Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

Samsung Electronics

Industry	Consumer electronics
Founded	January 13, 1969 (1969-01-13) in Suwon, South Korea
Headquarters	Suwon , South Korea
Products	Smartphones, tablets, consumer electronics
Website	www.samsung.com

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Overview

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is a smartphone phablet running on the Android platform, developed by Samsung Electronics. It was introduced at the Samsung press event during the IFA Berlin on September 3, 2014, debuting alongside its counterpart, the Galaxy Note 4. This device is notable for its innovative display design that extends and curves along the right edge of the phone. This curved section functions as a sidebar, providing quick access to app shortcuts, a virtual shutter button for the camera, notifications, and additional useful information.

Development and release

During the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, Samsung introduced "Youm," a series of conceptual smartphones featuring flexible display technology. One model showcased a screen bending along the phone’s right edge, while another displayed a screen curving around the bottom portion. Samsung highlighted that this extra "strip" could serve to present supplementary information alongside applications, such as notifications or a news ticker.

The Youm concept eventually materialized as part of the Galaxy Note Edge, which was launched simultaneously with the Galaxy Note 4 on September 3, 2014. Samsung strategist Justin Denison remarked that the company embraces bold innovation in its products, stating, "We're not a company that does one-offs [...] We prefer to commit fully and scale our initiatives."

Hardware and design

The Galaxy Note Edge shares much of its design language with the Galaxy Note 4—an iteration building upon the Galaxy Note 3—featuring a metal frame coupled with a plastic leather back cover. The device is powered by either an Exynos 5 Octa 5433 processor in the South Korean variant or a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chip internationally. It includes 3 GB of RAM and offers expandable storage options of 32 or 64 GB. Consistent with other models in the Galaxy Note lineup, it supports an S Pen stylus for handwriting, drawing, and pen input, which received minor enhancements for this version. Additionally, like other recent Samsung flagship phones, it is equipped with a heart rate monitor and a fingerprint scanner. The display measures 5.6 inches diagonally and features a "Quad HD+" Super AMOLED panel that incorporates an extra 160-pixel-wide column curving around the device's side.

Photography capabilities include a 16-megapixel rear camera equipped with a back-illuminated sensor, optical image stabilization, and support for 4K video capture. On the front, there is a 3.7-megapixel camera designed for selfies and video calls.

Software

The Galaxy Note Edge comes pre-installed with Android version 4.4.4 "KitKat" alongside Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz interface and software package, closely resembling that found on the Note 4. The device’s distinctive curved screen edge functions as a sidebar, serving multiple roles: it can showcase various panels such as shortcuts to commonly used apps, notification summaries, news feeds, stock updates, sports scores, social media content, and controls for music and video playback. Additionally, it provides camera settings, data usage statistics, and mini-games. The sidebar also includes utility tools like a ruler, stopwatch, timer, voice recorder, and flashlight toggle. Developers have access to a dedicated software development kit to create custom panels, while users can download extra panels via Galaxy Apps. The "Night Clock" feature enables the edge display to show a digital clock during specified periods when the phone is idle. Leveraging the properties of AMOLED technology—which conserves power by deactivating black pixels—this mode minimally impacts battery life; however, software restrictions limit its activation to a maximum of 12 hours consecutively.

By mid-2016, the Galaxy Note Edge was eligible for an upgrade to Android Marshmallow.

Variants

Regions

• Europe: SM-N915FY
• Global: SM-N915F
• Asia and Australia: SM-N915G
• Japan: N915D (SC-01G, NTT Docomo), N915J (SCL24, au)
• Canada: N915W8
• China: SM-N1950

South Korean carriers

• SK Telecom: SM-N915S
• KT: SM-N915K
• LG Uplus: SM-N915L

US carriers

• AT&T: SM-N915A
• Verizon: SM-N915V
• T-Mobile: SM-N915T
• Sprint: N915P
• US Cellular: N915R4

The Note Edge was introduced to the German market following an online poll by Samsung where over 120,000 participants voted in favor of its release. Subsequently, a "Premium Edition" model labeled "N915FZKYDBT" became available exclusively in Germany; this edition included additional accessories such as a flip cover, memory card, a cleaning cloth for the display, and an extra brochure with usage tips, along with an extended warranty period.

External links

• Official Website Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine