The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is one of the coolest looking Android devices in recent years. The curved edges make it look like a phone you might see in a sci-fi movie. However, the curved display is for more than just looks. Samsung has made use of the “Edge Screen” with some nifty features. Let’s taker a closer look at what you can do with the Edge Screen.
Since the Galaxy S6 Edge has curved displays you can actually see part of the display even when the phone is lying on its face. Samsung uses this area as a notification indicator. When certain notifications come in, such as a phone call, the Edge Screen lights up. If you’re getting a call and your phone is lying on its face you can even use the heart-rate sensor on the back to reject the call.
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When the phone is not lying on its face you can use a feature called “People Edge.” By swiping from the side of the Edge Screen you can bring up a list of five favorite contacts. You can use these as shortcuts to make calls and send SMS messages. If one of the five contacts has sent you some type of notification it will show a colored line that you can drag over to view.
Another thing you can do with the extra screen real estate on the edges is display information. Samsung calls this feature “Information streams,” and it allows you to display information from several different sources only on the edge. When the display is off you can slide your finger along the edge of the screen to bring up the stream, and then you can swipe through the sources.
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Some of the Information streams include Twitter, Facebook, and a few from Yahoo including news, sports, and finance. It’s a handy little feature for quickly getting some information without having to unlock the phone and dive into apps.
The Galaxy S6 Edge also has a Night Clock built in. When this feature is enabled it will show the current time and date only on the curved edge of the display. Since the clock is only on the edge display you can easily see it from your bed. The AMOLED display means the Night Clock doesn’t emit much light, and it can stay on all night with minimal battery drain.
What do you think about the Edge Screen features on the Galaxy S6 Edge? Are they useful or just gimmicky? Would you buy the Edge for these features, or do you just think it looks cool?