Samsung Galaxy S6 And S6 Edge Review

[Guest]

The controversial new Samsung Galaxy S6 sheds its plastic construction, removable battery, expandable storage and environmental protection for slicker looks.

Samsung Galaxy S6 And S6 Edge Review : Read more

 

[LordConrad]

Considering that Samsung's AMOLED screens have 30% fewer subpixels than other screen types, the 33% pixel increase in the S6 should make it roughly equal to the 1080p screens from other manufacturers.

I'm tired of Samsung trying to claim a higher pixel count when they don't even use the same pixel structure as everyone else.

 

[blackmagnum]

If Samsung doesn't release the latest Galaxy product, what benchmark would Apple compare its new iPhone with then? ...can't be LG, Motorola or HTC.

 

[zodiacfml]

Battery testing and results doesn't seem to give useful information. There should be a test for Wi-Fi and LTE testing just to keep it close real world usage.

Unfortunately for 3D gaming, the S6 should remain plugged in. This reminds me of the also slim Nexus 5 with good performance in all corners but kills the battery too fast for use as portable gaming device. I guess that's where affordable external battery banks come in.

 

[Reaver192]

I cannot figure out which camera is in my phone???? I did a search or the file“/sys/devices/virtual/camera/rear/rear_camtype” and got no results in the file manager app I downloaded. I have a verizon s6(non-edge) I don't know why I even care but I really want to know for some reason which sensor is in my phone????? Any advice/ : )

 

[darkchazz]

Considering that Samsung's AMOLED screens have 30% fewer subpixels than other screen types, the 33% pixel increase in the S6 should make it roughly equal to the 1080p screens from other manufacturers.

I'm tired of Samsung trying to claim a higher pixel count when they don't even use the same pixel structure as everyone else.

Exactly!

This reminds me of the nexus 6.
moto/google market its display as an incredibly sharp 1440p AMOLED panel, when in reality its total number of pixels is less than that of the nexus 5's 1080p LCD.

 

[alex davies]

I cannot figure out which camera is in my phone???? I did a search or the file“/sys/devices/virtual/camera/rear/rear_camtype” and got no results in the file manager app I downloaded. I have a verizon s6(non-edge) I don't know why I even care but I really want to know for some reason which sensor is in my phone????? Any advice/ : )

I just tried an alternate method on the Canadian S6 I have. Dial *#34971539# and in the menu that comes up hit the 'ISP VER CHECK' option and pop-up should come up with the sensor info. I am not sure if this works for the Verizon S6.

 

[MobileEditor]

<quote>I cannot figure out which camera is in my phone???? I did a search or the file“/sys/devices/virtual/camera/rear/rear_camtype” and got no results in the file manager app I downloaded.</quote>

You can try the method Alex pointed out if you are still using the 5.0.2 firmware. This has been removed in the 5.1.1 update (at least for T-Mo). Some file manager apps may not let you see the root filesystem. You can try ES File Explorer as an alternative.

- Matt Humrick, Mobile Editor, Tom's Hardware

 

[MobileEditor]

I just got a Verizon Galaxy S6 a few days ago. So far the battery life has been so poor that I'm considering switching to something else. From what I've been reading, it appears that the S6 has issues with how much power it is trying to drive to the wireless connections at a given time, causing excess battery drain even with the screen off.

Matt, did you experience any unusual battery behavior during your testing?

I did not experience excessive power drain related to wireless activity, but I'm on a different network (T-Mo), in a different area, with a different usage pattern, and even a different baseband. So my experience won't mean much for you.

I did read an article (forget where) showing that the Samsung RF components used more power than the Qualcomm equivalents. Since the Verizon model uses the Qualcomm components, I'm surprised you're seeing excessive power use. Did you switch carriers when you got the S6?

This could be a software configuration issue. How many different apps do you have that get/receive info from the Internet? How aggressively are they fetching data? Setting email, facebook, twitter, etc. to fetch data every 30s, for example, would keep your radios powered up and drain the battery more quickly. Look at the following:
1) Settings->Data usage to see which apps are consuming the most data
2) Settings->Battery->Battery Usage to see what's using the most power
3) Settings->Battery->Detail to manage which apps are running and to check the "Abnormal Battery Usage" tab.

You might try disabling messaging/social media apps or at least dialing back the fetch policy to at least 30mins for each as a test.

- Matt Humrick, Mobile Editor, Tom's Hardware

 

[cknobman]

TouchWiz still a memory hogging piece of trash.

And Samsung wonders why they keep losing market share, idiots.

 

[Vlad Rose]

Dumbest move they did was remove the microSD card expansion. At least their Note has it still. Once they remove it from the Note line as well, it will be the last Samsung I own. It was the biggest reason why I chose them over getting the same thing as my wife's iPhone. I gave up FaceTime so that I could have music for work (and use skype instead).

 

[bloosted]

I really wish that the whole isocell vs sony issue got more press. This is the first time a reviewer has specifically called out that the isocell sensors have real issues, and didn't just buy into the samsung pr that the sensors are comparable.

 

[ingtar33]

Considering that Samsung's AMOLED screens have 30% fewer subpixels than other screen types, the 33% pixel increase in the S6 should make it roughly equal to the 1080p screens from other manufacturers.

I'm tired of Samsung trying to claim a higher pixel count when they don't even use the same pixel structure as everyone else.

Exactly!

This reminds me of the nexus 6.
moto/google market its display as an incredibly sharp 1440p AMOLED panel, when in reality its total number of pixels is less than that of the nexus 5's 1080p LCD.

Considering that Samsung's AMOLED screens have 30% fewer subpixels than other screen types, the 33% pixel increase in the S6 should make it roughly equal to the 1080p screens from other manufacturers.

I'm tired of Samsung trying to claim a higher pixel count when they don't even use the same pixel structure as everyone else.

I feel like i just stepped into bizarro world where reality and fantasy meet. you guys do know 1440p or 1080p isn't just a marketing words right? do you know what it even means? probably not. 1920 columns of pixels by 1080 rows of pixels = 1080p. there is the SAME number of pixels in every single 1080p display ever in history, exactly 2,073,600 pixels. if it doesn't have 2million 73 thousand and 600 pixels it's not 1080p.

there isn't debate here. there are the same number of pixels on a samsung 1080p display as there are on an apple 1080p display as there are on a google 1080p display. they'll all have exactly 2,073,600 pixels. no more no less. what you're claiming is something akin to saying "yeah but a 6' tall samsung tv is really shorter then a 6' tall RCA tv. its not only impossible but it's just plain silly.

How about you both try posting something that makes sense, cause that what you posted made zero sense.

 

[wtfxxxgp]

Considering that Samsung's AMOLED screens have 30% fewer subpixels than other screen types, the 33% pixel increase in the S6 should make it roughly equal to the 1080p screens from other manufacturers.

I'm tired of Samsung trying to claim a higher pixel count when they don't even use the same pixel structure as everyone else.

Exactly!

This reminds me of the nexus 6.
moto/google market its display as an incredibly sharp 1440p AMOLED panel, when in reality its total number of pixels is less than that of the nexus 5's 1080p LCD.

Considering that Samsung's AMOLED screens have 30% fewer subpixels than other screen types, the 33% pixel increase in the S6 should make it roughly equal to the 1080p screens from other manufacturers.

I'm tired of Samsung trying to claim a higher pixel count when they don't even use the same pixel structure as everyone else.

I feel like i just stepped into bizarro world where reality and fantasy meet. you guys do know 1440p or 1080p isn't just a marketing words right? do you know what it even means? probably not. 1920 columns of pixels by 1080 rows of pixels = 1080p. there is the SAME number of pixels in every single 1080p display ever in history, exactly 2,073,600 pixels. if it doesn't have 2million 73 thousand and 600 pixels it's not 1080p.

there isn't debate here. there are the same number of pixels on a samsung 1080p display as there are on an apple 1080p display as there are on a google 1080p display. they'll all have exactly 2,073,600 pixels. no more no less. what you're claiming is something akin to saying "yeah but a 6' tall samsung tv is really shorter then a 6' tall RCA tv. its not only impossible but it's just plain silly.

How about you both try posting something that makes sense, cause that what you posted made zero sense.

One question: Where is the popcorn? 😀

 

[Reaver192]

<quote>I cannot figure out which camera is in my phone???? I did a search or the file“/sys/devices/virtual/camera/rear/rear_camtype” and got no results in the file manager app I downloaded.</quote>

You can try the method Alex pointed out if you are still using the 5.0.2 firmware. This has been removed in the 5.1.1 update (at least for T-Mo). Some file manager apps may not let you see the root filesystem. You can try ES File Explorer as an alternative.

- Matt Humrick, Mobile Editor, Tom's Hardware

Thank you I will try that now! I downloaded the film manager and it cannot find that file. I also searched all over my phone for it just to make sure the search functionality on the app wasn't limited and didn't go deep enough. Its a mystery for me and every other unrooted Verizon S6 customer than Id imagine. Thanks for you help and the review!

 

[belardo]

Something that was overlooked, and should be a CON. USB2.0? The SGS5 has USB3.0

For the latest and greatest... USB2.0 is a rather large step backwards - especially when your backing up or transferring several GB of data.

Now, the Edge and Note4 do have great looking screens, they look very nice and they make use of that curvature. The glass-back was a wrong choice... they went from plastic to glass?! Didn't they learn from the iPhone4 issues?

I wish MotoX would get a better camera, I have a MotoX-1st gen, but I like how it feels, texture wise and the shape of the phone. The latest MotoX has a better camera, but they always seem to be a year or so behind the rest.

 

[Onus]

I can probably live without the micro-SD, given the large memory capacity, but the non-removable battery is a deal-breaker. I tend to keep phones long enough that the original battery's capacity has diminished enough to require replacement (e.g. I'm still using a Samsung S4).

 

[belardo]

Battery removal has an effect on design. They went with that over function. So what phones are left with removable batteries (which I think is a way to make sure the customer has to replace the phone in 2 years).

Samsung = no
Moto = no
HTC = no
Sony = no (they left the phone biz, right?)
Blackberry = no (They still in business?)
LG = yes - and its a great phone, looks great - but for some - that back center button is... odd.

I don't think there is anything exciting about the look of the glass backing of the S6... and in order to protect it from BREAKING - the customer is going to require a protective case.

My son tossed my phone at me one day (was trying to help) and what cracked was the screen 🙁 But the phone itself is fine and its plastic-like body shell looks and feels fine. Samsung just never figured out how to make a plastic body not look like crap is beyond me. I guess they will go with a metal body for the S7.

 

[AndrewJacksonZA]

@Matt Humric: You forgot to add to the Cons list that that phone has isn't waterproof.

Thanks for the review! 🙂

@belardo:

Sony = no (they left the phone biz, right?)

No, they're still in the phone business, they've started to get back into the US market recently with the Z3v and now the Z4v and a few others.
http://www.xperiablog.net/2015/07/08/verizon-xperia-z4v-set-to-launch-on-august-13/

 

[LordConrad]

Considering that Samsung's AMOLED screens have 30% fewer subpixels than other screen types, the 33% pixel increase in the S6 should make it roughly equal to the 1080p screens from other manufacturers.

I'm tired of Samsung trying to claim a higher pixel count when they don't even use the same pixel structure as everyone else.

Exactly!

This reminds me of the nexus 6.
moto/google market its display as an incredibly sharp 1440p AMOLED panel, when in reality its total number of pixels is less than that of the nexus 5's 1080p LCD.

I feel like i just stepped into bizarro world where reality and fantasy meet. you guys do know 1440p or 1080p isn't just a marketing words right? do you know what it even means? probably not. 1920 columns of pixels by 1080 rows of pixels = 1080p. there is the SAME number of pixels in every single 1080p display ever in history, exactly 2,073,600 pixels. if it doesn't have 2million 73 thousand and 600 pixels it's not 1080p.

there isn't debate here. there are the same number of pixels on a samsung 1080p display as there are on an apple 1080p display as there are on a google 1080p display. they'll all have exactly 2,073,600 pixels. no more no less. what you're claiming is something akin to saying "yeah but a 6' tall samsung tv is really shorter then a 6' tall RCA tv. its not only impossible but it's just plain silly.

How about you both try posting something that makes sense, cause that what you posted made zero sense.

If all pixels were created equal, then your statement would be true. However, Samsung's pixels consist of two sub-pixels while everyone else uses three sub-pixels. So at any given screen size, the Samsung screen will have 33% fewer subpixels. For this reason a 1080p (AMOLED) Samsung screen is NOT EQUAL to a 1080p (non-AMOLED) screen from anyone else. This is why jagged edges are much more noticeable on lower res AMOLED screens than on IPS screens.

 

[Giroro]

Considering that Samsung's AMOLED screens have 30% fewer subpixels than other screen types, the 33% pixel increase in the S6 should make it roughly equal to the 1080p screens from other manufacturers.

I'm tired of Samsung trying to claim a higher pixel count when they don't even use the same pixel structure as everyone else.

What I hat most about Samsung's pentile displays, is that all the pixels stop looking square and instead look like diamonds (like a chain link fence instead of a normal grid). This makes straight lines like text look jagged and terrible, at least on my GS3.
If anything, all going to ultra high phone resolutions and pixel densities (and with pentile, it's more of a "Virtual" resolution) does for Samsung is reduce the problems that never needed to exist in the first place, at the expense of wasting more battery and GPU power on pushing pixels that only 2/3 exist.