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Many people buy a smartphone not for six months to a year (as I did before), but with the desire not to change the device for two or even three years. In this case, the “safety margin” when purchasing for such a long period can only be guaranteed by flagships that were current at the time of purchase. They contain solutions that reach more affordable smartphones with a delay of a year and a half, and the performance should be more than enough for the coming years. So how does the 2015 Samsung flagship feel in the current year? I'll try to tell you.
This text came up about a month ago, when Samsung was about to release the Android 7.0 update for my Galaxy S6. I decided to prepare for this moment and changed the weakest link in my smartphone - the battery. A year and a half of active use almost “killed” it: during an hour-long commute to work, the battery lost half its charge. Exactly one day without the device (there were no spare parts in stock) and a fresh branded battery was installed.
I picked up the device from the service center, and literally the next day I received the long-awaited Android 7.0 Nougat update. From here, perhaps, I’ll tell you in more detail.
Android 7.0 and the new Samsung shell
The update changed not only the first digit in the Android version number, as often happens with some manufacturers when they release new firmware. Everything has changed. Starting from the design of the menu and redrawn icons, ending with the new interface of almost all built-in applications. Everything became more airy and clean. The vibrant colors of the interface are finally gone. Now the Samsung branded shell is made with taste, which was so lacking before. I admit that I would like to see this design style on Android smartphones from other manufacturers. Everything flies, the animation is smooth, transitions between screens occur without the same jerks. Credit, Samsung.
The firmware update, of course, could not introduce new functions to the smartphone that are not supported by the hardware. For example, there is no nice Always-on display (although I think this is still more of a marketing ploy). This is understandable, then it would be more difficult to promote the new A-series line. The cool feature from the S7, which allows you to change the display resolution, also did not appear in the S6. It’s a pity, because reducing the resolution to FullHD would greatly save the charge of an already modest battery in terms of capacity.
Autonomy
By the way, about working hours. A fresh battery coupled with Android 7.0 allows you to achieve 3-4 hours of active screen with an average load during the day. In practice, a smartphone lasts one day of light on a single charge. And that’s good, I used to charge my S6 twice a day to make it until nine in the evening.
Performance
When it comes to performance, the Galaxy S6 doesn't disappoint today. After updating to Android 7.0, I compared it with the fresh Galaxy A7 2017. So, in 80% of cases, the S6 is still faster. Curious. This is true both for ordinary tasks (such as launching a phone book or settings) and for working with third-party applications (games, social networks, browser, instant messengers).
Hull durability
How does the smartphone body behave a year and a half after purchase? I can only praise Samsung: they made a smartphone that can withstand a lot. I carried my smartphone without a case, it fell many times (fortunately, mostly in the office and at home, I didn’t get acquainted with the asphalt). The result is abrasions on the metal frame (I placed the smartphone spread out in a niche for small items in the car, so this is not surprising), one small but unpleasantly deep scratch on the display, but the back cover is in almost perfect condition. Nothing was loose or loose. The only thing that was slightly confusing was that a month before replacing the battery, the glass on the back panel in the camera area began to creak slightly - replacing the battery cured this problem. The Galaxy S6 turned out to be a very resilient phone.
conclusions
Many of the most sophisticated smartphone models pass through me. Some become my main device for a week or two. But every time I give away my test flagship smartphone and return to my well-worn Galaxy S6. And I don't feel disadvantaged. Yes, there is no moisture protection here. Yes, there is no Always-on display. But in everyday use you don’t notice this. The smartphone does not freeze, does not slow down, and does not eat up the battery for no reason. He doesn't infuriate or irritate. And when you start the camera, it still continues to impress with excellent image quality in almost any conditions. The flagship remains the flagship even two years after its debut. The safety margin of the Galaxy S6 turned out to be decent. Maybe I’ll live to see the release of the Galaxy S9 - who knows?
Perhaps Samsung's flagships will always carry the aura of a desirable but impossible dream for many fans of Android devices: case materials, high-quality displays and the general feeling of “premium” of the Galaxy S series attract the interest of millions of fans of the brand. However, the exorbitant price tag, which scares some and makes others feel important, repeatedly pushes potential buyers away from the gadget.
Fortunately, over time the price tag drops to more adequate values. This is where some users have a reasonable question: is it worth overpaying a little for such a desired device, but getting a purebred flagship with all its features, or not taking risks and taking something from the latest offers - fortunately, brands do not sleep and release new items with enviable regularity.
Design. Beauty is in simplicity
More than a year and a half after the presentation, the Samsung S9 remains quite a nice, albeit rather boring-looking device. Soft lines, a conventionally frameless screen without cutouts and calm body colors - we saw all this in its predecessor. True, classics are always in fashion, and the design of the S9 can confidently be classified as a classic - a strict, premium classic.
Is the display the best on the market?
The screens of Samsung's flagship smartphones have always been the standard to which other vendors still strive. And today the S9 display provides all the advantages of the company’s developments: excellent brightness adjustment range, rich colors and almost ideal viewing angles.
Specifications
One of the main reasons to pay attention to last year’s flagship from the Korean giant in 2019 lies in its hardware - it’s a fast device with polished software that won’t irritate you with crashes and long application loading times. True, we need to make a reservation right away - all this is relevant for the version of the smartphone based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor.
Yes, Samsung throws up its own jokes with divisions into the processor model: as you know, in our countries, Samsung flagships are sold based on Exynos chipsets (in this case, Exynos 9810), which until recently were famous for the fact that after six months or a year they noticeably lost performance, were overgrown with errors and suffered from malicious throttling, which is why playing demanding games at maximum graphics settings is not always comfortable, and microfreezes will appear in the interface. Smartphones for the American market (on Snapdragon processors) do not have such problems, but another one appears: you will have to bother with the firmware. But the smartphone really works faster, more stable and, in general, nicer than its Exynos counterpart. By the way, according to reviews from the owners, the device maintains communication well on any of the mentioned processors.
Sound - can it rock your ears?
Many tech reviewers and ordinary users noted that, in comparison with its predecessor, the sound in the device has improved on all fronts: the speakers began to sound louder and richer, and the sound in the headphones became even more pleasant and richer. Also for music lovers, a pleasant nuance will be the presence of a 3.5 mm mini-jack, which, unfortunately, is a rarity among flagships this year.
Android version and interface - concise One UI
Of course, when choosing an interface, any potential buyer will be based on their personal preferences, but it’s still worth noting that Samsung’s One UI with enviable regularity is included in the list of favorites of tech reviewers around the world - for many, it is perhaps the best interface among Android devices. smartphones. However, just like the external component, the relevance of the firmware is also important for many users. Samsung flagships are guaranteed to receive support for two years - this is what the manufacturer itself says. A year and a half has already passed. Perhaps the smartphone will receive an update to Android 10, but you can hardly count on anything more. For Samsung, this model is already outdated.
Unlocking a smartphone - not with just one finger
There are plenty of methods for unlocking the screen in the Samsung Galaxy S9: a standard fingerprint scanner, which in this model has “moved” to a more convenient place, under the main camera, as well as iris and face scanners. Unfortunately, the security of unlocking the latter method raises questions, since the check occurs only using the front camera - the smartphone does not have additional sensors for scanning depth and volume. That is why it is best to use a standard fingerprint scanner, since it works stably and relatively quickly.
The camera is the undisputed advantage of the Galaxy S9
In this smartphone, Samsung introduced an innovation designed to redefine the attitude towards mobile photography, namely a changeable aperture (1.5 - 2.4). In theory, of course, everything looked very interesting, but in practice there are almost no special differences between the S9 and the S8 that preceded it. The increase in photo quality is barely noticeable, but taking into account the fact that Samsung flagships have always been famous for excellent photo and video shooting, it can be noted that the S9 is still a very good option in the hands of a mobile photographer.
Autonomy is the weak link
Battery life has always been the Achilles heel of the Korean tech giant's flagships, and the S9 and its older brother S9+ were no exception: even from the start of sales, many users complained about the extremely low battery life of the device. Still, 3000 mAh is not serious. One can only guess what can happen to the battery of a smartphone that has been left on a store shelf or purchased second-hand. For many, such autonomy is the most important drawback that they cannot put up with.
Smartphone chips
As with all of its latest flagships, Samsung did not skimp on protection against water and dust according to the IP68 standard. The smartphone also has various sensors built into it, for example, the aforementioned retinal scanner and special sensors on the back wall of the device that monitor heartbeat and blood pressure levels. Naturally, like all purebred flagships, the Samsung Galaxy S9 has a built-in NFC module, so the world of contactless payment is open to you.
Cost and competitors
At the time of writing this article, the cost of the Samsung Galaxy S9 is $513 through gray sellers, and $920 on the official website. If we consider a more reasonable price around $500, then the smartphone has more than enough competitors. We should also highlight the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro and OnePlus 7 models - they will cost even less, but these are newer devices with a modern appearance, more powerful hardware, good battery life and a much longer period of support from the manufacturer. By the way, both models have already received an update to Android 10.
Conclusion
Samsung flagships always give a feeling of reliability and confidence that in six months or a year the device will not fall apart - in fact, this is what people are willing to pay almost $1,000 for at the start of sales. Of course, we can talk about taste preferences, such as the design, which, by and large, has not changed since the previous generation, or the interface, which not every user may like, but there are other equally important criteria. Despite the obvious advantages of the Galaxy, the smartphone also has its drawbacks, and meanwhile the market is full of worthy alternatives that have a more powerful processor, better autonomy, and longer support for updates. If you choose a smartphone not with emotions, but with a sober mind, then I think that at the moment the market can offer you more interesting options for purchase.
Samsung Galaxy S6 is a 2015 flagship with decent technical characteristics that are still relevant today. But the price of a smartphone has long gone beyond the flagship (and confidently entered the middle price segment). In this review, we briefly consider the main advantages of the S6, analyze the disadvantages, and provide comparisons with other smartphones. And we answer the main question: is it worth buying the Samsung Galaxy S6 in 2017?
Main advantages of Samsung Galaxy S6
Design
It was with the Galaxy S6 that the radical transformation of Samsung’s S-line began. We see a thin, stylish body, a combination of glass and metal. The edges of the frame are smoothed. Fits perfectly in the hand. Even after two years, the smartphone looks decent.
Screen
This is the main advantage of the smartphone, the price tag of which has dropped to $350. The Galaxy S6 offers a 5.1-inch Super-AMOLED display with QuadHD resolution (2560 x 1440) and an incredible pixel density of 577PPI. Finding more today is almost impossible.
Sun contrast ratio
The screen maintains excellent readability in the sun, and the viewing angles are amazing. Color rendition is realistic. The smartphone offers several screen modes. Some of them can convey oversaturated shades. AMOLED Photo mode provides the most realistic colors and shades. Note that the display has not evolved in any way in subsequent models (S7/S7 Edge). The resolution in the Galaxy S8 is slightly higher, but only because of the new format and aspect ratio. The screen technology remains the same.
Processor and overall performance
The Galaxy S6 is powered by the Exynos 7420 chipset, built using a 14nm process technology. 8 cores: 4 Cortex A-57 clocked at 2.1 GHz, 4 Cortex A-53 clocked at 1.5 GHz.
It's not the most powerful processor available today, but it's more than enough for everyday workloads. ( editor's note- I don’t have the habit of closing unnecessary applications at all; Therefore, there are always up to 30 running processes hanging in the background. This does not in any way affect the performance of the smartphone, the speed of reaction and response to user actions).
AnTuTu 6
Update to Android Nougat 7.0
For the Galaxy S6, Android 7 will be the last global update. Next, only security patches and bug fixes will be sent.
Among the advantages of Android 7 for the Galaxy S6, we highlight a completely changed interface; a blue filter has appeared, making it easier to read from the screen in the evening and at night. Among the shortcomings, autonomy suffered. Let us remind you that!
Galaxy S6 camera
The Galaxy S6 camera remains one of the main advantages of the smartphone. 16MP sensor with f/1.9 aperture, optical image stabilization, LED flash, autofocus. The user has access to a full-fledged Pro mode with precise manual adjustment of focus, exposure, ISO, and white balance. A successful combination of settings can be saved in a separate mode for quick access.
Selective focus allows you to take three photos with a selected subject in the foreground (background blurred), with the background in focus (foreground blurred), and overall focus. The average size of photos in this mode is 25MB.
In post-processing mode, the smartphone takes 8 photos. The user has the opportunity to select the best frame taken.
The Galaxy S6 did not receive Dual-Pixel technology, but the difference in photo quality with the successors of the line (Galaxy S7/S7 Edge) is very relative.
HDR mode is enabled automatically, the user has the opportunity to select one of the options:
- HDR is always on
- HDR is always off
- HDR in automatic mode (enabled by default)
Here are some examples (all photos were taken on the fly):
Other benefits of the Galaxy S6
The smartphone supports wireless charging. The plate is not included. Fast charging replenishes the battery capacity in 80 minutes (1 hour 20 minutes after a year of active use).
There is a fingerprint scanner. Fast and accurate. Failures in fingerprint recognition are only possible if the fingerprint is entered incorrectly or if your fingers are wet.
As standard, the Galaxy S6 gets Microsoft Office apps and OneDrive access, where after registration the user can expand the storage up to 100GB. All photos and documents are periodically saved to the cloud, after which they can be safely deleted from the device. You can later return the photo to your smartphone in three clicks.
The built-in S Health application will partially replace the fitness tracker. The smartphone is equipped with a heart rate scanner. The application tracks activity (number of steps and distance traveled per day), offers to indicate the amount of food consumed, water, weight, sleep, blood pressure and other physiological parameters. The main advantage is a fairly large catalog of products with the correct calorie content and convenient menu settings. The application does not bother you with notifications. The downside is that it only pairs with original bracelets and monitors.
Editor's note- running with the application is convenient. The voice notifies you how much distance has been traveled, how much is left to the goal, what is the average speed of movement, and whether to speed up or slow down. Once you start jogging, you don’t have to look at the screen.
Sound in Galaxy S6
In comparisons of smartphones with the best sound, the Galaxy S6 was unfairly left out. It was not included in the ratings solely because of the year of release. And although the concept of sound quality is subjective for everyone, and also largely depends on the quality of the track itself, its location (smartphone memory, cloud, social network/website), and the quality of the headset for listening, we strongly recommend that you read our publication “” to understand what smart parameters determine the quality of the reproduced sound, and pay attention to the comparison table:
Main disadvantages of Samsung Galaxy S6
Battery and autonomy Galaxy S6
The battery capacity of the Galaxy S6 is only 2550 mAh, which in modern realities is simply nothing. We take into account the widespread availability of 3G, QuadHD SuperAMOLED display, a lot of applications that update in the background (messengers, mail, widgets, GPS, applications that determine geodata). With an average load, a 100% charge of the Galaxy S6 will last throughout the day. If it is unacceptable for you to disable background processes, you do not want to limit the performance of your smartphone (battery saving modes are available), then power-bank is the optimal solution.
Here is a comparison of the autonomy of the Galaxy S 6 with other smart phones:
Flagship comparison: battery life rating (hours)
Comparison of flagships 2016-2017: calls on 3G networks
Flagship comparison: Internet browsing time
Non-removable battery
The Galaxy S6 has a unibody body that cannot be opened by simply sliding the cover. The battery can only be replaced at service centers or from private specialists. In just over a year of active use of the smartphone, the first decrease in autonomy was noted with the update to Android 7.0.
Lack of dust/moisture protection
In fact, in everyday use of a phone there are too few situations that can critically affect the operation of a smartphone due to moisture/dust. Raindrops, snow, steam, staying in rooms with high humidity, wet hands do not damage the smartphone. Dust/moisture protection is important if you are a fan of active recreation on the water.
Galaxy S6 case glass
It looks premium and stylish, but is completely impractical. To protect the glass from minor mechanical damage (scratches, abrasions), additional glass or film is used. However, this will not protect the smart phone from falls. Glass makes it extremely vulnerable. The situation is aggravated by the fact that glass cannot be replaced separately. In case of splitting, the entire module must be replaced (the entire display is changed).
Is it worth buying the Samsung Galaxy S6 in 2017?
Definitely worth it. This is the flagship. Let it be 2015.
Galaxy S6 is suitable for those Those who use a smartphone moderately and want a fast, reliable device do not consider Chinese manufacturers. This smart phone will be a good choice for those who are interested in mobile photography, but are not ready to pay $1000 for a TOP device.
Galaxy S6 is definitely not for gamers, active users of social networks, fans of the latest technologies, benchmarks and AnTuTu results.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is an excellent smartphone. It's the culmination of Samsung's year-long history of creating devices with curved screens and addresses the issues with last year's model. But despite being a year old, the Galaxy S6 Edge is still a top-notch phone, and if you're looking for reasons to keep it rather than buy the new Galaxy S7 Edge, we've got you covered.
Edge panels still feel unfinished
The curved edges of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7 Edge display are what make their design special, but when it comes to functionality, those bezels on the sides aren't really useful. The functional area is too small and this is the main disadvantage. The update to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow brings new functionality to the Galaxy S6 Edge, which is the first reason to continue using this device.Galaxy S6 Edge has a more premium look
Sure, the new Galaxy S7 Edge feels extremely great in the hand, but the Galaxy S6 Edge still has a more premium feel. Why, you ask? The fact is that the rounded edges of the back cover make the Galaxy S7 Edge comfortable to use, but they also make the metal frame less noticeable. The sharp corners of last year's flagship body cut into the hand, but at the same time they look great.
Galaxy S6 Edge is smaller in size, better for Gear VR
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge isn't just smaller, its 5.1-inch display is the perfect phone for those looking for a balance between screen size and ease of use. The new Galaxy S7 Edge has a 5.5-inch display, which automatically puts it in the phablet category, and it's not always that easy to use.In addition, the compact screen of the Galaxy S6 Edge has a higher pixel density, resulting in much better picture quality when using the Gear VR virtual reality headset.
The S6 Edge is capable of taking high-quality 16:9 photos
The S7 Edge's camera has been hailed as the best in the mobile market, and it performs significantly better in low light conditions than any of the company's other flagships. But its camera has a resolution of only 12 MP and, even worse, it takes photos in a 4:3 aspect ratio. Upgrading from the Galaxy S6 Edge to the Galaxy S7 Edge, you may feel limited in how much you can zoom in on a photo you take to see finer details.
With a 4:3 aspect ratio, photos on a large widescreen TV will have black edges on the sides, which certainly doesn't look as good. Most displays these days display information in 16:9 format.
Galaxy S6 Edge has an infrared blaster
As many surveys on the Internet have shown, the presence of an infrared port for controlling home appliances is one of the main reasons when choosing a smartphone. Last year's Galaxy S6 Edge received this feature, while its successor lacks it for reasons unknown to us.Samsung has done a good job this year. Having completely updated the design of smartphones in its flagship Galaxy S line, the company began to confidently conquer the premium segment, tightening competition with the Apple iPhone.
It is curious that it was Samsung that at one time set the trend for phablets with its Galaxy Note, but the company did not have its own premium product of this kind, unlike Apple, which released (largely thanks to Samsung) the iPhone 6 Plus. There was the Galaxy Note 4, a luxurious giant smartphone, but in terms of design it was far from premium, no matter what they say about the metal frame.
Setting out to correct this misunderstanding, the company came up with a rather simple move. Apparently, they thought: if we already have a smartphone in our lineup with an outstanding appearance, why not just increase its diagonal?
This is how the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus was born.
Yes, it's really just a bigger S6 Edge, and the decision really makes sense. According to a study by the international consulting company Accenture, 48% of potential smartphone buyers in 2015 say a large screen is one of the main characteristics influencing the choice of model.. In Russia, this figure is 43%, according to a survey“Smartphone: choosing a screen”, conducted by the Rose agency and the Internet portal “From Hand to Hand”. And among Android users it reaches 46%.
If previously a smartphone with a diagonal of 5 inches was perceived by consumers with caution precisely because of its size, now it can well be called compact. Big screens have won.
And the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus looks truly luxurious. Curved edges, glass, under which the metal shimmers like mother-of-pearl in the light, a metal frame, neat gray stripes of antennas on top and bottom. He attracts attention and attracts attention. What can I say - this is the first smartphone, when looking at which my colleague, who is not particularly interested in technology, involuntarily said the notorious “wow”.
You have to pay for such beauty with a constantly stained glass back cover and ergonomics. Holding the S6 Edge Plus is uncomfortable: sometimes it tries to slip out, sometimes it digs into your palm, sometimes you accidentally touch the navigation keys while trying to reach the top edge of the screen with your finger.
It is almost impossible to use it with one hand - after all, the diagonal is “not for children”, 5.7 inches. The curved edges that make the S6 Edge Plus so beautiful make matters worse. No matter what Samsung says, they are functionally useless, just pampering. For example, you can display the time on the edge - it will also be visible on the locked screen. Or create a curtain for access to contacts and applications. You quickly forget about these functions, but you constantly encounter the inconveniences arising from such a design. For example, it is very difficult to pull out the curtains from the edge of the screen in some applications; you have to tilt the smartphone or use a second hand.
In general, this is not the most palm-friendly smartphone, although it’s good that with such a gigantic screen it is still smaller than the iPhone 6 Plus - the frames are quite thin.
Among the smartphones released in 2015, it is impossible to find a more technologically advanced model. The S6 Edge Plus has a perfect screen: Super AMOLED with QuadHD resolution and incredible, fantastically accurate color reproduction. The most powerful Exynos processor and four gigabytes of RAM - just to be sure. A camera that will make any average person feel like a professional photographer. This is one of the best, if not the best, smartphone camera in the world. Instant autofocus, an abundance of shooting modes with perfect automatic operation.
All in all, the S6 Edge Plus is a festival of technology, and in this regard, Samsung is ahead of the rest today. The only thing we can criticize the device for is its battery life. In any case, it’s enough for a day (you’ll get 5 hours of screen operation), but it’s better not to count on more. In standby mode, the battery drains quite noticeably, apparently due to the abundance of processes in the background. But fast charging works as advertised: you can fully charge your smartphone in just an hour and a half.
But not everything is measured in gigahertz: Samsung's flagships have always been very powerful, but still slow down due to unoptimized TouchWiz, an add-on for Android. Ugly, overloaded with dozens of useless pre-installed programs, it caused uncontrollable attacks of aggression after just a couple of hours of using some Galaxy S4\S5. This time, thank the Koreans, everything is different. The S6 Edge Plus has virtually no lag. With the release of Android Lollipop, Samsung gave TouchWiz a major overhaul, and now everything looks and works very well. This is still the same TouchWiz, and one gets the feeling that Samsung solved all its problems with brute force (not by optimization, but by using powerful hardware), but the result is obvious.
As much as Samsung tries to avoid comparisons with Apple products, the end result is that the similarities, or perhaps even imitation, are stronger than ever this year. Samsung did not copy the design or software functions, fortunately it had the means, skill and talent to do everything itself, but it applied the same approach to the development of smartphones. Gone are removable batteries, slots for memory expansion, giant batteries, protection from moisture - everything that, on the one hand, was uninteresting to the mass buyer, but, on the other hand, was something that fans of the company’s smartphones were so proud of. The S6 Edge Plus is beautiful, non-irritating, and easy to use. This is a premium device, one of the best smartphones in the world. We used to use the same words to describe the iPhone.
But all this only benefited the Galaxy line. Having gotten rid of many "crutches", Samsung has created an amazing device, perhaps the best smartphone in its history. It remains to be seen whether he will become the best this year. On October 9, the iPhone 6S Plus, another contender for this title, will go on sale in Russia.
Autumn will be hot.
Grade: 8,9 /10