Key Features: 5.1-inch 1440 x 2560 resolution screen; Octa-core Exynos 7420 chipset; Wireless Charging; 3GB RAM; 2,550mAh non-removable battery; Android 5.0 L with TouchWiz; Samsung Pay; IR Blaster
Manufacturer: Samsung
What is the Samsung Galaxy S6?
The Samsung Galaxy S6 needs very little introduction. The Galaxy range now arrives with almost as much fanfare and hype as an iPhone. And like the iPhone 6, the Galaxy S6 is Samsung's flagship – the phone that it will promote more than any other.
And there's a reason we mention Samsung's big competitor right away. The Galaxy S6 is real statement of intent from the Korean manufacturer. This isn't a feature-packed phone in a plastic body. Far from it. The Samsung Galaxy S6 has cast away all the iffy design decisions of its predecessors. This is a premium phone – in both look and feel.
While it doesn't quite have the stylish elegance of the Galaxy S6 Edge, the S6 has strong legs to stand on all the same. There's the best 5.1-inch QHD screen you'll find on a phone, a powerhouse of a processor and a highly capable 16-megapixel rear-facing camera. As we've already alluded to, the glass and metal design is a huge step forward from last year’s chrome-painted plastic-edged Galaxy S5.
Not every move is positive, though. In a bid to out-Apple Apple, Samsung has removed some of the key features that made so many people love its previous phones. Not being able to change the battery might not be a big deal to most of us, but the lack of expandable phone storage via microSD card certainly is.
Both have been sacrificed for design and wireless charging functionality, as the S5 headline feature – water resistance.
How easy it is to forgive these compromises depends on your needs. Even if you're a die-hard microUSB user though you should give the Galaxy S6 a chance. It isn’t just one of the most attractive phones available, but one of the most capable we’ve ever seen.
Samsung Galaxy S6 – Design
Metal chassis; Gorilla Glass 4 rear; 142 x 70 x 7mm; 132g; Home button; Soft keys
Samsung has managed to make the Galaxy S6 a great-looking phone. The Galaxy S6 Edge is arguably the more stylish of the two, but you only need to spend more for it if you really want to. Smooth Gorilla Glass 4 front and rear, and aluminium alloy bands on the sides, means looks and feels like flagship phone. Unlike last year’s S5, the S6 feels like it’s worth over £500/$684.99. That’s important.
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Less successful are some of the colour options, though. The "jewel tones" – as Samsung calls them – include White Pearl, Gold Platinum, Black Sapphire, Blue Topaz and Green Emerald. The brighter colours also tend to be fingerprint magnets so keep a spare cloth handy if you opt for one of those.
Some finishes have a slight dual tonality to them, so they appear to change colour depending on how the light shines on them. The effect is more subtle than the pink/gold combo on the HTC M9, but it can still look a little tacky, particularly in Blue Topaz and Gold Platinum.
The phone is light but still feels solid, and it’s slimmer than the Galaxy S5. In fact, despite its large 5.1-inch screen, it doesn’t feel that much chunkier or clumsier than the dinky, 4-inch iPhone 5S. Thin metal volume and power keys live on opposite sides, which helps avoid accidentally pressing power key as we experienced with the HTC One M9.
One move that doesn’t work so well is the speaker placement. It now sits awkwardly at the base of the phone, rather than the back as it did on the Galaxy S5. Neither placement is particularly helpful, as they’re easy to block when held normally. This muffles the sound in the natural way you'd hold it while playing a game or watching a movie. Another issue is that the home key is slightly raised, making it easy to press accidentally while it's in your pocket.
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The S6 and S5 look very similar from the front
The rear of the phone is a less of a design success. The camera protrudes around 2mm making it look a little like a break-out on the face of an unfortunate teenager. Some people will be bothered less than others but the key point is that it slides in and out of your pocket easily thanks to sloped edges. The SIM-tray sits flush with the side and if you can keep hold of the annoyingly elusive SIM-ejector tool or use a paperclip, the tray pops out firmly without too much difficulty.
There are a couple more genuine drawbacks to the spanking new Galaxy S6’s design, though. Glass may be easy to grip but it’s so super smooth that the S6 dives off many surfaces like Michael Phelps at the first hint of a starting whistle – we've caught the S6 on the edge of possible destruction on numerous occasions during our time reviewing it.
Using a case or resting the phone on a textured surface reduces the frequency of these suicide dives, but a less slippery finish might have been better. It's swings and roundabouts though. We prefer the look of the Glass-backed Galaxy S6 but felt safer with the S5's grippy, dimpled back.
The S6 isn't waterproof like the Galaxy S5, so you need to take more care than before. Mind you, we’ll be surprised if Samsung doesn’t release an IP-rated Galaxy S6 ‘Active‘ variant in the coming weeks or months.
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Samsung Galaxy S6 – Screen
5.1-inch; 1440 x 2560 pixels (QHD or 2K); 577ppi; Super AMOLED; Gorilla Glass 4
The 5.1-inch screen on the Samsung Galaxy S6 is truly brilliant and definitely one of the best screens we’ve seen on a mobile phone. Only the LG G4 and Galaxy Note 4 can match it for sharpness, but the Super AMOLED panel on the S6 is cut above in every other respect.
Compared to most LCD-screened phones the Galaxy S6’s screen is more vibrant, though Full HD (1080p) screens look just as sharp unless you start looking at the screen from a couple of inches away. The S5’s screen is just as vibrant as the S6, but the S6 produces cleaner, more natural whites. Whites look slightly blue on the S5, while the S6 looks closer to the iPhone 6, which is the best in this department.
Related: Samsung Galaxy S6 vs S6 Edge
The S6 vs the S5 pixel density
But there’s no doubting which has the best contrast. AMOLED screens don’t have a traditional backlight, which means blacks appear perfectly black. This means videos and photos look fantastic, while the punchier colours outshine the iPhone 6 as well. It looks great indoors and holds up well even in direct sunlight.
