Back in 2011, I remember getting very excited about the Samsung Galaxy Note. You can find posts about it after IFA. Even a poster here pm'ed and was just as excited. The first gen Note took the idea of the Dell Streak and improved upon it with better hardware and S-Pen. Now look at the current industry. Phablets have become the norm. There is nothing odd holding up a large phone next to your ear. My foresight isn't always right (Xperia Play, anyone?) but that first Note I was right on because I knew that was the direction we were heading to. Larger displays.
Flash forward to 3+ years later and the recent S announcement might be the only time Samsung surpassed my expectations and I sorta left satisfied. The S6 Edge might be the coolest and best smartphone Samsung has ever released. Yeah, it lost a few things for the sake of fashion over function. But look at that screen. Is there any other smartphone out there right now that has a dual-edged/three-sided display like that? Anyone? The HTC One M9 is an evolution like a One M8.1. This S6 is a revolutionary step. I think in 2-3 years, several other companies will copy this style of Samsung just like when they followed them in the phablet market.
Right now, we are thinking of all the negatives and thinking "niche" or gimmicky. That happened to the first Note too when not alot of people could accept a phone having a screen larger than 4 inches. To me, this is a true breakthrough for the industry. Not just for Samsung. Trust me, companies like Xiaomi, LG, Huawei, etc will copy this same style of the S6 Edge. From a Note series to an Edge series. Apple will win this year in marketshare. But don't underestimate Samsung as they may regain their "edge" again next year. S6 Edge is the most forward thinking smartphone since the first Galaxy Note. We can bump this thread three years later and see if my foresight is true that others will copy and follow Samsung.
Revolutionary step forward in design... Dual edge display. One of a kind right now but more clones of it will follow in a few years.