Samsung Galaxy S6 hype thread

[darkswordsman17]

Not at all impressed with the curve, it did nothing to the bezels and I would get irritated by the distortion. Don't feel that it would improve in hand feel either.

I like that they focused on more than the sensor on the camera, but feel like they need to do something more.

Otherwise it looks pretty good (not a huge fan of the design, especially the glass back), but will wait to see how it actually does.

But if Samsung wants to get their sales going again I think they're simply going to have to lower prices, and try to push the unlocked model to get around carrier bloat on top of their own bloat. This needs to be $500 off contract.

meh. i'll wait for note 5

This is my thought as well. It's not that it's bad, but wasn't everything that I was hoping for and I'm not in a huge rush to change. I wonder if we'll see the Note move to 64GB base storage, I'm guessing not, but assuming it will have the removable battery and SD slot. Note 5 might have Qualcomm's own version of the new ARM chips (or maybe we'll even see A72 based ones).

 

[hawtdawg]

This is my thought as well. It's not that it's bad, but wasn't everything that I was hoping for and I'm not in a huge rush to change. I wonder if we'll see the Note move to 64GB base storage, I'm guessing not, but assuming it will have the removable battery and SD slot. Note 5 might have Qualcomm's own version of the new ARM chips (or maybe we'll even see A72 based ones).

I like the 14nm, but I was hoping for a bigger screen. I have a Note 3 currently, and was hoping for something like 5.3 at least. 5.1 is too small to go to after having a note.

 

[LtMikePowelll]

I bought extra battery for my Note 4, but sometimes I keep forgot to use it because I charge my phone almost all the time. I'm waiting to see what is the price for both version and probably use my JUMP upgrades on it.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I like the 14nm, but I was hoping for a bigger screen. I have a Note 3 currently, and was hoping for something like 5.3 at least. 5.1 is too small to go to after having a note.

That is a big move, and could be the biggest thing about the S6, but I'm a bit wary about it living up to its potential just yet, which is why I'd wait to see how the phone actually fares.

The screen size is fine to me, if I wanted a larger display I'd be focused on the Note. I do think Samsung would be smarter to just make size iterations of their good phones instead of making all the different models they do. 4" S6 Mini, 5" regular one, and then a 6" model. And then have the Note line be 4.5, 5.5, 6.5 inches. Of course do what they can to reduce the overall phone size.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I bought extra battery for my Note 4, but sometimes I keep forgot to use it because I charge my phone almost all the time. I'm waiting to see what is the price for both version and probably use my JUMP upgrades on it.

Yeah, I found I don't have an absolute need for removable battery and SD slot, but I do still want them, as there are times when I would want them. The battery, it's less about making it hot swappable and more about either making it easy to buy a larger capacity one and/or buying a new one once your original one degrades enough.

Especially with them trying to move to 4K@60fp and similar for recording, battery and storage both need to grow more than they have. People have been complaining about 16GB for a long time and they're only now finally moving away from it.

Personally I'd like a special camera version of some of these mainstream phones (think for double the thickness could have a better sensor and optics, much bigger battery and plenty of room for extra storage; but without getting ridiculous like the phone camera that Samsung has made with the big zoom lenses).

 

[Red Storm]

HTC changes nothing and is a disappointment. Samsung changes a lot but still looks like a disappointment (to me). To be fair, I never really care for the S line as the Note is the true flagship.

So far my next upgrade choice has been made easier with these two phones out of the running.

 

[hawtdawg]

That is a big move, and could be the biggest thing about the S6, but I'm a bit wary about it living up to its potential just yet, which is why I'd wait to see how the phone actually fares.

The screen size is fine to me, if I wanted a larger display I'd be focused on the Note. I do think Samsung would be smarter to just make size iterations of their good phones instead of making all the different models they do. 4" S6 Mini, 5" regular one, and then a 6" model. And then have the Note line be 4.5, 5.5, 6.5 inches. Of course do what they can to reduce the overall phone size.

I was hoping they'd do something like make the S6 5.3ish and the note 5 6in. Something right in between the note and S series would be the perfect size imo.

 

[LtMikePowelll]

Yeah, I found I don't have an absolute need for removable battery and SD slot, but I do still want them, as there are times when I would want them. The battery, it's less about making it hot swappable and more about either making it easy to buy a larger capacity one and/or buying a new one once your original one degrades enough.

Especially with them trying to move to 4K@60fp and similar for recording, battery and storage both need to grow more than they have. People have been complaining about 16GB for a long time and they're only now finally moving away from it.

Personally I'd like a special camera version of some of these mainstream phones (think for double the thickness could have a better sensor and optics, much bigger battery and plenty of room for extra storage; but without getting ridiculous like the phone camera that Samsung has made with the big zoom lenses).

Before I want phone with removeable back and micro SD card because small storage and battery ran out too fast. But now Samsung made the change to 32gB ever since the Note 3, I dont see the need for mSD anymore, cause I rarely run out of space. Even on my Note 4 I still have 18gB left (and most of my pics and vids are on either OneDrive, Dropbox or my 2TB HDD in my comp). If I switch to the S6, I probably use my 64gB Samsung EVO mSD into my Nikon

 

[senseamp]

Why would they put this slide in? To create an impression that devices less than a year old aren't getting the latest software?

 

[KingstonU]

Disappointing. Samsung took away the removeable battery, AND the water resistance, which were easily two of the best features of the Galaxy line. I was also hoping for front facing stereo speakers like is featured on the HTC One and the new MotoX.... so another disappointment.

And I don't need a 1440p screen, nor do I need the device to be thinner.

The only big positives are the 14nm cpu and that they apparently greatly improved the fingerprint sensor.

I had such high hopes that this would be my next phone. Sigh. Guess I'll have to see what LG releases.

 

[lopri]

I am very much impressed. These phones are super-dense with techs. The amount of tech people will carry around in 5.1" screens is simply mind-boggling. Unless some show-stopping bug/defect is discovered, I frankly do not see other phones catching up to the S6/Edge in 2015, maybe with the exception of the Note 5. (e.g. More scores are uploaded today on Geekbench database, presumably from MWC)

The biggest unknown factor is their battery performance, but even there I think they will at least hang along with the competition without lagging significantly behind. I am also shocked that the phones are lighter than the S5 by an appreciable margin. I was quite sure the S6/Edge would be heavier than the S5, owing to their glass construction.

P.S. As a side note, It seems to me a lot of complaints about the S6/Edge have "Doth protest too much" ring about them.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Agreed, and also about the battery. I'm on my second battery for my aging S3 w/ 64GB card and ALL my music. It still works great.

I like how some random X guy on the Internets says his battery lasts forever means a removable battery is a useless feature for the rest of us plebs will never have batteries dying at the one year mark or so. (Which my own Note 3 did FFS)

 

[RussianSensation]

You can't satisfy everyone. 74.5 million iPhone users last quarter seemed to not care at all for lack of microSD slot and removable battery. I am sure Samsung did market research to gauge the % of users who actually bought a spare battery/microSD for their Galaxy line before they made this decision. Despite Samsung having swappable battery and microSD and water-proofing, millions of consumers abandoned Samsung in favour of the iPhone 6/6 Plus. Therefore, it doesn't sound like those features are actually that important for the overall market. That's why Samsung needed to act. I think they brought a lot to the table in terms of features this time and the premium build that puts the hardware well above iPhone 6 -- a phone that's its primary competitive and has dominated sales and profits.

The decision to leave out the microSD slot probably has a lot do with profits. If Samsung can't sustain profitability, well we won't even see Samsung S7/8, etc. That's not good for the industry. 32GB of memory is still better than 16GB of its primary competitor. iOS took 88.7% of the industry's profits. Android might have high market share but the manufacturers are hardly making $ selling Android devices. That's an unsustainable business model.

On the hardware side, the S6 basically beats the iPhone 6 in almost everything. Single core CPU performance is nearly at iPhone 6 level but multi-core is up to 70% faster based on GeekBench multi-core scores (5004 vs. 2918 for iPhone 6 Plus). The Exynos chip will likely have the Wolfson DAC making this a good base to start with for audio listening. The screen seems to be the world's best for a smartphone with insanely high PPI and all the advantages of AMOLED over LCD. It also looks like the world's fastest rechargeable phone (4H in 10 min or 1/2 the time of Iphone 6 to 100%). I've used the Samsung S5/Note 4 cameras and they blew iPhone 5S/6/6Plus out of the water in both daytime and low light but the iPhone is practically worthless for night shots (or in poorly lit places like nightclubs). Note 4 already blew iPhone 6 Plus' camera away and the S6 is even better. The selfie is also at 5MP, miles away from iPhone's 1.2 MP.

The iPhone 6 also has just an 1810mAh battery life, which is mediocre in the real world. In PhoneArena's testing the iPhone 6's battery was even worse than the LG G3, and way behind Samsung S5's. GSM Arena confirms the same.

The iPhone's talk time has been very mediocre for years.

It's not going to be that hard for the S6 to beat iPhone 6's battery performance in the real world, not to mention Samsung has a power saving mode. You can send SMS and access basic functions for days with this function.

Samsung is unlikely to get many existing iPhone owners to upgrade due to the eco-system (some people prefer the simplicity of iOS and if you spent a lot of $ at the app store, you are unlikely to switch). However, for new customers such as younger kids growing up, this will give them a second thought instead of just getting the iPhone automatically. Plus, there is wireless charging out of the box and what looks like a smartphone with the world's fastest NAND.

"The AndroBench memory speed test result shows a mind-boggling improvement in read and write speeds over the Galaxy S5! We'll let the numbers speak for themselves. Where last year's flagship scored 24.2MB/s (sequential write_, the Galaxy S6 edge scored 139.08MB/s! Where the Galaxy S5 scored 176.5Mb/s (sequential read), the Galaxy S6 Edge scored 314.87MB/s! And where the Galaxy S5 scored 13.7MB/s (random read), the Galaxy S6 edge scored 77.2MB/s! All that in just a year! We're extremely impressed with what the new UFS 2.0 storage has to show so far."
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Firs...n-AnTuTu-and-outrageous-memory-speeds_id66653

The actual hardware is so far ahead of iPhone 6 that even iPhone 6S is unlikely to beat the S6 in many key areas besides single core CPU performance. What Samsung needs to do though is market all these advantages well because the average person isn't just going to be sold by the metal body alone since the iPhone 6 is a well-built phone. Samsung needs to drive the point home that iPhone 6 takes twice as long to charge, that S6 has the world's best screen, and fastest flash memory for accessing photos/videos, as well as a camera that well actually works in low light and at night with a flash without looking like total usable garbage!

I like how some random X guy on the Internets says his battery lasts forever means a removable battery is a useless feature for the rest of us plebs will never have batteries dying at the one year mark or so. (Which my own Note 3 did FFS)

I've been using my iPhone 5S for nearly 1.5 years now and I charge it 1-2 times a day due to heavy usage and iPhone 5S's rather mediocre battery life when using it for internet browsing + phone calls. The battery is still going strong and holds charge pretty well. For the US/Canada/European smartphone model of 2-year-contracts the dying battery towards the end of the contract isn't that big of a concern.

I think you guys need to understand that Samsung has been losing market share to the low cost Chinese alternatives in Asia, while it's getting killed in the developed world by the iPhone.

Taking eco-system aside, I have to ask myself why would I get an iPhone 6 over a Samsung S6 when it comes to upgrading this year? I can't think of many reasons. That's why I think Samsung has done a very good job. The HTC M9 looks OK but it's way too thick imo considering the S6 is just 6.8mm and S6's screen will be better in IQ and sharper than HTC's.

The only big positives are the 14nm cpu and that they apparently greatly improved the fingerprint sensor.

Really? You missed a ton of others:

- Speaker is 50% louder than on the Samsung S5
- UFS 2.0 storage with superb read and write speeds
- The best camera out of any Android/iOS device
- 4 hours of battery life after just 10 min of charging and 1/2 the charge time of iPhone 6 to 100%
- Wireless charging built in out of the box
- 5MP selfie with 120* viewing angle which is huge for females and teens/Instagram crowd
- Way thinner and lighter than most competing Android phones. The thinness and lightness puts HTC M9 to shame.
- Will have the world's best smartphone screen taking over from Note 4 as the current champ

If none of these matter to you, it doesn't mean they are not big improvements in a span of 1 year. Also, a lot of smartphone users who have used a metal phone for years wouldn't touch a plastic phone like LG G4 no matter the specs. If someone wants a well-rounded premium phone that's not too thick, the current choices are very limited to iPhone 6/6+ and Samsung S6. For those who really care for the removable battery and microSD slot, the Note 4 is still a great phone.

HTC M9 is a flop -- too thick at 9.6 mm (!), worse screen, and mediocre camera and has none of the cool features of S6. It's like they didn't even try.

 

[Dari]

price will determine if the two skus succeed or fail. The edge is pointless, aside from being a tech demo. It may even be counterproductive. If samsung prices them aggressively then they may regain market share. If prices are the same as before then little would've been learned.

 

[CakeMonster]

But now Samsung made the change to 32gB ever since the Note 3, I dont see the need for mSD anymore, cause I rarely run out of space. Even on my Note 4 I still have 18gB left (and most of my pics and vids are on either OneDrive, Dropbox or my 2TB HDD in my comp).

Doesn't matter how much space I have online. When I'm somewhere without coverage, or abroad, that's when I'm much more likely to take photos/videoes and need my music library. 32Gb won't do. 64Gb probably would, but with software sharing the same space, it possibly won't either.

 

[RussianSensation]

price will determine if the two skus succeed or fail. The edge is pointless, aside from being a tech demo. It may even be counterproductive. If samsung prices them aggressively then they may regain market share. If prices are the same as before then little would've been learned.

How much cheaper do you think Samsung could price it though? Why should they price the S6 less than iPhone 6 when the S6 trounces it in almost every metric possible? Those customers who prefer IOS would get a $650 iPhone 6 16GB over a $500 Samsung S6 32GB anyway. Thus, even if Samsung were to price the S6 at $500 and 64GB at $600, it won't result in conversion of many loyal iPhone users. iPhone users upgrade to another iPhone in > 80% of cases.

"As part of ongoing research into mobile phone purchasing decisions simonlycontracts.co.uk polled 2,275 iPhone owners and found a staggering 59% admitted “blind loyalty” to the handset. The definition was users who stated they would not even consider researching other handsets when upgrading in future. Asked why 78% said they “couldn’t imagine having a different type of phone now” while 52% said they were just “really impressed” with their iPhone."
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonk...o-blind-loyalty-why-this-a-problem-for-apple/

The developed world business model also hides the true cost of the phone into the contract's price. For most people who pay $60-70 a month x 24 months, $100 savings is more or less meaningless in the context of paying $1500-1800 for phone + data. Samsung needs to focus on attracting newer and younger clientele.

 

[ThisIsChrisKim]

Wonder how the Korean market will take to this. Removable batteries are a huge selling point for us since all phones include two batteries in the box. Although the majority of Koreans buy phablets and "regular" sized phones are more in the minority.

 

[dawheat]

How much cheaper do you think Samsung could price it though? Why should they price the S6 less than iPhone 6 when the S6 trounces it in almost every metric possible? Those customers who prefer IOS would get a $650 iPhone 6 16GB over a $500 Samsung S6 32GB anyway. Thus, even if Samsung were to price the S6 at $500 and 64GB at $600, it won't result in conversion of many loyal iPhone users. iPhone users upgrade to another iPhone in > 80% of cases.

"As part of ongoing research into mobile phone purchasing decisions simonlycontracts.co.uk polled 2,275 iPhone owners and found a staggering 59% admitted “blind loyalty” to the handset. The definition was users who stated they would not even consider researching other handsets when upgrading in future. Asked why 78% said they “couldn’t imagine having a different type of phone now” while 52% said they were just “really impressed” with their iPhone."
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonk...o-blind-loyalty-why-this-a-problem-for-apple/

The developed world business model also hides the true cost of the phone into the contract's price. For most people who pay $60-70 a month x 24 months, $100 savings is more or less meaningless in the context of paying $1500-1800 for phone + data. Samsung needs to focus on attracting newer and younger clientele.

For me, I'm not sure why anyone would buy a different Android flagship for $650. Out of their competitors (HTC, Sony, LG, etc) the S6 will have the best screen, best performance, best camera, touch biometrics, built quality as good as any, support for multiple wireless standards.

Whether it's enough to take iOS users is unknown, taking back share from other Android OEMs seems much more achievable and likely.

And the Edge seems to be serving its purpose - when people use it and see it, they want it. When sites like BGR are buzzing about it, it's buzz that Samsung hasn't had for a while as an aspirational device. Maybe not very useful, but it might be the coolest phone to be released all year. Certainly an interesting change from the normal rectangular slab.

 

[zerogear]

For me, I'm not sure why anyone would buy a different Android flagship for $650. Out of their competitors (HTC, Sony, LG, etc) the S6 will have the best screen, best performance, best camera, touch biometrics, built quality as good as any, support for multiple wireless standards.

Whether it's enough to take iOS users is unknown, taking back share from other Android OEMs seems much more achievable and likely.

And the Edge seems to be serving its purpose - when people use it and see it, they want it. When sites like BGR are buzzing about it, it's buzz that Samsung hasn't had for a while as an aspirational device. Maybe not very useful, but it might be the coolest phone to be released all year. Certainly an interesting change from the normal rectangular slab.

1. No front facing speakers
2. no uSD card support
3. I don't want a phone that looks like an iPhone clone
4. I don't want touch biometrics
5. I want a 1080p screen and not 1440/whatever.

I do like the Qi Charging, but that can be had with a Qi Receiver

Is there any benchmarks of Snapdragon 810 vs Exynos 7420 that actually says Samsung will outperform?

 

[elitejp]

3. I don't want a phone that looks like an iPhone clone

To me just about all phones look the same.

 

[dawheat]

1. No front facing speakers
2. no uSD card support
3. I don't want a phone that looks like an iPhone clone
4. I don't want touch biometrics
5. I want a 1080p screen and not 1440/whatever.

I do like the Qi Charging, but that can be had with a Qi Receiver

Is there any benchmarks of Snapdragon 810 vs Exynos 7420 that actually says Samsung will outperform?

I do need to caveat my statements as obviously there's no single phone that fills every need - but I do think for the majority of flagship buyers, the S6 is going to be the better buy.

1. If you need/want front-facing speakers, you've never had many options. Sales seem to imply that most consumers don't value this feature.

2. This I agree personally, but again research has constantly shown most users don't use mSD. Having 32GB base will reduce this number further as most casual users no longer need to, and say if the 64GB version is reasonably priced (i.e. $50 more), it'll reduce the number of affected users to the fringe. I fill up my 128GB card - but I probably use more mSD storage than everyone in my department combined.

3. Personal preference - I think the S6 from the front and back look completely Samsung.

4. Most people will disagree with you as long as it works well. I personally love it, even with a swipe version vs using PIN.

5. Assuming battery life is good, why would you actively want an inferior screen. The S6 screen is likely brighter, more accurate, higher res, and draws less power than the S5 screen. Unless you're a 3D gamer on your phone, why don't you want the newest and best tech?

I look at my family members, including my sisters, the way most of my co-workers use their phone, the tech level of the average consumer - to them I think the S6 will pull them back to Samsung. I see the phones Chinese high-end buyers are purchasing (flagship Xiomai and Apple) and I see the S6 appealing to them far more than the S5.

I won't disagree they're turning their back on certain "power" users, but it's the right move.

 

[dawheat]

One other thing - lots of folks are rightfully sharing whether the S6 fits their personal needs. Myself - I'm not buying one as I'm a Note fan and the Note 4 is the better phone for my needs. If some of these changes come to the Note 5 (losing mSD especially) I'm not going to be happy, though the number of alternate phablets is pretty small.

But IMO Samsung did the right thing to compete in the flagship space, take buyers from other Android OEMs, and even take back share from Apple. If the camera really is that good, if performance really is that lag free, if the touch sensor really works as good as Touch ID - it's going to be a pretty great phone.

 

[zerogear]

5. Assuming battery life is good, why would you actively want an inferior screen. The S6 screen is likely brighter, more accurate, higher res, and draws less power than the S5 screen. Unless you're a 3D gamer on your phone, why don't you want the newest and best tech?

Also for the screen, I much prefer IPS Display to AMOLED, simply for the fact that inkblots in black screen is extremely distracting (I often use my phone in the dark).

Disclosure: Last phone Samsung phone I tried with AMOLED was S4 and Note 3, which still had this problem. And I'm not going to be getting the M9 or S6 (Since I have a M8)


Of course there are personal preference, but I am referring to your.

"For me, I'm not sure why anyone would buy a different Android flagship for $650"

There are plenty of reasons for people NOT to get S6 -- it is certainly not to demerit the S6, but not being able to "see" why other people would get other phones is a bit offensive.

Edit: I also find it amusing how Samsung fans were taking shots at the original M7 for not having a SD Card, and now that Samsung is doing it, they're defending them

 

[Shlong]

Samsung should've let the regular S6 be waterproof with removable battery and microSD slot. People who are more concerned with aesthetics will go for the S6 Edge anyways as it's an eye catching design. That way you can keep one sector happy (utility) and the other happy (aesthetics). Maybe they'll retain those features in the Note line and have that be more purposeful and the S line will be the design focused one.

 

[RussianSensation]

1. No front facing speakers

Anyone who is honestly dead serious about high quality audio will have high-end headphones.

2. no uSD card support

Fair enough. However, a lot of people store files on the cloud now. S6 comes with > 100GB of free cloud storage.

3. I don't want a phone that looks like an iPhone clone

From the front and back S6 looks nothing like an iPhone. The only area where they look similar is the bottom where the headphone jack and the speaker are. But, if S6 doesn't suit you in Android land, your options today are very limited. HTC M9 is worse in nearly every way besides the microSD card. The cameras, the CPU, the chassis, the screen, quick charging and UFC 2.0 NAND/features are non-existent on the HTC.

4. I don't want touch biometrics

Don't like it, don't use it. The will be "free" compared to all other comparable $650 phones.

I want a 1080p screen and not 1440/whatever.

"Finally they also discovered the display 14% more power efficient than previous Note models and is as much as 40% more efficient than the 1080p panels used by the HTC One and Sony Xperia Z2."
http://www.phoneswithfreegifts.com/samsung-galaxy-note-4-screen-review-top-class/

Just like we see TV manufacturers prioritize the best panels for 4K models, smartphone manufacturers will produce the best quality screens (colour, black levels, contrast ratio, viewing angles, etc.) for 1440P displays or so. 1080P will consist of mid- to high-end displays. Note 4's display is gorgeous and S6 should improve upon that. If you end up with a 1080P display from another brand, it's going to be inferior in other areas that constitute IQ of a display other than pixel density alone. S6 is supposed to have a brightness of 600 nits. What other mainstream Android phone will be able to match that? Sony Z4/HTC M9/LG G4? Z3/M8/G3 all failed to beat Note 4's screen.

For me, I'm not sure why anyone would buy a different Android flagship for $650. Out of their competitors (HTC, Sony, LG, etc) the S6 will have the best screen, best performance, best camera, touch biometrics, built quality as good as any, support for multiple wireless standards.

That's the thing. The S6 is near the top of modern smartphones in most of the key categories:

- world's fastest charging phone if we believe the marketing / wireless charging out of the box
- Most likely the world's fastest smartphone CPU overall
- The best combo of front and rear cameras (sure some Lumia phones are better but they are worse in every other way so who would honestly consider them now?)
- Fast NAND, maybe the world's fastest on a smartphone now
- Beats all its the key competitors for thinness

Sure, there will be people who need front facing speakers over all other metrics of the S6, but as an overall package that is near or at top of class, no Android phone even touches the S6 today.

For those who don't use cases with their phones and like the premium feel, only the Sony Z4 has a chance to beat out the S6. Chances are LG G4 will also be made of plastic as was the G3. HTC M9 has a poor camera and is way too thick at 9.6mm. S6 won't appeal to everyone but it doesn't need to. It just has to be better overall than every other Android phone and I would say it set the bar pretty high. The problem with the S5 is that it was not definitely better than its competitors in more than 1-2 categories. We'll see what happens with Z4 and G4 but I don't think either will match the camera or the screen or the quick charging of the S6. Z2/3 take way too long to charge and their screens fall way short of the S5. LG G3's screen's brightness and contrast were horrendous, and battery life was pretty bad too.