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Introduction
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What entails a flagship smartphone? The question posed here might be a simple one, as most companies put their best showing into one, singular product. To the Korean giant in Samsung, however, the idea of a flagship phone is now spread not to only one device, but surprisingly two instead. This notion of two variants of a flagship phone was first introduced last fall during IFA 2014, where alongside the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Samsung decided to out the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge.
Following forth with a similar move, the company decided that it would be beneficial to announce a second version of its flagship smartphone in the Galaxy S6. Rather than sporting one curved edge like the Note Edge last fall, theSamsung Galaxy S6 edge favors a uniform approach by sporting a dual curved display – where the left and right sides are subtly curved. No doubt, it’s a strange direction, one that can also be viewed as foreign, but it’s the perfect complement to the line’s totally new redesign.
As we’ve experienced on the Note Edge, the curved area not only adds a unique aesthetic quality, but also a functional tool as well. With the Galaxy S6 edge, though, the benefits of going with a dual-curved display are mostly of aesthetic quality, dwindling the importance of its functional aspect.
The package contains:
- Wall charger
- microUSB cable
- Stereo headphones
- Start Guide
- Health & Safety and Warranty Guide
- SIM removal tool
Design
The new, premium design is profound, but the dual-curved display helps to increase its aesthetic appeal.
Alright, we absolutely adore the new direction Samsung has decided to go with the design language of its flagship series! Plastic is out, replaced instead by Gorilla Glass 4 surfaces held together by a slim metal trim bezel lining the entire length of its edges. The result, not surprisingly, is a smartphone that radiates with premium qualities we have never experienced before in a Samsung product.
To be fair, though, this new design change first started with the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, which eventually became the design footprint for Note 4. With those aforementioned devices, Samsung choose to add a subtle presence of premium in its designs by adding metal trim bezels. However, for the Galaxy S6 line, Samsung went back to the drawing board and delivers something so immaculate and refreshing.
Indeed, the S6 edge is fashioned to look identical to the S6, but there’s something else more that makes its design look superior. What is that you ask? Well, it’s specifically due to the dual-curve display it’s sporting. Unlike the Note 4 Edge, the S6 edge has more of a subtle curve – so it doesn’t slope down as much as the curved edge of the Note Edge. The implementation makes the handset appear deceptively thinner than it is, although, it becomes sharper feeling in the process because of how the metal bezel is trimmed down on those edges.
Picking it up for the first time, there’s that sense of fragileness due to its sleek frame and glass surfaces, but the dual curved nature of the phone exemplifies the aesthetics to a higher degree than the standard S6. As we’ve said, there’s a sharper feel due to this, which makes it sit in a slightly more uncomfortable manner in the hand, compared to the regular S6. Still, swiping across the curved display feels natural – as if our thumbs prefer I more than the usual “flat” ending of a smartphone's screen.
So far, the Galaxy S6 line’s new design language is much better than before, but there were necessary compromises needed in making this phone. We can’t deny that we enjoy its premium feel, but it sheds some of the staple qualities of the S5 before it – like its water resistant construction, expandable microSD card slot, and removable battery.Now, as much as we adore the premium feel of the phone, it’s just a magnet for smudges and fingerprints. Trust us, it’s tough keeping it clean looking. Available in an assortment of colors, it’s mesmerizing how light bounces off its surfaces to give an even more dazzling, shimmering effect. Out of all the colors, the white version manages to maintain a cleaner look, just because fingerprints and smudges are less noticeable.
Looking around the phone, it’s sporting some of the same set of ports and buttons throughout its frame. The separated volume controls are placed on the left edge, the power button on its right, microUSB 2.0 port, 3.5mm headset jack, microphone, and internal speaker on its bottom, and finally the IR blaster, noise-cancelling mic, and nanoSIM slot placed on its top edge. Distinctively a Galaxy phone, the same home button is present beneath the display – flanked by the Recent Apps and Back capacitive buttons.
