Ladies and gents, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge
By Yahoo – Mon, Mar 2, 2015 (Philippine time)
You can exhale now. They're official.
Samsung has finally taken the wraps off the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, successors to its flagship Galaxy S line, at the ongoing 2015 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. And as expected, the two smartphones pack headline-grabbing specs and features that raise the stakes for everyone in the cutthroat mobile industry. Bleeding-edge silicon is what makes Samsung's top-tier Galaxy handsets so attractive, after all, life savings be damned.
Unlike in previous years, though, Samsung is putting an emphasis on design in 2015, hence the somewhat unfamiliar slabs of metal and glass you see on your monitor, phone, or tablet. This year, it has done the unthinkable yet inevitable: take bolder steps to come out with something different, something better-looking, and, for the Korean company's sake (note that the Galaxy S5 failed to meet sales expectations), something genuinely compelling.
Meet the Samsung Galaxy S6
To Samsung's credit, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge do seem to fit the bill. From what we've seen so far, they're no-brainers for loyalists due for an upgrade—and that's not something we can say about just any flagship successor. Owners of previous-gen iPhones, meanwhile, probably need more convincing than any other flagship-phone shopper, because they're used to designs that incorporate premium materials.
Samsung is well aware of this; thus, key elements of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge's design include an all-metal frame and front- and rear-glass panels that are said to be 1.5 times more durable than Gorilla Glass 3.
You're looking at the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge's back
There are a lot of words we can use to describe the company's latest efforts, but “cheap-looking” or anything along that vein isn't one of them. The fact that the devices are lighter and slimmer than the Galaxy S5, which measures 8.1-mm-thick and weighs 145 grams, is likewise an impressive feat. Wireless charging comes standard as well, although you'll have to spring for a special charger sold separately.
For the second year running, Samsung has fitted its premium offerings with built-in heart-rate and fingerprint sensors, except this time around, the latter has been integrated into the home button, as opposed to last year's design, which can be tricky to use. While we wouldn't say we prefer it to Apple's Touch ID, we have to admit it's a vast improvement on what came before it.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge gets curvy
And how could we forget the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge's curved screen? Forget ultra high definition—though, to be clear, both handsets are capable of 1,440 x 2,560 resolution—curved displays, regardless of which way they bend, are as ambitious as it gets for smartphones today.
The similarities don't end there either. Both devices run a custom version of Android Lollipop on an octa-core Exynos processor with LTE Advanced support, 3GB of RAM, and from 32GB to 128GB of built-in storage. Also onboard are 16- and 5-megapixel rear and selfie cameras with optical image stabilization and F1.9 aperture for improved performance in dim situations.
Sample photo taken with the Samsung Galaxy S6
Another picture taken with the Samsung Galaxy S6
Finally, the 2,600mAh non-removable battery inside the Galaxy S6 has a marginal advantage over its sibling's 2,500mAh cell. Not that it matters a whole lot given their quick-charging capabilities. We're told it only takes three hours to recharge the batteries from zero capacity.
Samsung Electronics Philippines has yet to reveal the local pricing of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. We'll probably know the phones' respective SRPs a week or two before their mid-April launch in the country. What we do know is that the S6 version that will go on sale here will be dual SIM. If you want to pre-order now, just email [email protected].
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge preview
Samsung Galaxy S6 preview