The two versions of the Galaxy S6 will be available in four colors: the Galaxxy S6 in white, black, gold and blue; and the S6 edge in white, black, gold and green.
Under the panel out of glass 4 of gorilla, the colors jump more, particularly in reflected light inside. While the gold version will be always popular, being an enormous fan of the deep-blue version, I am disappointed that it will not be offered on the S6 edge.Two issues that may bother Galaxy S users: The glass panel is fixed,
so there is no way to remove and replace the battery. Samsung left out
a microSD card slot for expandable memory, so users are locked in to
32GB, 64GB or 128GB of internal storage.
But with each S6 comes 100GB of cloud storage in Microsoft's OneDrive service.
Built like those of Sony's Xperia Z series devices, the rear panel
is cool to the touch. The buttons on the side feel solid and the
overall presentation has a premium look.
One notable change is on the inside. In creating its own 64-bit
architecture, which the latest Android Lollipop operating system is
capable of supporting, Samsung has decided to rely on its own Exynos
octacore processors, instead of using the latest 64-bit Qualcomm
Snapdragon 810 chipset.
During the hands-on session, the company was quick to highlight the
absence of several Samsung pre-installed apps on the Galaxy S6, as well
as new and streamlined menu keys, to speed up usability and user
experience.
Samsung has also updated the 16MP camera here and while the quality
of photos look good at first glance, what matters is the speed at which
the camera can be activated.
A double tap of the home button brings up the camera, no matter what
is showing on the screen. You can be in the middle of playing a game,
reading your e-mail or checking Facebook, and the double tap will
instantly bring up the camera. While this can be compared to a
dedicated camera button, the speed with which the camera app can be
activated - less than a second - is impressive.
In terms of design, the mirrored curve on both sides of the S6 Edge
gives a symmetry that was missing from last year's Galaxy Note Edge.
Both devices handle well, but the addition of the curves allows
smoother execution of inward swiping gestures.
The information tray, which lets you call up the time and show any
missed messages or calls, is still around, but the curved screen no
longer has a dedicated menu as on the Note Edge.
You cannot park an app on the edge display for easy access; you have to return to the main screen.
One interesting use of the curved display concerns incoming calls.
Users can assign five callers to a corresponding colour and access
these contacts simply by swiping inwards from the edge of the phone.
Placing the phone face down will keep the screen from lighting up
during a meeting or while you are dining. But the screen will light up
when there is an incoming call, and the light will peek out from the
edge screen. Now, if one of the five callers dials in, the edge screen
will flash the corresponding colour to alert you, so you can tell who
is calling, without even glancing at the screen.
To reject a call, put your finger on the heart rate monitor to send a pre-set "Busy" SMS message to the caller.
The S6 devices come with built-in wireless charging, but having to
buy charging pads makes this a rather expensive feature to adopt.
The new wired quick-charge feature can provide four hours of use
with a 10-minute charge, according to Samsung, and if that is the case,
the convenience of wireless charging has been negated by the sheer
efficiency of charging via a cable.
