side of the screen, there will be no point in this (more precisely, then the meaning of having a curved edge disappears).

The margins to the right and left of the screen are minimal. Moreover, on the right (at the bottom of the rounded area) they are smaller than on the left - only about a millimeter (see photo above). The edging is made of metal, painted white. From the side of the curved edge, this metal edging protrudes quite strongly, about a millimeter (we refer you to the same photo). Apparently, this was done both to protect the screen and for ergonomics - to make the device easier to hold in your hand (that is, so that your fingers can catch on this protrusion) and to make it easier to lift from the table. Indeed, if the curved area of ​​the screen went down and did not rest against this protrusion, the smartphone would be very inconvenient to take from the table. Now there is no such problem.

Below the screen is the Samsung-branded Home button. The button is noticeably raised above the level of the screen, but there is no need to worry about accidental presses - it is quite elastic. The protruding edges of the button are edged with metal, which looks very stylish. To the left and right of the physical button there are touch sensitive “ Running applications" and "Back" respectively.

The white areas above and below the screen look like they have a stripe pattern on them (this can be clearly seen in the photo above). Very beautiful! In general, the white color on the front surface looks not just white, but pearlescent. Perhaps this is facilitated by the glass, which covers the entire front surface, including the areas below and above the screen.

And one more detail: the glass is rounded not only on the right, but also on the left, where there is no screen - just a little. This bend is almost not felt due to the edging and due to the fact that the screen itself is straight, but it still looks interesting and makes you remember the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, where such a rounding of the glass became one of the important “features”, although Samsung does this a little differently. In general, the great advantage of the design of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is the presence of details that are subtle at first glance, but create the impression of a product that was made with love, imagination and focus on a discerning public.

But the rear side of the smartphone disappointed us. There's just a plastic cover - albeit with corrugation, stylized as leather, but without the feeling of leather in the material itself. This, in our opinion, reduces the premium quality. On the other hand, the coating is quite practical: scratches are not visible on it, and in principle it does not collect fingerprints. But, probably, practicality is the last thing that buyers of a smartphone costing 50 thousand think about, isn’t it? Although one could argue that such a device will not lose any of its novelty in appearance even after several months of use, which is really important for premium devices.

On the back surface two more details attract attention. This is a very large camera eye with an impressive flash underneath (next to it is a fingerprint scanner), as well as a speaker hole at the bottom and the inscription 4G next to it. Why write “4G” on a device that costs 50 thousand, when smartphones that cost 15 thousand also support this technology is not entirely clear. Apparently, it was simply necessary to place some kind of inscription there for reasons of aesthetics. Well, OK.

A stylus peeks out from the bottom on the back side - like all Note series devices, the Galaxy Note Edge is equipped with a stylus and support for pen input. Moreover, not only the main, but also the curved area of ​​the screen reacts to the touch of the stylus. One feature we didn't really like is the fact that the screen reacts (that is, a tiny circle cursor appears on it) even when the stylus is still quite high above it.

But let's return to examining the device. Back cover removable. Below it we see a 3000 mAh battery and slots for microSD cards and Micro-SIM. You do not need to remove the battery to access them.

Now let's look at the edges of the device. On the top edge we see the power button, a 3.5 mm jack for connecting a headset, an infrared port and a microphone hole. The location of the power button is one of the main differences between the Note Edge design and the Note 4, where the button was located on the right side. There, of course, it’s more convenient to get to it. But the Note Edge's right side is occupied by a curved screen, so we had to move the button to the top edge.

On the bottom edge there is the hole for the stylus we have already mentioned, two microphones and a Micro-USB connector, through which the smartphone is charged and connected to a PC and display devices (TVs, monitors). USB OTG support (connecting external devices, including drives) is also available.

On the left side there is only a volume rocker. It is very long, made of metal (like the power button) and pressed firmly and well audible sound. Well, the right side, as we already wrote, is entirely occupied by a folding screen. If you place your smartphone face down on a table, the contents on the right side will be almost invisible. But if you hold the smartphone with the edge towards you, then everything is visible quite well. The Note Edge fits comfortably in your hand, and the metal edging on its three edges ensures a strong grip.

It’s quite difficult to summarize impressions of the design, since the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is one of a kind, unique in its own way. Does he make an impression? Yes, definitely. Do you want to buy it right away and forget all other smartphones like a bad dream? I think no. It’s certainly interesting to play with it, but it’s hardly possible to say that the presence of a curved edge takes interaction with a smartphone to a fundamentally new level of convenience. This is an interesting experience, but it does not negate everything that came before it. The same goes for appearance. The appearance of the Galaxy Note Edge can hardly be called a new standard of beauty. However, it is precisely this – its originality – that makes it captivating. And there will probably be those users who want to have just such a non-standard, strange gadget. But if you don’t go into subjective aspects, it’s worth noting the build quality, the practicality and thoughtfulness of all the elements of the case, and several interesting design and engineering finds. By the way, Samsung representatives note that thanks to the metal frame, the smartphone is quite durable, but we still decided not to crash test the device for 50 thousand :)

Screen

The main questions we asked when testing the screen were as follows: is there a real border between the main part of the screen and the curved area? And how does the screen of the Galaxy Note Edge compare in quality to the screen of the Galaxy Note 4? Finally, are there any parameters that (or the quality of which) had to be sacrificed for the sake of innovative curvature? Detailed testing of the display was carried out by the editor of the “Projectors and TV” section, Alexey Kudryavtsev.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen may be slightly better than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Galaxy Note Edge is slightly darker (photo brightness is 108 versus 110 for the Nexus 7) and does not have a pronounced tint. Note that the reflection from bright objects on the Galaxy Note Edge screen has a pale bluish halo without a pronounced directionality. The ghosting of reflected objects on the Galaxy Note Edge's screen is very weak, indicating that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface Galaxy screen Note Edge has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, noticeably better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.

When the white field was displayed in full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 330 cd/m², the minimum was 1.7 cd/m². You also need to take into account the fact that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the brighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. For example, when outputting white on half the screen, the maximum brightness with manual adjustment increases to 360 cd/m². As a result, readability during the day in the sun should be at a fairly good level (there was no opportunity to test it). The reduced brightness level allows you to use the device even in complete darkness without any problems. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker slot). You can make adjustments to the operation of this function by moving the adjustment slider from −5 to +5 units. Below, for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values ​​for three values ​​of this setting - for −5, 0 and +5. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness is reduced to 3.4, 8.7 and 18 cd/m², respectively (the first is a bit dark, the rest are normal), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) the brightness is set to 67, 145 and 270 cd/m² (a bit dark - just right - a bit light, which corresponds to the given correction), in a brightly lit environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) - increases to 330 cd/m² regardless of the slider position. This value is equal to the maximum for manual adjustment. In general, the result of the automatic brightness adjustment function is as expected. Note that even when manually adjusting the brightness, an extremely smart smartphone will forcefully lower the brightness if, in its opinion, it is too high for the given conditions. For this reason, we were unable to set the brightness to 200 cd/m² when photographing the screen in complete darkness. At any brightness level there is modulation with a frequency of 240 Hz. The figure below shows brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for several brightness settings:

It can be seen that at maximum (and close to it) brightness the modulation amplitude is low, and as a result there is no visible flicker. However, as brightness decreases, the relative modulation amplitude increases and the duty cycle decreases. Therefore, at approximately 50% (about 150-160 cd/m²) and below, the presence of modulation can already be seen in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flickering may cause increased fatigue.

This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

In the fragment above you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), and by repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without breaks or overlap. For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer calculates the screen resolution based on the green subpixels; based on the other two, it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this variant is similar to that in the case of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and some other newer devices from Samsung with AMOLED screens. This version of PenTile RGBG is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and stripes of green subpixels. However, some unevenness of contrast borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to the very high resolution, they have a minimal impact on image quality.

The curved part of the screen is in no way separated from the main area of ​​the screen and forms a single whole with it. In the photomicrograph below, you can see that the flat part of the screen (at the bottom) smoothly and seamlessly transitions into the curved part (at the top of the photo), and the only visible sign of the transition is the defocusing of the subpixels.

The screen has excellent viewing angles. True, the white color, when deviated even at small angles, acquires a slight blue-green tint, but the black color remains simply black at any angle. It is so black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. For comparison, here are photos in which the screens of the Galaxy Note Edge (profile Basic) and the second comparison participant, identical images were displayed, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to approximately 160 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera was forced to switch to 6500 K. White field:

Note the excellent uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture (profile Basic):

Color reproduction is good, but the color balance varies slightly between screens, and the Galaxy Note Edge's colors are slightly more saturated (at least that's how the camera registers the image). Note that in this case, the image occupies the height (at this screen orientation) of the entire area available for image display and already extends onto the curved edge of the screen, which leads to darkening and some color distortion. Also, in the light, this area almost always glares, which makes it even more difficult to view images displayed on the entire screen. It’s good that the picture of films with an aspect ratio of 16:9 does not bend, but in the full-screen output format this feature appears in this case as well. The photo above was taken after selecting a profile Basic in the screen settings, there are four of them:

Profile Adaptive display differs in some kind of automatic adjustment to the type of displayed image and environmental conditions. What happens when you select the two remaining profiles is shown below.

Movie AMOLED:

Saturation and color contrast have increased noticeably.

Photo AMOLED:

The saturation is still high, but the color contrast has returned to normal, and the skin has become excessively reddish. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen (again profile Basic). White field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed was increased by 2.6 times compared to the previous two photographs), but in the case of Samsung the drop in brightness is much less pronounced (the darkening at the bend can be ignored). As a result, with formally the same brightness, the Galaxy Note Edge screen visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), since the screen mobile device often you have to look at least from a slight angle. And a test picture:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of the Samsung at an angle is noticeably higher. Switching the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the switching edge there may be a step with a width of 16.7 ms (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to white and back:

In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing moving objects, but in normal use these artifacts are difficult to see. Quite the contrary - dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “jerky” movements.

If a profile is selected Photo AMOLED or Basic, then the gamma curve constructed using 32 points with an equal interval in the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal any blockage in either highlights or shadows, and the index of the approximating power function is 2.27-2.28, which is slightly higher than the standard value 2, 2, while the real gamma curve deviates very little from the power-law dependence (the captions in parentheses show the indicator of the approximating power-law function and the coefficient of determination):

For profile Movie AMOLED The gamma curve has a slightly pronounced S-shape, which increases the apparent contrast of the image, but shades are still distinguishable in the shadows.

Let us recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen. This image dynamism increases when you select the option Auto tuning screen brightness. In this case, on the graph of brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis), when moving from black to white and back, a descending section appears, that is, the brightness of the white field begins to decrease after about 0.3 s:

Color gamut in the case of a profile Movie AMOLED very wide and almost covers the Adobe RGB gamut:

When selecting a profile Photo AMOLED coverage is adjusted to Adobe RGB boundaries:

When selecting a profile Basic The coverage is further compressed, almost to the limits of sRGB:

Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:

In case of profile Basic with maximum correction, the color components are already noticeably mixed with each other:

Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, without appropriate correction, the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. Hence the recommendation - in most cases, watching movies, photographs and everything natural is better when choosing a profile Basic, and only if the photo was taken on an Adobe RGB setting, does it make sense to switch the profile to Photo AMOLED. Profile Movie AMOLED, despite the name, is the least suitable for watching movies or anything else.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is not ideal, but, in general, acceptable. Color temperature in profile Movie AMOLED above 6500 K, in the remaining two - close to 6500 K, while in a significant portion of the gray scale this parameter does not change very much. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) over most of the gray scale remains below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, and also does not change much:

(The darkest areas of the gray scale can in most cases be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

Let's summarize. First of all, we note that in all main parameters (except for the bend and resolution on the short side), the screen of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is practically no different from Samsung screen Galaxy Note 4. The screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device can most likely be used outdoors even on a sunny summer day without any problems. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is permissible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works quite adequately. The advantages of the screen include a very good oleophobic coating, as well as an sRGB color gamut and a color balance close to standard (if you select the appropriate profiles). At the same time, let us remind you about the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), excellent uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, and a drop in image brightness when viewed at an angle. Disadvantages include modulation of screen brightness. For users who are particularly sensitive to flicker, this may cause increased fatigue. However, overall the screen quality is very high.

Let's add a few words about getting part of the picture at the beginning of the bend. As noted in the testing above, the consequence of this is a darkening of the image on the curved plane. From the point of view of practical use, this is, of course, a minus. However, the illusion that the picture “goes beyond the horizon” enhances the “wow” effect, that is, we admire it and feel the unusualness of the screen to a greater extent than if such a feature did not exist.

Operating system and software

The smartphone runs on Android 4.4 KitKat, on which Samsung's proprietary shell is installed. At the time of testing, Android 5 was not yet available for the Galaxy Note Edge, although it would be very interesting to see how it would look and function on this device.

We will not describe pre-installed applications and other things that we usually write about in smartphone reviews, since in most respects the Galaxy Note Edge software is identical to the Galaxy Note 4. But, of course, with the exception of one detail - that component of the software that is responsible for displaying a picture on a curved area. This is what we will focus on.

So, first of all, it is worth noting that from the point of view of the software component, the curved zone is an independent element. Actually, operating system perceives it as a separate screen with a resolution of 160x2560. Therefore, when specifying the screen resolution of the Galaxy Note Edge as 2560x1600, it is necessary to clarify that in fact it is 1440x2560 plus 160x2560. Consequently, the maximum resolution of the image fully displayed on the screen will still be 1440x2560. We cannot display an arbitrary image on a curved zone, but we can quite flexibly configure what will be displayed on it.

The content that is displayed on the curved area is what Samsung calls "panels." There are several options for such content. The first option is notifications, which appear at the top of the screen in other Android smartphones. For example, “App X installed” or “Screenshot saved.” The second option is any text you specify. For example, this could be your name..

The third option is icons quick launch(and even folders with multiple icons). Their set can be customized.

The fourth option is all sorts of useful things, such as a ruler, stopwatch, voice recorder, flashlight button, etc.

The fifth option is notifications from specific applications. The sixth option is the night clock (that is, the main area of ​​the smartphone screen is turned off at this time, and the clock is displayed on the curved area). It’s very convenient because the battery is practically not wasted, but if you wake up at night, you don’t have to get up in bed and pick up your phone to find out what time it is - just look at the edge.

Note that all of the above options can exist simultaneously. That is, to switch between them you do not need to change settings. You can simply scroll through the panels, swiping along the curved area from right to left or from bottom to top (in this case, additional icons will open - with a ruler, etc.).

In the smartphone settings there is a separate “Curved screen” item. With its help, you can add new panels, change the appearance of the splash panel, write text to display on the panel, mark applications from which notifications will come to the panel, and also set the night clock mode.

Alas, it remains unclear how to find third-party applications in the Samsung Apps store that support working with panels, and whether there are any there at all. At the presentation of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, it was reported that the SDK is available to developers, but whether there are any results and how many applications there are currently that use the functionality of the panels remains a mystery.

Performance

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge runs on the latest SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 and has 3 GB of RAM. Real flagship equipment! Let's see how it performs in comparison with its competitors.

Let's start with browser tests: SunSpider 1.0, Octane Benchmark and Kraken Benchmark. In all cases, on Apple devices we used Safari browser from iOS 8, and on Android - Google Chrome.

The strange result in SunSpider is compensated by very good performance in Kraken Benchmark. However, it is clear that the iPhone 6 Plus defeats our today's hero.

But in perhaps the most popular comprehensive Android benchmark, AnTuTu 5, the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge smartphone showed a record result, significantly ahead of its Android competitors.

The gap from them is even too large, suspiciously large, but that’s what it is.

But Geekbench 3 (a multi-platform benchmark that measures CPU and RAM performance), on the contrary, turned out to be unkind to the Note Edge. For some unknown reason, the new product lost miserably to all other testing participants.

The last group of benchmarks is dedicated to testing GPU performance. We used GFX Bench and 3DMark. The Bonsai Benchmark results we used before are no longer indicative of modern SoCs, since all test subjects achieve a maximum of 60 fps or so there.

Let's start with GFXBenchmark. In the table below, the Offscreen tests are rendering images in 1080p, regardless of the actual screen resolution. And tests without Offscreen involve rendering images exactly to the device’s screen resolution. That is, Offscreen tests are indicative from the point of view of the abstract performance of the SoC, and real tests are indicative from the point of view of the comfort of the game on a specific device.

	Samsung Galaxy Note Edge (Qualcomm Snapdragon 805)	Asus Padfone S (Qualcomm Snapdragon 801)	Apple iPhone 6Plus (Apple A8)	Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (Samsung Exynos 5433)
GFXBenchmark Manhattan	10.1 fps	12.9 fps	31.2 fps	10.6 fps
GFXBenchmark Manhattan (1080p Offscreen)	18.6 fps	12.1 fps	18.6 fps	17.3 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex	25.1 fps	29.8 fps	52.1 fps	26.4 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex (1080p Offscreen)	41.8 fps	28.2 fps	44.7 fps	37.7 fps

Since we did not test the LG G3 in this benchmark, we will present the results of the Asus Padfone S on the same SoC, but with a reduced screen resolution (regular Full HD). So, the “bare” performance of the Note Edge was on par with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and slightly better than the Asus Padfone S, but worse than the iPhone 6 Plus. The saddest thing is that due to the ultra-high resolution of the screen, in neither of the two scenes the smartphone was able to reach the playability threshold in Onscreen mode (30 fps).

The latest GPU test is 3DMark. We present the results for the Ice Storm Unlimited mode (simpler modes are not interesting for evaluating such powerful GPUs).

And again an inexplicable failure...

Despite the fact that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 is an absolutely flagship and frequently used solution, the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is not doing very well with game support. Of the nine games in our methodology, only six were able to run on a smartphone.

Apparently, this, like the strange performance results in some benchmarks, is due to a flaw in the firmware: obviously, its non-standard functionality, which actually requires the operation of two screens, conflicts with some applications.

Overall, you shouldn't take the performance tests as a defeat for the Galaxy Note Edge, but you should be prepared for surprises in real games. Although, perhaps this will be fixed in the next firmware.

Play video and connect to an external screen

To test the MHL interface we used a monitor ViewSonic VX2363Smhl, supporting direct MHL connection (in version 2.0) using a passive adapter cable from Micro-USB to HDMI. Let us recall that Samsung has implemented its own version of this interface at the physical level. As a result, to connect external device for MHL you need to use special adapters or connect standard MHL adapters through simple passive adapters.

In this case, we carried out the test using a proprietary Samsung adapter, and output via MHL was carried out at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at a frequency of 60 frames/s. When the smartphone is in portrait orientation, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in portrait orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed within the height of the screen, and wide black fields are displayed on the right and left. When the smartphone is landscape-oriented, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in landscape orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed within the boundaries of the screen in height, but narrow black bars are displayed on the sides to coordinate the screen formats:

Sound via MHL is output and has good quality. At the same time, at least multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is controlled by buttons on the smartphone body. The smartphone connected via MHL is charging (at least, this is indicated by the indicator).

Next, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied: 1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels and frame rates of 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps. In the tests, we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware+” mode. The results of this (block entitled “Smartphone Screen”) and the next test are summarized in the table:

File	Uniformity	Passes
Smartphone screen
4K/30p	Fine	No
4K/25p	Fine	No
4K/24p	Fine	No
1080/60p	Great	No
1080/50p	Fine	No
1080/30p	Great	No
1080/25p	Great	No
1080/24p	Great	No
720/60p	Great	No
720/50p	Fine	No
720/30p	Great	No
Uniformity and Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files. According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the device itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the wide border of the screen. The clarity of the picture is high, but not ideal, since there is no escape from interpolation to the screen resolution. However, for the sake of experimentation, you can switch to the one-to-one mode by pixel; there will be no interpolation, but the features of PenTile will appear - the vertical world through the pixel will be in a grid, and the horizontal one will be slightly greenish. This is on test worlds; the described artifacts are not present on real frames. The brightness range displayed on the screen actually corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows only a couple of shades merge with black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed. With a monitor connected via MHL, when playing video with third-party video players, an exact copy of the mobile device screen is displayed on the monitor. That is, with interpolation and black stripes on the sides. So uninteresting. When playing a video with a standard player, everything is much better - the video file image is displayed only in landscape orientation, while only the video file image is displayed on the monitor in full screen without black side bars, and only information elements and virtual controls (which disappear after a few seconds, and until the next touch of the screen, only a dark icon image in the center is displayed). The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the “MHL (monitor output)” block. The output quality is good. When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920 by 1080 pixels) on the monitor screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, maintaining true proportions, and the resolution corresponds to Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the monitor is equal to the standard range of 16-235, that is, all shade gradations are displayed in shadows and highlights. The conclusion is typical - an MHL connection can be used for games, watching movies, displaying web pages and other activities that benefit from multiplying the screen size. True, you will have to purchase an adapter specifically for Samsung or find an appropriate adapter, and play the video with a standard player. Autonomous operation and communication The smartphone has a decent battery, but still not the maximum capacity. However, in the tests he managed to surprise us: suddenly the smartphone lasted as much as 17 hours in reading mode! The screen at this time was at a brightness level of 100 cd/m². But in other tests it was slightly inferior to the Note 4, which is quite logical, given the slightly smaller battery capacity. In general, the situation with autonomous operation Note Edge has a good score, although it is not a record holder. Under load, not only the back side of the smartphone heats up, but also part of the screen, which, in general, is not very good. Samsung Galaxy Note Edge supports all the latest communication standards, including LTE Advanced and Wi-Fi 802.11ac. The smartphone works without problems in Russian LTE (4G) networks. We also did not have any complaints about the quality of signal reception or the quality of sound transmission during testing of the device. Camera The smartphone is equipped with two cameras. Their characteristics are similar to those we saw in the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The front one has a resolution of 3.7 megapixels and is intended for video communication and selfies. For both applications its quality is more than sufficient. The rear camera has a resolution of 16 megapixels and boasts an LED flash, autofocus, optical stabilization, as well as 4K and Full HD 60 fps video recording. Anton Soloviev tested the photo and video capabilities of the rear camera of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. Below are his test images and conclusion. The camera copes well with macro photography. The text is well done. Good sharpness across the entire frame, with a slight drop in the corners. The camera works well with shadows. The long shot is well done, but small details are lost. The color of the sky is quite even. Sharping on the wires is barely noticeable. You can make out the license plates of cars that are not very close. Lastly Samsung time I've lost some ground in terms of cameras. In the new modules, not only is there no sense of the former zeal and desire to be the first, but there is also a noticeable sagging in quality and implementation. However, this does not fully apply to the hero of the review and concerns primarily the laboratory test. In the field photographs, one can note the good work of the noise reduction, and the program as a whole; only occasionally are there minor areas of blur. It would have been possible to work out the details and long-range plans better, but the current result is quite good. In general, the camera is quite suitable for shooting various scenes. The camera can shoot video in Full HD and 4K formats. Examples of video recordings are given below. Video recording is not of high quality, although the quality is good for a smartphone camera. The image has a characteristic ripple, but the clarity is quite good. conclusions Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is an unusual and innovative smartphone. One can argue for a long time about how well the capabilities of the curved edge are implemented here; You can talk about how useful this solution is in principle in real life. But there is no doubt that the Note Edge expands the way we think about using a smartphone and offers new ideas for how we can harness the emerging technological capabilities. Note Edge is the second Samsung smartphone with a curved screen. But unlike the Galaxy Round, where the bend only affected ergonomics (and not necessarily positively), the Note Edge is the first attempt to achieve some new functionality using a curved screen, a qualitatively different look at the use of such displays. While the usefulness of the solution found remains in question, but, we repeat, it is the first step that is important. Fast forward eight years to the introduction of the iPhone. It was the first touchscreen smartphone to use a capacitive screen. Before the iPhone, smartphones used resistive displays that were sensitive not to the touch of a finger, but to pressure from any hard object. But what is much more important is not the fact that it is present in the iPhone touch panels of a different type, but a new way of using them, which was invented by Apple. The capacitive screen made it possible to implement multitouch control. And now this is a real revolution. Multitouch and gesture support have revolutionized the way we interact with mobile devices. Now we finally have curved screens (and in the future, flexible ones; the isolated and very conditional example of the LG G Flex does not count). And now it’s important to figure out how to use it. We can say that Note Edge is the first example of such brainstorming. Another thing is that, unlike the iPhone, this device will not become a cult device and will not give rise to a huge number of imitations. Apple hit the bull's eye with its iPhone (pardon the pun). Samsung is still just taking aim. But at this time, the others do not see the target at all (at least, there are no signs to the contrary). So we only welcome such attempts. As for specific recommendations whether to buy or not buy this device, I can say this. If you were going to buy a Vertu or you just have a few extra tens of thousands that you wanted to spend on some kind of technological toy that emphasizes your advanced and high social status, then spend it better on the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. This is a real premium flagship, which also turned out to be a pioneer in some sense. And someday it will probably take a place in the museum of the history of smartphones, so that years later your property will not just be an outdated piece of plastic and metal, but a rarity. If the image component does not dominate your decision about choosing a smartphone, and the threshold for a spontaneous emotional purchase is below 20 thousand rubles, then don’t even think about Note Edge. For its innovative and distinctive design, we award the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge our Original Design Award.

Concepts with curved displays appeared quite a long time ago, back in Nokia best years experimented with them. For example, last year we looked at the LG G Flex, which had almost the same curvature visual effect as the Nexus S a couple of years ago. Yes, here the display was actually curved, that’s a fact, but not much at all. And it was difficult to come up with any application for such a bend. This year, at the Unpacked event, Samsung showed not one Galaxy Note 4, but two. It was in the second that I first saw such a strongly curved display - the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge.

Of course, this won’t be a full review of the smartphone, because we’ve already talked about the Galaxy Note 4. In addition to the display, our current copy differs from the one in the review in three things: the lock key has moved to the upper edge on the right, this is due to the bend on the latter; The battery capacity has decreased slightly - from 3220 mAh to 3000 mAh; and also, our Edge has a processor from Qualcomm – Snapdragon 805 (4 cores at 2.7 GHz), paired with Adreno 420 graphics.

Let me remind you that there is also a version with Samsung’s own processor – Exynos 5 Octa 5433 (4 x Cortex-A57, 1.9 GHz + 4 x Cortex-A53, 1.3 GHz) with Mali T760 graphics. Therefore, here you can only compare the results in synthetic tests with those in .

Otherwise, there is the same 3 GB of RAM, 32 built-in, expandable, two cameras: 3.7 and 16 MP, which take excellent pictures, a chic electronic stylus S-Pen, Android 4.4.4 and a lot of proprietary software.

• Dimensions: 151.3 x 82.4 x 8.3 mm.
• Weight: 174 g.
• Operating system: Android 4.4.4 KitKat.
• Processor: Octa-core, Exynos 5 Octa 5433, 4 x Cortex-A57, 1.9 GHz + 4 x Cortex-A53, 1.3 GHz / Qualcomm Snapdragon 805
• Graphics: Mali-T760/Adreno 420
• Display: Super AMOLED, 5.6″, 2560 × 1600 pixels, 525 ppi
• Memory: 32 GB flash, expandable via micro SD memory cards.
• RAM: 3 GB.
• Camera: main - 16 MP, video recording in 1080p, front - 3.7 MP.
• Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, IR port
• Interface connectors: 3.5 mm headphone jack, Micro USB 2.0.
• Battery: Li-Pol battery 3000 mAh.

The main difference between the two notes is the display, and I will pay attention to it. Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is one of the few devices with a curved display, and here, as I said above, this curve is not made for show. There is no need to look closely - the right edge of the display immediately catches your eye. And it looks interesting, everyone pays attention. It can be judged that the technology demonstration was a success. And the fact that the smartphone ended up on the shelves is also encouraging; most of these ideas remain concepts or, at best, exhibition samples.

Technically, we have one display here, the right side of which is bent. Software-wise, the entire interface is divided into two zones: the main screen has a diagonal of 5.6″ and a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels, and the side bar, its resolution is 2560x160 pixels. This is enough to place a whole column of icons, a creeping line and a lot of other useful information.

In the settings there is a separate item responsible for setting the side bar. In it, it can be customized and configured for convenient use. Standard functionality allows you to: select the displayed rows (favorite applications, news, weather, sports and even small games), customize individual ones (news source, select which applications are displayed), change their location and even download new ones from the Samsung store.

The latter is especially nice; there is a chance that over time, third-party developers will catch up. If this happens, there will be much more benefit from the line at the end. For example, you can display it additional elements in heavy games (for example, strategies), tabs and submenus. I'd really like to see notebooks in Evernote displayed here.

I have found several useful uses for this line. For example, night hours. You choose the time when the mode is active, after which, when locked, the weather, time and date are displayed on the side of the display. Very convenient if you have a bedside table. Considering the ability of Super AMOLED displays to use only certain pixels, this also does not greatly affect the battery charge.

Navigation in this line is carried out by swiping: to move between screens you need to swipe right or left, to open the curtain with additional functions, you need to pull it from top to bottom, there is a flashlight, a stopwatch, a voice recorder and even a ruler! Swiping from below will give you quick access to the line settings.

The main use of this line, as for me, is notifications. You can, without looking up from playing, watching a movie or reading, see who wrote what, who is calling, and so on. It’s especially convenient in games; the process doesn’t even stop and you can, for example, answer an incoming call or read an incoming message.

But there are also disadvantages to a curved display. For example, it immediately becomes clear that if it falls on the right side of the display, it may receive a complete hello, because there is no protection here, only glass. There is no need to think long and carry out research; if the display is damaged, replacing the glass on a regular Galaxy Note 4 may seem like a visit to McDonald's. Also, if you are a fan of films on the display, this will be a problem.

There is no version for left-handers; in all copies only the right edge is folded. But Samsung provided a software solution. Note Edge is the manufacturer's first smartphone that can be turned upside down and the interface adapts. Like on tablets. Only in this case, on-screen control keys will appear. This puts the sidebar on the left.

That's basically it. I found the sidebar both interesting and convenient, especially when you play tanks and someone calls you, the inevitable will never happen. Now the capabilities of Edga have been revealed only in the basics, but not bad. You can place here your favorite applications that you need quick access to, a news line or other functions. If third-party developers get involved, such a panel will bring a lot of convenience to familiar applications.

In general, the idea is interesting, and as a Galaxy Note 4 user, I consider the smartphone itself to be one of the best on the market today. You just need to understand that such a curved strip is expensive; if the regular Note 4 costs an average of $730, then the Edge costs $300 more.

Video review of Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

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