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Samsung has surprised audiences with the announcement of the Note Edge - a phone with a screen that curves around the phone on one side.

The technology is something that has appeared in several fan concepts for the upcoming iPhone 6, but it appears Samsung have got there first.

The screen was described by Samsung's David Park as working like a 'ticker', with notifications and news scrolling along it.

South Korean-based Samsung has surprisingly revealed a curved 'phablet' that beats Apple to the punch, who are apparently also planning curved devices. The Galaxy Note Edge (shown) has a curved right hand side that can display notifications like a 'ticker'

The Galaxy Note Edge's unique curved touchscreen that provides quick access to frequently used apps, alerts and device functionality.

As it pops out of the phone it can even be used when the cover is closed. 

The curved screen can also display notifications at the top and bottom while viewing a video without disruption. 

The right hand side of the Edge, which is curved, is where notifications and other icons appear.

The Galaxy Note Edge was announced at the IFA trade show in Berlin on Wednesday, alongside the new Galaxy Note 4 phone, which lacks the side screen, and a virtual-reality headset called Gear VR.

They are due for release in October - in time for holiday shopping - and aim to compete with Apple's new iPhones due to be unveiled next week.

The Edge uses Samsung's flexible-display technology, which came out with much fanfare last year but has seen little use beyond a phone and a fitness device with displays that were slightly curved.

With the Edge, Samsung is offering a practical use for the curvature. While the main screen remains flat like previous phones, the right edge extends and curves until it reaches the back.

That creates a side display so information such as weather and time can be seen from the side when the phone is laid on a table or nightstand.

With the side display, the phone's camera functions more like a stand-alone, point-and-shoot camera, as the shutter button and other functions appear on top when the phone is held horizontally.

The side display also provides one-tap access to various apps normally found on the home screen. 

It will also have a panel of tools, like the flashlight and stopwatch, akin to what Apple offers in the iPhone's Control Center with a swipe up from the bottom. 

Samsung will look to app developers to find new ways to use the feature.

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge also sports a 16MP rear-facing camera (right) and a 3.7MP front camera (left). It comes on a big day for announcements that included the Note 4 and a VR headset developed in tandem with Facebook-owned virtual reality company Oculus

British television presenter Rachel Riley showed off a virtual-reality headset called Gear VR during theSamsung event ahead of the consumer electronic fair IFA in Berlin today. The headset has sensors to gauge the head's position and tells an attached Note 4 phone which part of a 360-degree image to display

Samsung didn't announce prices. In the US, last year's Galaxy Note 3 went for about £425 ($700) without a contract, or £180 ($300) with one. 

Prices are likely to be similar when the Note 4 comes out in October through all four national carriers in the US.

The Edge, however, will likely cost more.

Analysts said the new display feature could cut both ways.

'An edge-based display will give Samsung's smartphone clear differentiation in a crowded market,' said Ian Fogg, an analyst covering the mobile industry at IHS in London. 

'But for Samsung to maximize the potential of an edge display it needs third party apps to support the display with additional Samsung-specific functions.' 

A visitor holds a new Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone after its presentation at the Unpacked 2014 Episode 2 event ahead of the IFA Electronics show in Berlin today

It was a day of several big announcements for Samsung at IFA 2014 in Berlin, as the much-rumoured Galaxy Note 4 was also unveiled.

The latest version of the large smartphone has an improved interface, including a new Multiwindow feature that enables users to minimise and resize different screens on their phone for multi-tasking in much the same way you would on a desktop computer. The device will go on sale next month. 

Initial reaction within the industry suggests Samsung has responded well to profit drops earlier in the year, with operating profit dropping by 25 per cent in the company's second quarter results.

Rob Kerr, mobiles expert at uSwitch.com, said: 'When it comes to Samsung, bigger is usually better, and its fourth generation phablet is no exception. 

'Size-wise, the Note 4 is no bigger than the Note 3, but it's still bigger than most pockets.'