We go hands-on with the Galaxy Note Edge!

When the Galaxy Note 4 was announced a few months ago, it was accompanied by a more innovative phablet called the Note Edge. The Note Edge is Samsung’s first ever smartphone that had a display that ran off the edge of the phone (thus the name), making it the most interesting phone that Sammy has released since…forever. We were a bit disappointed when we found out it wouldn’t be officially offered in the PH back last year, but Samsung’s apparently had a change of heart and it’s now being offered (albeit in really limited quantities) in the Philippines later this month.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge specs

• 2.7-GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor
• Adreno 420 GPU
• 3GB of RAM
• 5.6-inch QHD Super AMOLED display, Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 2560 x 1440 resolution
• 32GB of storage, expandable via microSD
• 16-megapixel rear camera with AF and Smart OIS
• 3.7-megapixel front camera with f1.9 lens
• WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, A-GPS
• 3G, LTE
• Android 4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI
• 3000mAh battery

Initial impressions: the edge display is amazing to look at, but is it worth it?

The Galaxy Note Edge is a visually arresting smartphone because of the curved display on the right side. It attracts eyeballs and the phone instantly becomes the center of conversation for anyone (who has a thick enough wallet) who has it. The rest of the phone looks kind of like the Galaxy Note 4, though the chamfering of the aluminum frame is slightly more sedate compared to Note 4. Flipping the phone over you’ll see the faux leather textured back, along with the 16-megapixel rear camera, heart rate monitor and flash. Like the Galaxy Note 4, the Note Edge also gets Samsung’s excellent S-Pen located in a holster in the lower left side.

The Note Edge sports the same resolution as the Note 4, though it adds a few pixels because of the curved glass on the right side. The curved display acts like a spine of sorts, displaying relevant information about the phone as well as shortcuts that you can access right away. Quick shortcut keys like the browser, messaging, contacts and keypad are all off loaded to the spine, giving you more space on the home page for other widgets and shortcuts.

As far as hardware, you’re not getting left out in the cold with this. The Note Edge has a 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, paired with 3GB of RAM. It’s top tier hardware, and you can be sure that you’ll never have problems with performance with the Note Edge, though only a full review will reveal for sure if the Note Edge has what it takes to keep up with you everyday.

The biggest contention you’ll have with the Note Edge is price: at Php 43,999, it’s one of the most expensive flagship devices out there today, even considering Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus. Aside from that curved piece of glass on the side, it’s essentially the same as the relatively cheaper Galaxy Note 4. You’ll have to wonder then, if paying the additional cash is worth the sliver of glass on the right side of the Note Edge. We’re afraid that only you can answer that question.