Review of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge

There’s no one on this tech-savvy planet who could argue that 2014 was not a smashing year for Samsung mobiles. Their flagship Galaxy S5 fell flat on its face, and somewhat embarrassed its proud inventor. As if to redeem its lost glory, the company has gone all out and placed its bet on not one, but two Galaxy series phones - The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. You can see a drastic change in the company’s approach towards overall design, use of materials and software functions. But does the most beautiful curved display of the Galaxy S6 edge justify the high price tag? Let’s find out in our review of the phone.

Look, Design, Feel (9/10)

The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge are fundamentally identical with the same 5.1” Super AMOLED screen, 16MP camera, octa core processor and so on. The two devices are forged from the same silicon, metal and glass material but the climactic difference lies in the curved edge design. It is the most striking aspect of the S6 edge and the first things that will make you go for it.

While the S6 has a flat panel, the left and right of the S6 edge's screen taper away from you to meet at the back. This makes it feel dramatically slim, yet the sharper sides giving a solid grip. The curved edges aren’t there just for aesthetic appeal and actually have a real life use. Called People edge, the flashy slide out menu on the curve keeps five of your favourite contacts handy to call or text them. Whenever these people call or text you, the edge will glow but for that the phone should be resting flat on its face.

The smartphone runs on Android Lollipop but it still retains the conventional haptic and hardware keys below the screen; this time the Home button incorporates the fingerprint sensor. On the back, the 16-megapixel rear camera protrudes out of the flat panel. The heart rate monitor and LED flash are both located besides the shooter. The bottom of the phone has the 3.5mm audio jack, the microUSB port and speaker grill, whilst the infrared sensor and SIM card slot is located on the top. On the left side is the volume rocker button, whereas the right side sports the power button. Due to the curved edge occupying a lot of space, there is very little left for bezels and metal frame. But yet the Galaxy S6 edge feels very firm when held in the hand.

Features (9/10)

This is the first time Samsung has ditched the Qualcomm processor for Exynos-powered variant. The 4G-enabled Exynos 7420 octa-core chipset is backed by 3GB DDR4 RAM, with a hybrid flash storage in 32, 64 and 128GB options. Unfortunately, there is no support for microSD cards.

The rear camera is a 16MP shooter complemented by a LED flash and f1.9 aperture sensor. It means the camera can capture very good pictures even in low light situations. The front facing 5MP selfie camera has the same ability to lasso light in darker situations, allowing you enough choices to caress your narcissism.

The battery is a bit of concern here as Samsung has made it non-removable. But the company assures the new Exynos-powered processor is designed to allow 11 - 12 hours of continuous workday use.

Connectivity (8/10)

As said above, the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge does not support microSD card. Instead the company offers internal storage up to 128GB which is enough for most people. The absence of card slot won’t be missed if you are ready to splurge the extra buck.

The micro USB 3.0 connector has also gone, replaced by a microUSB 2.0 port on the bottom of the phone. Don’t think anyone will really notice the change in port since most data sync happens over the internet. There’s also the usual connectivity features like Wi-Fi 802.11 (a/b/g/n/ac), Wi-Fi Direct, 4G, NFC, Bluetooth 4.1 and MHL 3 TV-out.

Performance (10/10)

Samsung Galaxy S6 features Exynos 7420 chipset, which marries a quartet of 2.1GHz processor cores with another quartet of 1.5GHz cores and 3GB of RAM. Flipping through the home screen and opening apps is seamless. Operating the device is smooth as silk with virtually zero lag unless you get incredibly fast at opening the apps, that anyone would ever need. The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge is currently the fastest phone in the changing scenario, where the HTC One M9 was the last crowned king. It is doubtful that any phone would surpass it in 2015, keeping in mind its 5” size.

Value for Money (8/10)

Yes, the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge carries well rounded features and the dual-curved screen sucks you right in. The edge-friendly tricks do have some functional benefit but they aren’t all that useful, given the hefty price tag. You could buy it, only because you like the way it looks. If money is not a problem for you, the Samsung Galaxy edge packs a punch with the best camera and performance that you can buy right now. But if the price tag matters, ditch the edge for the S6 with the same features and functionality.