The Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge: Ready to redeem lost pride?

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Samsung Galaxy S6
Samsung Galaxy S6
The new Samsung Galaxy S6

For all those hardcore Samsung fans, the wait is finally over. Last night, on the eve of the Mobile World Congress, the consumer electronics giant unveiled its new mobile devices that have been the cause of speculation for quite a bit.

The new Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge were introduced as the new face of Samsung’s charge at becoming the leading, defining force in mobile device design and creation.

After its previous phone (the Samsung Galaxy S5) failed to carry the brand and redemption was sourced through the Galaxy Note 4 phablet, a lot of buzz was created around this new phone.

What do the two devices offer?

Well to sum it up, most of the rumors were true. Besides the emphasis on a thinner, lighter device and the curves (more on the Edge really), the first big change is that plastic is gone. The S6 and the S6 Edge are all glass and metal.

The Galaxy S6 Edge is curved on both ends, something that we’ve seen on the Note Edge but which has now been placed on both ends of the device.

The latest Gorilla Glass 4 has been used to cover both devices, and it’s supposed to be as twice as tough as any other glass on the market.

In terms of processors both Galaxies are packing an Exynos Octa-core 2.1GHz with an additional 1.5GHz 64-bit 14nm. This means that the relationship with processors manufacturer Qualcomm (the guys behind Snapdragon) has been severed and will likely be reflected in all future Samsung devices.

The cameras have been tweaked (Smart Optical Image Stabilisation, Auto Real-time High Dynamic Range (HDR) IR Detect White Balance, Quick Launch) and are supposed to offer faster response for both front and rear image taking.

In terms of pixels, there is an improved 5MP(up from 2MP on the S5) for the front and 16MP for the rear. Screen resolution has been bumped up (5.1 inch QHD (2560×1440) 577ppi Super AMOLED display).

Both devices support wireless charging (work with any wireless pad) and fast wired charging that is 1.5 times faster than charging for the Galaxy S5.

According to Samsung 10 minutes of charging can get 4 hours of use (subject to certain conditions but I wouldn’t bet on ZESA or Solar current to make that happen)

Samsung Pay, the new payment platform for Samsung was also incorporated into these two. No guesses for which brand is being copied  inspired this move though.

The same goes for security aspects (fingerprint scan), the non-removable battery and memory that can’t be expanded (S6 has 32GB, 64GB and 128GB).

The Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge will hit stores on the 10th of April 2015.

Although Samsung didn’t make an official announcement of prices for the devices, rumors for the European tags are swirling between $783 for the entry-level(32 GB) S6 to $1,007 for the 128GB version. The S6 Edge is rumored to start at $952 for the 32GB version with the 128GB starting at $1,175.

With improved specs, a new processor, a metal frame (that Samsung was quick to say doesn’t bend), faster charging and resolutions to make watching videos on phones worth it, the question is whether or not these two devices be able to regain lost market share.

The Galaxy S5 failed to carry on the steam that the S3 and S4 had given the Samsung brand and Apple, its number one rival has been lapping up whatever bit of high end smartphone market that Samsung has been dropping.

I’m impressed by the changes and can’t wait to get my hands on the S6 or the Edge, but I don’t know if this lunge at everything Apple is doing (excessive Apple adaption is more like it) is enough to redeem lost pride.

That price doesn’t do the Samsung any justice as well. When you consider our extra duty on mobile phones and the retail markups, this new Samsung is set to start selling at around $1,200. Whatever happened to Android economics?

You can download the full list of the specs for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge by following the link to a pdf file below.

Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge Specs

Image credit: Samsung Mobile

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9 comments

  1. Beatnyama

    This phone is just ridiculous. I’ve been a user of Samsung Phones since S2 and i have really liked what they offered. I skipped the S5 as it didn’t have that much to offer and I knew the S6 was going to come earlier. All this was with the expectation that S6 will blow my mind. And they have failed that dismally.
    This phone has removed the ability for me to add more memory through memory cards. It has also removed the need for me to change batteries. With my old phone, i would keep two batteries for those days I would need more power. Or when my battery literally died and stopped working. Now I need to send it to a Samsung Shop and be without my phone for a few days.
    In addition to this, this phone is no longer water proof like that last phone (S5). This is the only information I got from the Samsung announcement. So why would I buy a seriously retarded phone like this for a premium price?

    1. Bored Zimbo

      Pa battery apa makarasika blaz. Ever heard of battery packs/power banks?

      They bring in the added advantage that you wont need to reboot your device (like you would pakuchinja bhatiri).

      Kusaziva kufa shuwa.

      1. Beatnyama

        Pakuzoti kusaziva kufa when you do not know what I do for a living or the point I was making

    2. SoTypMe

      I have a Note 2 with a spare battery. I alsoo have a power bank. I rarely use the power bank for two reasons: 1) Its bulkier to carry around than a spare battery and 2) I cant use my phone normally when its tethered to a power bank. Its clunky.

      I dont mind the lack of expandable memory (darn, even the 32gig S6 has twice my current phone’s memory+sdcard combined!). I would mind not having a removable battery though, coz I wont be able to yell to my iPhone toting friend that I can go from “0 to 100% in 25seconds!”

      Also, how the heck am I going to force restart this thing when it freezes?

  2. admire

    looks like apple’s bad influence is starting to take hold

  3. LTE

    Its very clear now that Apple has a serious influence on OEMs. Just like the case of Econet, Telecel and Netone in Zim, every OEM want to bite a piece off Apple’s customers. Its a fact that ifanboys are high spenders and thus OEMs want to lure them by including features that are traditionally found on iphones. Forget about the iPhone 6 being in 2012, its the S6 thats way behind. Samsung killer features include removable battery, MicroSD card, huge battery (2800mAh on s5, 2550mAh on s6), they have been taken away in favour of the iphonic experience look.

    1. Anonymous 2

      If I remember what I read correctly, between the hardware and software tweaks, it’s expected to get similar battery life to the S5. I could be very wrong on that though. As for the look, Samsung has some prior art in the 2012 Ativ S even if the apple has more recent recognition. If I were choosing, the GS Edge has the edge over the GS6 but yeah, the battery and storage issues are a downer. If they revise the Alpha to include expandable memory it and the Note 4 could mop up disgruntled top end Samsung owners but for those on the lower side of the scale like me, the A3 and A5 will be the perfect middle ground between premium feel and scalability.

  4. Tich

    Most people hat the iPhone (rather apple products) because they can afford them…no because Its a bad gadget….I dont own one but would die for one…hence its gonna be interesting to see how the Samsung fan boys are gonna react to this 1K plus monster from Samsung

    1. Anonymous 2

      Some will love it, some will hate it, but objectively speaking that 1k plus galaxy s6 is still more actual ‘phone’ per dollar than what you can currently get with an iphone. I guess in the end it’s just a matter of people having differing ideas on whats valuable to them and companies positioning themselves accordingly. Thats why even though I’m a sucker for looks, I’ll more likely pick something with qualities and capabilities that meet my needs first (apples evil but beautiful magic mouse taught me that lesson, lol!). Blind brand fanaticism no longer does it for me.

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