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Samsung Galaxy S6

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Samsung Galaxy S6
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
The Samsung Galaxy S6 in White Pearl
BrandSamsung Galaxy
ManufacturerSamsung Electronics
TypeTouchscreen smartphone, phablet (S6 Edge+)[1][2]
Slogan"Next is Now"
SeriesGalaxy S series
First releasedS6 and S6 Edge: 10th April 2015
S6 Edge+: 21st August 2015
DiscontinuedFebruary 25, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-02-25)[3]
Units sold10 million units within 1 month of release
PredecessorGalaxy S5
SuccessorSamsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge
Related
Form factorSlate
DimensionsS6: 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm (5.65 x 2.78 x 0.27 inches)
S6 Edge: 142.1 x 70.1 x 7 mm (5.59 x 2.76 x 0.38 inches)
S6 Edge+: 154.4 x 75.8 x 6.9 mm (6.08 x 2.98 x 0.27 inches)
WeightS6: 138 g (4.87 oz)
S6 Edge: 132 g (4.66 oz)
S6 Edge+: 153 g (5.40 oz)
Operating systemAndroid "Lollipop" with TouchWiz 5.0
First major update: Android "Marshmallow" with Touchwiz 6.0
Second major update: Android "Nougat" with Samsung Experience 8.0
System-on-chipSamsung Exynos 7420 Octa
CPUQuad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 + Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53
GPUMali-T760 MP8
MemoryS6 and S6 Edge: 3 GB
S6 Edge+: 4 GB
StorageS6 and S6 Edge: 32 GB, 64 GB, or 128 GB
S6 Edge+: 32 GB or 64 GB
BatteryS6: Li-Ion 2,550 mAh Battery
S6 Edge: Li-Ion 2,600 mAh Battery
S6 Edge+: Li-Ion 3,000 mAh Battery
Rear camera16 MP (f/1.9), 28mm
Features: OIS, Autofocus, LED Flash, Auto-HDR, Panorama
Front camera5 MP (f/1.9), 22mm
Features: Auto-HDR
DisplayS6 and S6 Edge: 5.1 inches Super AMOLED Display
S6 Edge+: 5.7 inches Super AMOLED Display
ConnectivityWi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5GHz), Bluetooth 4, 4G/LTE
ModelS6: SM-G920x
S6 Edge: SM-G925x
S6 Edge+: SM-G928x
CodenameS6 and S6 Edge: Project Zero
S6 Edge+: Project Zero 2
SAR0.33 W/kg
WebsiteS6: www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/galaxys6/galaxy-s6/
S6 Edge: www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/galaxys6/galaxy-s6-edge/
S6 Edge+: www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/galaxy-s6-edge-plus/

The Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ are Android smartphones manufactured and marketed by Samsung Electronics. The S6 line serves as a successor to the Galaxy S5. The S6 and S6 Edge smartphones were officially unveiled in the first "Samsung Unpacked 2015" event at the Mobile World Congress on March 1 2015, while the bigger S6 Edge+ was officially unveiled together with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 in the second "Samsung Unpacked 2015" event at New York on August 13 2015. Alongside the S6, Samsung also unveiled the S6 Edge (and later on the bigger S6 Edge+), a variant whose screen is wrapped along the sides of the device; the curvature is usable for several additional features. The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge were first released on April 10 2015 in 20 while the S6 Edge+ was released on August 21 2015.

Although the overall design of the Galaxy S6 still features some similarities to prior models, the construction of the device itself was revamped, with a metal unibody frame and glass backing instead of plastic. The devices also introduced an improved camera, a streamlined user interface, support for major wireless charging standards and support for a mobile payments platform that allows the device to emulate the magnetic strip from a credit card. The S6 features other hardware improvements as well, including a 1,440 x 2,560 pixels display, a new in-house system-on-chip that utilizes a 14 nm FinFET manufacturing process, and an improved fingerprint scanner.

The Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+ received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the devices' upgraded build quality over prior models, along with improvements to their displays, performance, camera, and other changes. However, Samsung's decision to remove the ability to expand their storage or remove the battery was panned as being potentially alienating to power users, and the S6 Edge was also panned for not making enough use of its curved display to justify its increased cost over the standard Samsung Galaxy S6 which resulted in the release of the bigger S6 Edge+ later on.

Development

Rumors surrounding the Galaxy S5's successor began to surface in January 2015, it was reported that Samsung would be using an in-house Exynos system-on-chip rather than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 on the S6 due to concerns surrounding overheating.[4][5] Later that month, Qualcomm affirmed in an earnings report that its products would not be included in "[a] large customer's flagship device".[4] Fellow competitor LG Electronics disputed the allegations surrounding the 810; although demo units of the 810-equipped LG G Flex 2 at Consumer Electronics Show experienced signs of possible overheating, the company emphasized that they were pre-release models.[4][5]

In early-February 2015, Bloomberg News reported that the S6 was to have a metal body, and was to be produced in a normal version, and a version with a screen curved along the left and right sides of the device, similarly to the Galaxy Note Edge.[6] The S6's design was officially teased in a promotional webpage released by T-Mobile US on 22 February 2015, which showed a curved body and carried the tagline "Six Appeal".[7]

Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge during the first Samsung Unpacked 2015 event at Mobile World Congress on 1 March 2015, for a release on 10 April 2015 in 20 countries.[8] In Japan, the S6 and S6 Edge are marketed solely under the Galaxy brand, with most references to Samsung removed; sales of Samsung phones have been impacted by historical relations between Japan and South Korea, and a Samsung spokesperson stated that the Galaxy brand was "well-established" in the country.[9][10][11]

The Galaxy S6 models are designed to address criticisms and feedback received from prior models, and target the majority of users; during its unveiling, Samsung stated that it had placed a particular focus on design, its camera, and wireless charging. As part of these goals, a number of features and capabilities seen on the Galaxy S5 were removed, such as its waterproofing and USB 3.0 port.[12] The S6's new design approach is the culmination of a shift in practices that began with 2014's Galaxy Alpha, which was the first Galaxy smartphone to feature metal as part of its construction. A new reflective coating was designed in-house to give the devices' backings a "jewel-like" appearance.[13][14]

The device's software was also simplified; a Samsung representative stated that 40% of the features in TouchWiz were removed or streamlined in comparison to the S5.[8][14][15] Additionally, the Galaxy S6's battery is no longer user-replaceable; Samsung had been a major holdout from the trend against removable batteries, but argued that due to the S6's fast AC charging and its support of both major wireless charging standards, it no longer needs to provide the ability for users to remove and replace the battery.[16]

Specifications

Hardware and design

The Galaxy S6 Edge is similar in concept to the Galaxy Note Edge, although the curvature of the screen is toned down in comparison.
The Galaxy S6 Edge+
Galaxy S6, S6 edge and plus features a glass back. Samsung has moved the flash and heart rate monitor to the left of the camera

The Galaxy S6 line retains similarities in design to previous models, but now uses a unibody frame made of aluminium alloy 6013[17] with a glass backing, a curved bezel with chamfered sides to improve grip, and the speaker grille was moved to the bottom.[12][15] The devices are available in "White Pearl", "Black Sapphire", and "Gold Platinum" color finishes; additional "Blue Topaz" and "Emerald Green" finishes are exclusive to the S6 and S6 Edge respectively.[12][14][15][18] The S6 carries some regressions in its design over the S5; it does not contain a MicroSD card slot, and reverts to a USB 2.0 port from USB 3.0.[8][15] Both also use non-removable batteries; Galaxy S6 includes a 2550 mAh battery, while the S6 Edge includes a 2600 mAh battery. The Galaxy S6 line supports both the Qi and Power Matters Alliance wireless charging standards.[12]

The Galaxy S6 line is powered by a 64-bit Exynos 7 Octa 7420 system-on-chip, consisting of four 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 cores, and four 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 cores, and 3 GB of LPDDR4 RAM for the S6 and S6 Edge while 4 GB of LPDDR4 for the S6 Edge+. The processor is Samsung's first to use a 14 nm FinFET manufacturing process, which the company stated would improve its energy efficiency.[12][19] It is available with 32, 64, or 128 GB of non-expandable storage, implementing Universal Flash Storage 2.0 standards.[12][19] The S6 and S6 Edge features a 5.1-inch 1440p Super AMOLED display; similarly to the Galaxy Note Edge while the S6 Edge+ features a 5.7-inch 1440p Super AMOLED display, the S6 Edge and S6 Edge+'s display is slightly curved around the two lengthwise edges of the device, although not as aggressively as the Note Edge.[8][15]

For its rear-facing camera, Galaxy S6 uses the same image sensor with optical image stabilization as the Galaxy Note 4, albeit with a f/1.9 aperture, object tracking autofocus, real-time HDR, and using the infrared of the heart rate sensor for calibrating white balance. Samsung claimed that the camera upgrades would allow it to have better low-light performance. The front-facing camera was also upgraded to 5 megapixels with a similar aperture.[20] The fingerprint scanner in the home button now uses a touch-based scanning mechanism rather than swipe-based; double-tapping the Home button activates the camera app.[15]

Software

The S6 and S6 Edge were initially released running Android 5.0.2 "Lollipop" while the S6 Edge+ was initially released running Android 5.1.1 "Lollipop" with Samsung's TouchWiz software suite. TouchWiz has been streamlined on the S6 with a refreshed design and fewer bundled applications.[12][15][21] Several Microsoft apps are bundled with the S6: OneDrive, OneNote and Skype.[12][15] On the S6 Edge and S6 Edge+, users can designate up to five contacts for quick access by swiping from one of the edges of the screen. The five contacts are also color-coded; when the device is face down, the curved sides will also glow in the contact's color to signify phone calls. The Night Clock feature from the Galaxy Note Edge was carried over to the S6 Edge and S6 Edge+.[22][23] The heart rate sensor can also be used as a button for dismissing calls and sending the caller a canned text message reply.[22] The Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile versions remove some features available on the unbranded and unlocked version, like Smart Manager, Simple Sharing (only AT&T) and Download Booster (only Sprint and AT&T).[24]

The S6, S6 Edge, and S6 Edge+ are the first devices to include Samsung Pay, a mobile payments service developed from the intellectual property of LoopPay, a crowdfunded startup company that Samsung acquired in February 2015. Samsung Pay incorporates technology by LoopPay known as "Magnetic Secure Transmission" (MST); it transmits card data to the pay terminal's swipe slot using an electromagnetic field, causing the terminal to register it as if it were a normally swiped card. LoopPay's developers noted that its system would not share the limitations of other mobile payment platforms, and would work with "nearly 90%" of all point-of-sale units in the United States. The service will also support NFC-based mobile payments alongside MST. Credit card information is stored in a secure token and payments must be authenticated using a fingerprint scan. Samsung Pay was not immediately available upon the release of the S6, but enabled in the middle of 2015.[21][25]

Samsung began to release Android 6.0.1 "Marshmallow" for the S6 in February 2016. It enables new features such as "Google Now on Tap", which allows users to perform searches within the context of information currently being displayed on-screen, and "Doze", which optimizes battery usage when the device is not being physically handled.[26] On S6 Edge models, the Edge Display feature supports wider panels with a larger amount of functionality similar to those found on the S7 Edge.[27][28][29]

On March 2017 Samsung began to release Android 7.0. "Nougat" to the European, American, Canadian and Indian Variants After the update the UI (User Interface) was redesigned and it is similar to Galaxy S7 except Video Enhancer, Screen Resolution Adjuster, Performance Mode and the ability to take photos while recording video.

Reception

Critical reception

The Galaxy S6 received a generally positive reaction from early reviewers, noting its higher quality design over previous Samsung devices, along with refinements to its camera, the high quality of its display, and the significantly smaller amount of "bloat" in the device's software. Anandtech believed that the S6's new fingerprint reader was comparable in quality to Apple's Touch ID system.[12][21][22] The Verge concluded that the S6 and S6 Edge were "the first time I’ve felt like Samsung might finally be grappling with the idea of what a smartphone ought to be on an ontological level."[30] Some critics raised concerns over the S6's regressions in functionality over the Galaxy S5, particularly the lack of removable battery or SD card, arguing that it could alienate power users who were attracted to the Galaxy series due to their inclusion.[31][32]

Wired felt while its dual-sided curved screen was better-designed than that of the Galaxy Note Edge, the S6 Edge's use of the curved display was a "dramatic step backwards" due to the limited number of edge-specific features available in comparison to the Galaxy Note Edge. As such, Samsung was criticized for providing no true justification for purchasing the S6 Edge over the non-curved S6, explaining that "it doesn’t do anything beyond the base model, but it'll be worth the money to some people because of how it looks and the air of exclusivity it communicates."[33] The Verge was similarly critical, arguing that the additional features were "very forgettable".[30] In regards to performance, The Verge felt that the S6 was the "fastest Android phone I've ever used", and that the company "solved any slowdowns you might experience in Android with brute force."[30]

Some users reported issues with the flash on some S6 devices, remaining dimly lit even if the camera is not in use or the device is turned off. Samsung was made aware of the problem, which affects the S6 and S6 Edge, but has not specified when it will be fixed.[34]

iFixit upon review of the phone noted it is difficult to repair, as it is using strong adhesive in its rear glass and the battery.[35][36]

Security issues

In November 2015, Google's Project Zero unit publicized eleven "high-impact" security vulnerabilities that it had discovered in Samsung's distribution of Android on the S6. Some of these had already been patched as of their publication.[37][38]

Sales

In its first month of sales, 6 million Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge units were sold to consumers, exceeding the number of Galaxy S5 units sold within a similar timeframe, but failing to break the record of 10 million set by the Galaxy S4. Still, facing competition by other vendors that have led to declining market share, a lower net profit, and foreseeing a "difficult business environment" for the second half of the year, Samsung announced during its second quarter earnings report in July 2015 that it would be "adjusting" the price of the S6 and S6 Edge. The company stated that sales of the two devices had a "marginal" effect on its profits.[39][40][41] The S6 Edge+ shared almost a similar fate albeit lagging behind the Note 5.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3196778/Samsung-launches-Galaxy-S6-Edge-phablet-curved-screen-16MP-camera-Samsung-Pay.html
  2. ^ http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/review/smartphones/google-nexus-6p-vs-samsung-galaxy-s6-edge-comparison-preview-uk-3626717/
  3. ^ Samsung Galaxy S7 vs S7 Edge vs S6 | IT PRO
  4. ^ a b c "Qualcomm confirms that a "large customer" has dropped the Snapdragon 810". Ars Technica. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Report: "Overheated" Snapdragon 810 won't make it into Samsung's Galaxy S6". Ars Technica. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Samsung Plans 3-Sided Screen in New Galaxy Smartphone". Bloomberg. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  7. ^ "T-Mobile shows off the Samsung Galaxy S6 design, curved screen and all". Ars Technica. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  8. ^ a b c d "Samsung S6 Edge with curved screen unveiled at MWC". BBC News. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  9. ^ "Galaxy S6 Posts Lackluster Sales in Japan, Even without Samsung Logo". Business Korea. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  10. ^ "Samsung ditched its own logo from the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge sold in Japan". PhoneArena. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Samsung drops branding from Galaxy phones in Japan". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Samsung Announces the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge". Anandtech. Purch Inc. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  13. ^ "Samsung ditches all-plastic design with metal Galaxy Alpha". The Verge. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  14. ^ a b c Etherington, Darrell. "The Story Behind Samsung's Galaxy S6 And S6 Edge Design Departure". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h "Samsung's new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge put design first". The Verge. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  16. ^ "Mophie announces battery case for Galaxy S6 and its non-removable battery". The Verge. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  17. ^ "Alcoa 6013 aerospace aluminum chosen by Samsung for Galaxy S6 smartphone". ASM International (society). 9 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  18. ^ "See all the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge color variants here - which one do you like best?". Phone Arena. phonearena.com. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  19. ^ a b "Samsung unpacks Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge at MWC 2015". GSMArena. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  20. ^ "Samsung takes aim at iPhone 6's camera, suggests the Galaxy S6 camera is way better in low light". PhoneArena. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  21. ^ a b c "First Look: Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge Finally Gets a Premium Design". Re/code. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  22. ^ a b c "Samsung's new flagship smartphones: the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  23. ^ "Samsung Galaxy S6 edge hands-on: We finally found the Galaxy we've been looking for". BGR. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  24. ^ "Galaxy S6 Features Being Removed By T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, And Sprint: Here's The List". Tech Times.
  25. ^ "Loop turns almost any point-of-sale system into a mobile payment machine (hands-on)". Engadget. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  26. ^ "Android 6.0 Marshmallow, thoroughly reviewed". Ars Technica. Conde Nast. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  27. ^ James Rogerson. "Samsung accidentally confirms the Galaxy S7 Edge". TechRadar. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  28. ^ Collins, Katie. "Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge bite into Android Marshmallow". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  29. ^ "What's new in the latest Marshmallow Samsung Galaxy edge screen update?". Pocket-lint. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  30. ^ a b c Bohn, Dieter. "Samsung Galaxy S6 review". The Verge. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  31. ^ Miller, Matthew. "HTC One M9 vs Samsung Galaxy S6: Focus is on design, but Samsung may have gone too far". ZDNet. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  32. ^ "The two worst things about Samsung's new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge". BGR. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  33. ^ Pierce, David. "The Galaxy S6 Edge Is Totally Beautiful—And Pointless". Wired. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  34. ^ "Some Galaxy S6 Users Report Camera Flash Issues, Samsung Promises Fix". NDTV. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  35. ^ Galaxy S6 is harder to repair than the Galaxy S5- The Inquirer
  36. ^ Teardown shows Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is tough to repair - CNET
  37. ^ "Google finds severe holes in Galaxy S6 Edge, some remotely exploitable". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  38. ^ "Google's security audit of the Galaxy S6 Edge illustrates Android's vulnerability". The Verge. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  39. ^ "Samsung Galaxy S6 Sales Fail To Break Records". InformationWeek. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  40. ^ "Samsung plans price cut for Galaxy S6, S6 Edge". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  41. ^ "Samsung will 'adjust' Galaxy S6 pricing after disappointing earnings". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
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