​Samsung is known in consumer electronics for being a company that thrives at trade shows. The sheer scale of its stands at IFA and CES is testament to that, it's trully impressive to see. For the last half of 2014, the company also has an awesome and inspiring line-up of mobile products. In particular, three phones join a new smartwatch which complement the other launches of 2014, like the Tab S range.

We knew some time ago that Samsung was going to launch the Alpha, its metal-bodied handset that brings a lower spec than the Galaxy S5, but a more premium construction. It's aimed pretty squarely at the high-end market, and those who care more about design than hardware spec. This wasn't technically an IFA launch, but it's a strategically interesting move.

The new Gear S Smartwatch is also an interesting move. A curved screen gives this an interesting style that hasn't really been featured on other smartwatches. The trick Samsung has used here, is to specially design a clockface that looks amazing in the press photos. We'll see in time if the watch looks good with other designs. But, interestingly, this watch is the first to encourage typing with a deal that brings Fleksy's keyboard onto the device. Will it be useful? Time will tell.

​The big announcements were the two new Note devices. We knew there would be a Note 4, because it's now become an integral part of Samsung's model range. But the new Edge was something that was rumoured, but still created a stir when it was announced at Samsung's Unpacked event.

The Note 4 is an evolution, there's a more accurate S Pen now, along with a quad-HD screen and an improvement in how the battery charges. You can now go from an empty battery, to 50 per cent charge in just 30 minutes. Given how power-hungry modern phones are, this is a good thing. There's no capacity increase from the Note 3 though, which with the quad-HD screen could mean trouble.

​The Note Edge is an interesting direction. The phone itself is largely the same as the Note 4 in terms of spec and features. The battery is a little smaller, at 3000mAh, which might present some further battery life issues. But it's that curved screen that has made the biggest impact. It offers a strip of information, which can be customised and there will be an SDK for designing apps and features for it.

​The company also unveiled a VR headset designed for the Oculus Rift and Sony Project Morpheus. You need to use it with the Note 4, which is used as the display, but once you've done that you've got a functioning VR device that runs Android. This could be an amazing gaming solution when it launches, although the cost of the phone and the device might be prohibitive.