Samsung comes of age with Galaxy S6

SINGAPORE — The Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge were officially launched at telcos and Samsung Experience Stores around Singapore last Friday — with some customers arriving as early as 6am to get their hands on their pre-ordered phones at Singtel’s Marina Bay Sands shop.

If you are undecided on whether to get either of the phones, here is our take on Samsung’s latest flagship phones.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S6: IN WITH THE NEW

Finally, Samsung has ditched the plastic from its S-series flagship phone in favour of the sleeker and classier metal-and-glass look that users have been calling for. Drapped with a Gorilla Glass panel at the back — which on the flipside shows fingerprints and smudges — and framed with metal around the sides, the Samsung Galaxy S6 looks like it has come of age, albeit with an uncanny resemblance to the iPhone 6.

Similar to its rival smartphone, the S6 has done away with its usual removable battery and memory card slot, leaving the phone slimmer than its S5 predecessor by 1.3mm. Along its metal frame, the S6, measuring 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8mm, has its power button, volume rocker, SIM card slot, earpiece jack, charging port and speaker grille.

While the S6 uses the same 5.1” Super AMOLED screen as the S5, its resolution has been upgraded to 1440x2560 pixels, from 1080x1920. In other words, you can expect brigher and sharper visuals.

The Octa Core processor powering the gadget contains two quad core sets (2.1 GHz + 1.5 GHz), and is coupled with a 3GB RAM, a vast improvement from the S5’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 with 2GB RAM. For users, this is a noticable leap in responsiveness from the S5 — moving in and out of apps was a smooth process for me.

What piqued me most about the overall look of the phone is the 16-megapixel rear camera that sticks out of the chassis. It adds bulk and takes a little shine off from the phone’s overall sleekness.

Still, that can be overlooked given that the camera boasts a marked improvement in performance, with its f1.9 aperture, 28mm focal length and optical image stabilisation, which were absent from the S5. Pictures taken are sharper, wider and more compelling. In low light, images are less grainy too — a major Achilles heel in previous Samsung flagships. The five-megapixel front camera produces polished images — Samsung probably had the selfie-lover in mind with this advancement.

Another standout factor with the S6 is the overhauled TouchWiz, Samsung’s exclusive interface. Not only is it more intuitive, but the overall look has also been pared down with softer colours that are more pleasing to the eye.

In terms of battery life, the 2,550mAh non-removable battery lasted about 12 to 13 hours with fairly consistent use, including surfing the web for news, watching YouTube videos and using social media apps.

With its new look and improved functionality, the Samsung S6 is clearly a frontrunner in the smartphone market.

The Galaxy S6 32GB, 64GB and 128GB versions retail at S$998, S$1,148 and S$1,288, respectively, without a plan. It comes in white, black and gold, and is available at all telcos and Samsung Experience Stores. The topaz blue version will be available at a later date in the second quarter.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S6 EDGE: THE NOVELTY FACTOR

Novelty excites in technology, and the Samsung S6 Edge is banking on that with its sexy dual-edge display. From missed calls and Twitter updates to stock market news and weather updates, the phone gives users alerts on the curved display when the phone is locked. The feature is highly customisable to users’ needs.

To activate the alerts — or “Information Stream”, as Samsung terms it — you need only to gently swipe your finger side to side on the right curved edge of the screen.

Another feature allows users to assign up to five favourite contacts to the side of the screen. Simply swipe the contacts into view to call, SMS and even send emails to them.

Other than these, however, there seems to be little other functionality specific to the curved portion of the display, which is somewhat a wasted opportunity by Samsung.

Although I found the widget on the side useful for getting bits of information on the go, the deal-breaker for me was the overall feel of the S6 Edge. Since the screen extends to the side, what’s left of the metal frame is a thin, sharp edge. When held, the phone feels less secure in my grip, compared with the S6.

One other problem: Since the screen is curved, the keyboard, when in use, extends to the sides, and I often found my palm hitting the caps button and other keys when sending a message.

Other than the curved display, the S6 Edge, measuring 142.1 x 70.1 x 7mm, is pretty much the same as the S6 in other aspects. It runs on the same processor and operating system, uses the same Gorilla Glass displays and metal frame for its body, features the same screen resolution, cameras, and offers the same storage space options.

However, it is 6g lighter than the S6 and carries a slightly higher capacity battery at 2,600mAh.

The S6 Edge is priced slightly higher than the S6, but it does ooze plenty of cool factor and is a definite head-turner.

The Galaxy S6 Edge retails at S$1,168, S$1,298 and S$1,448 for its 32GB, 64GB and 128GB versions, respectively, without plan. It comes in white, black and gold, and is available at all telcos and Samsung Experience Stores. The emerald green version will be available at a later date in the second quarter.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report said that the Samsung S6 includes the fingerprint sensor, a first for its flagship model. This is incorrect. The fingerprint sensor was also present in the S5. We are sorry for the error.
Samsung has also clarified that the topaz blue version for the Samsung S6 and the emerald green version for the Samsung S6 Edge will only be available at a later date in the second quarter of this year.