There was lots of excitement earlier this week as Samsung launched their very latest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S6. Recent rumours had indicated that there would be more than one version of the S6 and they were absolutely correct as we also saw the debut of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. We take a look at these fantastic premium smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy S6
Samsung had promised an overhaul of their new Galaxy S6 handset and they were true to their word with significant improvements for both the exterior and the interior of the S6. With some mouth-watering specs and a new design, Samsung are keen to be up there competing with the iPhone 6 which has done phenomenally well since its launch last Autumn.
Samsung have moved away from the polycarbonate designs of their previous S series smartphones and the S6 boasts a glass and metal design with the latest toughened Gorilla Glass 4 panels on the front and back held with a metallic frame.
They have kept the S6 display exactly the same size as the Galaxy S5 but with a Super AMOLED QHD display, the resolution is an impressive 2560 x 1440 with a super sharp pixel density of 577 ppi. The S6 is slightly slimmer than the iPhone 6 measuring only 6.8mm deep and is light to hold. Colour-wise, the Galaxy S6 will come in four beautiful metallic colours including White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum and Blue Topaz.
Samsung have kept the rear facing camera at 16-megapixels (the same as the S5) but it has improved optics and software with features such as auto HDR (which means all part of your image are better exposed), optical image stabilisation (to combat blurry images from camera shake) and an LED flash. Both of the Galaxy S6 cameras on the rear and front now have a f/1.9 aperture lens for improved photos in low light. On the front of the S6 is a great 5-megapixel camera for selfies and video calling and the camera can now be switched on super quickly (within 0.7 seconds) with a double press of the home button.
The Galaxy S6 is powered by Samsung’s own octa-core Exynos 64-bit processor together with 3GB of RAM – that’s plenty of processing power for even the most demanding games and apps. There are 3 on-board storage options for the S6 – 32GB, 64GB and 128GB – this is fixed, like the iPhone, as the micro-SD slot is no longer.
The S6 will also charge in a very short length of time, it’s around 50 per cent faster than many of its rivals and it also comes with Qi-enabled wireless charging technology which can be used at home and on the move in the increasing number of cafes and outlets which support it. The battery may be slightly smaller but the improved efficiency and quicker charging more than make up for it.
The Fingerprint Sensor has been revamped and is now activated with a single touch rather than a swipe and like Apple, Samsung have introduced their very own mobile payment system which is called Samsung Pay. Samsung Pay will have the added advantage of working with MST as well as NFC compatible terminals in retailers. The S6 will come with the brand new Android Lollipop 5.0 operating system and a revamped TouchWiz UI which has been streamlined by almost half to get rid of unnecessary apps.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
There was a lot of speculation surrounding the existence of an S6 Edge smartphone in the last few weeks and this great variation on the original S6 handset has been a big hit with the mobile industry so far.
The majority of the specs for the S6 Edge are very similar to the S6, the most obvious difference is that the S6 Edge boasts a stunning curved display which curves around the edges on both side of the handset. As well as looking good, the edge screen will ensure that you’re on top of your messages and notifications – one ‘edge’ is designed to keep you up to date with calls, texts and other messages from your most important contacts, the other with the time, weather and other important notifications.
The S6 Edge also comes with a bigger 2600mAh battery and wireless charging. Colour options for the Galaxy S6 Edge are almost the same as with the S6 except it will also be available in an exclusive Green Emerald colour instead of Blue Topaz.
We haven’t got long to wait for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge as they will be hitting UK stores in early April.
