Samsung has unveiled two new smartphones in its Galaxy line, the much anticipated 5.7 inch Galaxy Note 4 as well as a limited edition 5.6 inch Galaxy Note Edge, similar to the 4 save for its curved edge on the right hand side of the display.
As reported by Slate, the curved edge is not simply an extension of the main screen but rather functions as a skinny, second screen which Samsung calls the Edge Panel. It’s used for showing a scrollable panel of easily accessed information, such as frequently used apps, notifications, weather and utilities.
The Note Edge has been positioned as a “premium” option to the Note 4 and, bar the curved edge, it contains all the same features. It comes with a 16-megapixel camera, an upgraded S-Pen, the Snapdragon 805 processor and a high quality display.
There’s also a new Snap Note feature for taking photos of printed documents or whiteboards, and turning them into editable texts. At the unveiling, Samsung also showed off its Samsung Gear smartwatch and a Gear VR virtual-reality headset made in partnership with recent Facebook acquisition Oculus.
The Gear VR headset uses the new Galaxy Note 4 as its main display and offers 360-degree viewing of 3D videos. The new Note devices could help Samsung in its competition with Apple, which is expected to come out with its own bigger-screen iPhones next week.
Both the Note 4 and Note Edge will be available in US, CA, UK, and Australia, with pricing and timing still to be confirmed.
