What it's like to use Samsung's gorgeous curvy new Galaxy phone

Samsung is getting ready to launch its two newest phones, the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge, both of which are nearly identical albeit for one significant difference - the edge has a curved screen.

Both phones will launch on April 10, but the pricing will vary depending on the carrier.

I had the chance to play with the Galaxy S6 edge for about a day, which was just enough time to gather some initial impressions of the phone. We'll have a full review with more detail, battery life tests, and camera samples soon. But here's what I noticed immediately:

• The phone is one is one of Samsung's most well-designed gadgets yet. The glass coating and metal edges make the phone feel much more like a luxury product than a gadget. It feels as nice as an iPhone, which isn't something I'm willing to say about most Android phones. It's a bit like the iPhone 4/4s, but thinner, lighter, and with a larger screen.
• The curved screen isn't very useful, but it looks nice. It makes the phone look a bit sleeker since the edges of aren't as visible when you're looking at the phone head-on. You can add five of your favorite contacts to a column along the side of the screen, which you can see by sliding out a tiny tab that sits on the side of the home screen. It's convenient, but not a crucial feature.
  

  Will Wei/Business Insider

• One of the best uses for the curved screen, in my opinion is the Night Clock feature. You can preset the phone to show the time on the curved portion of the screen while the display is off. The idea is that you'll be able to glance over at the phone on your nightstand and see the time without having to pick it up or turn on the display. I used this before I went to sleep last night, and it did save me a reach.
• The fingerprint sensor is a lot better than the one on the Galaxy S5. It works just as well as the one on the iPhone. The phone unlocks immediately as soon as I rest my thumb on the sensor.
• The screen is really beautiful. Colors are bold, and the detail is really sharp, as I realized when I watched Netflix on the phone last night. I have yet to compare it to the iPhone's screen, though.
  

  Will Wei/Business Insider

• It seems like Samsung improved its flagship (including both the S6 and the edge) in all the right places, like design, camera, and software. I'm impressed that Samsung managed to make a curved phone that looks nice instead of appearing gimmicky - it's a huge improvement from the Note Edge. That being said, I probably wouldn't pay more for a phone with a curved screen, and the S6 edge is likely to cost more than the regular S6.