Galaxy S6 Edge review: the high-end Samsung revolution
Tony Balt 2015-03-26T20:00:00Z1 month ago
Tony Balt Tony has discovered Android in 2009, he comes from the droids world to share their passion with you every day ! He's only a man open to everything and to offer you the best everyday. ;-) Samsung promised us that its next Galaxy device would be something pretty special. The Korean tech-giant has been suffering from a sales slump following the poor reception of its Galaxy S5?which, despite solid specs, failed to capture the hearts of the masses.?Samsung has now brought two Galaxy S series flagships to the table, the Galaxy S6 - a new but familiar approach to the Galaxy series, and the Galaxy S6 Edge -?with an all-new curved display. The demand for the Galaxy S6 Edge has been high,?but is Samsung's flagship?gamble all it's cracked up to be? Find out in our Galaxy S6 Edge review.??
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge release date is April 10 and the Galaxy S6 Edge?price details are as follows (we're only displaying the lowest tariffs and main networks. Cheaper deals may be found with resellers):
UK
Three, ￡47?p/m (￡49 upfront fee) with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, 1GB data
EE, ￡31.99 p/m (￡349.99 upfront fee) with 500 minutes, unlimited texts, 500MB data
O2, ￡52.50 p/m (￡9.99 upfront fee) with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, 1GB data
Vodafone, ?￡41 p/m (￡149 upfront fee) with 500 minutes, unlimited texts, 500MB data
Off-contract, the Galaxy S6 Edge costs ￡760 from the official Samsung UK page. However, at trusty Pixmania you can get the S6 Edge?for as little as ￡689.90, which is a pretty big saving. There are other cheap deals out there too, but many are from untrustworthy sites that we wouldn't recommend here.
US
Verizon, $29.16?per-month with a?Verizon EDGE subscription, or?$299?on a two-year contract, or?$699?outright.
U.S. Cellular?has?zero?down and?$39.50?per-month as the installment price, or?$299?on a two-year contract, or?$790?prepaid.
T-Mobile?is offering?a full retail price of $779.76?prepaid, or zero?down at $32.49?a month for 24 months for well-qualified buyers.
AT&T?has a regular price of?$814.99, or zero down at?$27.17 for 30 months with AT&T Next, or?$299.99 on a two-year contract.
All Galaxy S6 Edge prices are for the 32 GB black version unless otherwise stated. All information correct at the time of writing. ?
The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are virtually identical from the back. /?c ANDROIDPIT While these?prices are considerably?high,?it's important to note that Samsung has set the bar for premium smartphones in 2015, with clever innovation, if not starting a revolution.?Much like in 2011 when Samsung?introduced the term "Phablet" to?the market with the Galaxy Note, it's entirely possible that Samsung is beginning a new smartphone trend here.?
The Galaxy S6 Edge is one?sleek machine. It?houses the?glass and metal finish that many have been crying out for from Samsung, and it marks the first?time that the manufacturer has used this type of material on a high-end smartphone. It's thin, it's?sophisticated, and it's?surprisingly lightweight. ?
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge seen from the front. / c ANDROIDPIT The side-panels of the Galaxy S6 Edge are incredibly thin?and flat, making it slightly sharp. After using it for several weeks, we can't say that the design grew on us, the edges still feel uncomfortable when holding the S6 Edge fully in one hand.?This is the current?price to be pay for a dual-edged?screen.
The front camera is placed to the right of the microphone, while the sensors are on the left side. / c ANDROIDPIT 
The keys dedicated to the management of the volume are positioned at the top left of the right edge. / c ANDROIDPIT 
At the top of the Galaxy S6 Edge is IR blaster, pin hole mic, and SIM hatch. c ANDROIDPIT 
Here is the Galaxy S6 (left) and the Galaxy S6 edge to the right. / c ANDROIDPIT The dedicated volume buttons are located at the top of the left edge, and the lock button is installed just above the middle of the device on the right-hand side. The button placement is well-suited to right or left handers, but?your index finger might naturally sit a little higher up than where the this lock/power button can be found, if holding it in your left, and your thumb will be a little higher up when holding it in your right.
It feels slightly awkward?to have to slide down to access the power button?every time you unlock the phone, but it's not uncomfortable, as such.
The Galaxy S6 Edge is a wonderful machine to look at. / c ANDROIDPIT 
Side view detailing how the top of the device slides around to the side-edge. / c ANDROIDPIT 
On the right edge of the Galaxy S6 edge is the lock/wake button. / c ANDROIDPIT 
The back of the Galaxy S6 edge is completely identical to that of the Galaxy S6. / c ANDROIDPIT In daily use, the smartphone can be held and operated in one hand without any problems, and it has a strong grip. Maybe too strong --?the rear glass will quickly become masked in?fingerprints.?Still, this is preferable to a device that could easily slip out of the hand.
The Galaxy S6 (left) is wider on the sides than the Galaxy S6 Edge, and feels a little more comfortable to hold. / c ANDROIDPIT The design of the Galaxy S6 Edge is "style over comfort". It's beautifully thin, but this means that it's?not?an especially?pleasing device to hold. How much this matters will depend on your personal taste, and it's certainly not a deal breaker. I'd predict that the majority of those who purchase an S6 Edge will never complain about the thinness of its sides.?
The Galaxy S6 Edge?has one of the highest resolution displays currently?on an Android device,?and?it’s one of the best we’ve ever seen. The display?comes in at?5.1-inches, similar to that of the Galaxy S6, and it's loaded with pixels;?picking out the individuals is near-impossible.?
The screen technology used is Super AMOLED, which?Samsung has been using since the Galaxy S, and it has a QHD (1440 x 2560 pixels) resolution. The Galaxy S5, by comparison, has?a Full-HD (1080 x 1920 pixels) display.?
The quality of the QHD display is stunning. /?c ANDROIDPIT The biggest thing that sets the Galaxy S6 Edge apart from other devices is, of course, the sloping sides of its screen. While these sloping sides do house some additional functionality (more on this later), they also provide the device with a great effect when watching videos. It's not 3D, but it somehow gives videos a more "energetic" feel?which isn't apparent on other smartphones. ?
The bottom of the Galaxy S6 with home button / fingerprint scanner. /?c ANDROIDPIT The S6 Edge houses around 577 pixels per?inch. These is an impressive number, and the Edge has an impressive screen tone?to match. However, if you find it too garish, it is possible to easily change the contrasts with four options?(adaptive, cinema, photography and basic).
You can easily manage the colors on the Galaxy S6 Edge to suit your taste. / c ANDROIDPIT The protective Gorilla Glass 4 coating on the front and the back of the device is pleasant to handle. This is the fourth generation of glass manufactured by Corning which improves display durability an estimated 80 percent?more than conventional glass on other smartphones and?tablets.
The screen is a joy to look at, it's extremely detailed and has rich color and contrast. It is hard to avoid some glare attaching to the sloping sides, but this is?a small complaint, and the subtle "wipe" animation when you lock the device?provides an?elegant overtone.?In terms of scree-responsiveness, taps and swipes on the display are interpreted almost instantly by the S6 Edge. It's a real gem.
Among the standout features of the S6 Edge is the fingerprint scanner which can be accessed in lock screen settings.?You can configure multiple fingerprints to unlock your device, as well as a backup password if the fingerprint scanner malfunctions. Not only can your fingerprint be used to unlock your device, you can also connect to the Web, check your Samsung account, or make a payment with Paypal.
Some argue that the fingerprint reader greatly enhances security, but we're not sold on this, and?as you must place your finger at a specific point on the home button so that it is recognized, it also seems a little inconvenient. While it’s a good idea, it’s still not 100 percent perfect yet.
With the Galaxy S6 Edge you can even use your fingerprint to make payments with PayPal. / c ANDROIDPIT Although it was already available on the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy S6 Edge also incorporates a heart rate monitor. Found within the S Health app,?it is possible to measure?your heart rate just by using the sensor?located?below the flash on the rear of the camera.
When you hold your?finger against it, a red light is displayed while it monitors your heart rate. It's more consistent than the previous iteration on the Galaxy S5, and acts as a neat function for anybody who is concerned with maintaining a healthy lifestyle.?
S Health integrates with Samsung's heart-rate sensor to help monitor your health. c ANDROIDPIT The Galaxy S6 Edge performance is?impressive, but?Samsung's UI?can stutter from time to time. After?installing a new launcher, however, this was no longer a problem and it gave way to an impeccably smooth experience. With such powerful components together and well-optimized software, the S6 Edge is one of the fastest devices around.
In addition, the S6 Edge arrives with Android 5.0.2 and the latest version of the TouchWiz UI.?Samsung's latest?user-interface?provides?the freedom to uninstall most of its pre-installed applications,?except those that are crucial to the system, and it's a welcome change for the typically bloatware filled Samsung devices.?
The Galaxy S6 Edge comes running Android 5.0.2. / c ANDROIDPIT The curved edges of the Galaxy S6 Edge don’t just set it apart from the S6, but also the broader competition. Samsung has introduced a new concept to the smartphone market that hasn’t been seen before. So, what use do the curved edges have?
First up, “favorite contacts”. This feature provides the ability to configure up to five favorite contacts which can be assigned to a side of the screen. Swiping in from the side of the screen will bring these favorite contacts into view, where you can easily SMS or email them.
You can assign five favorite contacts to the side-screen of the S6 Edge. /?c ANDROIDPIT The second feature is combined with the first. When your phone is on its stomach, the side screen will reflect its color onto whatever it rests on. As each of your favorite contacts is assigned a color, you can see which one is contacting you at a glance, as the corresponding color is displayed. This effect is limited to your five contacts, however.
Samsung has also developed a kind of information flow which can be used while you're?lying down. This feature is activated by lightly tickling the side screen where you can find the temperature, time, date, and the percentage of remaining battery power, and more.
On its front, the side screen is capable of the color of the contact who has contacted you. /?c ANDROIDPIT In addition, this feature can be?used to discover information including sports scores, changes in the stock market, and other news. You can also see your notifications from Twitter and / or contacts. All of this is accessible just from the side panel.
Samsung has also included a feature called Palm keys, which allows you to ignore the actions of your fingers on the curved screens when you interact on the main screen, which can be very handy.
This is what the favorite contact notifications look like. /?c ANDROIDPIT As if that was not enough, you can find many other additional features of TouchWiz outside of the side display efforts. The latest version of TouchWiz provides access to a wide range of customization, as well as all-new themes and “Download Booster” makes a welcome return.
Located in the additional connection settings, download booster combines Wi-Fi and LTE networks for faster download speeds for files larger than 30 MB. This feature isn’t new, but it’s still useful.
Samsung's Download Booster speeds up downloads by combining mobile data and Wi-Fi. / c ANDROIDPIT There is also a new gesture, which allows you to launch the camera by tapping twice on the home button, and it’s super fast. Sadly, Samsung has not copied LG with a “knock on” effect to wake the screen by tapping on it twice, which is a shame.
In general, the performance dished out by the Galaxy S6 Edge is surprising. When I I talk about performance, I’m discussing all the device components including: the touch screen, processor, graphics chip, RAM, internal memory, cameras, connectivity and connectors.
While most functions work fast, it must be stated that the interface, namely the home-screen and app drawer screens,?suffer?from some unpleasant slowdowns. That said, it is still possible to substitute any other alternative available on the Play Store (see a list of the best Android launchers at the link). If you choose this route, those little problems will disappear immediately. Otherwise, hopefully an update will improve things.
The AnTuTu and Geekbench 3 verdict on the Galaxy S6 Edge.?c ANDROIDPIT The HTC One M9 is based on the Snapdragon 810, similar to Samsung’s own Exynos chipset in the S6 Edge, and the performance appeared really strong, but later reports suggested that the new Qualcomm processor had caused overheating. HTC later released a software update in order to curb the performance and reduce the heat.
With the Exynos 7420 processor in the Galaxy S6 Edge, the problem?of overheating is drastically reduced, and it suffered no issues after testing the performance for 30 minutes.
The Galaxy S6 Edge features a Exynos 7420 processor under the hood. c ANDROIDPIT The graphics performance of the Galaxy S6 Edge is better than any other device so far, except for the Tegra X1 installed on the Nvidia Shield Portable Console. The new NVIDIA flagship game console has not yet been commercialized, but it is still interesting to know that the Tegra X1 graphics chip increases to 388 GFlops (floating point operations per-second), where the Mali-T760 of the Exynos 7420 revolves at around 326 GFlops. In comparison, the Snapdragon 805 tops out at 172.8 GFlops.
As of today, few applications exploit such graphical capabilities, but Samsung is already looking into the future by providing a worthy system on a chip.
When confronted with a high-end smartphone worth more than 800 dollars, I always expect to find components of a similar pedigree. With a single speaker, the Galaxy S6 Edge passes with relatively good sound quality.
In addition to a full menu dedicated to sound parameters in the settings, Samsung has introduced a section called "quality and sound effects" to prove it does not do things by halves. Within it, there are three options, including one called Adapt Sound, for tweaking the most desirable sound configuration for when you make calls, listen to music or watch videos.
The settings of sound effects on the Galaxy S6 Edge. / c ANDROIDPIT The other option?is?SoundAlive+, which brings the advantage of a powerful simulated surround effect (which is rather nice). This is followed by a second option called Tube Amp. Basically, this simulates the warm tone of a tube amplifier. It’s an appreciated package of sound enhancements.
The 16 megapixel camera of the Galaxy S6 Edge includes optical image stabilization. c ANDROIDPIT I would describe both the front and rear camera of the Galaxy S6 Edge as stunning. In terms of optimization, Samsung proves it is - once again - able to deliver a high-quality experience, making effective use of Sony’s latest photo sensor, the famous IMX240.
Sony's IMX240 sensor on Galaxy S6 edge is staggeringly good. c ANDROIDPIT 
Notice the strong contrast in the picture above. c ANDROIDPIT 
The Galaxy S6 captures light and dark as good as any camera we've ever seen on a smartphone. c ANDROIDPIT With Sony’s premium sensor, it is possible to take stunning photos and videos during the day both indoors and outdoors. But don’t discount Samsung’s own optimization and image processing technology, which allows for photos and videos in dark environments to look great. Of course, at night the quality is lower, but the Samsung optimization enables the Sony camera to lower the maximum noise significantly.
Here is the first picture in low light test with the Galaxy S6 Edge. c ANDROIDPIT 
The lack of noise generated by the S6 Edge camera at night is impressive.?c ANDROIDPIT 
The S6 Edge really brightened up this bright street, and the result was fantastic. c ANDROIDPIT The OIS (optical image stabilization) ensures quality even when shooting moving objects, or when moving the phone itself: the picture manages to stay clear in almost all circumstances.
The camera color balance is accurate and true. c ANDROIDPIT 
One of the AndroidPIT offices.?c ANDROIDPIT On the technical side, the back camera has approximately 16 million pixels. It is able to take photos with resolution of 5312 x 2988 pixels in 16:9 ratio. On the video side, you can choose any resolution from VGA (640 x 480) up to UHD (3840 x 2160).
A selfie taken with the Galaxy S6 Edge's front camera / c ANDROIDPIT As for the camera installed on the front, this is a 5 MP snapper, capable of taking pictures up to 2592 x 1944 pixels in 4:3 aspect ratio. Here once again the pictures are of an excellent quality. Video calling in Hangouts or Skype look great, as do selfies.
As well as image stabilization, there is also an option dedicated to video stabilization, and some useful functions dedicated to the front camera, like face detection.
After a few days of use, I can confirm that the Galaxy S6 Edge can't survive more than?a day of intensive use. It has a lot to power, sure, but the battery struggles to hold up when playing games, video or heavy applications.
The Galaxy S6 edge is able to offer a day of heavy use, but no more.?/ c ANDROIDPIT The QHD screen comes at a price and consumes an insane amount of energy. There are some optimizations which can be made, but you will have to settle for about a day's worth of use before a charge is required.
That said, Samsung worked around the battery problem with a couple of solutions. The first is located right inside the Samsung charger and will enable you to charge the S6 Edge to 100 percent in about an hour. The other is the ability to charge the device wirelessly with Qi technology. These solutions don’t necessarily affect how battery is consumed, just how quick it can recover.
In just one hour, the Galaxy S6 Edge can reach 100 percent charge thanks to the supplied quick-charger.?c ANDROIDPIT Beyond the charging features, it is possible to extend?the Galaxy S6 Edge’s battery life with two power saving modes. The first, can limit processor performance, the frame rate, the brightness of the screen and keys, and device vibration.
The second mode can double or even triple the battery life. Ultra Power saving mode turns your device to grayscale and limits the number of useable applications, effectively reducing your device to minimum processing: it turns off?Phone, Message (SMS), Internet, Calculator, Voice Recorder, Facebook, Google+, Clock, Notepad, Twitter and WhatsApp. Here you can expect two days of battery, but at a significant cost.
Dimensions:142.1 x 70.1 x 7 mmScreen:2560 x 1440 pixels (576 ppi)Android version:5.0.2 - LollipopInternal storage:32 GB64 GB
128 GBRemovable storage:Not availableConnectivity:HSPA, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 4.1
With the Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung has proven?it is capable of the innovation that many thought it lacked. This smartphone opens up unexplored horizons and new ideas to the market, which has long since been revolving around the same things.
I was delighted by this smartphone which, unlike the Galaxy S6, brings real added value with its curved display and clever software features. Samsung cut the fat of its typically bloated interface, presenting an airy UI which isn’t filled with unnecessary additions.?I have some criticisms to be raised in relation to the stability of the UI, but this can easily be solved by installing a free alternative launcher. The integration of Flipboard on the first screen is also a mistake, in my opinion.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is available to pre-order from today. c ANDROIDPIT Samsung has included its heart rate sensor and fingerprint reader in here once again, but they are more useful than ever before. There has been hard work and love put into the crafting of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.?Even with the battery life, which we expected to struggle thanks to the impressive Galaxy S6 Edge specs, Samsung has provided elegant solutions.
The Galaxy S6 Edge presents innovation and?quality which can't be ignored. Samsung has taken a big risk introducing the curvy S6 Edge, but I think that it could be the start of a whole new line of smartphones. From Samsung, and other manufacturers alike.
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