First Look: Samsung Galaxy S6 And Galaxy S6 Edge

After making its appearance in leaked photographs and sly teasers, Samsung’s latest flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S6, has finally been revealed to the general public. At an event held in Barcelona, Spain, on the eve of this year’s Mobile World Congress, Samsung talked in detail about the latest from its stable. Like it was predicted by several websites including the Inquisitr, this time, Samsung decided to go ahead with two versions of its flagship device to attract a wider set of audience.

Say hello, ladies and gentlemen, to the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. We will be taking a look at both of these handsets in detail and see how good/bad they both are compared to competition. Also, are these new devices worth an upgrade if you already own a Galaxy S5?

Let us find out.

The Galaxy S6 can be termed the “true” successor to the Galaxy S5, owing to the fact that resembles the model it replaces. While the design familiarity remains, there are a bunch of huge changes that make its presence felt the moment you see the handset. In fact, the design changes in the Galaxy S6 could be easily termed the biggest changes that Samsung might have undertaken on its flagship devices in the course of transition from one generation to the next. Before we delve into what the changes are, let us dive into the specifications of the phone. Note that the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge have the same internals. There are only minor differences between them that we’ll address later in this piece. For the time being, the specifications listed below hold true for both the devices unless specifically mentioned.

To start with, the International versions of both these devices are powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 7 chip. The processor which happens to be an Octa Core beast was the natural choice by Samsung owing to the fact that it is based on a 14nm manufacturing process that, at least on paper, should translate to lower battery consumption. Also, the company no longer had to be dependent on Qualcomm, which is duty bound to supply other players in the field, as well, with top-of-the-line chipsets. That said, the U.S. version of the Galaxy S6 and the Edge is likely to be powered by one of the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. The Exynos chipset also happens to boast a 64-bit architecture. Both the phones would be sold in three versions, starting with a 32 GB variant, a 64 GB version, and a top of the line 128 GB model. There is 3 GB of RAM, as well.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 features a 5.1 inch, Quad HD(2560×1440), 577ppi, Super AMOLED, while the Galaxy S6 Edge gets a curved display with the same specifications.

Moving on to the imaging bit, both the new devices feature a 16 megapixel rear camera. There is a front 5 megapixel camera as well. Both the front and rear cameras get an F 1.9 lens and feature real-time HDR. The main camera also gets Optical Image Stabilization. A new feature called the IR Detect White Balance ensures the best white balance for different lighting conditions. Another new addition to the Galaxy S6 is the addition of a “Quick Launch” feature to the devices. The Quick Launch button (which lets you access the camera by double tapping the home button) will ensure that the camera application could be launched on the phone from any screen in less than a second. This new feature, Samsung says, will let you capture those sudden moments which you otherwise might miss. Not bad! Actual image quality — especially compared to the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus — is yet to be seen. Like with the case of the Galaxy S5, both the S6 versions support 4K video.

Here is a first impressions video of the Galaxy S6 from folks from over at Android Authority.

All the versions of the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge support 4G LTE bands as well as 3G and 2G networks. There would be specific versions for difference markets, though owing to the fact that 4G and 3G networks fall in to several mutually incompatible bands. On the connectivity front, you would not be missing much here. Both the devices support WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), HT80 MIMO(2×2) 620Mbps, Bluetooth v4.1, A2DP, USB, and NFC. There is IR packed in, too!

Samsung has also gone ahead with the fingerprint sensor and the heart rate monitor — both borrowed from the S5. The fingerprint sensor, however, asks that you tap it — and not swipe it, as you might have been used to doing on the S5.

Here is a first impressions video of the Galaxy S6 Edge.

On the software front, the Galaxy S6 comes loaded with Android 5.0-based TouchWiz UI that many people love to hate. Now, for people who hate the bloatware and gimmicky features that was the hallmark of TouchWiz, the company seems to have addressed this issue with the Galaxy S6. Samsung has said loud and clear that the new UI has 40 percent fewer features compared to the Galaxy S5!

While both the devices have similar specs, there is a slight difference in the battery capacity on the two. While the Galaxy S6 gets a 2550 mAH battery, the Galaxy S6 Edge gets a slightly beefier 2600 mAH battery — perhaps taking in mind the curved display bit?

What Has Changed?

The arrival of the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge also marks a few major changes in the way Samsung made their phones. To start with, Samsung seems to have gone the Apple way and has this time, for the first time, launched a flagship device with a unibody design. This also means that you cannot remove the battery anymore. And, like you might have guessed by now, there is no expandable memory, either! This could be a deal-breaker for several hardcore Galaxy S6 supporters out there. All said, for those who need more storage space, you can always get the 128 GB version, right? Another feature that goes out of the window is water resistance. Unlike the Galaxy S5, which you could take into a swimming pool, the Galaxy S6 models would rather remain on dry land. While water resistance might be useful to many, looks like it didn’t make much of a difference when it came to overall sales.

The Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 would be on sale starting April 10, 2015 in several countries across the globe. Pricing details have not been revealed — but like we mentioned in a previous report, it isn’t going to be cheap. Now that you know the detailed specifications of the new flagship devices from Samsung, do you think it is worth an upgrade? Let us know in the comments section below this article!

[Images via Samsung]