Samsung has finally unveiled their newest Galaxy models. The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge phones will be available across the world on April 10th. All four major carriers will sell the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, however smaller carriers such as MetroPCS, Boost Mobile and Cricket Wireless will only sell the Galaxy S6. The S6 Edge will be priced higher than the Galaxy S6 models, but specific price points have not been announced.
The early sentiment from the industry is that the new look of the phones are a welcome change. Many were disappointed in the S5, with its frail plastic makeup and minimal progression from the revolutionary S4 models. Good thing the phone looks nice, because the new makeup eliminates the Micro SD Slot, removable batteries, and waterproof technology. Many may be upset, but what the Galaxy lost it made up for with superior material. The Galaxy S6 has a flat display, a metal frame, and Gorilla Glass 4 panels on the front and back.
The S6 Edge has the same features but adds curves on the sides of the front and rear glass. Samsung takes advantage of the curved screen with “Information Stream”, “Night Clock”, ‘Edge Lighting” and “People Edge” features. The first two features were available on the S5, but the new additions add a cool convenience to the S6 Edge. People Edge allows you to see your most frequent contacts on the side of your phone, while Edge lighting means you can assign a color code to those contacts. It allows your Mom’s incoming calls to light up Blue on the side and your Brother’s to be Red. The Galaxy S6 will be available in white black, gold, and blue, while the S6 Edge has white, black, gold, and green colorways.
Not only do the new models have a revolutionary look, they boast industry leading technology. When it comes to describing the progression between the S5 and S6, Samsung didn’t just put in 100%, they went above and beyond. The speaker is 150% louder than the S5’s, and the phone will charge 150% faster via USB or PMA/Qi wireless charging options*. Other specs:
- 5.1-inch QHD Super AMOLED display
- 3GB of RAM,
- 32, 64, or 128GB of storage space
- Battery Capacity: 2550 MAH (Galaxy S6); 2600 MAH (S6 Edge)
- Fingerprint sensor technology that allows you to bypass swiping
- 16-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization
*Note: Wireless Charging only available on the Galaxy S6
The phone provides integrated support for Samsung Pay, which will use either NFC or MFT (LoopPay) technology for transactions. Samsung Pay will be released this summer. It offers an alternative to Apple Pay, which is only available for a relatively limited amount of businesses and restricted to just 200,000 checkout terminals in the United States due to the technology. Samsung Pay utilizes magnetic technology that reads like a credit card swipe, allowing service at 90% of retailers.
Overall, the phones are a step in the right direction for a Samsung brand that had become stagnated. The Gorilla Glass build and Unibody aluminum chassis make the phone feel like a premium investment and a proper competitor of the iPhone 6.