Samsung Galaxy S6: Positive first impressions [Review]

I, like many others, was glued to my favorite tech site on 1 March, awaiting news on the new Samsung flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6. But when the stream I was watching came to a close, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit disappointed.

The expandable memory and removable battery was always a major selling point to me over an iPhone. However with the new S6 removing expandable memory and having a non-removable battery, I was torn. Unfortunately, my trusty S4 bit the dust and I knew I’d have to try the S6 first-hand to see if the features I had used for so long would be missed. I don’t know what I was worried about…

Design

The first thing you notice when you get the phone out of the box is the impressive increase in build quality from the plastic phones of Galaxys gone by.

Finally Samsung has produced a phone that looks like a flagship. A metal band splits a glass front and back, very similar to that of an iPhone 6, the obvious benchmark or inspiration for the S6 design.

Negatively, the camera protrudes. A lot. The phone is a slender 6.8mm but I can’t help but feel a flush back would really improve the sense of slimness. Also the back of my black model is a complete fingerprint magnet. Although it’s not a massive problem, combined with the lens that could be susceptible to scratches, I will be investing in a case.

Screen

Most of us have seen the stats, a 5.1 inch SUPERAMOLED QHD screen packing a ppi pixel density of 577, making this currently the best phone screen on the market. I don’t think I was prepared for just how good it looks.

Blacks appear perfectly black and colors are vibrant. Even in direct sunlight the screen holds up impressively. However with the downgrade in battery size from the S5 the extra power required for the screen could cause problems.

Camera

The camera on the S6 is brilliant. I always looked on with envy at friends and colleagues with the iPhone 6 and the photos they could produce with their 8-megapixel sensor. Samsung has bought 16-megapixels to the table with the S6 as well as a bunch of incredible features.

I’ve found myself using HDR mode all the time, the speed at which the photos are processed is instantaneous and colors are rich showing off the wonder of the aforementioned screen.

Pro mode is also a new addition; giving the user the option to change ISO and focus, amongst other things. Although I don’t think it will have me ditching the SLR just yet. The front facing camera has also been given a welcome upgrade to 5-megapixels, improving the brightness and clarity of your selfies (which is a very serious past-time of mine) both indoors and outside.

Verdict

Even in the short time I’ve had with the S6 so far, I am really enjoying it. The increase in the quality of the feel of the phone is enough to mean I’m not missing the removable back.

However, the lack of memory card is still something that I feel could cause me problems down the line especially, if I’m constantly using the impressive camera.

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