I spent last week discussing some of the cases made for the new Samsung Galaxy S6, the company's flagship smartphone. This week, I'm tackling the phone itself.
The phone is available through standard smartphone carriers. In this case, I tested one loaned by AT&T. One quick glance at the Galaxy S6, and you'll know what Samsung considers to be its biggest competition. The new S6 looks a heck of a lot like a black iPhone 6. The plastic of the previous model has been replaced by sleek, black glass on the front and back of the phone, rimmed by a metal edge.
where it’s @
The Samsung Galaxy S6 retails for $685 or is available from providers such as AT&T for $199.99 with a two-year contract or for a monthly fee on an installment plan. Check with your service provider for pricing. More information is available at samsung.com.
No question, the S6 screen is big and beautiful. Icons, words and images appear sharp and clear, and the screen is bright and beautiful. Because the phone is slightly bigger than the iPhone 6, it allows the screen to be slightly bigger as well.
The phone moves the fingerprint scanner to the front of the phone, a feature I like. The previous model had it on the back, and it was pretty awkward to use. The new scanner is easier to use while holding the phone, and it seems to be more accurate.
The camera also is fairly impressive. At 16 megapixels, it offers good color and sharpness in bright light. However, it gets really grainy in low light.
The phone has great speed to it, through both AT&T's 4G LTE network and over Wi-Fi. It takes seconds to download Web pages, apps from the Google Play store and even music from streaming media sites such as Spotify.
While the Galaxy S6 has a lot going for it, there are several things that are missing, and I'm not really certain why.
The first thing I noticed was the case. Instead of the tough, plastic waterproof casing I tested with the S5 Active, the S6 is now in glass and metal. It certainly looks sleeker and more sophisticated. However, it removes one of the more impressive features of the previous model -- the ability to be waterproof.
The previous model also allowed you to add an extra memory card, so you could expand the amount of room available for apps, games, etc. The new model removes that option.
Speaking of removal, the new model lacks one of the best features about the previous models -- access to the battery. In the S5, this allowed you to buy an extra battery and have it available as a backup. Better still, it allowed you to replace the battery very easily once the old one wore out. (Most batteries tend to show wear after about a year or so.)
The new S6 is a solid piece, meaning no more battery removal. That really stinks, because I always found the battery removal to be the Galaxy's biggest advantage. The iPhones have had battery issues with the last few models. It would have been nice to pop out the defective battery in the iPhone 5 and replace it easily, instead of having to go through a warranty or insurance program to get a new iPhone 5, which had to be set up all over again. With the Galaxy S5, if the battery wears out, you just buy a new one and pop it in. No such luck with the S6. If the battery goes bad, you're looking at getting a new phone.
That leads to the other questionable change. The new phone is sleeker and thinner, which is nice. However, it means the battery is a bit smaller, and my tests showed it didn't have quite the capacity of the previous models. I could go a couple of days without a charge for the S5, but after several hours of streaming music via Wi-Fi on Spotify and listening to it via Bluetooth wireless headphones, the S6 was in desperate need of a charge. It dropped slowly at first, but once it hit about 35 percent, the power seemed to drop more rapidly. Still, it held the power better than I expected. I was able to get through a full workday pretty easily.
While I understand the company likely removed these items to better compete with the iPhone 6 on aesthetics, I don't understand why they thought this would help. Frankly, the features they removed are the ones that gave the Galaxy S-series phones the definitive edge over the iPhones. It's like star quarterback Peyton Manning tying one arm behind his back before the start of a football game. Sure, the objective is to put him on a more level playing field with the other quarterback, but since the goal is to win, why do that?
The S6 seems to be conceding it needs to keep up with the iPhone 6 by imitating the iPhone 6. While it does well in some areas, such as screen brightness and size and processor speed, the previous model's features that could give it the edge are conspicuously missing. I would say if you have an S3 or earlier, the S6 would be a speedy, slick upgrade. However, if you're hanging on to the S5 or S5 Active, I'd say hang onto it a bit longer. Its waterproof casing, ability to remove the battery and extra memory slot give it the edge over the iPhones.
The Galaxy S6 isn't a total miss, but it isn't a total hit, either. It's nice to have if you need it but OK to bypass if you don't.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at mljones72@me.com.
SundayMonday Business on 05/25/2015