Fans of Samsung devices have certainly been spoiled in recent days with the release of two smartphones – the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. The latter of the two devices is a brand new concept from Samsung, very much carried over from the Galaxy Note Edge; the critically well received phablet which was released last year.
The curved display of the Galaxy S6 Edge has certainly garnered the most attention up to now. This was fairly predictable considering that any new concept will tend to gain more attention than mere upgrades.
Considering the success of this Note Edge, and also the attention which has been directed toward the high-end range of televisions which Samsung produced that also featured a curved screen, it was guaranteed that such a device would hit the stores when the Galaxy S6 was released. But the standard Galaxy S6 device remains an extremely solid choice for any smartphone consumer, and indeed Samsung still expects to sell more of this model that the new curved variety.
But how do the two devices differ, and what do you get for your money with both the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge? Here is a summary of the variances between the two models of this flagship handset.
Display
The most obvious difference between the two, and the biggest talking point for this generation of the Galaxy S series, is the curved screen of the Galaxy S6 Edge. This makes it stand out significantly from the more traditional appearance of the standard Galaxy S6 model. Whether one or the other is preferred in a physical sense will be very much reliance on personal taste, but there is little doubt that in the short-term that the Galaxy S6 will have a certain cachet and coolness that the standard version of the smartphone will struggle to match.
Aside from this physical feature, the two screens are identical in terms of capabilities. Samsung has naturally retained the highly acclaimed Super AMOLED display in this generation of the Galaxy S range, but upped the resolution of the device to quad HD. This means that both the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are capable of utilizing 2,560 x 1,440 pixels.
However, although the curved version of the smartphone doesn’t necessarily offer a ‘better’ screen, it does benefit from some increased functionality. Cynics may state that this should be very much expected considering the difference in price between the two models, but there are nevertheless some nifty features accessible via the curved display.
Information Stream’, ‘Night Clock’, ‘Edge Lighting’ and ‘People Edge’ are all new features which have been included in the Galaxy S6 Edge functionality. The first two of these features were both included in the aforementioned Galaxy Note Edge, and enable information to be scrolled along the curved edge of the device. These features were generally praised when the Galaxy Note Edge was released.
People Edge can be accessed by swiping the top right-hand side of the device, and enables Galaxy S6 Edge users to access their most frequent contacts. Edge Lighting is another useful feature which associates calls from contacts to a user-defined color, which lights up on the side of the phone when it is face down.
None of these extra features could really be described as essential, but they are possibly useful enough to escape being dismissed as mere gimmicks.
Dimensions
Although the size of the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge screen is misleadingly stated as being 5.1-inches by Samsung itself, this in fact does not tell the whole story. Although this figure may very well be correct to one decimal place, in actual fact the Galaxy S6 possesses a marginally larger screen. This also translates into difference in dimensions between the two devices, although surprisingly the Galaxy S6 is significantly heavier than its companion device.
The dimensions of the Galaxy S6 are 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8mm (5.64 x 2.77 x 0.27in), while its weight is 138g (4.86oz). The Galaxy S6 Edge has the marginally different dimensions of 142.1 x 70.1 x 7mm (5.59 x 2.76 x 0.27in) and 132g (4.65oz).
This is not a huge difference in terms of size, but it is worth noting that the Galaxy S6 is 5 percent heavier than the Galaxy S6 Edge. When one considers that the Galaxy S6 Edge is slightly sleeker, somewhat lighter, features an entirely new screen, and will unquestionably create a little more buzz than the Galaxy S6, than it is difficult to contest the notion that the Galaxy S6 Edge is the slightly sexier of the two handsets.
Battery Life
Samsung has frequently been praised for the quality of the battery life in its mobile devices, so it is perhaps a surprising that analysts have already expressed concerns about both of these Galaxy S6 models. The battery size included in both handsets could be considered to be a little on the small size, considering the quad HD display included in these smartphones. Indeed, the battery is significantly smaller than the iPhone 6 Plus, which has to some degree struggled to provide sufficient battery life, not to mention the fact that it is also less formidable than its Galaxy S5 predecessor.
The Galaxy S6 boasts a battery of 2550 mAh, while the Galaxy S6 Edge has a marginally larger 2600 mAh cell. Again, the Galaxy S6 Edge will outperform its cousin, but only by around 2 percent.
Price
The other major difference which consumers will be particularly interested in is that the Galaxy S6 Edge is retailing at $100 more per model. Whichever version of the Galaxy S6 Edge consumers opt for they will find themselves shelling out $100 more than the Galaxy S6 equivalent.
This difference is probably to help Samsung recoup production costs, but it does seem like quite a lot of money for something which is mainly cosmetic. However, individual consumers can obviously judge for themselves whether or not the extra $100 for the Galaxy S6 Edge represents value for money.
