We know most folks out there are pretty much doing two unboxings and first looks at the same time, so I and our editor Khai have decided to split Samsung’s latest flagship between the two of us – I’m holding the Galaxy S6 Edge and Khai uses the GalaxyS6, and here is my first piece of the bolder and more beautiful of Samsung’s latest kickass device.
Samsung has really gone all the way out to totally redesign their smartphones this year with ‘Project Zero’ in mind, this isn’t the first time that I’ve held a Galaxy S6 edge and after using so many other phones during the period, I must say I now start lovingSamsung devices more than ever after the GALAXY Note 4. First, the S6 edge costs a RM500 premium over the standard version at RM3,099, which is technically the same pricing strategy as the latest Note series, however this time Samsung has made sure to equalize the design by including two edge screens for the sake of both left and right handed users.
The Galaxy S6 edge has superb aesthetics, you should hold it to believe it!
When I use the GALAXY Note Edge back then, I thought it was a really clever design on first impressions as it is able to let me access shortcuts, notifications and widgets on the edge screen, however when I start using the phone with my left hand the experience got frustrating and its huge form factor annoys me even further with that. I have to say this, the Galaxy S6 edge has superb aesthetics, you should hold it to believe it! The dual sided edge isn’t just all about beauty but its also about ergonomics, it makes holding the phone without feeling awkward, one handed operation is even more possible with such a form factor and even though it brings features from the Note Edge, you don’t necessarily need to rely on it to use the phone properly.
The back cover is stunningly beautiful, but its a fingerprint magnet
The Galaxy S6 edge’s back cover isn’t removable this time and for someone like me who has used numerous phones without removable batteries, I’m fine with that design and won’t really dream carrying an additional spare battery in my wallet (I have a powerbank for charging my phones). On first look, the glass backcover is stunningly beautiful and reminds us of the iPhone 4’s design language, Samsung has obviously taken design cues from Apple again and I don’t think its really bad, given that the company has decided to position the S6 edge as a premium handset, however you’d be annoyed by one thing on the backcover – its a fingerprint magnet.
For the past 12 hours I’ve been installing apps and games on to the Galaxy S6 edge and while using it, I have to say Samsungfinally knows how to make software right this time, TouchWiz is still a little cartoonish in some ways, however that infamous lag and annoying water drop sound is finally gone, there’s also lesser bloat installed and Samsung has included Microsoft apps – OneDrive, OneNote and Skype – which users will get a 100GB of OneDrive storage for two years once they sign in with their Microsoft account.
I started loving TouchWiz once again when I used the GALAXY Note 4 and I loved the color schemes on it, the software on theGalaxy S6 edge does even more than what it can by finally allowing you to spice up the experience with downloadable ‘Themes’. Heck, it even has ringtones to go with which Chinese phones don’t even possess and hell yes, the phone’s downloadable themes are really high quality ones.
The Galaxy S6 edge has impressed me a lot on the software which I shall finally reveal the ultimate details in my final review and I’m seriously darn impressed with the phone’s speedy camera performance, it so fast and darn accurate with color reproduction in day time and remains impressive in low light, I will explain more about the camera’s features in my final piece and shall leave you to comment on the first few snapshots taken with the device down below.
Samsung may have just included a 5-megapixel front camera but this time, it isn’t all about the resolution itself but the f/1.9 aperture and wide angle lens it has included on to it, here’s one picture snapped from the front camera, I’m impressed and speechless.
The Galaxy S6 edge is a beautiful device and it’ll make you want one despite of its premium price tag.
While the Galaxy S6 edge may have its cons – no MicroSD expansion, heating up easily under load and non-removable battery, I’m impressed with what Samsung has done with its latest flagship, the Galaxy S6 edge maintains what Samsung is best in – a superb 5.1-inch Quad HD resolution Super AMOLED display, top notch camera performance and a snappy Exynos chip just like what the GALAXY S2 is back then. Its RM500 premium over its non-edge variant might hold you off, but if you can shell out that amount for a 128GB iPhone 6 or 64GB iPhone 6 Plus, the Galaxy S6 edge is way beyond better in both features and its premium design, unless you simply want a fruit logo on the back, otherwise the Galaxy S6 edge is a beautiful device that makes you want to own one despite of its expensive price.
P/S: The Galaxy S6 edge is now up for preorders at Samsung retail stores nationwide and early birds will get to own a free original Samsung Wireless Charging plate from Samsung.
