Samsung's Galaxy Note Edge destined to be a niche "limited edition concept"

Samsung's new Galaxy Note 4 will be going on sale later this week, and its availability will rapidly expand to 140 markets by the end of October. But the device that was unveiled alongside it earlier this month looks set to have much more modest ambitions when it comes to sales and availability.

As ZDNet Korea reports, Samsung Electronics president D J Lee today described the unusual new Galaxy Note Edge as a "limited edition concept", which will be produced in far smaller quantities than the company's other high-end devices. The handset features a unique display that wraps around one edge of its body.

It will go on sale in its home market of South Korea next month, gradually rolling out to select markets in limited numbers, although precisely which parts of the world will get the Edge remains a mystery.

Independent retailer Clove said earlier this month that Samsung has no immediate plans to launch the device in the United Kingdom, for example, and that its efforts to order stock for UK customers through official channels have not been successful. In fact, Clove added that its distribution partners across Europe have said that "the majority of European countries" will not get stock of the device from Samsung, at least for the foreseeable future.

Samsung has not yet announced pricing for the Galaxy Note Edge but, as GSM Arena reported last week, a China Mobile employee posted on Weibo that the off-contract price of the device would be over 7,000 CNY (roughly $1,140 USD). Pre-orders in Germany have indicated an even higher price of €999 EUR (around $1,280 USD) - some €300 more than the Galaxy Note 4, with which the Edge shares many common specs.

Key specs of the Galaxy Note Edge include: