Samsung Galaxy S6 review - Android 6.0 incoming
The Galaxy S6's
metal and glass body is a big step forward, as is the fast processor,
but you can't upgrade storage or replace the battery
Specifications
Processor: Quad-core 2.1GHz & quad-core 1.5GHz Samsung Exynos 7420, Screen Size: 5.1in, Screen resolution: 2,560x1,440, Rear camera: 16-megapixel, Storage: 32GB / 64GB / 128GB, Wireless data: 3G, 4G, Size: 143x70x6.8mm, Weight: 132g, Operating system: Android 5.0
The
Samsung Galaxy S5 was
a great phone in terms of technology, but there's no denying it felt
like just another iterative change of what had gone before rather than
something a bit more revolutionary. This year, we have no such qualms
with the Galaxy S6, as Samsung has gone back to the drawing board and
completely redesigned its flagship handset. Building it from
high-quality glass and metal, the S6 feels like the premium handset that
we've always wanted.
In fact, Samsung has brought us two new handsets this year, with the
Galaxy S6 Edge and
its curved display sitting above the regular S6. While the Edge may the
phone that most people would love to have in their pockets, the
standard S6 is £160 cheaper and has almost all the same features (save
for the special Edge screen tabs). For many, then, the S6 is the phone
you're more likely buy, as it's the best value.
In brief
Samsung has completely revamped its phone line-up for 2015, with the
incredible build quality and premium materials of the S6 proving to be a
real winner. Samsung's own mobile processor is also incredibly fast and
powerful, beating almost every other flagship smartphone when it comes
to raw application speed, outstripping the
LG G4 and
HTC One M9 by
miles. While the S6 Edge is the phone we'd want, this standard S6 is
just as quick and has just as good a screen and camera, making it our
joint-top flagship Android handset of the year; it even gives
iPhone 6 readers something to think about. If this isn't the phone for you, then our
best smartphone guide will have something suitable.
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- Excellent build quality
- High-quality screen
- Very fast
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- Battery is not replaceable
- No memory card slot
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In detail
With the Galaxy S6 Edge launching at the same time, the S6 isn't just
competing against other flagship Android phones; it's competing against
its curved-screen brother. It's not an easy decision to make between
the two, either. While the Edge, in our opinion, looks a lot cooler, you
do have to take into account its much higher cost and work out if it's
worth paying more for. With the standard S6, you're getting a flat
screen, but it's fair to say that build quality and attention to detail
is just as good as with the Edge.
Design and build quality
The Galaxy S6 is a big improvement on the S5, with the glass and
metal design bringing the phone up to the quality we think its price
demands. That's not to say that everything is perfect: as much as we
love the phone's metal design, its smooth, rounded corners make it feel
extremely slippery to hold, and it constantly felt like it was about to
fall out of our hand.
It doesn't help that the S6 has a glass back either, as this provides
very little purchase when you're using the phone single-handed. The S6
Edge, on the other hand, skirts around this issue by having a thinner,
more angular frame to accommodate its curved screen, making it much
easier and more comfortable to grip. We never thought we'd miss
Samsung's faux-leather back panels, but we did like the amount grip they
provided.
The phone's rounded edges also have the strange effect of making the
S6 appear considerably fatter in your hand compared to the S6 Edge,
despite the fact the S6 is actually 0.2mm slimmer, measuring 6.8mm
compared to the 7mm on the Edge. It's a minor quibble, but it
nevertheless serves as a reminder that the S6 Edge feels like the more
premium product.
There's not much in it in terms of weight, as the S6 weighs 138g
while the S6 Edge weighs 132g. Either way, both trump the HTC One M9 and
LG G4, as the One M9 measures 9.6mm thick and weighs a heftier 157g
while the G4 measures 8.9mm and weighs 155g. Some will no doubt prefer
the added bulk of the One M9 and G4, particularly if you're a little
nervous about dropping it, but the S6 definitely feels more comfortable
in your pocket.
Display
Fortunately, the S6 makes up for its small design issues with its
stunning 5.1in Super AMOLED display. With a resolution of 2,560x1,440,
the phone has the highest pixel density (577ppi) of any handset, beating
the
LG G3,
which has the same resolution and a larger 5.5in screen. As we've come
to expect from Samsung's AMOLED displays, colour accuracy and contrast
were through the roof, as our colour calibrator returned an sRGB colour
gamut score of 100% and a contrast ratio of Infinity:1. Likewise, blacks
were a perfect 0.00cd/m2, so text and black backgrounds are as deep and
inky as they come.
Screen brightness was a rather more contentious issue, as Samsung
claims the screen can reach as high as 600cd/m2, which is higher than
even most LCD screens are capable of producing. The HTC One M9, for
instance, managed just 478.50cd/m2 on its highest brightness setting.
AMOLED screens, on the other hand, are usually much dimmer, and our
usual maximum brightness tests were very much in line with what we'd
normally expect to see from this type of screen technology.
Here, we measured a peak brightness of 346.49cd/m2, which is nigh on
identical to our readings from the S6 Edge. This is fine for using the
phone outside, but it still pales in comparison to what an LCD can
achieve. However, it seems Samsung has finally addressed this issue of
outdoor usability, as our live brightness readings shot up to a massive
577cd/m2 when we took the phone outside and switched back to automatic
brightness.
This is the first time we've seen this kind of brightness level on an
AMOLED phone, and it really helps boost the clarity of the screen and
keeps colours looking punchy when you're out and about. This will be
good news for anyone who travels a lot or primarily uses their phone
outside, as it effectively combines the best features of both AMOLED and
LCD screen technology. We like that it's only available on Auto mode as
well, as this should help keep the screen's power drain in check so you
don't end up running out of battery so often.
Android 6.0 and TouchWiz
Samsung's TouchWiz interface on
the
S6 was more streamlined than ever before, with fewer pre-installed apps
and widgets cluttering up your home screens. In fact, there were only
two pages of pre-installed apps when we first turned it on, which will
be welcome news to anyone who's suffered through the mountains of
Samsung bloatware it used to install on its previous smartphones.
But that's enough about that, as Samsung is in the process of rolling out
Android 6.0
for its current flagship smartphones. It's taken a while to come and
it's not here quite yet, but with public beta testing and a rollout
imminent in South Korea, we should see it on handsets here shortly. The
interface has been brought up-to-date with some smart new icons and more
use of white in menus, you can also switch the colour palette easily
with new themes.
It includes all the latest features, such as Google's clever Now on
Tap, which scans whatever's on your phone's screen and then provides
useful additional information. For example, scan an email asking if
you'd like to go and see a film that night and Now on Tap will
automatically find the nearest screenings. There's also the hugely
improved permissions
system
,
which asks for permission to access your phone's system when required
and lets you refuse access to individual parts (such as the camera)
while still running the app.
Whether you have Android 5 or 6 you'll still find apps for S Health, S
Planner, S Voice and Samsung's Smart Manager apps pre-installed, as
well as Samsung's Galaxy App store and Microsoft's OneDrive and OneNote
apps, but others such as Skype and WhatsApp are mere placeholder icons
that act as shortcuts to the full download page on the Google Play
Store, freeing up a bit more space on your phone while providing a
gentle reminder about other useful services you might want to install.
All of Microsoft's apps can be removed from the home screen and disabled
in the app tray; this makes the icons disappear, although the apps are
still technically installed and are still listed under Apps in the
Settings menu.
Of course, as the screen on the S6 is flat, you won't find any of the extra features that the
S6 Edge has,
such as People Edge, the Information Stream or the Night Clock. To be
honest, none of these are really must-have features anyway, so you're
certainly not missing out on anything if you'd rather save the extra
money.
