One of the biggest flagship smartphones available in the market today is the Samsung Galaxy S6. And no, this isn’t just a normal Samsung Galaxy S6 because the variant that we’re getting in the Philippines is a dual-sim Samsung Galaxy S6 even if you get it at our carriers. In my case, I got my Samsung Galaxy S6 Duos from Smart. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a big leap from its predecessors when it comes to design. Why? Check out my review after the break.
Hardware & Design
Like what I’ve said earlier, the Samsung Galaxy S6 is a big leap from its predecessors. When I saw it at Unpacked 2015 livestream, I was skeptical with it because of the protruding camera but when I saw it personally, I was amazed with its design. I think the Samsung Galaxy S6 is the most beautiful Android smartphone we can buy right now.
Below, you’ll see the MicroUSB, audio jack and the speaker in which it actually reminds me of the iPhone nonetheless, the Samsung Galaxy S6 including IR blaster and NFC (There’s NFC on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus but you can only use it on Apple Pay). This one also packs a lot of features including heart rate sensor, UV sensor and many more.
The sides reminds of the iPhone 6 but this one is better. Compared to the iPhone, this one is flat and not as curvy as the iPhone that’s why I have better grip on the Samsung Galaxy S6. One thing that I hate in my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is the painted sides because it tends to chip off after a few months of use but in the Galaxy S6, the sides is just metal and the feel was better than on the Galaxy Note 4. At the back, you’ll see the protruding camera along with the back made up of glass. And yes, the back is non removable and there’s no way to put in a MicroSD card on the Samsung Galaxy S6 that’s why smartphone starts at 32GB and not 16GB. But of course, there’s only 24.39GB of available storage from the 32GB of the Samsung Galaxy S6.
One the things that I find annoying in my Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 was the fingerprint scanner. It’s a nifty feature but compared to iPhone’s, the one on the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 requires you to swipe your finger on the the home button compared to the Galaxy S6 in which you just have to put your finger on the home button just like on the iPhone.
One of the best feature on the Samsung Galaxy S6 variants we have here in the country is the dual sim feature. And no, we’re not talking about a clone Galaxy S6 because the Samsung Galaxy S6 that we’re getting in the Philippines is a Samsung Galaxy S6 Duos. It’s really a big feature especially that there only a few flagship smartphones that offers a Dual-sim card slot.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 doesn’t feel like it was made by Samsung and no, this doesn’t feel like the iPhone too despite the similarities that you might think. Finally, Samsung has made a smartphone that doesn’t feel plasticky and that doesn’t look bad. Actually, I think they just got the right perfect design for the Samsung Galaxy S6.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy S6’s display was great and very responsive. It was better than any Super AMOLED displays that I’ve seen before. The displays are a little bit saturated but it still looks nice and the display looks bright even outside. However, I find the QHD resolution outrageous. I barely see the difference between a Full HD and Quad HD on a 5.1-inch display but again, the display still looks amazing and very sharp.
Battery Life
There’s a 2550mAh battery on the Samsung Galaxy S6, it’s smaller than the Samsung Galaxy S5 and it’s non-removable too. The lack of removable battery and the MicroSD card slot are probably the deal breakers here but it’s not so much of a big deal for me. Well, the battery life of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is more of the same of the iPhone 6. I was able to get 9 hours of average use on the smartphone and less than that at heavy use.
I highly recommend you guys to get a powerbank along with this smartphone. But don’t worry, if you want to use your Samsung Galaxy S6 for a longer period, you could opt for the Ultra power saving mode or just the power saving mode for a longer battery life because those features really work.
Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S6 doesn’t only rock in terms of design but it also blows away the competition when it comes to performance. The Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a 3GB of RAM and a 64-bit Octa-Core Exynos processor. Not only that, this one is now using an UFS 2.0 memory instead of the typical eMMC storage which can be found on most smartphones. So what that does mean in simple english? In UFS 2.0, you can get faster read & write on the memory compared to other smartphones.
In my use of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Duos, the speed feels like an iPhone or a Windows Phone. It feels very smooth and the Galaxy S6 was very fast despite using it as my main phone and installing a lot of apps. Normally, my Android smartphones would slow down after a week in my usage. I’m very impressed with the Samsung Galaxy S6.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 might be powerful but one thing that I notice in my smartphone is that it heats up fast whenever I play or use the phone especially with mobile data and WiFi turned on. The Samsung Galaxy S6 heats up but not an alarming temperature.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 can play any game that you put in the smartphone. But I had some issues with some applications including Mortal Combat X in where the display doesn’t respond after the tutorial but I believe that a software update could fix that. Most games that I’ve played on the Samsung Galaxy ran pretty well. The Antutu score that I got on the Samsung Galaxy S6 was 69033. Seriously, I didn’t ran any exploits and cheats on that score. And yes, I’m starting to like the Exynos Processor now.
Camera
One of the biggest upgrade that you’ll probably love is the camera of the Samsung Galaxy S6. On the paper, you might see the same 16 Megapixel rear camera with OIS. Design-wise, some people might not find the protruding camera amusing but for me, the Samsung Galaxy S6 still looks nice and premium to me. The flash of the smartphone is now located at the side which looks better than the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 and it is also houses the heart rate sensor and UV sensor.
The performance of the Samsung Galaxy S6’s camera was pretty amazing. I didn’t expect that this smartphone could take amazing shots like this. The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a 16-Megapixel Camera just like the Samsung Galaxy S5 but this time, they ditched the ISOCELL camera and they’ve added OIS on the Samsung Galaxy S6. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 already performed pretty well on my review but the Samsung Galaxy S6 is even better.
At a well-lit condition, the Samsung Galaxy S6 beats the camera of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the iPhone 6 Plus. The Samsung Galaxy S6 offers more better and sharp photos however you might notice the colors are a little bit saturated nonetheless, the Samsung Galaxy S6 beats the iPhone 6 Plus and the Galaxy Note 4.
At low light condition, you could notice that the Samsung Galaxy S6 can offer brighter photos than other smartphones. The flash of the smartphone is bright but one thing I noticed is its color. The tone of the flash seems yellowish which is great for taking photos of people at low light. However, I noticed that the iPhone 6 Plus more saturated photos at low light compared to the Samsung Galaxy S6. But overall, the camera of the Samsung Galaxy S6 trumps the iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
One new feature that I like in the Samsung Galaxy S6 is the shortcut to camera. All you need to do is to press the home button twice and it will automatically open the camera app. The camera app loads and takes photos really fast compared to other smartphones that I’ve tried and reviewed.
The front camera of the Samsung Galaxy S6 features a 5 Megapixel Wide angle camera which is really great for selfies or groufies. There’s a beauty feature too that works pretty well. The front camera can also take better selfies even at low light condition.
Verdict
Samsung Galaxy S6 is the best Galaxy smartphone that Samsung has released. There. I said it. It’s the most beautiful Samsung smartphone out there but of course, the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with an amazing power too. The smartphone packs an impressive camera and a monstrous Exynos processor. I think the Samsung Galaxy S6 is the best Android smartphone out there.
If you’re confused with the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, well, the difference isn’t that much but the S6 Edge looks better however it is only offered with a single sim variant compared to the Samsung Galaxy S6 that has a dual sim card slot and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is a little bit expensive too compared to the Galaxy S6.
If you want to own a Samsung Galaxy S6 Duos or a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, head over to smart.com.ph/s6 and check out the plan that is best for you. The Samsung Galaxy S6 starts at Smart Data Plan 999 and it comes with a 5GB of data volume allowance and 24 months of free Deezer. Awesome, right?
