When will the samsung galaxy s6. Samsung Galaxy S6 review. Impeccable quality that surpasses expectations. Samsung Galaxy S6 - speaker

We must admit that phones with cheap designs are no longer on sale. Now, when Apple began to produce smartphones with a large screen, Android devices, even the cheapest ones, have practically ceased to "slow down", and the new Lumia from Microsoft are "stepping on the heels", we expect something supernatural from Samsung - and rightly so ...

A flagship phone has to be truly impressive, or it isn't. If the Galaxy S6 were just another plastic boring phone, like last year's S5, or if there were some minor improvements, it would just be laughed at. Samsung, of course, has released another smartphone - the Galaxy S6 Edge with a slightly curved display (pictured above), but more on that some other time. Now we are interested in the flagship, for the creation of which Samsung employees definitely needed to find inspiration. And they found it: at Apple. The Galaxy S6 is a prime example of Samsung not trying to copy a device from Apple, but copying the company's philosophy.

The first thing to note is that the Galaxy S6 is not like other smartphones from Samsung. Instead of plastic or faux leather, the back of this phone is made of glass and has a metal bezel. We have seen this solution in other devices, but no company has done it so well. Galaxy S6 looks great and feels even better.

The edges of the device are slightly textured and have slight curves in the correct places. The seams between glass and metal are virtually invisible, making the S6 look incredible. The Galaxy S6 is slightly larger and heavier than the iPhone 6, but in fact I like the Korean device better, as the glass surface of the back panel is practically non-slip, unlike the metal iPhone. If you are deliberately looking for flaws, you will find them, since it may well be that Gorilla Glass 4 will not be able to cope with water drops or scratches (although such problems have not touched me yet). It can also be noted that the rear camera protrudes slightly, but this hardly bothers me.

The design of the Galaxy S6 still resembles an iPhone, whatever one may say. Of course, this is not an exact copy: the front "six" resembles the S5, and the glass back surface and curves are made in a manner familiar to Samsung, in contrast to the rounded rectangle that we see in the iPhone. But look at the bottom of these two devices: the beautifully crafted ports and connectors are almost identical. In the name of design, Samsung has ditched a removable battery, SD card support, and even water resistance.

Of course, such a comparison will cause a storm of indignation from both Samsung fans and Apple lovers, but personally I absolutely do not care if the creators of Samsung copied some elements from the iPhone or not. I finally see what I wanted: a well-executed, quality design. And at a time when the adherents of manufacturers will break spears, figuring out who is better, I will simply use a good device.

If there is anything that can be said to be "borrowed from the iPhone," it is a fingerprint scanner. And my opinion is it's good that they did it, as it is a really useful mechanism for unlocking the device. The scanner setup interface looks the same as that of Apple: the fingerprint is colored as it is recognized. The fingerprint scanner works great: you can touch your finger to the Home key from any angle and it works. Not as fast and accurate as on the iPhone, of course, but the recognition is still good.

Further comparisons end, because everything else is the merit only of Samsung. The Galaxy S6 has an IR transmitter, a heart rate monitor (combined with the shutter button for "selfie"), the device supports two charging standards at once, has an insanely fast processor, a 16MP camera with optical stabilization, and even a super loud speaker. But the culmination of everything is the screen.

The Galaxy S6's screen is one of the best I've seen in a phone, with a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2560x1440 resolution and 577ppi pixel density. Forget any complaints you've heard about AMOLED displays, they just don't apply here. The color reproduction is delightful: white has become even whiter, black - blacker, all other colors are bright, but not oversaturated.

When it comes to viewing angles, the Galaxy S6's screen is inferior to the traditional LCD screen of the iPhone at sharp angles, but if you look directly, the image is very clear. Brightness settings have a wide range: from "twisted eyes" to a level at which it is quite comfortable to read books. The auto brightness function is also pleasing.

Since I'm talking about the screen, let's remember the Galaxy S6 Edge, which also features a curved screen on both sides. We are not doing a separate review on it, as it is practically the same phone as the S6. And the marketing trick of the Galaxy S6 Edge is that it's just a cool design phone that grabs people's attention. But apart from this, unfortunately, it does not stand out in any way.

The S6 Edge's screen is the same size as the S6's, it's just that the Edge is slightly curved. This effect is quite interesting and sometimes it is just pleasant to move your fingers across the screen. In addition, Samsung has added some interesting features specifically for this kind of screen: you can compose colorful rows of your contacts and view them with swipes. When the phone is lying face down, and one of these contacts calls you, the S6 Edge screen (and, accordingly, the surface on which it lies) is painted in the corresponding color. Also, this device has "night hours", the work of which for some reason is limited to 12 hours a day. In addition, the developers have created an "Information Feed" that tells you the time, displays notifications, weather forecast and random Yahoo News headlines. By the way, for some reason this function works very slowly and not very correctly, as a result of which it is difficult to use gestures when working with it.

Basically, for "+ $ 100" you get an interesting Edge phone with a few not-so-noticeable additional features. I think that the regular S6 is already pretty cute and it fits better in the hand.

Android devices are famous for user complaints about their cameras. More often than not, Samsung has managed to stay afloat in this sea of \u200b\u200bdisappointments, but the Korean manufacturer's cameras have never been amazed. But in the S6, which has a 16-megapixel camera with optical stabilization, the camera amazed.

In bright light, I have nothing to complain about. In low light conditions, the pictures come out a little yellowish, the same happens with too bright backlighting. Yes, when zooming in, the quality of images deteriorates, but not critical. And in some cases, I liked the pictures of the Samsung S6 even more than the pictures taken with the iPhone 6 Plus.

In fact, this is probably the only smartphone that shares the philosophy of the iPhone's “simple shots”, especially with customizable HDR in real time. At some point, I realized that I trusted the S6 to set the settings myself, and not set them manually, and the S6 results met my expectations one hundred percent.

After some lags and error messages in the early days (apparently, they were eliminated after a software update), I did not notice any serious delays and failures in the system. I will say more, this is one of the "fastest" Android devices that I have ever used, apparently due to the eight-core 64-bit processor and 3 GB of RAM. However, I must admit that both the S6 and S6 Edge get a little warm, especially when running "heavy" applications.

Such applications also affect battery life. In our web browsing test (page refreshes once a minute), the Galaxy S6 performed well, lasting over 9 hours. But when playing videos from YouTube or playing games, the battery life is reduced, in some cases - at times: sometimes the smartphone lasted almost until midnight, and sometimes it was already discharged at 6 pm. This is a fairly average result, and in this respect the S6 is definitely outperformed by the iPhone 6.

The Galaxy S6 has a 2550mAh battery, while the Galaxy S6 Edge (to my surprise) has a 2600mAh battery. The battery capacity is smaller than the S5, but the S6 needs to power a lot more pixels - I think the long battery life is due to Android Lollipop and Samsung's fast processor. On the plus side, the S6 supports both major wireless charging standards and USB fast charging, but it's still little consolation when your phone is running low and you still have to get to a power outlet.

When it comes to software, Samsung continues its path towards clean and understated design, but it does so in the language of "cleaning", putting all the trash in the boxes. The most daring and not everyone needs features are disabled by default in the S6, which I think is very good, but I still want the interface to be more discreet in Samsung devices. By the way, S6 has a new option to install themes and a store with themes, but what you find there is more likely a result of the work of a designer who has adopted a lot of LSD.

Samsung apps like S Health are surprisingly easy to use, although I ended up using the S Finder to quickly jump into settings because I got confused by the variety. Samsung continues to convince you that displaying two apps on the same screen is a good idea, which I personally doubt very much. Honestly, my favorite feature is the ability to double-press the Home button to launch the camera.

Last year, “good smartphone” meant a phone with a good design, a great screen, a day's runtime, decent software and a decent camera. Missing one of these characteristics meant not only bad sales, but also the loss of customers for many years (HTC will have to go through this). But this set of characteristics cannot be a "checklist", since it is not clear what is "good design"? This is such a design when the user cannot imagine what else this device could be? There is a feeling that these are just empty words that distract from the main thing - the "filling" of a modern smartphone.

For the first time, I felt that Samsung was able to release a device that meets the principles of a "good smartphone" from all sides. No, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge cannot be ticked everywhere, but the creators did a better job: release a smartphone that you don't want to take apart and analyze every single component.

Finally, Samsung was able to copy everything right: taking care of the design and not forgetting about the technical component.

We've already met, it's the Galaxy S6's turn. This model is intended for those who find the curved edges of the display too extravagant, and is a direct successor to the Galaxy S5.

Design, materials and usability

In terms of design, the Samsung Galaxy S6 is almost a complete copy of the S6 Edge, but its body is made in the classic form factor for touch smartphones.

The display here is flat, and the appearance of the device itself is closer to the past flagships of the Galaxy. Samsung, despite the desire to leave the old design, still retained some kind of continuity.

Therefore, even if you stick the company logo on the front panel, the brand will be guessed unmistakably. The fact is that Samsung zealously keeps in the flagships such design elements as the appearance of the earpiece grille and the mechanical Home key. It is they who, despite all their inconspicuousness, form a recognizable appearance for the Galaxy S6.

In general, the design of the new flagship Samsung is much better than its predecessors, compared to them, it looks neater.

The case materials in the Galaxy S6 are the same as in the S6 Edge. The front and back panels of the smartphone are covered with Gorilla Glass 4. The body itself is framed by a frame made of aircraft-grade aluminum.

The case in the Galaxy S6 is not disassembled, so you won't be able to quickly change the battery. But this made it possible to make it monolithic, there is not even the slightest hint of backlash, all the details fit very tightly.

Thanks to the rounded edges of the case, the Samsung Galaxy S6 fits perfectly in the hand. At the first contact with the glass and the edges of the smartphone case, it seems that they are too slippery. Nevertheless, in practice, during a week of use, the device never slipped out of my hands.

The Galaxy S6 is very comfortable to work with, all the keys on the body are located where you expect them to be, especially in a Samsung smartphone.

The S6 measures 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm and weighs 138 grams. The device is slightly taller than the Galaxy S5, but noticeably narrower and thinner.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy S6 uses a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. This diagonal, paired with such a high resolution, allows the screen to form an image with a density of 577 dpi.

This is a very high figure for smartphones. The picture on the Galaxy S6's display looks great.
The color reproduction of the S6's screen, thanks to the Super AMOLED matrix, can vary significantly depending on the settings. In total, Samsung offers four display modes: "Adaptive", "Cinema AMOLED", "Photo AMOLED" and "Basic".

The last two are the most realistic colors, but the first two are better for those who like saturated shades.

Platform and performance

At the heart of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is the 14nm 64-bit Exynos 7420 processor, made according to the bigLITTLE scheme and is divided into 4 + 4 cores, high-performance at 2.1 GHz, and energy-saving at 1.5 GHz. The Mali-T760 chip is responsible for graphics processing. All this is complemented by 3 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, as well as built-in storage of 32/64/128 GB, depending on the version of the smartphone. There is no microSD card slot in the device. All this allows the Galaxy S6 to perform very well, both in real use and in synthetic tests. In AnTuTu, the smartphone is gaining more than 63 thousand points, and in Geekbench 1375 points in calculations on one core and 4570 in multi-core mode.

In general, the performance of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is sufficient with a large margin.

Camera

The main 16-megapixel camera of the Galaxy S6 has a rather large aperture of f / 1.9 for a smartphone (for comparison, the Galaxy S5 had f / 2.2), and is also equipped with an optical image stabilization system. The ability of the camera lens to let in more light had a positive effect on the quality of the pictures.

Shot in good light in automatic mode:

Snapshot in HDR:

With flash:

In poor light:

Backlight:

Other pictures:

Music

Galaxy S6 uses Android 5.0.2 operating system, detailed. Together with it, the smartphone also has an updated version of the Samsung interface, which includes a new player. It retains the functionality of previous versions, including equalizer settings and Adapt Sound technology, but has a simpler and more intuitive interface. The smartphone sounds very good through the new player, and although the volume level in the Galaxy S6 is sufficient, I would like to have more headroom.

The external speaker in the smartphone is very loud, it will be enough not only not to miss a call, but also to output music.

Heart rate monitor

Next to the Galaxy S6's camera block is the heart rate sensor window.

With its help in the S Health program, the user can measure his pulse, as well as the level of stress. Compared to the heart rate monitor in the S5, it is faster in the new flagship, although its accuracy is still questionable.

In addition, the S Health app has got a new design and additional functionality. Now, in addition to tracking such physical activity as walking, running, cycling, it can also measure the level of oxygen in the blood, add the amount of water and cups of coffee you drink.

The fingerprint scanner

The fingerprint scanner in Samsung smartphones first appeared last year with the release of the flagship Galaxy S5. Then the company used a sensor that scanned the fingerprint with a swipe. This has not always been convenient to do, which is why the Galaxy S6's fingerprint sensor is triggered on touch. It works almost perfectly now.

Autonomy

The Galaxy S6 uses a slightly smaller 2550mAh battery than the S6 Edge. Despite this, the smartphone shows a similar level of autonomy. With an average load, it can work for about 20 hours, and with a high load of up to 22%, it discharges up to 12 hours.

One of the advantages of this model is the ability to quickly charge Samsung Adaptive and Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0. With 10% charge up to 25%, the smartphone charges in 10 minutes, which allows it to work for about 4 more hours.

Wireless charging in the Galaxy S6 supports two popular WPC 1.1 and PMA 1.0 standards at once, making it easy to choose charging surfaces.

Eventually

Compared to last year's flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S6 came out better in almost all respects. It looks and feels more pleasant in the hands, as well as faster and more convenient to use. Unfortunately, a miracle did not happen with autonomy, however, it will be enough for a full day of work. As a result, Galaxy S6 can rightfully be called one of the best smartphones available in Ukraine today.

Liked:

Design
+ Materials
+ Build quality
+ Ergonomics
+ Display
+ Performance
+ Camera
+ Android 5.0
+ Fingerprint scanner
+ Fast charging
+ Wireless charging

Did not like:

- No memory card slot
- The price is not for everyone

Samsung Galaxy S6 became a real discovery in 2015, it received a metal case, a powerful processor, a high-quality screen and was even able to compete iPhone6 by the number of sales in the first weeks after release. Samsung Galaxy S6 is a more "mainstream" model than devices from the Note line - it has an affordable price, based on its characteristics, stylish universal design, it will suit young people, and businessmen, and women and men.

Design and ergonomics

Samsung has recently begun to deviate from its canons and perform models not entirely of plastic, but with metal inserts. Samsung Galaxy S6 is the pinnacle of these developments, it is made of quality materials - an aluminum frame, CorningGornillaGlass4 glass from both the front and the back. The metal base, according to the manufacturer, is made of very durable aluminum, which is 50% stronger than the metal of similar smartphones. After the release, there were even rumors that the Samsung Galaxy S6's strength was tested using walnuts. This stroke protects both the front and rear of the case from drops and dirt. The back side is still quite easily soiled, but prints are easily removed.

In general, the smartphone makes a good impression, Samsung developers have gotten rid of all unnecessary decorative elements, leaving only style and quality. In the hand, the Samsung Galaxy S6 is very comfortable, even despite the large and high-quality screen, it is easy to operate the smartphone. The model is made in 4 colors - Black Sapphire (black), White Pearl (white) and Gold Platinum (gold), Blue Topaz (blue). Despite the class of the smartphone, the screen diagonal and the powerful technical stuffing, the Samsung Galaxy S6 turned out to be quite compact and not very heavy - its dimensions are 143.4 × 70.5 × 6.8 mm, and its weight is 138 grams.

See the more compact Samsung Galaxy Alpha smartphone.

The bezel is slightly rounded and the Home button has a new pill-shaped design. The build quality was influenced by the non-separable body of the Samsung Galaxy S6. There can be no creaks and backlashes here. The power button and SIM card slot are located on the right side (just above the middle). And at the bottom there is a headphone jack and a universal USB2.0 - it has finally replaced the inconvenient USB 3.0.

Display

The quality of the screen did not disappoint the expectations of the fans of the Galaxy line, Samsung, perhaps, has made the best screen ever. The screen is made using Super AMOLED technology, its diagonal is 5.1 inches, and the resolution is 2560x1440 pixels. The pixel density per inch is also one of the highest in today's smartphones - it is 577 ppi.

Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S6 has at its disposal wireless charging, which allows you to charge your smartphone by 20-30 percent in just 30 minutes.

If you use a regular cable, then during the same time the battery can be charged by half. The battery capacity is 2550 mAh. Seeing such capacity indicators and realizing that a powerful processor, high-quality screen and other parameters of the Galaxy S6 will most likely reduce battery life, it seems that the smartphone will not be able to work even a day without recharging. But this is not the case. Under normal loads (1-1.5 browsing the Internet, a couple of hours of calls and about an hour to watch a video every day), the Samsung Galaxy S6 can work for 2.5 days without needing to recharge. When browsing the Internet, the smartphone shows 8-9 hours of battery life, while watching a video - 10-11 hours, and in talk mode - about 17. The performance of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is lower than its predecessor Galaxy S5, but nevertheless, new the model also shows decent results.

Processor, technical stuffing and performance

Samsung decided to abandon such popular today chipsets as Snapdragon 810. The developers had many reasons for this, for example, overheating of processors based on this chipset, as well as the consumption of a large amount of energy. On the latest models, Samsung used its own Exynos processors, and the Samsung Galaxy S6 was no exception, because it was in this model that the manufacturer switched completely to its own chipset for the first time. The smartphone received an eight-core Exynos 7420 (7 Octa) with 4 Cortex-A57 cores (2.1 GHz) and 4 Cortex-A53 (1.5 GHz). It shows excellent performance results, consumes less energy and does not get too hot.

Perhaps you are interested in smartphones with similar parameters? See other models

Also, the Samsung Galaxy S6 is equipped with a Mali-T760 graphics accelerator and has an impressive 3GB of RAM. DDR4 In AnTuTu, no one could beat the Samsung Galaxy S6 in terms of performance.

In total, there are 3 types of Samsung Galaxy S6 in terms of the amount of internal memory - with 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB. The developers have laid down such a large volume in order to compensate for the lack of a microSD card. Also, the user will have access to 115 GB of Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage for the first two years after purchase. The rejection of the microSD slot is motivated by the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S6 has Universal Flash Storage 2.0 technology, which combines the advantages of SSD and eMMC and accelerates the process of reading and writing data. UFS 2.0 NAND allows for faster sequential, random read and write speeds.

Communications

There are a lot of opportunities for communication in the Samsung Galaxy S6. Supports 2G / 3G / 4G LTE standards. The device also has Wi-Fi a / b / g / n / ac, and supports ANT +, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC. The developers have taken care of the needs of the masses by providing the Samsung Galaxy S6 with an infrared port, with which you can control home appliances. There was no smartphone left without GPS / GLONASS.

One cannot fail to note the zest from the manufacturer - Samsung Pay, this service allows the smartphone to interact with terminals. Samsung Galaxy S6 is already partnering with Visa and MasterCard, and the developers plan to expand this list. You don't need to worry about safety, KNOX will take care of it.

Interface

Samsung Galaxy S6 has the new Android 5.0.2 Lollipop OS. The TouchWiz user interface has become easier to manage, but it has received a lot of useful tricks. It even makes good use of the lock screen, which displays the weather, pedometer information, and a few recent notifications that you can turn off.

Now you can turn on the camera by double-clicking on the "Back" button, which is very convenient, given the fact that it starts up in less than a second.

The interface of the Galaxy S6 is very minimalistic and simple, they tried to give up as much as possible the icons, which often replace the text names of applications. But the themes are available to users, there are only 3 preinstalled on the smartphone, but many others can be downloaded from Galaxy Apps. New themes not only change the appearance of icons, fonts, dialing menu, but even allow you to use new ringtones for alarms, sms, etc.

Samsung in the Galaxy S6 has given up on filling the smartphone with a multitude of applications that users generally don't use. Instead, OneNote, Skype, OneDrive cloud storage appeared, all thanks to Samsung's collaboration with Microsoft.

Camera

The Galaxy S6 has 2 cameras. The main camera is equipped with a 16-megapixel module, and the front camera is equipped with a 5-megapixel one. The apertures of both cameras are large enough - F1.9, which allows the sensor to receive more light during shooting. There is also image optimization and autofocus, which is able to track even moving objects.

The camera has many interesting modes, including Pro - it allows you to manually set ISO, exposure, white balance, which allows you to use your smartphone as a professional camera. Manufacturers claim that the camera starts up in less than a second, which will delight those users who like to "catch" the most interesting moments.

An interesting feature of the Galaxy S6 is the ability to take 3D pictures, for this you just need to rotate the smartphone around the object. There is also an HDR mode, it is available for both the rear and front cameras.

Other features of the Samsung Galaxy S6

Unlike the Galaxy S5, the new model is not dust and water resistant. Perhaps due to competition from the Sony Xperia line, which are IP67 dust and water resistant, Samsung will soon release another model in the Galaxy S6 series where this technology will be implemented. Moreover, the Galaxy S6 has a design similar to the Xperia, combining glass and a metal frame.

It is worth noting that the speakers have also been moved from the back of the smartphone to the lower front, so you won't be able to cover them with your hand while listening. Thanks to this, according to the assurances of the developers, in the Samsung Galaxy S6, the sound is 1.5 better and louder than that of its predecessor S5.

The developers also significantly improved the biometric authentication scanner, replacing the capacitive sensor that was in the S5 with a touchscreen. Now, with your finger on the Home button, you authenticate quickly and smoothly.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 can shoot video in 2160p, 1080p and 720p quality. In all modes except 2160p you can enable additional color effects and even HDR. The smartphone shoots video at the highest level, the clips are clear, the colors are transmitted as realistically as possible. You can even shoot video with the front camera.

conclusions

The Samsung Galaxy S6 has even surpassed the expectations of fans. The manufacturers corrected almost all the flaws of the Galaxy S5, which did not impress the fans, they also deviated from their design standards and created a new smartphone that is really worth the money, which opens up ample opportunities for the owner. It is no longer just a smartphone, it is a pocket computer, player, camera, video player, shopping assistant. Samsung Galaxy S6 is good at everything, due attention has been paid to the processor, camera, design and interface. The latest OS, 3GB of RAM and a great screen only complete the picture. Definitely, Samsung Galaxy S6 will become worthy of competitors in the flagship market and will find a lot of fans.

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW

Finally, Samsung has moved away from the usual image of a smartphone and created something really unusual.

The first thing that catches your eye is the metal body framing the front and back panels, which are covered with Gorilla Glass. It is 6.8 mm thick that the phone differs from its predecessor S 5, which was accused of being absolutely similar to the Apple gadget.

Unfortunately, this design option has several disadvantages. In order to realize the conceived design, Samsung decided to remove the microSD slot and equip the device with a non-removable battery. To compensate for memory problems, the model came out in several versions of 32/64/128 GB. The phone supports Qi and PWM wireless charging. Samsung claims that a 10-minute charge is enough for 4 hours of battery life.

In general, this model has a good impression. The S6 is equipped with a 5.1-inch HD Quad Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels.

In addition to a good screen, the model is equipped with an exclusive Exynos octa-core processor with a clock speed of 2.1 GHz and 3 GB of RAM.

S6 runs Android 5.0 Lollipop and Samsung's latest TouchWiz UI

If you are a fan of photos and selfies, then the S 6 will definitely delight you with its capabilities. The 16MP main camera has optical image stabilization and a large capture module.

Overall, customer and expert reviews suggest the S6 is one of the finest Android devices to date. Fans of removable batteries and large storage capacities may be disappointed. But there are many other reasons why you should love the phone.

PROS

• Performance
• Display quality
• Camera
• Design
• Wireless charger
• Android 5.0 Lollipop

MINUSES

• No MicroSD support
• Non-removable battery

In recent years, everyone has become accustomed to the fact that with each release of a new flagship smartphone of the Samsung Galaxy S series, we get one of the most technological gadgets on the market, capable of satisfying the needs of even the most demanding user. And if the functionality of Korean devices was always at the highest level, then in terms of design, only the lazy did not criticize their decisions. First of all, this is due to not too significant differences between generations of devices in appearance and in terms of materials used.

In the same year, at the MWC in Barcelona, \u200b\u200badmirers of the brand were made a pleasant surprise in the form of the presentation of two flagships at once - and that received a new design using metal and glass in the construction. The first model came to us for testing, without a curved display and the "Edge" prefix, but this makes it no less interesting. How successful the device is - read our review. And first, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the technical characteristics of the novelty:

Manufacturer and model	Samsung Galaxy S6 (SM-G920F)
Type, form factor	Smartphone, candy bar
Communication standards			850/900/1800/1900 MHz
			850/900/1900/2100 MHz
			700/800/850/900/1800/1900/2100/2600 MHz
High speed data transfer	GPRS (32-48 Kbps), EDGE (236 Kbps), HSDPA (up to 42.2 Mbps), HSUPA (up to 5.76 Mbps), LTE Cat.6 (up to 300 Mbps )
SIM card type
CPU	Samsung Exynos 7 Octa (7420): ARM big.LITTLE microarchitecture, Cortex-A57 (4 cores x 2.1 GHz) + Cortex-A53 (4 cores x 1.5 GHz), 14 nm LPE process technology
Graphics adapter	ARM Mali-T760 MP8: up to 772 MHz, support for OpenGL ES 3.1, OpenVG 1.1, DirectX 11.1
	Super AMOLED, 5.1 ", Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels, 576 ppi), touchscreen, capacitive, multi-touch (up to 10 touches), Corning Gorilla Glass 4
RAM
Persistent memory
Card reader
Interfaces	1 x micro-USB 2.0 (OTG) 1 x 3.5mm audio mini-jack
Multimedia	Acoustics
	Audio codec
	Microphone
	Main	16 MP, Sony IMX240 module, f / 1.9 aperture, autofocus, LED flash, optical stabilization, video recording in 4K Ulta HD (30 fps)
	Frontal	5 MP, Samsung S5K4E6 module, f / 1.9 aperture, 1080p video recording
Communication capabilities		Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 / 5 GHz), VHT80 MIMO (2x2, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot)
		4.1, A2DP, LE, apt-X
	Navigation	GPS, Glonass, Beidou
	Fingerprint scanner, heart rate monitor, accelerometer, Hall sensor, geomagnetic sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, gyroscope, barometer, LED indicator
Battery	Li-ion, non-replaceable: 2550 mAh
Charger	Input: 100 ~ 240 VAC ex. at 50/60 Hz Output: DC 5V e.g. 2 A
	Supports WPC 1.1 and PMA 1.0 wireless charging
	143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm
operating system	Android 5.0.2 Lollipop + TouchWiz
Official guarantee	12 months
Products webpage

Appearance, arrangement of elements

The arrival of the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and the Samsung Galaxy A3 / A5 / A7 series rocked the smartphone market and sparked a new wave of interest in the Korean manufacturer's products. Such excitement was provoked by changes in the policy of releasing smartphones and the appearance of metal elements in their design, which the admirers of the brand have longed for. And if in "Alpha" the metal edging was adjacent to the already traditional plastic "under the skin", then all Samsung Galaxy A models received an all-metal case. However, here it was not without a fly in the ointment - the body of the new products received a coating that evokes the association with the same hated plastic, somewhat dispelled due to the metal bevel around the perimeter of the front and back panels. After these loud announcements, the world community started talking about the future flagship of the "Galaxies" line. And the Samsung Galaxy S6 didn't disappoint. The smartphone turned out to be really interesting and really good.

At the exit we have a typical "sandwich" made of an aluminum chassis, which includes textured matte sidewalls, complemented by a stiffener, and two glass panels with a colored backing (apparently, it has a fine structure that glares pleasantly in the sun).

Someone will say that we have already seen all this in the Apple iPhone and Sony Xperia Z. This is partially true, but thanks to the attention to detail and the preservation of a certain heredity between the previous models, the smartphone turned out to be quite distinctive. It has its own unique charm. Even if the manufacturer's logo is pasted over, the classic elements of the front panel (an oblong mechanical Home key and the earpiece mesh) unmistakably give out the origin of the gadget. In addition, the manufacturer has retained a somewhat rectangular and at the same time austere look.

If we compare the dimensions (143.4 × 70.5 × 6.8 mm) and weight (138 g) of the novelty with last year's flagship (142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm and 145 g), then you can see a slight miniaturization, in including due to the lack of protection against dust and moisture. The device is available in a wide range of colors: White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum and Blue Topaz.

The panels of the Samsung Galaxy S6 are made of ultra-strong Corning Gorilla Glass 4 with a slight curvature and a good oleophobic coating. Despite this, prints are quickly collected, but just as easily removed. In addition, remember that the glass is quite slippery, so you need to be careful with it so as not to let the device in.

The bezels around the display are quite thin: 3 mm at the sides and 15 mm at the bottom and top (counting from the edge of the case to the first pixels). There are no protective sides around the screen, so you should immediately take care of the cover or bumper. The elements of the front panel are quite common: in the upper part - the earpiece, the front camera, light / proximity sensors and a light indicator (when recharging - it lights up in red; when it is discharged - flashes red; a missed event or voice recording is in progress - flashes blue); under the display there is a mechanical Home key (holding down launches Google Now) and two touch keys: Back and Launched Applications Manager (holding down activates the Split Window Mode). It should be noted that the Home key received an updated built-in fingerprint scanner. If in the previous model you had to slide your finger in a certain position from top to bottom, which did not always work and increased the likelihood of dropping the smartphone, then in the Samsung Galaxy S6 you only need to put your finger on, as it was implemented in the Apple iPhone 5S and HTC One Max smartphones. Now the reading process has become more convenient, faster and more accurate.

The controls are in good places: the power / lock key is on the right side, and the volume keys are on the left. They are metal, they are well found blindly and have a clear movement. The side faces are flat, while other parts are more rounded, with an expressive stiffener in the center.

A universal audio jack (mini-jack 3.5 mm), a micro-USB 2.0 interface and a main microphone are located at the bottom. An infrared port (for controlling media equipment) and an additional microphone remain on the upper edge. The right side contains a metal tray for Nano-SIM.

The back of the Samsung Galaxy S6 houses the traditional set of elements: a protruding camera module, LED flash and heart rate monitor. Now about the sad thing - the smartphone is not separable, so you won't be able to replace the battery yourself. In addition, the novelty has lost a slot for memory cards. These two points have traditionally been significant advantages of Korean flagships, which were set as an example to other manufacturers, especially when compared with Apple products. The flip side of the coin is excellent build quality: all parts fit just fine, and any attempts at pressure or twisting have shown no flaws. The smartphone is perceived as a monolithic construction.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy S6 uses a proprietary 5.1-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels (576 ppi). This is more than enough to display incredibly detailed and crisp images. The subpixels are arranged according to the usual PenTile scheme, but it's hard to notice, unless in direct comparison with IPS matrices, the white color has a slightly greenish tint, which is absolutely not noticeable in real life.

In all other respects, the display is simply gorgeous. He is one of the best on the market. Maximum viewing angles, as well as ideal contrast and richness of colors leave a lot of positive emotions from working with it.

As before, there is an opportunity to customize the picture to your taste. Several ready-made profiles are available: Responsive Screen, Cinema AMOLED, Photo AMOLED, and Basic. Subjectively, the most correct color reproduction corresponds to the "AMOLED Photo" profile. Lovers of bright, realistic or calmer shades will have plenty to choose from.

The maximum brightness level is enough to view information on a sunny day. The minimum value is quite comfortable for working in complete darkness. The light and proximity sensors are working properly without any complaints.

Multi-touch technology can handle up to 10 simultaneous touches. It works great. In some places, even too much: with a certain grip, the sensor reads touches from the side edges, although there was no actual touch to the screen itself.

Audio subsystem

The Samsung Galaxy S6 has only one multimedia speaker. It provides loud and reasonably high quality sound with a balanced frequency range. Its capabilities are enough not only for immersion in the gameplay, but also for comfortable viewing of videos and familiarization with musical compositions. It should only be remembered that, due to its location, the speaker is easily covered by the palm of your hand.

The test specimen arrived to us without a complete stereo headset, so we used outside headphones (impedance 60 Ohm) for testing. The sound is very good and has a considerable volume reserve.

Along with the OS interface update, the proprietary music player was also changed. It received a somewhat simplified design, but retained excellent functionality. In addition to ready-made profiles and manual equalizer settings, there are SoundAlive + and Tube Amplifier effects that allow you to optimize the sound for any headphones.

Camera

The main camera received a 16-megapixel module, a very fast lens with an aperture of f / 1.9, optical image stabilization, LED flash and the ability to shoot videos in 4K Ulta HD (30 fps) format. Traditionally, there are ample opportunities for manual adjustment of the shooting process, which are hidden in the "Pro" mode (filters, manual focus, white balance, ISO, exposure correction, changing the exposure metering mode, etc.). If you hold it for a long time during shooting, you can lock focus and exposure. After updating the OS to Android 5.1, it will be possible to shoot in RAW.

In terms of image quality, we have one of the best, if not the best, camera on the market. Wide viewing angle, excellent detailing across the entire frame, rich colors and artistic background blur. High-aperture optics allow you to get acceptable photos even in low light conditions, but the aggressive operation of the noise reduction system and the slowdown of autofocus are clearly visible. The video footage is also at a very high level, but unknown artifacts were noticed, which are most likely due to the pre-sale copy of the smartphone under test.

The front camera has a 5-megapixel module and a fast lens with an aperture of f / 1.9. Lovers of self-portraits will be pleased. The wide field of view is great for group shots, but may distort the proportions of the face somewhat depending on distance.

The proprietary software of the camera received the most simple and visually understandable appearance, but at the same time retained ample opportunities for customization and expansion by downloading gadgets. The only thing missing is the electronic level of the horizon. Among the key important features of the camera, it should be noted that it instantly launches (less than a second) by double pressing the Home button. When shooting from the front camera, you can get a shot by simply holding your finger to the heart rate monitor on the back of your smartphone. There is support for voice control.

Examples of taking pictures of the main camera

Examples of filming

An example of daytime shooting from a smartphone Samsung Galaxy S6 in 4K Ultra HD resolution at 30 fps

User interface

The novelty comes preinstalled with the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop operating system, which should soon be updated to version 5.1. Installed on top is the proprietary TouchWiz shell, which in the latest version has been greatly simplified both visually and functionally. The look has become more understated (although bright colors do occur), and a fair amount of the features we saw in have simply disappeared. From this, the smartphone looks less overloaded and it became more pleasant to work with it.

However, traditional functions have not disappeared anywhere: "Split window mode" (work with two applications simultaneously); smart functions (gesture control); the updated S Health app, which paired with a heart rate monitor will help you lead an active and healthy lifestyle; Briefing news aggregator (powered by Flipboard); Smart Remote (control of multimedia equipment); "Simple mode" (larger font, simplified home screen to improve interaction with the device), etc.

The energy saving functions remained in place, which include two modes: "Energy saving" and "Extreme energy saving". In the latter version, the screen is switched to monochrome mode, data transmission is turned off and the number of applications used is limited.

Among the interesting things, there is support for shell themes, which allow you to get an almost stock look of the Android OS or just make it more diverse. In addition, it should be noted "Microsoft Applications" (in the corresponding folder): OneDrive (100 GB of cloud storage available to the user for 2 years), OneNote and Skype.

Traditionally, the settings menu has a large number of items and provides access to almost all functions and parameters of a smartphone. There is the ability to edit the quick parameters tab (9 items) and the search for the necessary menu items by name is implemented.

Subjectively, optimization has only benefited the OS - it has become more "mature" and is perceived to be complete. In addition, the system works very smoothly and stably (without any slowdown).

Performance and communication capabilities

Samsung Galaxy S6 has got the latest and one of the most powerful hardware platforms. The 14nm SoC-processor Samsung Exynos 7 Octa (7420), based on the ARM big.LITTLE microarchitecture, is used. It combines 4 high-performance Cortex-A57 cores up to 2.1 GHz and 4 energy efficient Cortex-A53 cores up to 1.5 GHz. Responsible for the graphics ARM Mali-T760 MP8.

The amount of LPDDR4 RAM is 3 GB, and the constant is 32 GB (23 GB is available to the user). There is no support for memory cards. This platform supports OTG mode, which allows you to connect external USB media or peripherals.

As expected, the performance of the platform used is very high, as evidenced by the first lines in popular benchmarks. According to this indicator, the brainchild of Samsung is comparable to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810. That is, it is difficult to find tasks that would be beyond the power of the Samsung Galaxy S6. The smartphone easily copes not only with everyday applications, but also with the most modern demanding games at maximum graphics settings.

Under prolonged maximum load (shooting 4K Ultra HD video or protracted gaming battles (more than 15-20 minutes)), the smartphone may noticeably heat up (in the area of \u200b\u200bthe camera and side edge), which causes some discomfort. You should also be aware of the properties of heated glass and do not place it on cool surfaces. Note that such heating is the price for high performance and is found in most modern flagship devices. If you do not overload them, then you will not notice it when doing most of your daily tasks.

The built-in video player has support for all modern audio and video formats, as evidenced by the results of the AnTuTu Video Tester benchmark, which rated it at an impressive 1001 points.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone supports the robot with modern 2G GSM, 3G UMTS and 4G LTE Cat.6 mobile networks. This modification works with only one SIM card in the Nano-SIM format, but there are versions of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Duos on the market.

The call quality is at a very high level and does not cause any comments. The earpiece is quite loud. The vibration alert is soft. Its sound power is above average.

Communication modules are dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, NFC, Bluetooth 4.1 and ANT +.

Data transfer rates over Wi-Fi (wired connection 100 Mbit / s, router supporting 802.11n) demonstrate very high results: up to 76 Mbit / s for reception and up to 48 Mbit / s for upload. Access points are searched for and connected to them instantly, and the established connection has good durability.

The global geolocation navigation module supports the GPS, GLONASS and Chinese Beidou satellite systems. Everything functions as usual and without any remarks: in an open area, it detects about 15 satellites, and communication is stable with most of them. Under test conditions, the determination accuracy was up to 6 meters. A cold start takes less than a minute.

Autonomous work

The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a non-replaceable lithium-ion battery of a fairly common capacity (2550 mAh). At moderate load with 50% display brightness (calls, SMS, music, a little internet), the novelty will be able to work without recharging for about a day, and in a more economical mode - even more.

As a result of watching HD video (MPEG-4 / AVC, MKV container, 4 Mbps stream) with 50% display brightness and Wi-Fi and GPS modules turned on, the device was discharged in 12 hours and 22 minutes. Gaming simulation using Asphalt 8: Airborne with 100% display brightness and Wi-Fi and GPS enabled, the battery ran out in 3.5 hours.

Battery life tests using the popular PCMark benchmark (editing text, viewing video content, processing photos, etc.) showed a result of 7 hours at 50% display brightness. The estimated runtime of the smartphone according to the GFXBench benchmark is 186 minutes.

Charging time from USB 2.0 port is about 3.5-4 hours. There is support for fast charging, which allows you to restore 15% of the capacity (from 10% to 25%) in just 10 minutes. According to the manufacturer, this should be enough for approximately 4 hours of battery life. In addition, there is support for wireless charging of the WPC 1.1 and PMA 1.0 standards.

Outcome

Korean engineers managed to do an incredible job and improve everything that is possible. The result was the emergence of a flagship smartphone. The device has received a completely rethought design using only premium materials. Dimensions, ergonomics, quality of the device - everything is at the highest level. Traditionally for this manufacturer, we have one of the best displays on the market, a powerful and energy efficient hardware platform for comfortable performance of any mobile tasks, excellent photographic capabilities of both camera modules and wide communication capabilities. The benefits also include improved fingerprint scanner performance and the emergence of wireless charging. The updated proprietary TouchWiz shell is also worthy of positive reviews, which has become more "adult" and has lost all that is superfluous, but at the same time retained high functionality.

Now about the sad things. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a non-separable smartphone, so you won't be able to replace the battery yourself. In addition, the novelty has lost a slot for memory cards. These two points have traditionally been the strong point of top-end smartphones from Samsung and have always been set as an example to other manufacturers. However, as practice shows, most users are not particularly worried about this. But buying a device of this class, you want to get the most of the possibilities.

All in all, we have one of the most beautiful smartphones on the market, looking expensive and stylish at the same time. And high performance and excellent functionality will satisfy even the most demanding user.

Benefits:

• stylish appearance;
• high-quality body assembly;
• improved fingerprint scanner;
• high performance and good energy efficiency of the hardware platform;
• excellent digital camera modules;
• chic Super AMOLED display with high pixel density;
• protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 4 with high-quality oleophobic coating and anti-reflective filter;
• support for global positioning systems GPS, GLONASS and Beidou;
• availability of NFC, IrLED, Bluetooth 4.1, ANT + and dual-band Wi-Fi with support for the 802.11ac standard;
• support for USB OTG specification;
• functional proprietary shell TouchWiz;
• the ability to control media technology;
• support for wireless charging of WPC 1.1 and PMA 1.0 standards.

Disadvantages:

• noticeable heating of the case, especially when shooting video in 4K Ultra HD format;
• lack of support for memory cards and a non-replaceable battery;
• easily soiled and rather slippery materials of construction.

We express our gratitude to the Ukrainian office of the company Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. for the smartphone provided for testing.

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Review | Hardware and software

Charging the new Galaxy phones is now easier and faster than ever. Firstly, the flimsy USB 3.0 connector disappeared, it was replaced by a standard microUSB 2.0 port. The replacement cable is now much easier to find. It is unlikely that you will need one, however, as the built-in wireless charging does not require additional accessories. Thanks to support for the main charging standards, WPC (Qi) and PMA, you can charge your phone by about 20% in a short lunch break of 20-30 minutes. In the same amount of time, the phone can charge up to 50% when plugged into a wall outlet, 30% faster than the S5 with improved fast charging.

Model	Samsung Galaxy S 6	Samsung Galaxy S 6 edge	Samsung Galaxy S5
SoC	Samsung Exynos 7420 (pre)	Samsung Exynos 7420 (pre)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC)
CPU core		4x ARM Cortex-A57 @ 2.1 GHz + 4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz (big.LITTLE)	Qualcomm Krait 400 (Quad Core) @ 2.45 GHz
GPU core	ARM Mali-T760 (pre)	ARM Mali-T760 (pre)	Qualcomm Adreno 330 (32 ALU) @ 578 MHz
RAM	3 GB LPDDR4	3 GB LPDDR4	2 GB LPDDR3
Display		5.1-inch SAMOLED @ 2560x1440 (577 PPI)	5.1-inch SAMOLED @ 1920x1080 (432 PPI)
Vault		32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB	16 GB, 32 GB, microSD (up to 128 GB)
Battery	2550 mAh (non-removable)	2600 mAh (non-removable)	10.78 Wh (3.85 V 2800 mAh, removable)
Cameras		Front: 5 MP f1.9, auth. HDR Rear: 16 MP f1.9, OIS, aut. HDR, subject tracking autofocus, LED flash	Front: 2 MP Rear: 16 MP 1 / 2.6 "CMOS, 1.12um pixels, PDAF, HDR, LED flash
Communication		Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac (2x2 MIMO, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.1 LE, NFC, IrLED, 4G LTE (Cat 6), microUSB 2.0	Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac (2x2 MIMO, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 LE, NFC, IrLED, 4G LTE (Cat 4), Micro USB 3.0
Special functions		Samsung KNOX, Samsung Pay, Quick Launch Camera, Wireless Charging (WPC 1.1 & PMA 1.0), Capacitive Fingerprint Sensor, Supports Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition	IP67, Samsung KNOX, Capacitive Swipe Fingerprint Sensor
Dimensions	143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8mm, 138g	142.1 x 70.1 x 7.0mm, 132g	142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g

However, the sleek new design and wireless charging integration have taken some sacrifices. Due to the decrease in thickness, the back panel became non-removable, as did the battery, the capacity of which decreased compared to the S5 from 2800 mAh to 2550 mAh in Samsung Galaxy S6 (2600mAh in the S6 Edge) Unless the manufacturer has improved the device's performance, factors such as a lower battery capacity, a brighter display, and a predominantly white background in Android Lollipop may result in lower battery life compared to the S5.

In the new Galaxy smartphones, another long-standing feature of the line has disappeared - support for SD cards. To compensate for this loss, Samsung has increased internal storage with 32GB, 64GB and 128GB NAND versions. In addition, the company is providing 115GB of Microsoft OneDrive for two years. For most users, the storage options offered will be sufficient, but there will certainly be those who will not like the loss of flexibility provided by a removable storage drive.

Samsung's new UFS 2.0 NAND is expected to accelerate storage performance. UFS is a serial interface. It seems to be replacing the popular eMMC standard today (at least in flagship devices), which uses an 8-bit parallel interface, whose controller must execute commands as they come. According to Samsung, the sequential read speed reaches 350 MB / s, and the write speed is 150 MB / s. That is, compared to the eMMC 5.0 standard, sequential operations are 1.4-1.7 times faster. The random read speed is 19,000 IOPS and the write speed is 14,000 IOPS.

Last year, the S5 inherited IP67 dust and water resistance from the Galaxy Active line. Unfortunately in Samsung Galaxy S6 this feature has not been preserved. Given that Sony Xperia smartphones use IP67 protection with a similar glass and metal construction, it is highly likely that we will see a dust and water resistant version of the Galaxy S6 Active in the near future.

Fortunately, the biometric authentication function has been preserved. The fingerprint scanner Samsung uses in the S5 had poor accuracy and false rejections, and while subsequent software updates have greatly improved the usefulness of the feature, it has never matched Apple's Touch ID performance and usability. AT Samsung Galaxy S6 Samsung has replaced the capacitive sensor with a touch sensor, which is much more convenient to use. Instead of clumsy swiping, now you just need to put your finger on the sensor.

The Exynos 7420 SoC is most likely between the two glass plates (Samsung has not disclosed a specific model yet). This is an important point. First of all, Samsung Galaxy S6 will be the first Samsung smartphone to use its own Exynos chip in all regions. This suggests that SoC is ready to compete on a global scale. Secondly, the 7420 is the first SoC with a 14nm FinFET process technology. Better process technology should be provided by the Exynos 7420 and Samsung Galaxy S6 energy efficiency advantage over Snapdragon 810, which is manufactured using the HKMG TSMC 20nm process.

Like the Snapdragon 810, the Exynos 7420 uses four ARM Cortex-A57 and four Cortex-A53 CPU cores in a heterogeneous big.LITTLE configuration, in which all eight cores are available to the operating system's task scheduler. In theory, Samsung Galaxy S6 should overtake other flagship smartphones of the current generation in processor-dependent tasks, since the clock speed of the A57 cores is 2.1 GHz, and the A53 is 1.5 GHz. However, the accuracy of this statement depends on several factors. Will the 7420 be able to maintain its maximum clock speed without throttling and is it optimized for long battery life or high CPU performance? How effective Samsung Galaxy S6 uses eight cores? We will be able to answer these questions only after we receive Samsung Galaxy S6 for testing in our laboratory.

With an emphasis on design and simplicity instead of a long list of sometimes poorly implemented and unnecessary small frills, the S6 and S6 Edge refresh the Galaxy lineup significantly, which is exactly what Samsung needs to stay competitive in the premium smartphone segment. The lack of microSD card support and a non-removable battery may scare off some Galaxy fans, but the attractive new design, presumably high performance, and useful features like wireless charging, Samsung Pay, biometric authentication, and fast camera launch all add up to the appeal. Samsung Galaxy S6 for new buyers.

According to Samsung, both models Samsung Galaxy S6 will be available worldwide on April 10, 2015, but prices have not been announced yet.