Samsung unveiled few surprises today during their UNPACKED event at IFA 2014, here’s a round up of what was announced:
Galaxy Note 4
Samsung launched their fourth smartphone in the “Note” series. The device, as you expect came with improved specs in both hardware and software and new features and some design language changes. The 5.7-inch phone now comes wrapped in an aluminum frame.
Inside, the Note 4 has a quad-core / octa-core processor (depending on market), a 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage. There’s a microSD slot for expansion, and the 3,220mAh battery can charge from zero to 50% in just 30 minutes.
The Note 4 comes with Android 4.4.4 KitKat with Samsung’s Touch Wiz on top. Added to the interface, is Android L’s stacked card multitasking view. The usual Dual window multitasking has been improved with the S Pen also upgraded with the ability to pin short notes to the homescreen.
Note 4 rocks a Quad HD display witch is the first smartphone from Samsung to have a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440. The rear camera sports a 16-megapixel camera with a sharper zoom, and the “selfie” front-facing camera lands in at 3.7-megapixels.
Galaxy Note Edge
Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy Note Edge, a curved touchscreen with an independent edge. The device is similar to the Note 4 in every way but with the addition of a curved display running along the edges of the device.
It is, in every way, the same as the Note 4, but lands with a sharp display running along the edge of the device.
Samsung said that the device’s edge, which is a single piece of glass, is running a separate entity but looks and feels like a continuous curved screen. The curves mainly will display notifications, keeping the main screen uninterrupted. For example, If a phone call comes in as you’re writing something, you can just reject it from the sides and carry on writing, without the call taking over your screen.
Developers will have access to the software development kit (SDK) to build apps for the edge display.
Samsung Gear S
The gear S is a curved 2-inch display wearable that is set to be a smartphone on your wrist. The gear S has 3G connectivity, GPS location tracking for fitness apps, a heartrate sensor and can store up to 4GB of data. The wearable is running Samsung’s Tizen OS. The Gear S’s battery is said to last about two days.
Gear VR
The Gear VR is made in partnership with Oculus VR and is Samsung’s dive into virtual reality. The company partnered Marvel and Legendary Pictures bringing “Oculus cinema” to the device. The Gear VR will use the Galaxy Note 4’s 5.-7 inch screen as its display.
Read the full details of the Gear VR here.
