A Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone with a screen that wraps slightly around the left and right side. Introduced with the Galaxy S7 in 2016, the S7 Edge screen is 5.5" compared to 5.1" on the regular S7.
Both screen edges can be used by an app to display a notification, and they can be customized by the user to quickly display a variety of icons no matter which app is front and center (see below). The Edge functionality brought taskbar-like functionality to a smartphone, and it was added to all subsequent Galaxy S and Galaxy Note models. See
Note Edge,
Galaxy S and
Galaxy Note.
Always-on Clock and Edge Toolbars
The time, date and battery level can always be displayed on the lock screen (top). By swiping in from the edge, the screen is blurred and overlaid with icons of favorite apps (bottom). The Edge feature can be configured to rotate multiple columns of icons for apps, contacts, Web pages, sports results and other functions selected by the user.