Samsung Galaxy S6 hype thread

[WelshBloke]

You left out the rest of my sentence in your quote; what makes a Samsung phone look "like a Samsung phone"...

Oblong home button.
Square protruding, centrally placed camera.
Samsung logo on both the front and the back.
Faux metal bezel.
Removable plastic back.

Those are the main things that make a Samsung phone look like a Samsung phone to me.

 

[lopri]

It's a rectangle with rounded corners. Obviously an iPhone copycat.

While reading some hands-on reviews of iDiots, I've learned about stuff that Apple invented and/or Samsung copied in the S6's design.

• Speaker grills (most significant Apple's invention in smartphone history)
• Camera Hump (Samsung copied Apple)
• Glass back (again, Samsung copied Apple)
• Nano SIM (Apple's invention, copied by Samsung)
• Separate volume buttons (up, down) instead of volume rocker (not sure who invented but Samsung copied Apple)
• Regulatory markings (Samsung shamelessly copied Apple)
• USB charging port (Samsung copied Apple, doesn't matter where it was before)
• And of course Samsung copied Apple by ditching removable battery and sd card slot (Apple never having those doesn't matter)

Lawsuits will follow.

 

[elitejp]

hey as long as samsung doesnt copy iphones horrendous off contract pricing they can copy what they want

 

[dawheat]

Is this really productive? There will be fans on either side who overreact, though I don't think anyone can argue that the S6 certainly takes some design cues from the iPhone 6.

- I think the front/back of the phone is the most important as it's what you'll see the majority of the time. From those aspects, I think the phones are as different as modern smartphones can be. The back certainly don't bear any real resemblance to each other. The front is classic Samsung for the last 4 years - oval home button, smaller bezels, Samsung logo, same top speaker, location of the front facing camera.

http://www.imore.com/sites/imore.co...-6-comparison-backs-stacked.jpg?itok=gkq8GM2U

- The sides and bottom especially do take some design cues, though there are limitations obviously when it comes to metal frames.

Does it mean the entire design, or even the majority, is a copy? I think that'd be very unfair. The iPhone 6 borrowed as much design cues from the HTC One. Some HTC fans over-reacted, but it wouldn't be fair to call it a copy. The back obviously, but I always thought the sides were very similar.

http://www.fonearena.com/blog/123933/apple-iphone-6-plus-vs-htc-one-m8-photo-gallery.html

 

[Crono]

It's a rectangle with rounded corners. Obviously an iPhone copycat.

I love it when people use that argument. And yet, somehow, the other smaller manufacturers have figured out how to make flagship phones that don't look quite as much like the iPhone as Samsung (which was even more blatant about even skinning Android to look like iOS way back when, lest anyone forget).

I'm not even an Apple fan (I hate iOS on iPhones) and would gladly consider getting an S6 Edge when my contract is up. It's just ludicrous to not acknowledge that Samsung has been copying Apple more than a bit. I'm happy to call out Apple apologists, by the way, if they are obtuse about this kind of thing because Apple certainly is in the "borrowing" ideas business, too.

 

[lxskllr]

The only one there that looks substantially different is the Blackberry. Trivial features like button placement don't indicate copying, especially when there aren't that many places to put things.

 

[abj13]

Maybe this is like the black/blue vs white/gold dress thing, I don't see how the GS6 looks like the closest cousin to the iPhone, let alone is some copy. All smartphones have evolved to have similar design strategies, but everyone has taken their unique evolution. If anything, the the most recent iPhone evolved to be more like Android phones given the ditching of the "small phones designed for one hand are better" mentality.

 

[elitejp]

personally i think its all quite stupid this android vs iphone stuff. just get what you like and what works for you. but rather I have to wade through all this garbage while im trying to check up on prices, availability, test reviews etc.

 

[kpkp]

Since you are talking about design, I have a question I didn't see addressed yet. Has anyone before Samsung put a highly reflective (almost mirror like) surface on the bezels sounding the screen? The silver/chrome one makes my eyes bleed. :twisted:

Will the screen be able to outshine the sun when you look at that thing in direct sunlight or will you get "permanent damage to the retina"? I didn't see the S6 in person but I really can't understand the logic behind that.

PS: I know I am exaggerating and that the surface has a bit of a diffusible quality to it, but still.

 

[Dari]

personally i think its all quite stupid this android vs iphone stuff. just get what you like and what works for you. but rather I have to wade through all this garbage while im trying to check up on prices, availability, test reviews etc.

Wtf would you read a thread to get those information? Just read their pr or some other preview.

 

[Red Storm]

Wtf would you read a thread to get those information? Just read their pr or some other preview.

I trust forums far more than PR releases or many big website reviews.

 

[WelshBloke]

I trust forums far more than PR releases or many big website reviews.

Yep.

You're also much more likely to get a good answer if you ask questions or want something clarified on a forum vs a main site.

 

[Dari]

I trust forums far more than PR releases or many big website reviews.

Where do you think people are getting that information? Stuff like price and availability come from manufactured leaks from The media.

 

[gar655]

hey as long as samsung doesnt copy iphones horrendous off contract pricing they can copy what they want

They (Samsung) didn't. They made it even more horrendous.

 

[touchstone]

i give them the speaker grills, but thats a minor detail. the phone looks nothing like an iphone... the camera placement alone is synonymous with android and samsung. the button is totally different. the screen is totally different. it only looks like an iphone if you look at it directly from the bottom and into the usb port and grill. who even ever does that?



the grills are a shameless ripoff though. shame samsung, shame *smh* they could do so much better.

 

[lopri]

A lot more scores are uploaded on Geekbench browser. SM-G920 is the S6's model number and SM-G925 is the S6 Edge's. There are additional letters denoting regions/carriers such as F, P, S, V. 1480 for single-core, 5000 for multi-core seem representative of the Exynos 7420. If I were to be more charitable maybe 1500 for single-core and 5300 for multi-core. Multi-core runs are obviously affected more heavily by thermals.

SM-G920F -- SM-G920P -- SM-G920S -- SM-G920V
SM-G925F -- SM-G925P -- SM-G925S -- SM-G925V

There are also live comparisons made between the Exynos 7420 and the Snapdragon 810 on YouTube. An example;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqez7e5JTcU

Exynos 7420 ---- Snapdragon 810
36736 ---------- 31876 (Quadrant)
70939 ---------- 57945 (Antutu)
1505/5311 ------ 1200/3705 (Geekbench ST/MT)

Whatever the reason/motive, the decision to go with the Exynos seems to have paid off handsomely for the S6/Edge.

 

[Oyeve]

Why the hell did they put the headphone jack on the bottom? I hate that.

 

[Kelvrick]

Why the hell did they put the headphone jack on the bottom? I hate that.

I LOVE that.

Headphone and charging cable on only one end of the phone makes for cleaner wires when say in a dock. Or on my table at work.

When I'm traveling, the phone is upside down in my pocket, so when I reach in and pull it out, it is right side up. Also, if charging with a portable battery pack, both cables go in neatly instead of one needing to curve around in my pocket.

 

[I Saw OJ]

I'm a Samsung fan boy and was looking forward to the S6 but with no SD card slot and no removable battery? My next phone will most likely not be a Samsung.

 

[CakeMonster]

Any more substantial info on the camera? I guess the reviews are not in but has anyone had the chance to test the camera compared to others?

 

[dawheat]

Any more substantial info on the camera? I guess the reviews are not in but has anyone had the chance to test the camera compared to others?

Haven't seen much beyond this. Looks to be in the ballpark of the Note 4 with better low light. Similar OIS implementation.

http://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s6_edge_camera_mini_shootout-review-1224.php

The fast camera launch and tracking focus feature will probably be more noticeable on a daily basis. Considering how strong the Note 4 camera is, even minor steps all around combined with iPhone like launch and focus speeds, it's shaping up to be impressive.

 

[lopri]

I am hearing that even those few bloaty apps can be uninstalled by user. That is a very, very promising news.

 

[RussianSensation]

For some reason you guys think I'm attacking the S6, I'm simply responding to someone's message on WHY someone would want something other than S6.

And @ RussianSensation, I'm not calling you a shrill, but man, you sound like Samsung marketing.

I actually currently use an iPhone 5S but I am tired of its small screen, Safari web-pages reloading every single day due to 1GB of RAM, 0 multi-tasking (FaceTime stops when someone calls you), can't even share videos over iMessage making it worthless over WeChat or What's App, the poor battery life and long charging time to 100% (no cool features such as 4h charge in 10 min or 50% charge in 30 min), more or less mediocre camera at night/dark places and flash that ruins 90% of pictures, and all kinds of iOS quirks like transferring music via iTunes/can't share music between your own computers/laptop without a hack, inability to easily transfer photos and videos from my phone by using it as a storage device (which Android allows) unless I purchase iExplorer and absolutely horrible back-up options (None of my friends with iPhones have so far been able to tell me how I can backup 12GB of my data, including contacts to my Windows 8.1 PC which I can easily access and later transfer to say an Android smartphone). Also, the left speaker on my 5S blew (and so did my friend's who got his about the same time as me). I am also on my 3rd Lightning cable as they seem to be of horrible quality and break every 6-8 months.

I've been researching my next headset without any brand bias and on paper for my purposes the Note 4 or Samsung S6 seem to fit my needs the best.

If you look at all the things I want fixed with my 5S experience, Note 4/S6 basically fix most of the things I hate about my 5S. Sure, the S6 isn't perfect but considering the iPhone 6/6+ fix NONE of the issues/problems I have with my current 5S, what are my options? Waiting for the fall for iPhone 6S? Since I am not attached to iOS eco-system in any way, I doubt the 6S will bring anything better than the S6. The camera in current 6s is already behind the Note 4 and S6 is going to have a better camera than Note 4. iPhone's quick charging is unlikely to match the S6's, and neither is the screen, or the battery life, as they'll likely retain the identical screens and batteries of the current models.

HTC M9 is a total flop already against the S6:

- Medicore camera for low-light and night photography which was my huge gripe with the iPhone cameras

- It's way too thick (OK so 9.6mm isn't gargantuan but when S6 is both faster and has way more features than HTC M9, why wouldn't I want a lighter and thinner 6.8mm phone instead?)

- Snapdragon 810 CPU overheats and this seems to be a recurring issue with the Sony Z4 too.

- None of the quick charging perks of the S6.

LG G4 is likely to be made of plastic and the last G3 has a very mediocre screen with really bad contrast ratio. So really, it's not that S6 is some perfect phone or I am trying to market it for Samsung. I am simply stating that based on existing options in the Android land, I can't think of anything better other than perhaps Note 4 for someone wanting the stylus and a larger screen and must have SD card/removable battery. Compared to the iPhone 6, the S6 also trumps in in basically every category besides single core CPU performance. Unless one absolutely has to stick with iOS, the iPhone 6 doesn't look better in any other area to me.

A lot of people say specs alone don't make a great phone experience. The biggest issue is if it's worth it for those of us not on contracts to pay $700 for the S6 vs. $350 for say Sony Z2. I've used the Z2 and it's a great value for $350. However, if say someone is willing to pay $650-700 for a new phone, why not get the S6 that trumps pretty much every other headset today in terms of fast charging battery, screen quality, CPU speed and camera?! There are going to be customers that absolutely want a cheap option for a 128GB microSD, water-resistant phone and/or swappable battery but in the grand scheme, Samsung will gain more customers with the S6 than if it had stuck with S5 but better specs strategy.

Rumours have it that already 20 million S6/Edge models have been pre-ordered which shows a far greater interest in this phone than the S5. Looks like Samsung was right that the loss of SD card but using super fast UFS 2.0 and the loss of interchangeable battery as a trade-off for high quality aluminum unibody with glass were worth the risk. I wouldn't mind paying $100 extra for 64GB version since 175 MB/sec writes and 300 MB/sec reads will outperform a microSD card inside an Android phone in the real world. So in reality while using a microSD is cheaper, the user experience/performance is no longer comparable to using native phone memory.

 

[Achtung!]

I actually currently use an iPhone 5S but I am tired of its small screen, Safari web-pages reloading every single day due to 1GB of RAM, 0 multi-tasking (FaceTime stops when someone calls you), can't even share videos over iMessage making it worthless over WeChat or What's App, the poor battery life and long charging time to 100% (no cool features such as 4h charge in 10 min or 50% charge in 30 min), more or less mediocre camera at night/dark places and flash that ruins 90% of pictures, and all kinds of iOS quirks like transferring music via iTunes/can't share music between your own computers/laptop without a hack, inability to easily transfer photos and videos from my phone by using it as a storage device (which Android allows) unless I purchase iExplorer and absolutely horrible back-up options (None of my friends with iPhones have so far been able to tell me how I can backup 12GB of my data, including contacts to my Windows 8.1 PC which I can easily access and later transfer to say an Android smartphone). Also, the left speaker on my 5S blew (and so did my friend's who got his about the same time as me). I am also on my 3rd Lightning cable as they seem to be of horrible quality and break every 6-8 months.

I've been researching my next headset without any brand bias and on paper for my purposes the Note 4 or Samsung S6 seem to fit my needs the best.

If you look at all the things I want fixed with my 5S experience, Note 4/S6 basically fix most of the things I hate about my 5S. Sure, the S6 isn't perfect but considering the iPhone 6/6+ fix NONE of the issues/problems I have with my current 5S, what are my options? Waiting for the fall for iPhone 6S? Since I am not attached to iOS eco-system in any way, I doubt the 6S will bring anything better than the S6. The camera in current 6s is already behind the Note 4 and S6 is going to have a better camera than Note 4. iPhone's quick charging is unlikely to match the S6's, and neither is the screen, or the battery life, as they'll likely retain the identical screens and batteries of the current models.

HTC M9 is a total flop already against the S6:

- Medicore camera for low-light and night photography which was my huge gripe with the iPhone cameras

- It's way too thick (OK so 9.6mm isn't gargantuan but when S6 is both faster and has way more features than HTC M9, why wouldn't I want a lighter and thinner 6.8mm phone instead?)

- Snapdragon 810 CPU overheats and this seems to be a recurring issue with the Sony Z4 too.

- None of the quick charging perks of the S6.

LG G4 is likely to be made of plastic and the last G3 has a very mediocre screen with really bad contrast ratio. So really, it's not that S6 is some perfect phone or I am trying to market it for Samsung. I am simply stating that based on existing options in the Android land, I can't think of anything better other than perhaps Note 4 for someone wanting the stylus and a larger screen and must have SD card/removable battery. Compared to the iPhone 6, the S6 also trumps in in basically every category besides single core CPU performance. Unless one absolutely has to stick with iOS, the iPhone 6 doesn't look better in any other area to me.

A lot of people say specs alone don't make a great phone experience. The biggest issue is if it's worth it for those of us not on contracts to pay $700 for the S6 vs. $350 for say Sony Z2. I've used the Z2 and it's a great value for $350. However, if say someone is willing to pay $650-700 for a new phone, why not get the S6 that trumps pretty much every other headset today in terms of fast charging battery, screen quality, CPU speed and camera?! There are going to be customers that absolutely want a cheap option for a 128GB microSD, water-resistant phone and/or swappable battery but in the grand scheme, Samsung will gain more customers with the S6 than if it had stuck with S5 but better specs strategy.

Rumours have it that already 20 million S6/Edge models have been pre-ordered which shows a far greater interest in this phone than the S5. Looks like Samsung was right that the loss of SD card but using super fast UFS 2.0 and the loss of interchangeable battery as a trade-off for high quality aluminum unibody with glass were worth the risk. I wouldn't mind paying $100 extra for 64GB version since 175 MB/sec writes and 300 MB/sec reads will outperform a microSD card inside an Android phone in the real world. So in reality while using a microSD is cheaper, the user experience/performance is no longer comparable to using native phone memory.

2015 will certainly be a record year for Samsung.

20 million flagship phones sold before release is unprecedented. Even the iPhone didn't achieve this.

Apple sold about 35-40 million iPhone 6 / 6 Pluses since release.

The 70 million iPhones that Apple sold in Q4 2014 included many many iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c models. Some analysts say that 60% of iPhone sales in Q4 2014 were from older models.

So the Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge sales will most likely surpass iPhone 6 / 6 Plus sales.

Apple's rise has been hurt by Samsung offering more technologically advanced products.

Apple will probably try and seek curved displays from Samsung in the future (possibly 2016). However I'm not sure if Samsung is willing to sell Apple this technology.

It's a rectangle with rounded corners. Obviously an iPhone copycat.

While reading some hands-on reviews of iDiots, I've learned about stuff that Apple invented and/or Samsung copied in the S6's design.

• Speaker grills (most significant Apple's invention in smartphone history)
• Camera Hump (Samsung copied Apple)
• Glass back (again, Samsung copied Apple)
• Nano SIM (Apple's invention, copied by Samsung)
• Separate volume buttons (up, down) instead of volume rocker (not sure who invented but Samsung copied Apple)
• Regulatory markings (Samsung shamelessly copied Apple)
• USB charging port (Samsung copied Apple, doesn't matter where it was before)
• And of course Samsung copied Apple by ditching removable battery and sd card slot (Apple never having those doesn't matter)

Lawsuits will follow.

And Apple copied the LG Prada for its iPhone 3G.

Lawsuits wont follow... there were no new lawsuits filed against Samsung by Apple since Steve Job's death.

And why would Apple want to sue Samsung when Samsung has control over Apple's entire supply chain?

Have you been following tech news lately?

The Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge will most likely outsell the iPhone 6 / 6 Plus.

Also if Apple wanted to be so unique, why doesn't it make its own parts for its products?

Wait, I see. Apple doesn't have the technology to manufacture its own parts. That's why Apple depends so heavily on Samsung for its technologically advanced parts.

Apple will basically have to beg Samsung for it to obtain the latest cutting-edge technology.

For example, the Apple Watch has majority Samsung parts (the S1 processor is Samsung-made, so is the Apple Watch display and the RAM).

 

[zerogear]

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s6_edge_pricing_for_italy_revealed-news-11469.php

64GB Edge for 999 Euros....