So, went to the Best Buy with my hyper toddler. As a result, didn't get to take the phone through its paces, but I really like it and can't wait to preorder. Just to add to the mix of what others have heard or seen:
- they had a two white note 4s and one black edge. I was more impressed with the edge than I thought I'd be. It's still rather gimmicky but I could see the benefits of the side menu. Like it had headlines I could easily access and likely would have Google Now items running on the edge,which made for very quick access.
-someone asked about the feel of the faux leather white back to the black. If the black Edge back is the same as the black Note 4's back, then yes, the black back will continue to have a more soft rubbery tactile feel than the white, which felt more like textured hard plastic. I definitely prefer the feel of the Edge's black back to the white. I do prefer the white Note overall though, as there some subtle striation pattern on the phones that are not very clear in photos but beautiful in person. They are much clearer on the white, as you have to know they're there to see them on the black Edge.
-the speaker did distort a bit at the highest ticks, and it is a bit "trebly" but definitely not a deal breaker. It is a loud speaker, (heard the music clearly in the din of BB).
-the s-pen is amazballs. Enough said.
-finally the Samsung experience gal did confirm the Samsung rebate with the gift card and all that. She hadn't known what the carrier retail prices were until I told her though. The one interesting tidbit she me was that there was some talk about the possibility of an early release date. I asked her how early, as I was concerned about the rebate ending before I could participate, and she thought if I got the rebate in by the 10th that would be good, because the early release would be more like the 11th or 12th.