@lock1, Support is completely different. Accordingly, moral aging and real terms of comfortable operation. Apple hardware has had firmware updates and related software support for at least three years.
PS
I still have the same ancient Applephone 4 in use, competitors from Gnusmas and others have long been in the trash. Accordingly, questions arise: why are Gnusmas products better than good Chinese ones with exactly the same support?
@CodeByte, otherwise they have. Let's ask people how 4s works there latest firmware? Are there any “ondrome-eating” lags? But, what’s most interesting, how awesome has the functionality of this device expanded, well, compared to the “firmware from birth”, that it has become so “Android-like”?
@stepkin2, Why do people ask? I only have them, not 4s, but even an ordinary four, as I wrote if you haven’t read. ;)
“Android-like” - how and why? :o) I have enough default features even without jail, which is the main thing with a bunch of other things to do – it doesn’t bother my brain. I do some resource-intensive tasks more on the iPad and laptop, perhaps because I’m not so picky about the performance of the smart phone.
Moreover, to debug and optimize something, it’s more convenient for me to torture it on the most resource-limited one, but this is a working moment, not a user one.
@CodeByte, “android-like” is in the context of “android is lame guano, iPhone is incomparable.”
@stepkin2, Well, in three years it didn’t - and this is up to iOS 6. If you put a seven, of course, fours won’t plow so smoothly on it, but it’s already 5 years old - you have to think. :)
Moreover, with the seven, even though apple phones do not work so smoothly, almost all applications can be installed and they will work, maybe not all so quickly, but they will. Other companies don't have anything like this.
@stepkin2, The key point here is the very fact of updating and support during these three years. It is clear that the new ones will be faster and higher. And at the end of its life, the old man will noticeably lag behind, after which he will completely die out, even at Apple. But during these three years it will be updated and all software will work on it.
Well, in general, everything is relative, of course, but optimization, if you don’t mindlessly jump to the new very first version of the axis, in general on iOS is still better, and not only at the level of the axis, but also the application due to the nativeness and limitations of the zoo, too in this regard, they work better on average in all plans. Although Apple, of course, screws up, others just stupidly screw up and scam their users. ;)
@CodeByte, one more time. What's the weirdest feature that appeared in 4s with the update to 8? Well, in order to kill “incomparable smoothness”? And yes, about “Apple screws up too.” Already the 5th update, both the spotlight hangs and freezes. Just like the “most native in the world” safari worked through the ass, that’s how it works, I mean reloading tabs. But, on the other hand, the digital firmware versions only click on the road.
@stepkin2, And it also played a role here that 4s and 5 without s are devices that are at the junction of the transition to 64-bit architecture. Licking firmware for devices that are more than 3 years old with such a noticeable difference in architecture is problematic and not logical. Here the desire to force a somewhat more accelerated transition to new devices than usual for completely objective reasons is understandable.
@stepkin2, there have been a lot of changes for 4s over the years, it’s difficult, of course, to remember in which year what appeared, but for me the obvious advantages were:
1) a new, concise interface for most applications, information is better perceived;
2) keychain for storing passwords and auto-filling forms;
3) counteracting theft by blocking the ability to flash the phone;
4) voice messages and the ability to share geolocation;
5) built-in photo editing capabilities (namely editing properties, and not just stupidly adding a filter);
6) iCloud Photo library to organize photos between all devices;
7) Continuity in terms of integration with iPad and Mac via SMS messages and calls;
8) closer integration of applications with each other and with iOS);
9) phone settings control center;
10) convenient management of swipes in mail saves a lot of time
Samsung decided to give it a second try. The first time a curved display appeared in a smartphone Galaxy Note Edge. But now there’s another one in the S line Galaxy smartphone S6 edge, which allows you to choose a standard model or pay extra for a curved display. But how justified is such an additional payment?
Of course, such a step is not accidental. In December, we weren't entirely convinced by the phablet's curved display. In some applications, its potential could be appreciated, but other than the measuring tape and the panel with control icons, there were no significant advantages. Manufacturer with the Galaxy S6 edge, and the first tests confirm progress in some areas.
But a smartphone is good not only because of its display. Its design was developed from scratch, as was its equipment. Starting from SoC, internal memory and ending with the display - Samsung has made improvements everywhere, including to solve problems with heat generation. A thing of the past is a case made of durable plastic, you will have to part with the possibility of expandable memory and a removable battery.
Display
At first glance, the display attracts attention. Samsung remains committed to the previous 5.1" diagonal, but now you get a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels instead of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. So the pixel density has increased by about a third from 432 to 577 ppi. In this regard, we have reached the level that came out in last year with a qHD display, but due to the larger display the pixel density was "only" 538 ppi. For everyday use, such a difference is unlikely to matter, it is not noticeable to the naked eye. But to one degree or another, this is also true about the transition From Full-HD to QHD: The Galaxy S6's display only seems more detailed in a direct comparison, but unless you look closely at fine structures such as text letters or play videos in native resolution, the increased pixel count at this diagonal doesn't make a difference .
But since the basic qualities of the display are not degraded, we do not see any shortcomings. The smartphone showed quite convincing results in terms of brightness and color rendition. With manual brightness adjustment we get a maximum of 335 cd/m², in automatic mode – up to 542 cd/m². Not only this is interesting: not only the brightness is automatically adjusted, but also the color temperature, which depends on warm or cold lighting. Samsung keeps it a secret why the maximum brightness adjustment in manual mode is not available to the user.
But it is possible to adjust the color rendering of the display. Four modes are available, which are optimized for different scenarios, such as displaying videos or photos. The standard mode of the Galaxy S6 edge provides a white point temperature of more than 7,700 K. So a bluish tint appears in the photographs. In AMOLED mode, the temperature of 6,700 K is already closer to the neutral level.
Good color reproduction is ensured thanks to the Super AMOLED panel. Samsung's own development has left inflated "advertising" specifications in the past, we get natural color reproduction. However, OLED technology provides very good contrast. According to our measurements, it is not infinite, but it is above 30,000:1.
The display is based on the much-criticized Pentile matrix, which, given the very high pixel density, has left its main shortcomings in the past. The differences from the RGB matrix in the pixel layout are not so noticeable to the naked eye.
SoC
Even before the announcement of the smartphone appeared detailed information about SoC. It was initially assumed that the manufacturer of the Galaxy S6 edge (at least European version) will become Qualcomm, but then Samsung will act differently. Among the reasons, among other things, was high energy consumption, which the South Korean giant did not like. In any case, the real reasons are not revealed. Instead of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, the smartphone is equipped with Samsung's own Exynos 7420 chip.
Interestingly, in terms of basic characteristics, the two SoCs are very similar. Samsung uses the ARM Big.Little concept, which relies on Cortex-A53 and -A57 cores with support for 64-bit computing. Both “systems on a chip” are equipped with two quadruple cores of each type, although the clock speeds are slightly different. For demanding scenarios, Cortex-A57 cores are designed, which operate up to 2.1 GHz, “junior” cores operate at a maximum of 1.5 GHz. We received more serious changes in integrated graphics. Samsung used ARM's Mali T760 core at 772 MHz. But the Qualcomm SoC installed a slower Adreno 430 core at 600 MHz. In addition, Samsung was able to achieve lower power consumption. If Qualcomm SoC is still produced using a 20nm process technology, the South Korean company pleases with a new 14nm process technology.
According to the memory interface modern smartphones There are no disagreements, the memory works with high performance. In each case, LPDDR4 memory is used; The Galaxy S6 edge has a capacity of 3 GB.
Since there are many similarities with the Snapdragon 810, the performance of the Exynos 7420 is at a similar level. In 3DMark - Ice Storm Unlimited we received about 21,000 points, in AnTuTu the performance is also high. In 32-bit mode in the test, the smartphone showed more than 48,000 points, in 64-bit mode - more than 55,000 points. The benefits of a powerful architecture are also visible in CPU performance. In 32-bit mode, the performance of calculations with integer numbers and floating point numbers was 5.300 and 5.100 points, in 64-bit mode - 9.300 and 5.600 points; but for a leading position this value was still not enough in both cases. The situation turned out to be similar graphics performance. In AnTuTu we got 1,600 points in 2D mode and 12,000 points in 3D mode – high level, but not a record one.
Two browser tests, SunSpider and BrowserMark 2.0, showed average performance, but in practice we didn't notice any drawbacks while surfing. The same goes for the system interface, which worked smoothly and without jerks. Switching between Home screens and applications was quick, and programs launched quickly too.
But, as it turned out during our tests, the Galaxy S6 edge has problems with a constant level of performance. In five runs of AnTuTu, we got varying performance results, ranging from 55,000 points to around 70,000 points. The reasons for this behavior are unknown, but they are unlikely to be related to overheating since we performed back-to-back test runs. The diagrams show minimum values.
Additional hardware
Tests benefit from the new internal memory. As a rule, manufacturers rely on eMMC solutions; they are cheap, but for high-end smartphones the performance is not always enough - let’s note the same 4K content. With UFS 2.0 (Universal Flash Storage), Samsung wants to build a bridge between eMMC memory and SSD solutions. UFS 2.0 memory chips are cheaper than SSD memory, but in many cases they provide performance superior to conventional memory. Samsung promises SSD-level sequential transfer speeds, but most likely they are talking about mass-market drives.
This basis for comparison is visible in the number of operations per second: the South Korean company promises performance of up to 19,000 IOPS, modern SSDs exceed this level by four or five times. Compared with existing solutions new technology provides advantages: Samsung has equipped the entry-level smartphone with 32 GB; There are versions with 64 and 128 GB. As with the iPhone, buyers should choose the amount of memory they need before purchasing the smartphone; there is no expansion via micro-SD cards, although there is a memory card slot for a long time was a serious advantage for Galaxy.
The rest of the equipment is also performed at a decent level. The LTE modem supports Cat 6, that is, download speeds up to 300 Mbit/s, the WLAN module can work with 802.11ac networks, MIMO technology and two bands are supported, Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC are provided for short distances, and there is an infrared port. There are also new sensors for fingerprint and heart rate. The latter is located on the back next to the camera, the former is integrated into the Home button below the display. Moreover, the sensor’s recognition has improved: instead of rolling your finger over the button, now you just need to put it on the sensor, like with . In terms of recognition reliability, the sensor has proven to be no worse than its competitors, including a wet finger or one with cream applied. Disadvantage: simply placing your finger on the sensor does not wake the smartphone from standby mode – it is still in the lead here.
Changes have also occurred regarding USB port and SIM card slot. In the first case, we returned to USB 2.0 in Micro-USB format. Cards are now only supported in nano-SIM format. So far, Samsung has not started implementing the new connector. USB Type-C, which would give the smartphone some uniqueness. But, most likely, the development cycle could not be completed on time.
The new feature is not visible to the user externally, but it is not yet supported in Europe and Russia. The function relies on MST; instead of reading the magnetic stripe of a plastic card, the payment terminal can receive the entire necessary information from a smartphone. But, unlike NFC systems such as Apple Pay, the store does not need to separately add support for the service. However, payments through NFC smartphone Samsung are also supported.
In normal scenarios Galaxy phone The S6 edge performed great. The interlocutor was heard well; thanks to the system for suppressing external noise, the owner’s voice was also transmitted clearly. Except that Speakerphone We weren't entirely convinced. The speakers placed on the bottom panel are limited to high and mid frequencies, even listening to music through them is not entirely pleasant - the sound quality is the same HTC One is one step higher.
Image model on the fastest platform
Flagship smartphones Samsung series Galaxy S doesn't need any special introduction. Along with Apple products Samsung smartphones traditionally arouse keen interest among users of any age, gender and religion. In the new season, the Korean company has prepared a real surprise for its fans. You can call it a rethinking of values or a reboot, as you like, but the fact remains: after many years of boring sameness, Samsung designers have finally decided to make real changes. For the first time in many years, we can say with confidence that Samsung has shown a truly stylish, modern and attractive design. In principle, the option with two glass panels and a metal side frame is not so fresh; over the past few years we have seen it in both the iPhone and Sony Xperia, and even in the fashion models of the Huawei P series, but for Samsung smartphones it is really new. And given the experience of past years, when one type of plastic in Korean smartphones was replaced by another, such drastic changes can even be called a breakthrough.
However, it was not only unexpected changes in design and attractive appearance that were pleasantly surprised by the participants of the MWC 2015 exhibition during their first acquaintance with the new products of the Samsung mobile family. Those who managed to get acquainted with the hardware of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge were also amazed at the unprecedented level of performance that these powerful mobile devices demonstrated. Thanks to the new SoC, new Samsung flagships confidently perched on the top step of the podium and, apparently, will not be pushed out of there any time soon.
Of course, there were some disappointments. Fans of the Korean brand have always warmed their souls to the idea that their chosen side in the confrontation between Samsung and Apple is the maximum openness to change. Memory card slot and removable accumulator battery- these are the enduring values that outweighed the scales for them in comparison with the policy of closure, “things in themselves,” which Apple smartphones cultivated from the very beginning. Now the last bastions have collapsed: according to these characteristics, the new Korean devices are indistinguishable from both the iPhone and other modern smartphones, the creators of which reoriented faster than others. In the new Samsung flagships you will not find either a slot for installing a memory card, or, moreover, a removable battery - all of this is considered relics of the past. The funny thing is that this happened exactly at that significant moment when the newest, fifth version of Android finally made it possible for users to install applications on a memory card, and it is on Android 5.0 that the new Samsung devices. Once again, the developers made an unfortunate mistake, but most of the users will most likely forget it very quickly, as if nothing had happened - the fans will understand and forgive. What will remain in my memory is just another nice and very fast smartphone, one of many.
Video review
To get started, we suggest watching our video review of the smartphone. Samsung Galaxy S6:
Now let's take a look at the characteristics of the new product.
Main characteristics of Samsung Galaxy S6 (model SM-G920F)
| Samsung Galaxy S6 | Sony Xperia Z3 | Lenovo Vibe X2 | Yotaphone 2 | Meizu MX4 | |
| Screen | 5.1″, Super AMOLED | 5.2″, IPS | 5″, IPS | 5″, AMOLED | 5.36″, IPS |
| Permission | 2560×1440, 577 ppi | 1920×1080, 423 ppi | 1920×1080, 440 ppi | 1920×1080, 440 ppi | 1920×1152, 418 ppi |
| SoC | Exynos 7420 (4x Cortex-A57 @2.1 GHz and 4x Cortex-A53 @1.5 GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4 cores Krait 400 @2.5 GHz) | Mediatek MT6595m (4x Cortex-A17 @2.0 GHz + 4x Cortex-A7 @1.3 GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (4 cores Krait 400 @2.26 GHz) | Mediatek MT6595 Octa-core (4 Cortex-A17 @2.2 GHz and 4 Cortex-A7 @1.7 GHz) |
| GPU | Mali-T760 | Adreno 330 | PowerVR G6200 | Adreno 330 | PowerVR G6200 |
| RAM | 3 GB | 3 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Flash memory | 32/64/128 GB | 16 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 16/32/64 GB |
| Memory card support | — | microSD | — | — | — |
| operating system | Google Android 5.0 | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.4 |
| Battery | non-removable, 2550 mAh | non-removable, 3100 mAh | non-removable, 2300 mAh | non-removable, 2500 mAh | non-removable, 3100 mAh |
| Cameras | rear (16 MP; 4K video), front (5 MP) | rear (20.7 MP; 4K video), front (2.2 MP) | rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP) | rear (8 MP; video 1080p), front (2.1 MP) | rear (20.7 MP; 4K video), front (2 MP) |
| Dimensions and weight | 143×70×6.8 mm, 138 g | 146×72×7.3 mm, 152 g | 140×69×7.3 mm, 120 g | 145×69×9.0 mm, 145 g | 144×75×8.9 mm, 147 g |
| average price | T-12259333 | T-11028534 | T-11168521 | T-11743876 | T-11036319 |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 offers | L-12259333-10 | ||||
- SoC Exynos 7420 (64-bit), two clusters of four processor cores: ARM Cortex-A57 with a frequency of 2.1 GHz and ARM Cortex-A53 with a frequency of 1.5 GHz
- GPU Mali-T760
- operating room Android system 5.0 Lollipop
- Touch Super AMOLED display, 5.1″, 2560×1440
- Random access memory (RAM) 3 GB LPDDR4
- Internal memory 32, 64 or 128 GB
- No microSD card slot
- GSM communication 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
- Communication 3G WCDMA 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
- Data transfer speed max 4G LTE Cat6 up to 300 Mbps
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz), Wi-Fi hotspot
- Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
- IR port, USB OTG
- GPS/A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
- Position, proximity, lighting, barometer, fingerprint sensor, Hall and heart rate sensors
- Camera 16 MP (F1.9), optical stabilization, autofocus, LED flash
- Camera 5 MP (F1.9), front
- Battery 2550 mAh, non-removable
- Wireless charging support
- Dimensions 143×70×6.8 mm
- Weight 138 g
Equipment
The Samsung Galaxy S6 comes in a small box made of thick cardboard with several jumpers inside. A cover made of thinner cardboard is stretched over the top of the box.
The kit consists of a miniature but powerful charger(output current 2 A), a Micro-USB connecting cable, as well as a headset with a flat wire and rubber ear pads exactly the same shape as Apple headphones EarPods.
Appearance and ease of use
Samsung Galaxy S6 is not too large, even somewhat elegant smartphone. Although, probably, we have simply become accustomed to a five-inch screen size as a standard, this has become the norm, and we no longer consider such sizes for a pocket mobile device something out of the ordinary. Thin profile, strongly rounded corners, light weight - the device fits quite comfortably in a hand of any size and fits into the pocket of any clothing. However, due to the smooth metal frame and glass surfaces, the Galaxy S6 turned out to be quite slippery; you must always be careful with such a device and make sure that it does not slip out of your hands or break on the floor.
The materials are chosen with taste: both panels, front and back, are made of tempered Corning glass Gorilla Glass 4, and the side frame running along the entire perimeter of the case is made of metal. Thank God, this time the creators did not paint over the metal, cover it with plastic or hide it in any other way, as happened with the Galaxy A series. The frame itself has a fairly thick profile, a noble matte surface, and of course, it is this that is in the greatest degree gives the appearance of the device seriousness and high cost. Thanks to its pleasant coolness and harsh metallic shine, the smartphone will look good with any most expensive suit and in any most expensive setting. Perhaps if the body were entirely metal, it would not look as catchy and expressive as the current combination of glass and metal. But in any case, we won’t know - after all, if the Koreans had made their S6 entirely out of metal, it would have become a copy of the iPhone 6, and this is unacceptable for obvious reasons.
The assembly does not cause any complaints; Samsung is fine with this. Having abandoned the removable cover, the developers resorted to a common solution for placing cards in the side slots: now here, too, you need to press in a secret button with a paper clip to remove the container with the SIM card. The slide is made of metal, designed for a Nano-SIM card, and another slot - for a memory card - cannot be found here. By the way, experts from the iFixit website gave the smartphone only four points (out of a possible ten) for ease of disassembly and, accordingly, maintainability (the situation with the S6 Edge is even worse: it received three points).
The body of the smartphone is quite thin, the camera module protrudes noticeably from the back wall. In this matter, the new Samsung smartphones turned out to be no better than the notorious ones Apple iPhone 6/6 Plus, which only the lazy would not wash their bones for this option of placing the camera module. Not far from the lens there is a block consisting of a single LED flash and a sensor heart rate.
The front part of the smartphone is completely covered with protective glass Gorilla Glass 4. To the left of the speaker grille you can see the LED notification indicator; its large dot shines in different colors, notifying about the charging status and incoming events. Interestingly, the indicator’s operation is regulated in the settings section dedicated to sound.
At the bottom, under the screen, there is the usual oval mechanical key and two touch buttons on either side of it. The touch buttons have a bright white backlight. A fingerprint scanner is again integrated into the central mechanical key, and a few special words should be said about it. Finally, Samsung understood why in previous models they failed to competently implement this most useful tool, which had long been perfectly implemented in the Apple iPhone. In the Galaxy S5, you had to hold the device tightly with one hand and slowly and tediously drag your finger across the scanner with the other, which was annoying. As a result, owners quickly turned off the scanner due to inefficiency, although the convenience of unlocking a smartphone without having to remember digital codes and zigzag passes is great, you just need to present it correctly. Finally, after waiting for some time, the Koreans decided to exactly adopt the idea of the scanner originally incorporated into the iPhone. Now in the Galaxy S6, the button reads the fingerprint simultaneously with the press, unlocking the screen. There is no need to swipe your finger, you can hold your hand at any angle, everything is done with one hand and in one click - everything is exactly the same as in the iPhone. Finally, the scanner in Samsung smartphones has become comfortable to use. It’s just a pity that it took the Korean developers so much time.
The process of reading the fingerprint and setting the lock is identical to that of the iPhone: there is no longer any need to drag your finger along the entire button panel many times; point touches are enough. Naturally, you can add several fingers for recognition, and for reliability you will be asked to come up with a code. Recognition occurs clearly, and if you pick up the smartphone correctly, one touch is enough to unlock the screen, which is very convenient.
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Mechanical volume and lock keys are located on opposite side faces and are also made of metal. It should be noted that for the first time Samsung key The volume control is not implemented in the form of a single two-position rocker, but consists of two separate buttons (like other well-known phones...). The buttons are small, protrude well beyond the body, the action is springy and responsive, and there are traditionally no complaints about the controls in Samsung devices.
A Micro-USB 2.0 connector and an audio output for headphones with a diameter of 3.5 mm (under a minijack) were installed on one, lower end. Micro-USB connection supported external devices and flash drives in OTG mode.
At the top end, right in the middle, there is a small dark window for an infrared port, which serves, as before, to emulate a remote control for controlling various household appliances, from TVs to music centers. The smartphone is already pre-installed with a familiar program called Smart Remote with many ready-made settings for any type of equipment, and you can use the current program guide.
The smartphone is not protected from dust and moisture, and there is no strap mount on the case. But the device is promised support for wireless charging, compatible with the WPC 1.1 (output power 4.6 W) and PMA 1.0 (4.2 W) standards.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 is available in several bright body colors, and the developers traditionally gave these colors their own romantic names. In addition to the white (white pearl) and black (black sapphire) color options, the buyer is also offered “dazzling platinum” and “blue topaz”, but the green option (noble emerald) that many people liked will be available only for modification of the Galaxy S6 Edge.
Screen
The Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone is equipped touch screen Super AMOLED, protected by modern Gorilla Glass 4. The physical dimensions of the display are 63x113 mm, diagonal - 5.1 inches. The screen resolution in pixels is 2560x1440 (pixel density 577 ppi), which is more than decent.
The frame around the screen is quite thin: the distance from the edge of the case to the edge of the screen on the sides is about 3 mm, and on the top and bottom - approximately 15 mm. At this point it is worth noting that since the side edges of the case are straight and almost flat, when you wrap your fingers around the screen, they climb onto the screen more than on smartphones with strongly beveled edges, like the same one. As a result, unwanted random clicks to the screen.
The display brightness has manual and automatic adjustment, the latter based on the operation of the light sensor. There is also a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to process 10 simultaneous touches.
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A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Samsung Galaxy S6, then they can be distinguished by size):
The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is slightly lighter (brightness according to photographs is 105 versus 101 for the Nexus 7) and does not have a pronounced tint. Note that the reflection from bright objects on the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S6 has a pale bluish halo. The ghosting of reflected objects on the Samsung Galaxy S6 screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S6 there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, noticeably better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier and appear at a lower speed than in the case of regular glass.
When the white field was displayed in full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 355 cd/m², the minimum was 1.9 cd/m². You also need to take into account the fact that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the brighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. As a result, readability during the day in the sun should be at a fairly good level (there was no opportunity to test it). The reduced brightness level allows you to use the device even in complete darkness without any problems. Automatic brightness adjustment works based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). You can make adjustments to the operation of this function by moving the settings slider. Below, for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values for three values of this setting - for 0%, 50% and 100%. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness is reduced to 1.9, 8.5 and 18 cd/m², respectively (the first is too dark, the rest are normal), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) the brightness is set to 65, 140 and 210 cd/m² (a bit dark - just right - just right, which corresponds to the given correction), in a brightly lit environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) - increases to 355 cd/m² regardless of the position of the slider. This value is equal to the maximum for manual adjustment. In general, the result of the function automatic adjustment brightness is as expected. At any brightness level there is significant modulation with a frequency of 237 Hz. The figure below shows brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for several brightness settings:
It can be seen that at maximum and close to it brightness, the modulation amplitude is not very large, and as a result, there is no visible flicker. However, as the brightness decreases (somewhere below 75%), modulation appears with a large relative amplitude. Therefore, the presence of such modulation can already be seen in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flickering may cause increased fatigue.
This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
In the fragment above you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), and by repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without breaks or overlap. For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer calculates the screen resolution based on the green subpixels; based on the other two, it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this version is close to the case of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and some other newer devices from Samsung and not only with AMOLED screens. This version of PenTile RGBG is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and stripes of green subpixels. However, some unevenness of contrast borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to very high resolution they have minimal impact on image quality.
The screen is characterized by excellent viewing angles, although the white color, when deviated even at small angles, alternately acquires a light blue-green and pinkish tint, but the black color is simply black at any angle. So black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. When viewed from a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the white field is excellent, but if you look closely, you can notice a slight unevenness of color tone at the level of groups of pixels. For comparison, here are photos in which the screens of the Samsung Galaxy S6 (profile Movie AMOLED) and the second comparison participant, identical images were displayed, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera was forced to switch to 6500 K. White field:
Note the excellent uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture (profile Basic):
Color rendition is good, the colors are moderately saturated, the color balance of the screens varies slightly. The photo above was taken after selecting a profile Basic in the screen settings, there are four of them:
Profile Adaptive display differs in some kind of automatic adjustment to the type of displayed image and environmental conditions, which is obtained by selecting the two remaining profiles shown below.
Movie AMOLED:
Saturation and color contrast are noticeably increased.
Photo AMOLED:
Saturation is still high, but color contrast is closer to normal. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen (profile Movie AMOLED). White field:
The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed has been increased compared to previous photographs), but in the case of Samsung the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness, the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S6 visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), since you often have to look at the screen of a mobile device from at least a slight angle. And a test picture:
It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of the Samsung at an angle is noticeably higher. Switching the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the switching edge there may be a step with a width of approximately 17 ms (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 59 Hz). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to white and back:
In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing behind moving objects. However, dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “jerky” movements.
For profiles Photo AMOLED And Basic constructed using 32 points with equal intervals according to the numerical value of the shade of gray, the gamma curve did not reveal any blockage in either highlights or shadows, and the index of the approximating power function is equal to 2.22, which is not significantly higher than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma -the curve deviates little from the power-law dependence (the captions in parentheses show the exponent of the approximating power-law function and the coefficient of determination):
For profile Movie AMOLED The gamma curve has a slightly pronounced S-shape, which increases the apparent contrast of the image, but shades are still distinguishable in the shadows.
Let us recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen.
Color gamut in the case of a profile Movie AMOLED very wide, it almost covers the coverage Adobe RGB:
When selecting a profile Photo AMOLED The coverage decreases slightly:
When selecting a profile Basic coverage is compressed exactly to the sRGB boundaries:
Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:
In case of profile Basic with maximum correction, the color components are already noticeably mixed with each other:
Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, without appropriate correction, the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. Hence the recommendation - in most cases, watching movies, photographs and everything natural is better when choosing a profile Basic, and only if the photo was taken on an Adobe RGB setting, does it make sense to switch the profile to Photo AMOLED. Profile Movie AMOLED, despite the name, is the least suitable for watching movies or anything else.
The grayscale balance is good. Colorful temperature in profile Movie AMOLED above 6500 K, in the remaining two - close to 6500 K, while in a significant area of the gray scale this parameter does not change very much, which improves the visual perception of color balance. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) over most of the gray scale remains below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, but the fluctuations of this parameter are already large:
(The darkest areas of the gray scale can in most cases be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
Let's summarize. The screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device can most likely be used outdoors even on a sunny summer day without any problems. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is permissible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works quite adequately. The advantages of the screen include a very good oleophobic coating, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB and an acceptable color balance (if you select the appropriate profiles). At the same time, let us remind you about the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), excellent uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, and a drop in image brightness when viewed at an angle. Disadvantages include modulation of screen brightness. For users who are particularly sensitive to flicker, this may cause increased fatigue. However, overall the screen quality is very high.
Sound
The sound of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is very decent. The smartphone produces a fairly loud sound, saturated with the entire spectrum of frequencies, including low frequencies. The smartphone sounds really nice, at the maximum volume level the sound is not distorted, does not wheeze, there are no complaints at all. The speaker grille is located at the bottom end, so the sound is not blocked when the smartphone is lying on a hard surface. In conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable, the conversation is quite comfortable.
With headphones, the smartphone also sounds at the level of modern flagships; to play melodies, a proprietary player with a maximum number of settings is used as standard. All sound effects are combined with a technology called SoundAlive - although some of them are only available with connected headphones. The same applies to the sound optimization function. For manual settings An equalizer with preset values is available, as well as separate controls for bass and treble.
Traditionally, there is no FM radio included in the standard configuration of a smartphone, but there is a voice recorder. For a voice recorder in addition to standard mode There are also specific “interviews” and “voice notes” - all this is already familiar to us from previous models in the series. Telephone conversations The smartphone cannot record from the line.
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Camera
Samsung Galaxy S6 is equipped with two modules digital cameras with a resolution of 16 and 5 megapixels. The front camera here is equipped with a 5-megapixel module with an f/1.9 aperture; it shoots video at a maximum QHD resolution (2560×1440). For popular selfie-style fun, there's a group selfie mode, and it's even possible to virtually shoot a specific subject to create a multi-directional view of the subject - in this case, most likely your own head. You can take pictures with the front camera without touching the screen, using an open palm gesture or voice command. It is also possible to take your own self-portrait by touching your finger to the heart rate sensor located on the back of the smartphone.
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The main 16-megapixel camera has an f/1.9 aperture, tracking autofocus, optical stabilization (OIS) and an LED flash that works as a flashlight if necessary. Quick start camera is possible by double-clicking on the central hardware key under the screen.
The settings menu has been completely redesigned, now there is no matrix of interactive square cells, there is one button for selecting shooting modes, and the rest of the settings are combined into a long scroll that opens as needed. In addition to the usual automatic and manual modes, you can also select panoramic, selective focus mode and the same so-called virtual shooting mode to create a multi-directional view of subjects. By the way, specific modes of fast and slow video recording have also been removed here, so you can’t find them in the settings of the camera itself (the resolution is only set there).
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The video camera of the Samsung Galaxy S6 can shoot in any of the latest resolutions up to 4K (UHD). As always, the option of shooting at 60 fps, with a resolution of 1920x1080 (Full HD), is very interesting. The camera copes perfectly with any options; there are no complaints about the quality of the resulting video image. The quality of video recording can be judged by test videos.
- Video No. 1 (30 MB, 1920×1080 @60 fps)
- Video No. 2 (43 MB, 3840×2160 @30 fps)
- Video No. 3 (26 MB, 2560×1440 @30 fps)
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Good sharpness across the frame, but it drops off a little towards the edges. |
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Even in the shadows the sharpness is good. |
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Excellent sharpness in distant shots. |
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The color of the sky and building is quite even. Light noise can be seen at the edges of the frame. |
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The camera does a good job of capturing details in the shadows. |
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Sharping on the wires is practically absent. |
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The tree branches are well crafted. |
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The license plates of all cars in the frame are clearly visible. |
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And on a fairly dark frame, good sharpness and noise reduction work are visible. |
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In room lighting and with flash, the text is rendered well. |
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The camera does just as well without a flash. |
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The camera does well in macro photography in room lighting. |
We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.
When evaluating a flagship camera, you can’t help but compare it with the others. And as soon as I started taking pictures with it, I already want to say that this particular camera should now be considered the best. Of course, there will definitely be a fly in the ointment, but the camera is truly amazing. To want even more from a smartphone camera, you need to have a good imagination or no idea at all about photography. It's hard to find fault even with little things. The shadows do not make noise, the details are well worked out, there are small defects, but this is not SLR camera and not even compact - it's a smartphone. You can look for a long time for the lack of “soul” or “pleasantness” in the photographs, but objectively there is nothing to complain about.
Now about the fly in the ointment. All images have an out-of-focus area on the right. Most likely, this is not a problem with the camera module used, but specifically with our copy, but doubt has been sown. Having such a defect, of course, is unworthy of a flagship. The camera is really good, perhaps the best, but the problem is still significant. In general, at least check the camera when purchasing.
In a laboratory test, the Samsung Galaxy S6 confidently outperforms its main competitor, the iPhone 6. And if in the center of the frame their results differ slightly, then at the edge the Galaxy S6 produces a very decent result. Moreover, in terms of this result, it is quite seriously superior (and slightly -). In the center of the frame, all the latest Samsung flagships perform approximately the same, but the dependence of resolution on lighting on the Galaxy S6 is the most “smooth and beautiful”.
If we forget about the blur zone on the right side of the frame, which we are ready to attribute to a defective sample, the camera can be called excellent. It is well suited for documentary and artistic photography.
Among the new “chips” in the camera is a mode for shooting two frames with a focus on the distant and near plans, with the ability to subsequently switch between them. We recently saw a similar one in Xiaomi Mi Note.
There is also a mode for shooting a 3D image that can be “rotated”. It is created by moving a smartphone around an object. Again, we recently saw a similar one in Jiayu S3.
Both modes are very questionable in practical terms, so they can only claim to be a fun “trick”.
Telephone and communications
The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also supports fourth-generation LTE Cat6 networks with a maximum possible reception speed of up to 300 Mbit/s. In practice, with a SIM card from the domestic operator MTS, the smartphone confidently recognizes and works with 4G networks.
The rest of the network capabilities of the smartphone are also excellent: there is support for NFC technology, Bluetooth 4.1 supports A2DP, LE, apt-X, ANT+ profiles. Wi-Fi module 802.11n/ac, HT80 MIMO (2×2) (up to 620 Mbps) supports both frequency ranges(2.4 and 5 GHz) and Wi-Fi technology Direct, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. It is possible to connect external devices to USB port in OTG mode.
The navigation module works with both GPS and the domestic Glonass system, and also sees satellites of the Chinese Beidou (BDS). There are no complaints about the navigation module; a cold start occurs within a minute or less. The device is also equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the magnetic compass of navigation programs operates.
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There were no spontaneous reboots/shutdowns observed during testing, but surprises did occur. So, after another reboot in normal mode, the device’s screen suddenly stopped responding to any touches - only the mechanical hardware buttons of the smartphone worked. It was possible to get out of the situation only through a forced reboot by long-pressing the power and volume down buttons, otherwise it was impossible to use the device.
The layout and location of the keys are standard for Samsung smartphones: switching languages is not done by pressing a special button with a globe image, but by a horizontal longitudinal gesture along the space bar - not the most convenient option. The standard layout has a dedicated top row with numbers. For Swype fans, there is a continuous typing method using a stroke from letter to letter. The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing phone number A search is also carried out immediately using the first letters in contacts.
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OS and software
Samsung Galaxy S6 immediately works on a fresh, fifth one Android versions OS, but its own interface in the Material Design style cannot be seen here; it has been completely replaced by the traditional design of the proprietary TouchWiz shell installed on top. The new version of TouchWiz has undergone minor changes, but in general everything remained familiar from previous smartphones from this manufacturer. The only thing that was adopted from the most noticeable innovations of the fifth version of the Android OS is the interactive notification panels that pop up on top of running applications, conveniently swiped to the side with a side gesture.
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Work with gestures is supported, but their number is reduced to a comfortable and logical minimum. The energy-saving modes, privacy mode, the ability to work in two windows simultaneously, and the Briefing news panel, called by a side swipe on the left - an analogue of HTC Blinkfeed - remain in place. Removed side panel virtual buttons, there is no way to reduce the working area of the screen to control the fingers of one hand. The new Android 5.0, the ability to enable guest mode, has been removed here and replaced with a proprietary one private mode. The notification panel also has nothing in common with the proprietary Android 5.0 panel; everything here remains the same: the panel does not expand in two stages, a list of icons quick access scrolls with a horizontal swipe, branded buttons for quick connection to other devices and S Finder.
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The heart rate sensor, located on the back side next to the camera, is controlled by the same proprietary program for global monitoring of one’s own health called S Health. Infrared port serviced special program remote control emulation called Smart Remote. At all, additional programs There are not so many installed, most of them are useful, but I was surprised by the pre-installed block of branded Microsoft programs(OneDrive, OneNote, Skype).
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Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S6 hardware platform is based on the most powerful single-chip system (SoC) of Samsung's own Exynos 7420, produced according to 14-nanometer standards technological process. The configuration of this single-chip system includes two clusters of four cores: ARM Cortex-A57 with a frequency of 2.1 GHz and ARM Cortex-A53 with a frequency of 1.5 GHz. The powerful Mali T760 video accelerator is used as the GPU. The device has as much as 3 GB of RAM (LPDDR4). Internal memory is implemented on drives that meet the UFS 2.0 specification. Flash memory capacity is 32, 64 or 128 GB without the possibility of expansion through memory cards. In the case of a model with a minimum volume, about 25 GB of the nominally designated 32 GB is initially available to the user. In addition, the device supports the mode of connecting external devices to the USB port (USB Host, USB OTG) - an external flash drive can be connected via an OTG adapter.
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According to the testing results, the Samsung Galaxy S6 hardware platform demonstrated extremely high results, displacing all previous record holders without exception from the podium, including the Meizu MX4 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4, which held first place in the AnTuTu test for quite a long time.
As a result, Samsung has given the world another record holder in terms of power - a reference smartphone that people will look up to, try to catch up with, and match throughout the entire season. The device is extremely productive, the capabilities built into it will be enough for a long time to complete any assigned tasks, including the most demanding games.
Testing in latest versions comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:
For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that at one time they passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions test programs.
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Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:
When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).
| Samsung Galaxy S6 (Exynos 7420) |
Sony Xperia Z3 (Snapdragon 801) |
Yotaphone 2 (Snapdragon 800) |
Lenovo Vibe X2 (Mediatek MT6595m) |
Meizu MX4 (Mediatek MT6595) |
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| 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better) |
Maxed out! | Maxed out! | 9852 | 8566 | Maxed out! |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better) |
21204 | 18496 | 14780 | 14067 | 16691 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen) | 30 fps | 29.4 fps | 23 fps | 17.0 fps | 21.7 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen) | 46 fps | 27.8 fps | 22 fps | 17.8 fps | 23.2 fps |
| Bonsai Benchmark | 4185 (60 fps) | 3820 (54 fps) | 3362 (48 fps) | 3549 (51 fps) | 4033 (58 fps) |
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Browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
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Playing video
To test omnivorousness when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, for example subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.
According to the testing results, the subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are needed to fully play most of the most common multimedia files on the network. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 sound format.
| Format | Container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Standard video player |
| DVDRip | AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
| Web-DL SD | AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
| Web-DL HD | MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3 | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ | |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3 | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3 | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ |
¹ sound in MX Video Player was played only after installing an alternative custom sound codec; The standard player does not have this setting
Tested video output features Alexey Kudryavtsev.
MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort we are in this smartphone We didn’t find it, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) 720/24p
Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.
According to the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the device itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames (with the exception of files with 60 fps - one frame is always skipped due to for a screen refresh rate of 59 Hz). When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the wide border of the screen. The clarity of the picture is high, but not ideal, since there is no escape from interpolation to the screen resolution. However, for the sake of experimentation, you can switch to the one-to-one mode by pixel; there will be no interpolation, but the features of PenTile will appear - the vertical world through the pixel will be in a grid, and the horizontal one will be slightly greenish. This is on test worlds; the described artifacts are not present on real frames. The brightness range displayed on the screen actually corresponds to standard range 16-235 - in the shadows only a couple of shades merge with black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed.
Battery life
The capacity of the built-in non-removable battery installed in the Samsung Galaxy S6 is far from a record by modern standards - only 2550 mAh. However, even despite the most powerful platform and a fairly large five-inch screen, the smartphone proved itself worthy in terms of durability battery life, showing excellent autonomy in most standard usage scenarios. It should be noted that to save energy, the device settings traditionally contain two proprietary energy saving modes: normal and extreme. The maximum energy saving mode significantly reduces the level of energy consumption by turning off non-essential ones and saving vital ones. this moment functions, and also, for visual effect, converting the image on the screen to black and white.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D Game Mode | |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 | 2550 mAh | 20:00 | 12:00 pm | 4:00 am |
| Samsung Galaxy A7 | 2600 mAh | 22:10 | 12:00 pm | 3 hours 20 minutes |
| Samsung Note 4 | 3220 mAh | 10:30 a.m. | 8:30 a.m. | 3 hours 50 minutes |
| Yotaphone 2 | 2500 mAh | 12:00 pm | 9:30 a.m. | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| Lenovo Vibe X2 | 2300 mAh | 13:00 | 6:00 am | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| Meizu MX4 | 3100 mAh | 12:00 pm | 8 hours 40 minutes | 3 hours 45 minutes |
| Meizu MX4 Pro | 3350 mAh | 16:00 | 8 hours 40 minutes | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Sony Xperia Z3 | 3100 mAh | 20:00 | 10:00 am | 4 hours 50 minutes |
| HTC One M8 | 2600 mAh | 22:10 | 13:20 | 3 hours 20 minutes |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | 2800 mAh | 17:20 | 12:30 pm | 4 hours 30 minutes |
Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted about 20 hours until the battery was completely discharged. When watching videos continuously high quality(720p) with the same brightness level through home network The Wi-Fi device lasted 12 hours. The device worked for 4 hours in 3D gaming mode. The smartphone supports technology fast charging, so the device charges very quickly. Full charging time is only about 1.5 hours, and according to the developers, just 10 minutes of charging allows you to charge your smartphone for subsequent four-hour use.
Bottom line
With the release of its next flagship, Samsung did not make a noticeable breakthrough or technological revolution, but it gave the market such a polished and polished product that there is simply nothing to complain about this time. The smartphone seems to strive to please everyone with its thoughtful practicality. Not a single unnecessary detail, everything unnecessary has been removed, combed and trimmed, literally every item on the wish list of the average user has been ticked. The dimensions are neither large nor small, they are comfortable, as is the weight of the device. The quality of the selected materials and assembly are not satisfactory; the metal surfaces finally appear in all their glory, not painted over or hidden. All technical characteristics are to the maximum, sensors are any to choose from. Fingerprint scanner, IR port, heart rate sensor, wireless charger— all additional flagship superpowers are available. The only thing that comes to mind is the lack of water protection, but recently the user excitement around the need for such functionality began to fade, and the Koreans immediately crossed it out. The smartphone is almost ideal, but it is now not available to everyone. Price for new flagship Samsung is installed in such a way that it makes even hardened gadget lovers turn pale. Not for everyone new smartphone for 50 thousand rubles is affordable, but even here Samsung is on trend: without exception, all the top echelon players are gradually but confidently, through joint efforts, raising this bar higher and higher. So we will be surprised more than once in the new season, but for now all we can do is admire these new products, while getting used to the new prices.
Samsung's flagship smartphones always attract a lot of attention. The release of the Samsung Galaxy S6 in the spring of this year was also no exception. And the task facing the engineers was not an easy one; every year it became more and more difficult to keep the bar high. Whether we managed to solve it and retain the title of “best among the best”, we’ll see during testing. To do this, we selected the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, presented simultaneously with the main version of the Galaxy S6. Both smartphones are already available in Russian retail; at the time of writing this review, the company reported 10 million S6s sold worldwide.
If last year the tuned versions of the flagship were released a little later than the main announcement, then this year the announcement and the start of sales took place at the same time. The cost difference between the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge is within 10 percent. However, only the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge will be available in a 128 GB version. The main difference was the use of a screen curved at both edges. This is the second such smartphone in Samsung’s arsenal. Let me remind you that the Galaxy Note Edge debuted last year, unfortunately, we only got to know it briefly, there’s no time to prepare detailed review wasn't enough.
Video review of Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Equipment
The smartphone is delivered in a package with a light design. At the top there is a mark for the color of the case and the amount of data. Main characteristics on the back of the package.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge package includes a charger, a micro USB cable, headphones with replaceable tips, and a set technical documentation. All accessories are in white.
Appearance
With each generation of Galaxy S, controversy and rumors flared up online regarding the materials used. Will it be plastic or metal, what will the Korean manufacturer choose this year?
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is radically different from everything we could see before. Now the emphasis is not only on characteristics, the smartphone has become a real decoration. And this is especially true for Edge versions. Thanks to the curved edges of the screen, it looks more impressive.
The body has become even thinner; for comparison, the iPhone 6 is thicker. It is comfortable to hold and the weight is well balanced.
Almost the entire area of the front side and lid is covered with protective glass Gorilla Glass 4. Now you can forget about the practicality of the materials; it gets dirty catastrophically quickly with fingerprints, although they are erased just as quickly. The second point is the grip itself; the smartphone tends to slip out of your hands; you should not place it on an inclined surface. I assume that there will be many cases of falling, as well as phones with cracks in the protective glass. It wouldn't hurt to buy a cover or bumper.
Several color versions will be available. Light options will better hide stains on the glass, while dark ones will look richer and more glamorous.
The side frame is made of unpainted aluminum, all frames are rounded. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge runs a little at an angle. There is a sharp edge at the point of contact with the display.
The body is now non-demountable, what was long feared has happened. There is no access to the battery; the battery can be replaced even in service center will cause a lot of pain to the owner and his wallet. Unfortunately, they also abandoned the memory card. What Samsung was loved for and was considered a plus when compared with other flagships and, first of all, Apple products, has now become unavailable. If you can still argue with the memory card and talk about cloud storage, then the issue of degradation of battery capacity during active use will not disappear.
At the bottom there is a micro USB, audio jack, microphone and speaker grille. There is a similarity with the iPhone 6. On top there is an IR sensor, a noise reduction microphone, and a SIM slot. On the bottom and top edges there is a plastic insert used for the antenna.
The frame under and above the display is still there. The familiar Home button with an updated fingerprint scanner. At Galaxy test S5, I turned off this scanner less than a day after I started using it, I had to look for the position and swipe it correctly. Now you just need to put your finger on it, there are no complaints about recognition.
At the top there is a speaker grille, Samsung logo, front-camera and a set of sensors.
On back cover camera eye protruding above the surface of the body, led flash and a heart rate sensor.
On the left is the volume rocker with separate buttons, on the right is the power button. Everything is intuitive.
The case is assembled perfectly. There are no complaints about the materials. But it takes time to get used to curved screen, the first days false positives are guaranteed.
Screen
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge received an AMOLED screen with OLED backlighting (organic light-emitting diodes). Diagonal 5.1 inches with a resolution of 2560x1440 (Quad HD) with 577 ppi. The picture is flawless, excellent color rendition and maximum viewing angles.
Traditional deep black color and high level of maximum brightness. The color balance is close to the sRGB standard.
The user has a choice color settings. High contrast.
Filling
This is the first smartphone with a chip made using the 14 nm process technology. Samsung refused to use the top-end Qualcomm processor, the cause was overheating and a number of other problems that HTC and LG are now facing. Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge uses an octa-core Exynos 7420 processor with Mali-T760 graphics.
There is 3 GB of RAM on board. The internal volume varies depending on the selected model, you need to approach this issue with care; memory cards are not supported.
In terms of performance, it is comparable to the flagships of 2015. This is enough for all tasks, including resource-intensive games.
Antutu Bench
3D Antutu
Battery
A 2600 mAh battery is responsible for autonomous operation, 50 more than that of a simple Galaxy S6. The volume is not that big considering the powerful hardware and QHD screen. Here Samsung was faced with the task of squeezing the maximum out of this capacity. Energy saving technologies have been improved.
Added wireless charging. Of interest, it is worth noting the fast charging mode, when in 10 minutes you can provide about 4 hours of battery life.
Based on experience, the charge lasts for a full working day. Movie viewing time is about 11 hours.
On the issue of autonomy, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is doing well, given the small thickness of the body.
Camera
Traditionally, the Galaxy S line has been strong in the camera department, offering one of the best implementations at the time of its release. Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is no exception.
The main module is 16 megapixels with a Sony matrix with optical stabilization and the ability to shoot video in UHD. Very high speed launch the camera and operate the shutter.
Shooting modes are available with loading from the additional catalog.
Gestures and detailed setup frame. We examined the general capabilities of the camera in detail in the video review. For selfies – 5 MP front camera. There are no complaints about the quality of the footage, either during the day or at night.
Only the limited amount of internal memory can upset active photographers; they will need to upload a collection of photos and videos often.
Software
Installed operating system Google Android 5.0 with TouchWiz shell. The latter changed in better side, poisonous colors have disappeared, new operating modes have been added, a choice of themes and a lightweight mode have been added. A small amount of additional software is preinstalled.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge received additional settings for the side frames. The owner can display 5 favorite contacts, each of which is assigned a different color. When there is an incoming call, the smartphone, with its screen facing the desktop, will glow in the corresponding color.
Another one interesting feature- this is the display of notifications on the side frame; these can be either messages or a news feed.
At night, you can display information about the current time and date. Thanks to reduced energy consumption When outputting black, this mode consumes a minimum amount of charge.
Corporate security, health services, and contactless payment services have not been forgotten. Unfortunately, Samsung Pay will not be supported in Russia.
Results on Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge was a significant step forward; in this generation of flagship, the emphasis was placed not only on characteristics, but also on design. The smartphone looks impressive, especially for the version with curved frames. Buyers are offered an excellent screen, a high level of performance, technologies to increase battery life, a successful combination of glass and metal, wireless charging, a fingerprint scanner, a high-quality camera, and no lags in games and applications. What you might not like here is the lack of support for a memory card, the non-separable case, the lack of moisture protection, and the soiledness of the case. Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge receives the well-deserved Gold Award..
If you've read my column about device leaks, you know that data from almost all flagships quickly appears online. In addition, Android devices first pass tests for the number of parrots, and from there we learn about the hardware of the new smartphone. Benchmark authors don't bother too much with privacy. Almost the same thing happened with new Samsung Galaxy S6. However appearance The smartphone was not 100% leaked to the Internet, and at the presentation everyone was pleasantly surprised, if not by the hardware, then by the body.
Until now, Samsung's flagships had to compete with Apple, and they succeeded in performance, but not in design. A top-end smartphone should be beautiful and flagship-like pretentious. Having overcome the curse of plastic, the Galaxy S line was transformed only this spring.
Samsung abandoned security and, frankly, terrible thick sides. In Galaxy S6 case metal is the head of everything. From it there is a frame around the perimeter and rear end housings. The front and back of the smartphone is covered with tempered glass Gorilla Glass 4. There seems to be an oleophobic coating on both sides, but because of the distinct marks on the rear non-removable cover, it seems that it is not there at all. The prints gather like rabbits on a box of carrots.
Of course, avid iPhone fans will see many similarities with the iPhone 6 in the features of the Korean flagship, but since everything went off without lawsuits, it means that the Cupertino team did not find plagiarism.
The button layout is classic. Spaced volume up/down buttons are on the left. Food and a tray with a hole for a paper clip are on the right.
The audio jack, speaker and microphone are on the bottom. Well, yes, everything is in Cupertino order. Only on the top edge is a proprietary infrared port and another noise-canceling microphone.
The case glass is absolutely straight, but when viewed from the front it seems that they are slightly rounded towards the sides. This optical illusion, together with the metal shimmering beautifully under the glass, looks very good. The dark blue color behaves like a chameleon, shifting from almost black to purple. However, other body colors also look very juicy. In a room without light, the color becomes matte, and in the light it has a metallic effect.
As we already said, Samsung got rid of the terrible plastic in the smartphone, but another bad habit remains. The hardware buttons are still located on the body, making them pressed at random in the dark. In addition, they always trigger falsely when held horizontally. We think it's time to move them to the bottom of the screen. And “teach” to change places, if it is more convenient for someone.
Fingerprint sensor moved to button and works more stable. In addition, you don’t need to swipe your finger, just touch it. True, the shape of the button forces you to move the smartphone in your hand if your finger is not recognized.
The Super AMOLED screen, as always, is pleasing to the eye. It has a resolution of 2560x1440 with a diagonal of 5.1 inches. Thus, the pixel density was 577 ppi. In the color rendering settings, you can traditionally choose between acidic, juicy and adaptive modes. Maximum The screen brightness has increased and amounted to 377 cd/m2. This is more than its predecessors, so readability is even better in bright light. However, the iPhone 6's screen was still brighter - 494 cd/m2. The minimum brightness of Samsung's sAMOLED screen, as always, is very low, and in dark rooms it will fundamentally not be able to blind you.
Galaxy S6 bombs all benchmarks and forces competitors to reach 70 thousand points in AnTuTu. This is not surprising, because Samsung this time abandoned versions with different processors. Only the Exynos 7420 chip of its own design, made using a 14 nm process technology, is installed in it. This chip has eight cores and operates in BigLittle mode: four Cortex-A53 cores and four Cortex A57 cores. Together with fast RAM The 3 GB smartphone is very productive.
You won't find brakes anywhere. The only discomfort will be the heating of the smartphone during simultaneous loads and charging. But with such thickness and a metal body, this is not surprising.
Thanks to the 4+4 processor architecture, optimization and various power saving modes, the autonomy of the Galaxy S6 was not affected. If you work hard with the Internet and calls, it will last for a working day. In addition, there is a function to quickly charge the battery in an hour.
There is also built-in wireless charging, which supports many models. So you can buy either a branded one from Samsung or use one from the same Lumia. By the way, Samsung has started collaborating with IKEA, so when buying another bedside table, you can choose a model with wireless charging.
Main Galaxy camera S6 traditional shoots great photos and videos in Full HD and 4K. The camera interface is a bit simplified. There are few modes in the basic version, but additional ones can be downloaded. Advanced settings will be enabled in a separate mode.
True, the camera slightly yellows the photos. Our colleague takes photographs with an iPhone 6 in much more natural colors. It turned out to be a confrontation between Canon and Nikon. But we will talk about this in more detail in a separate article.
An important update was recycled shellTouchWiz. They removed menu items that, due to their abundance, could not be remembered. Now it's really easier to find the right setting.
The notification shade remains the same. It still doesn't show all the buttons for quick setup, and we like the pure Android 5.0 version better. S Health has added motivational calls to set goals (walk more, do more, etc.). Now you can enter your food diary. The heart rate sensor is traditionally on the back of the case near the flash.
Along with the Galaxy S6, its relative was also presented - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge. Which, as the name implies, stands out for its sensory edges. They can be seen from afar and now from both sides. The filling and all the features of the shell are the same, not counting the half-needed widgets for display on the side. Several functions related to call notifications have been added. For individual contacts, you can assign your own side edge color. We will tell you more about the Galaxy S6 edge in the following publications.
The new Galaxy S6 looks great. Samsung designers and engineers have worked their hardest. The use of glass and metal led to new level design. New processor set a high bar for competitors. The ergonomics of the case are not only good, but also pleasant. True, there is still a problem with the buttons, but the traditionally high-quality screen and camera so far compensate for this shortcoming. And even though it turned out that the S6 bends easier than the iPhone, we don’t see this as a problem. It really is worth handling such a nice smartphone with care.
| Samsung Galaxy S6 | |
| OS: | Android 5.0.2, TouchWiz shell |
| CPU: | Exynos 7420, 8 cores (4 cores A53, 4 cores A57), 2.1 GHz, 64 bit |
| Video accelerator: | MALI-T760 |
| Memory + RAM: | 32 GB + 3 GB LP DDR4 |
| Cameras: | |
| Main: | 16 MP, OIS, True HDR, autofocus, F 1.9 |
| Front: | 5 megapixels |
| Communications: | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, mobile point access, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, infrared |
| Wireless charging/built-in: | Yes Yes |
| Battery: | Li-Ion 2550 mAh |
| Dimensions: | 143.4×70.5×6.8 mm |
| Weight: | 138 g |
| Provider: | Samsung Electronics Ukraine, |
| Price: | from $800 |
| Grade: | |
| + case design and materials | |
| + very high performance | |
| + main camera operation | |
| + built-in wireless charging | |
| — false positives of hardware buttons |
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