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Note 4 vs. Note Edge Release: What Not to Expect in U.S.

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In September, Samsung detailed two brand new flagship smartphones dubbed Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge. After a bit of a delay, we finally have a fairly firm grasp on their upcoming release dates and today, we want to take a look at how we expect the Galaxy Note 4 release to compare to the Galaxy Note Edge release in the U.S.

On September 3rd, Samsung announced a slew of new devices including its Gear VR accessory for the Galaxy Note 4, its new Gear S smartwatch and two new Galaxy Note models. The two highlights of the show though were the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge, two smartphones that are heading to shelves this fall.

While the two new Galaxy Notes will be paired together to battle the iPhone 6, LG G3, and Galaxy S5 this fall, they’ll also be rivals to each other. In fact, we’ve heard from a number of people that are interested in buying one or the other, something that doesn’t come as too much of a surprise given their likeness and given their stature in the Android world.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge is a concept phone and one that should be intriguing to those that are looking to upgrade to a high-end smartphone. The new Galaxy Note Edge features a Quad HD resolution, a 2.7 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 805 with 3GB of RAM, Android 4.4.4 KitKat with Samsung TouchWiz, 16MP camera with Optical Image Stabilization, massive battery, and a thin 8.3mm frame. It also comes with an S Pen stylus and a display unlike any other.

The Galaxy Note 4 is also a high octane smartphone and comes loaded with high-powered specs including a 5.7-inch Quad HD display, a brand new 16MP camera with Optical Image Stabilization, a new S Pen stylus, Android 4.4.4 KitKat software that’s backed by TouchWiz, a brand new design that comes with both plastic and metal materials, and more.

As we’ve pushed further away from Samsung’s launch date, we’ve learned quite a bit, but not everything, about the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge release dates in the United States. With key details still missing for U.S. buyers, we want to take a look at what we don’t expect from both release dates in the U.S. and offer a comparison ahead of the Galaxy Note 4 release next week and the Galaxy Note Edge release date that’s still missing in action.

Galaxy Note Edge Release Date Details Far Away

First, do not expect U.S. carriers to lag with their Galaxy Note Edge release date information. We do not expect those details to be too far away now that we’ve seen the U.S. release make progress and the Galaxy Note 4 release is imminent.

Smartphones need to pass through FCC certifications before they can be released. All five Galaxy Note 4 models in the U.S. cleared the FCC before Samsung confirmed a specific release date for U.S. buyers. We have a feeling that something similar is going to happen with the Galaxy Note Edge. And now that we’ve seen progress made behind the scenes, an announcement should be imminent.

Galaxy Note 4 release

The Galaxy Note 4 release date is in October for U.S. carriers.

The Galaxy Note 4 release date is in October for U.S. carriers.

Our best guess, at this point, is that Samsung is not only waiting for the FCC filings but is also waiting for the Galaxy Note 4’s big arrival. The Galaxy Note Edge is a similar device, and a competitor, and it probably doesn’t want to confuse customers. In other words, we think it and its carriers will get the Galaxy Note 4 out on shelves before unleashing a new round of release details including pricing, pre-orders and more. This helps keep the spotlight on the Galaxy Note 4 and it prevents any potential confusion.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Photos 8

We don’t expect the announcement to be too far off the Galaxy Note 4 release though and we imagine that if we don’t hear about the Galaxy Note Edge release, we’ll probably hear about it next week (and at the very worst, the last week of October) so that consumers in the U.S. can start prepping for its arrival later this year.

And make no mistake, the Galaxy Note Edge will join the Galaxy Note 4 on shelves in the U.S. later this year.

T-Mobile Galaxy Note Edge

Do not expect the T-Mobile Galaxy Note Edge release to be any different than the Galaxy Note 4 release. That is to say that we do not expect it to be available at key retailers including Best Buy, Amazon and others. T-Mobile’s Galaxy Note 4 is available through T-Mobile directly and virtually nowhere else. What this means is that buyers should expect the need to buy through T-Mobile, or another third-party route that isn’t Best Buy or Amazon.

T-Mobile smartphone launches are always limited like this and we don’t expect the Galaxy Note Edge release to be any different. We don’t expect widespread availability and we think it’ll mirror what T-Mobile did with the Galaxy Note 4.

More Galaxy Note Edge Retailers

Speaking of retailers, we do not expect the Galaxy Note Edge to be available in more retailers than the Galaxy Note 4. If anything, we’d expect availability to be a little more limited than the Galaxy Note 4. Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge teaser page lists a number of retailers that it’s expected to hit, all of which mirror the Galaxy Note 4’s retail locations. That’s the best case scenario.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Photos 7

We would not be surprised if some of these retailers either didn’t carry it or offered very limited stock. The Galaxy Note Edge is a limited edition device, not a widespread one, and we would be shocked if all of these retailers had ample stock available right off the bat or in the months after its release.

One place where we’re confident the Galaxy Note Edge won’t be available is U.S. Cellular. U.S. Cellular says that it has no plans to carry the Galaxy Note Edge and we don’t expect it to break its word any time soon.

Vastly Different Price Structure

While the Galaxy Note Edge price could be higher than the Galaxy Note 4’s, we don’t expect the Galaxy Note Edge pricing structure to be vastly different than the Galaxy Note 4’s.

Note-4-Galaxy-S5

Here’s what we mean by that:

  1. We think off-contract pricing at U.S. carriers will be similar. The Galaxy Note 4 is $299.99 across the board. The final domino, U.S. Cellular’s price, fell today and as expected, it’s charging the same.
  2. The Galaxy Note Edge off-contract price. We have a feeling we’ll see off-contract pricing that’s all over the place, similar to what we’re seeing with the Galaxy Note 4. For instance, AT&T charges $826 for the device off-contract while Verizon charges $699.
  3. Speaking of exact pricing, we don’t expect any big changes here. AT&T has no problem charging a ton off-contract (See: Galaxy Note 4) and we don’t expect that to change with the Note Edge release. Look for AT&T to be near the top with Verizon at or near the bottom.

Galaxy Note Edge Pre-Orders

Don’t expect the Galaxy Note Edge to skip pre-orders. In fact, we think that they will probably mirror what we’ve seen with the Galaxy Note 4 in the United States. Don’t expect dissimilar pre-order start dates, we imagine they will all be really close to each other, and don’t expect there not to be any kind of incentive for those that order early.

Galaxy-Note-Edge-3

Galaxy Note 4 pre-orders are arriving today, well in advance of its October 17th street date, and we would not be surprised if this type of incentive was offered with Galaxy Note Edge pre-orders when and if they arrive ahead of its release. It’s a nice gesture though we still don’t think it’s worth a pre-order.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. uktechguy

    10/13/2014 at 11:49 am

    OI see you don’t mention what memory the Note 4 or Edge has – I was amazed to see that Samsung themselve don’t mention the memory in the technical specs (apart from the system 3GB) on their website either. They are probably ashamed that for the money you only get 32GB and there is no 64GB or 128GB option. A card is not as fast as internal memory and it seems to be that this “flagship” has skimped on memory when the iPhone 6 has 64GB and 128GB options and even the OnePlus One comes with 64GB. It is also interesting to see that the Samsung website compares the Notw 4 with the Note 2 and not the Note 3. They obviously think that the Note 4 is not a significant improvement over the Note 3. If it was, and had more that 32GB I would upgrade from my Note 3 but I’m not going to go for the Note 4 as the expense is just not justified.

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