Samsung Electronics yesterday started retailing its Galaxy Note Edge as the threat from rival Apple grows, with preorders for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus exceeding 100,000 in Korea.
Samsung previously planned to sell the Edge as a limited edition, but the company decided on a full release to counter the two iPhone 6 models.
The Note Edge was unveiled at the European electronics show IFA in Berlin last month. It is the world’s first smartphone with a curved display on its right edge.
No. 1 mobile carrier SK Telecom announced it will offer the Note Edge for 1.067 million won (about $1,000), minus a subsidy of 172,000 won on a two-year contract. That brings the cost of a Galaxy Note Edge to 894,500 won.No. 2 mobile carrier KT will announce its retail price and subsidy amount today, while LG U+ plans to unveil pricing in November.
According to Samsung Electronics, the Galaxy Note Edge presents information on the right edge of its screen, where users can check messages and notifications while watching videos, navigating or playing games.
In addition, buttons and other menu icons are displayed on the edge when users take pictures or videos.
The edge screen also can be used to check news, sports scores, stock information and the time. And there is a stopwatch and a tape measure.
Users can also personalize the edge screen by applying a background screen they create with the included S pen.
The Galaxy Note Edge has a 5.6-inch quad high-definition super Amoled display, an S pen, front and back cameras tailored to taking selfies, 3GB random access memory (RAM) and a 3,000mAh battery.
The large smartphone comes in charcoal black and frost white.
Local securities experts predicted that worldwide sales of the iPhone 6 will beat those of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 by a large amount.
“It is expected that about 80 million units of the iPhone 6 will be sold during the fourth quarter, compared to eight million of the Galaxy Note 4,” said Kim Young-chan, an analyst at Shinhan Investment and Securities.
Kim also predicted that if local manufacturers lower prices of their smartphones for the international market, it could lead to lower profits and stock prices.
