For the purpose of this article i’m not going to spend a lot of time pouring over all of the performance details of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Samsung produces hardware with very solid performance specs. Instead I want to focus on that alluring design element that Samsung has introduced to the world of mobile phones; the edged screen of course.
If you place the standard S6 and the Edge side by side and simply compare their visual aesthetics, I think most people would agree that the Edge, has the “edge”, over the standard S6. There’s something about the sloping screen that adds a bit of elegance, and detail to the phone that sets it apart from all of the other rectangular bricks that we’ve been carrying around everyday. With that duly noted, if you’re in the market for a new electronic tether to existence, you need to ask your self; does the edge offer anything else but spiffy good looks?
First things first, you should know that the S6 Edge has a couple of physical enhancements over the standard S6, and that’s the width and weight of the device. The slope of the screen reduces it’s overall width by 1.3mm, and it’s weight by 6 grams. No, that’s not a huge difference, but it’s just enough worth mentioning. Believe it or not a millimeter can become noticeable when you’re trying to fit a phone in a tight pocket after eating one too many doughnuts. Aside from those two things, there’s nothing else significant enough to matter.
So what can this wondrous new edge technology do? Does it enhance functionality, provide new ways to interact with a touch screen, slice tomatoes?? Well, i’ll sum it up quickly. It provides a new format for notification bars…. and that’s about it.
With the curved screen, notifications can be presented in two new ways. When the screen is facing up, notifications can be displayed on the curved section of the screen. If you happen to be at an indirect viewing angle to the face of the screen (maybe laying in bed), you should still be able to view the notifications on the curved edge. When the screen is facing down, you can be notified of important calls with a moving light bar that illuminates on the edges.
If you’re a pragmatist like myself, you’re likely already wondering; what’s the point? There are a couple of scenarios where the curved screen presents some new opportunities, so I wouldn’t say that it’s useless, but I also wouldn’t say that it’s use-FULL either. The enhancements aside from look, are very modest.
The edge presents some ergonomic challenges as well. At the very least, it will take some time to acclimate to holding the edge without accidentally touching the curved screen. At the most, it could feel sharp, awkward, and compromise your grip, leading to more frequent drops. Of course if you’re mistakenly touching the screen over and over again, you may throw it on the ground long before you drop it.
With it’s good looks, but only modest usefulness, I’m reminded of the track record of Samsung. They are no stranger to introducing gimmicks to their products, and using clever marketing to make the world think that they need the latest gimmick. It’s a strategy that is clearly working, or at least helping as their Android market share is undeniable, but it’s not a strategy that works on everyone. If gimmicks aren’t for you, or you aren’t concerned with having the sleekest looking device on the block, then you’d be well served going with the standard S6, or maybe another device altogether.
