It's easy to dismiss these "gimmicks", but Samsung's edge features are finally what they should be.
Samsung's TouchWiz software enhancements catch a lot of heat for being something other than Google's vision for Android. It's not perfect by any stretch, but Samsung has made significant strides over the last year to ensure new features don't exist simply to compete with default features on Android. While it's easy to get sucked in to the weird claims that TouchWiz has gotten lighter or more like Google's Android by some random percentage, standing back and appreciating the features that make this version more useful than "pure" Android also needs to happen.
Over the last two years, Samsung has been adding features to their "edge" displays. It has taken them a little while, but with the release of TouchWiz Marshmallow it finally feels like Samsung has taken these ideas and assembled a complete thought worth taking advantage of.
In many ways, the first two attempts at edge features weren't aiming high enough. Samsung's first effort on the Galaxy Note Edge made it easy to think about quickly accessing standalone apps that ran only on the edge. It was a cool idea, but the separation between the edge and the rest of the phone was naturally limiting and few apps ever really took advantage of the experience. We won't even talk about left-hand support. The idea never really got the polish it deserved, and the space those features occupied limited the ideas that could be deployed there.
Things got a little better with the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. These phones didn't have two separate displays, and so the edge features could come out as far as Samsung wanted them to. This meant more room to play, but instead of moving everything over from the Note Edge to take advantage of the increase in real estate the features were toned down considerably. Samsung's quick contacts launcher and color coding for your favorite people wound up being the only thing the feature was good for when the screen was on. The ability to check things by touching the edge display when not awake was cool, but weirdly limited to the one side of the phone and sometimes didn't work as well as it should.
Enter the Galaxy S7. Samsung has moved the "always-on" features to the center of the display and improved them dramatically. Edge features have been extended well beyond the tiny corner of the display, and now include apps and widgets that can be quickly summoned for a glance from the side. We've seen other companies mess with the idea of tucking widgets away until you need them, and it's the kind of the that usually works well as long as you can train your mind to use them with your personal workflow. Overall, however, the idea is solid. Swipe in from the edge to quickly gain access to these things you regularly use, decreasing the total number of taps as you go about your daily activities.
It's hard to justify looking at TouchWiz as somehow less than other versions of Android.
Naturally, the edge features won't be for everyone. Like many TouchWiz features, you can turn this off and never think about it again. What makes this generation of edge features worth considering is the level of polish seen in their execution. These aren't features that were tacked on to address a hardware feature anymore, they're an integral part of the way Samsung thinks users want to interact with their phones. It's a complete thought because it has to be, and frankly it's a fantastic way to interact with the apps and services Samsung has made available at launch.
Samsung's edge features finally feel like something that competes with Moto, BlackBerry, and others when it comes to addressing a need on top of Android that Google hasn't quite figured out yet for "pure Android". When you add that to the other features Samsung has polished over the last couple of years, like multi-window and safer side-loading options, it's hard to justify looking at TouchWiz as somehow less than other versions of Android.
Reader comments
Samsung's new edge features finally feel like a complete thought
the note edge can be use by left hander, just turn it 180 degree
My favourite feature is the Tasks Edge though. I can pin a particular Whatsapp group I want on it, a hangouts group chat on it, a particular folder in Google Drive or the file manager, a particular contact, a webpage on Chrome, a particular album in gallery, a shortcut to create a new calendar event, etc. It's super useful to able to access these things with just a swipe.
Previously on the Note Edge I thought it was gimmicky. On the S6 Edge it was pared down to something that I thought was useless. On the S6 Edge+ they added Apps Edge, which still had a bit of use but still a little lame. But with the S7 Edge, at least i'm happy to say that Tasks Edge is something I would use on a daily basis.
I pre ordered the s7 edge and excited for the free gear vr headset :)
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To keep my 6P or get the S7 Edge, don't want two phones, so that is the question. The S7 Edge is just so sexy
Looks great!
I debated in my head whether to pre-order the S7 or the Edge. I decided on the Edge because I didn't know you could turn off the edge features. I've used apps that open menus from pulling in from the side of the phone before and always turned them off because they'd interfere with screen scrolling if your finger went too far or when playing games, so I'm just curious: For those who have used an Edge phone, does the Edge menu open at annoying times or is it pretty well designed to only open when you actually want it to?
Mine only opens when I want it to. I think I've accidentally opened it maybe like twice the whole time I've had my S6 edge, and I got it on release day.
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Hmm, interesting. I've tried apps like Pie Control and I found myself opening the menu by mistake any time I played a game or tried to scroll from the right to the left. Think I'll still just get the s7, but thanks for the reply!
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge will be my next phone......
Dam It Feels Good To Be A Google Gangster
Weren't you just saying that you didn't like how everyone was praising Samsung in another article?!
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I don't mind Touch Wiz. People complain just to complain honestly. They add many neat things like multi window, and small things like being able to close all running apps at once. Why Vanilla Android can't do that still confuses me.
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I don't like seeing people devalue other people's arguments, personally, like you've done here. You can be fine with Touch Wiz. I am as well, but people who don't like it may very well have legitimate reasons for not liking it. It's all about individual tastes.
I like the features, but few of them really require an "Edge" display. There are numerous launchers that activate from swiping in from the edge of a flat screen. Most of the Edge features would work just fine on a flat screen.
Glad to hear the good news. Already preordered the edge for the larger screen and battery, but seems like I'll be using the edge functions quite a bit.
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Nice. A ruler on the side so I can measure my.......
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A magnifier, perhaps!
they don't make a 4.7" Edge unfortunately!
Too many digits
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I feel that the S7 is a more complete device than the S6 was.
Now, the S6 was a great phone, but looking at the S7, because it's improved heavily in so many areas, it kinda makes its predecessor look like a concept.
> Things got a little better with the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge.
Don't you mean the S6 edge and S6 edge+
Wonder if there is a way to get the edge features on a non edge? Wouldn't mind having a quick access toolbar like that without having a ton of widgets/apps on the homescreen.
There are a few apps that can give you short cuts triggered by gestures but the actual edge tactile functions make quite a difference in use. Just not the same in a flat screen.
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Action Launcher 3. Solves the problem for the most part
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Action Launcher 3 has many extra shortcuts (i.e. single/double/triple tap home button or taps to the home screen while on to launch apps or other functions) and so does Nova but not as many as AL3. If I could get the home screen functionality of Nova with the tap/touch shortcuts of AL3 that would make the perfect alt. launcher for me.
agreed ... I always go back to Nova, but when I use AL I love that feature.
What are the chances, of the Galaxy S6 Edge, receive an update to take advantage of the new Edge features?
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I have a sneaking feeling that this will happen in 6 months.
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Once it gets marshmallow.
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We'll get some of them, not all of them.
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They most likely won't get all the features but I would be surprised if the s6 didn't get some of the s7 edge fun
It's already happening. S6 edge gets all the new edge features in the Marshmallow update. How do I know? Well my work colleague's S6 edge got the update earlier this week :)
I agree with you but at least you can put the edge features in order and have the ones that you use the most show up first.
64gig Gold Note5/AC App
The feature I most want added to this functionality is to have multiple tabs lead you to different edge screens - something like contacts from the left and quick apps from the right, or news from the top and sports scores from the bottom. Swiping in the edge screen from a single tab and then having to scroll through the different options there is not a time saver at all.
great idea
They have to bring another Note Edge.
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+1
64gig Gold Note5/AC App
Yes I loved my notes edge maybe the edge plus will become the note edge this time
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It's so odd after all these years to read these words and have them be about Samsung. I know they have put out decent phones but it's ALWAYS had some complete bonehead, slapdick failure too. Making an awesome phone and putting a tiny battery in it. Making awesome phone but it's horrid to look at. Making awesome phone but Twiz is a pile of weird green dog shiz.
AND THEN THEY TOTALLY REDEEM THEMSELVES!!!!! This S7 Edge is really a complete device or close enough, and that is something unqiue to Android. Apple has done it for years but this takes the cake. Cheers to Samsung (I've been a hater in the past)
The 32gb internal storage without allowing adaptive storage might be the only hiccup on this phone. Waiting for my preorder to see if its enough space. Fingers crossed!!
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I've read available storage is 24 gigabytes
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Yep. System takes up 7.27GB.
What are the benefits of adaptive storage over having an SD card you can use as you please?
Biggest benefit would be maxing out storage space relatively cheaply. Let's say you add a fast 200GB card to your phone and enable the feature. But if you have a slower card ,the performance of the phone using certain applications will decrease plus the possibility of failure rises. Removing the card and using the phone without it will create errors. I would prefer a phone that already came with fast internal 64 Gig plus capacity but to each their own.
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While as a power user I am upset they didnt support adoptable storage even in the dev settings, I can see why they did it. At the end of the day when customers inevitably toss in a 3 dollar Chinese knock off 200GB SD card, and the phone starts randomly crashing, slowing down, throwing errors, etc the customers will blame Samsungs phone for the issues before they even think about the MicroSD they tossed in there weeks or months back.
lol ... I'm not getting it, but it's not cause of TW or anything they did or didn't do. It's simply cause if prefer the Note
luv the D&D reference ... Welp, see ya later!
Kinda torn myself atm. I have ZERO issues with my note5 and freaking love it.... But. I am not sure I can pass up the s7 edge lol. I don't use my pen really that much,but when it comes it handy it's just awesomeness lol
I just went through this same conundrum myself. I opted to sell my Note 5 and put the money towards the S7 Edge simply because I don't use the S-Pen that much and because the Edge is absolutely gorgeous in person (I got to check one out at Best Buy yesterday). I also like the idea of having a physically smaller phone that still has a large screen (I've got the 6P that's my daily driver right now, but there are times I'd like to have a smaller phone).
I'll keep the 6P around until the next Nexus is announced, but I'm pretty excited as this will be my first "Edge" device.
Imo they redeemed themselves with the note 5 but I am totally with ya. There was always something messed up with every one of their phones.
Can you use all the edge swipe functions with nova launcher
Does the edge swipe functions work with nova launcher. Does anyone know
Ask again in a half hour and see if anyone knows then. Or check the forums where you'll get an answer.
******..
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I had a look and yes they all work with Nova installed.
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it should work fine, stuff like that is coded into the OS and should run regardless of what launcher you have running.
i'm basing this on the S-pen utilities that come up when you take the pen out of the note series. they work on any launcher. this should work much the same.
That's up to nova
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It works on every single launcher, I doubt it's on Nova if it's baked into the OS..
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Yep, they work with Nova. I have Nova installed on my S6 Edge and all the edge features work perfect!
yes, ofcourse it will work.
They do on the S6 Edge Plus.
Everyone says things like of course it will work, or, why wouldn't it? I asked the question because I've had lots of widgets not be available in a 3rd party launcher. I understand it's not a widget, but it's still a legitimate question.
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Scrolling stock market prices would be sweet
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Only when the market is up.
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I look forward to putting them to use. I already enjoy the current implementation for jumping to other apps while I'm in one already without having to make the other steps necessary without the option.
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But that is already possible all android phones.. Just use swipepad... That's the killer app (kind of launcher) of Android.
I am a bit afraid (I ordered the s7 edge) that the edge software is by far not that great and is more in the way
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Hope they didn't do away with the glowing colors on the edges... that was cool. And hopefully 3rd party support increases this time around. Would be nice to see more add-ons to the edges.
That's linked to People Edge, which is still a part of the S7 edge experience :)
If only we had a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Edge...
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Not sure the curvature is all too good for note taking though. At least on the edges, which would make you use less screen real estate for writing stuff. Also not sure if the S-Pen sensor CAN curve at all (can't remember if the sensing circuitry is part of the display panel or if it's something different that would need to be re-designed to sense the pen's position accurately on the curved edges).
You could slightly increase the screen size of the note 5 edge (width) to have more space to write.
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