Gadgetory

the Galaxy Note 4 is probably our favorite large format smartphone of 2014 but Samsung being Samsung wasn't content to leave its best phablet be instead the company has released the Galaxy Note edge as a specialized sibling a carbon copy with a quirky quality to its display I'm Michael Fisher with a PocketNow comparison Galaxy Note edge versus galaxy note 4 in a side-by-side look what gives the Note edge its name is obvious an extra hundred and sixty pixels on the right side of its display angled downward like the leading edge of an airplane wing we'll get to how the edge display functions in a second for this category we're focused on look and feel and it does give the Note edge a totally different character than the note 4 the devices are almost identical in mass and measurements but whereas the conventional note feels robust and balanced the note edge feels strangely less premium mainly that's thanks to the asymmetric cross-section of the edge which makes it awkward to pick up and hold and then there's the small details the omission of the note 4 is reinforced corners and the reduction in champers from 2 to 1 changes reflected even on the volume rockers and in otherwise nice bit of attention to detail by Samsung the Note edge doesn't necessarily feel cheap on its own but it definitely doesn't give off the same quality vibe as its sibling other Hardware differences are slight the note forced screen is a touch taller and there's an almost imperceptible shift in color temperature on our review devices which is probably just variations across batches battery size has been slightly trimmed on the note edge as well but it doesn't seem to affect overall endurance otherwise these are the same from s-pen 2's health by the same token TouchWiz is still TouchWiz so if you're looking for our take on the software here check out our earlier review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 all our impressions remain the same the biggest day-to-day difference comes just where you'd expect it to on the edge samsung has so completely segregated the display extension that it basically serves as an independent secondary screen and it affects how you use the note edge in every single display mode one of the smallest but also most useful enhancements is the screens night clock turn the screen off and the edge screen flickers to life at the lowest brightness setting reporting the date the time and the current weather conditions wake up the display to show the lock screen and you get the express me panel alongside a completely customizable side screen that can show anything from a stock greeting to an s-pen drawing to a stock animation to a custom image an image that rotates as you move the phone by the way it's probably the best named feature of the edge display because it's there to add an expressive element to the experience to let you make the note edge your own if you're not satisfied just choosing between black and white casing colors and it's fun unlock the note edge and you start to see how the added screen effects everyday usability of course the note 4 allows you to run Android the way you want to for us that means folders or shortcuts on almost every home screen with the occasional side key panel if we're going one-handed for a while on the note edge the added real-estate means you can offload a ton of apps and folders to the side ribbon freeing up room on the home screen for more widgets or just more open space also on the edge screen weather health news and quick tools including timers and audio recorder flashlights and yes indeed a ruler that stuff's available even when the phone is locked and you can also download custom plugins from the Galaxy app store for still more functionality yeah some of this is straight-up Samsung feature bloat and notifications coming in on the side screen aren't as easy to read on account of you know there's sideways so is the edge screen a gimmick definitely and if you want a more straightforward software experience well obviously the note 4 is the better choice but look raw utility isn't everything some of the edges add-ons are really cool and they're implemented with a lot of style too plus the fact that it's all grouped on the side of the screen gives the Note edge and unexpected advantage out of the box it turns out to be quite good for one-handed use as long as you're right-handed and careful where you rest your thumb oh and as long as you don't mind the camera UI we're reluctant to dock the note edges viewfinder because it looks so much cleaner than the note force but the same layout that provides that aesthetic boost also makes the edge awkward to use when taking photos in landscape the buttons up top are too easy to hit accidentally and while portrait mode is a little better it still demands a very delicate touch you can use the volume keys as a shutter button but you can do that on the note 4 - fortunately the same optics that impressed us on the note 4 are back on the note edge performance in all lighting conditions and all shooting modes was nearly identical for us across three days of shooting with the same brilliant colors and the same smooth optical image stabilization keeping things nice and steady more often than not if you liked the galaxy note 4's pictures you'll like the edges just as much and that goes for the front-facing camera as well you might expect performance between the two identically spec smartphones to be identical and in the case of our snapdragon powered units here you'd be mostly right that's talking about the mundane stuff though general snappiness game performance and the like more interesting is what happens when say a phone call interrupts one of those games the note 4 gives you a pop-up window that obscures some of the action while the edge uses the added screen space to stay out of your way and when you're using the edge to listen to music or an award-winning podcast you don't need to cover up the app you're in if you want to pause or skip a track grant it on the note 4 it's a very minor inconvenience to do the same thing be in the notification tray but it's more evidence that Samsung really thought through the edge screen finally speaking of speakers let's talk voice quality callers said they heard slightly more background noise on the note edge and standard calling mode and they also said we sounded a little louder a little closer to overpowering when using the edge speaker compared to the note fours but the difference was very minor and for all practical purposes these are nearly identical choosing between these two phones probably won't be too difficult for most folks we find the note four to be the better more balanced phone both literally and in terms of features and day to day use and the edges price tag also weighs against it but if you are willing to spend the money the edge experience isn't so much worse that you should avoid it either after all it's a note and the note line of smartphones is excellent if standing out is important to you or you want to spray just a little more Chrome onto a phone already loaded with it the Galaxy Note edge gets the job done if you're looking for a deeper dive on Samsung's most feature packed note stay tuned for our full note edge video review coming later this week and be sure to check out our galaxy note 4 review here on YouTube and at pocketnow.com till next time this has been michael fisher with pocket now captain to phones on twitter urging you not to go over the edge yeah that was lame sorry we'll see you next time you