Since Samsung announced it would launch two versions of the Galaxy S6 — a regular “flat” model and the Edge — consumers will have to choose between them. But the only real difference is the latter’s edged display, so what does it do and is it worth the extra $100 asking price?
Samsung first debuted the concept of the edged display only recently with the Galaxy Note Edge. The idea is that the sliver of extra screen real estate can be contextual, offering quick access to certain apps or features, while also acting as a notification ticker. However, it was one-sided, forcing left-handed users to adjust the settings and flip the phone upside down to use it that way.
The Galaxy S6 Edge is sloped on both sides, removing the need for any contortions for those users. Except the functionality isn’t the same. The Note Edge gave users the option to add apps as a quick launcher or for multitasking, as well as a number of notification panels from third-parties including Twitter and Yahoo.
This isn’t the case in the S6 Edge, though that is the long-term plan. As is, the edge display is primarily for contacts. You select a handful, each of which is colour-coded, so that the display glows the corresponding colour whenever that person calls or messages. Notifications are also limited to things like the time, weather and a news ticker, but they don’t come up easily. Swiping to bring them up as the phone is asleep is awkward and not as useful as Samsung makes it out to be.
Third-party support is also unclear moving forward, but the viability of the edge screen is going to rely on it, no matter what. Having a mass of users helps the cause, except the functionality of the edge display is going to need mass appeal, which it won’t have. We showed the features to a number of interested users and none were overly impressed. Instead, it was the phone’s premium design that garnered the most praise.
Samsung will no doubt sell millions of units of the Galaxy S6 Edge, but it’s going to be interesting to see if outsells its flatter counterpart. The S6 Edge is $100 more, and those curves on either side are supposed to be the value proposition justifying the price discrepancy.
It’s an edgy (pun intended) strategy that will be interesting to watch after the phones launch on April 10. Both models will be carried by Rogers, Bell, Telus, Fido, Virgin, Wind, SaskTel, Videotron, MTS and Easlink. There are some variations in pricing between the carriers, but the S6 Edge 32GB starts at $360 on a two-year contract or around $850 outright.
