I'm really disappointed that they dropped support for MicroSD and battery removal, which are (in my opinion) the biggest things that stand out versus iPhone.
The curved screen is more expensive to make so it has to cost more. It looks gimmicky and unnecessary but a lot of consumers have been trained to pay extra for flashy design flourishes or innately feel better about doing so.
It's smart, this way Samsung can appeal to those types and also people who just want a normal high-quality phone with no gimmicks at a more reasonable price.
I have a friend who is really drawn to stuff like this -- the curved screen. He told me that it's great for swiping from the edge of your screen to open up a window for viewing what apps you have running.
He was convinced (via marketing) that this is the only phone with that ability.
My rooted S3 running on Beanstalk can do it.
What I'm trying to say is, yeah, gimmicks, but to the poorly-educated consumer.
I personally find the edge to be just another thing that can go wrong when I drop the phone.
I guess I'll stick with my S5.