Review of Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Everything you need to know about a smartphone! Samsung Galaxy S6 review: exquisite design and cool hardware Galaxy s6 technical specifications

At one time, the Galaxy S6 made a lot of noise, and to be honest, even though a lot of time has passed since its release, it is still considered by many as an option for purchase. The S6 implemented all the best that was in the manufacturer’s past developments and in the market as a whole mobile technologies. Finally, it was decided to abandon plastic in favor of more premium materials, which had a positive effect on the perception of the gadget and its design.

The body has become thinner and lighter, and has a non-removable battery. But not all the changes were beneficial - now there is no moisture protection, and in addition, we were deprived of a slot for a microSD card. But as soon as you start to get to know the gadget better, you simply forget about minor shortcomings against the backdrop of numerous advantages, which we will dwell on in more detail as part of our review. Samsung Galaxy S6.

Galaxy S6 specifications:

• Screen: 5.1’’ Quad HD 1440x2560, Super AMOLED, 577 ppi
• Processor: Octa-core Exynos 7420, 2.1 GHz
• Graphics accelerator: Mali-T760MP8, 600 MHz
• operating system: OS Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, TouchWiz UI
• RAM: 3 GB
• Built-in memory: 32 GB
• Memory card support: No
• Communication: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz || UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 MHz || LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26
• SIM: nano-SIM
• Wireless interfaces: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band 2.4/5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, IrDA
• Navigation: GPS, GLONASS, Baidu, Galileo
• Cameras: main - 16 MP (OIS, autofocus, LED flash); front - 5 MP
• Sensors: accelerometer, G-Sensor, proximity, light, oxygen SpO2 and heart rate, compass, barometer, fingerprint scanner
• Battery: 2550 mAh, non-removable
• Dimensions: 143.4x70.5x6.8 mm
• Weight: 138 grams

Galaxy S6 equipment

The device is delivered in a white package, which does not greatly exceed its dimensions. On its back you can see the main characteristics, and by printing it we get access to the charger, microUSB cable, wired headphones with convenient control unit, paper clip and documentation.

Design

In terms of its design, the smartphone is practically no different from the Edge version. The only difference is that a standard flat display is used here, but otherwise the design is very reminiscent of the manufacturer’s past developments.

Even if you cover up the brand logo on the front panel, the device will still be recognizable. Key design points move from one flagship to another, including the mechanical “Home” button and the design of the speaker grille. It would seem that these are elements that do not attract much attention, but it is precisely such little things that make up the recognizable design of gadgets.

Compared to previous generations, the design has become neater. The case materials of the Galaxy S6 are completely the same as the Edge. The front and back panels are covered with 4th generation Gorilla Glass. The structure is strengthened by a stylish and durable frame made of aircraft-grade aluminum.

The smartphone has a monolithic body, so you can forget about replacing the battery yourself. But this is rather a plus, because with such an assembly the possibility of backlash and squeezing of the lid is eliminated, each part fits perfectly in its place.

The case has rounded edges, which makes it fit well in the hand. When you first pick it up, it seems that the body is very slippery, because the main material of manufacture is glass. But thanks to good ergonomics, the likelihood of dropping it will be extremely small.

A standard set of sensors, a speaker and a front-facing camera were installed above the screen.

Below it is a mechanical home key and a pair of touch keys on either side of it.

On the left is the volume rocker.

On the right is the display power control button and the nanoSIM tray.

On the top edge there is a microphone and an infrared port for controlling household appliances.

At the bottom there is a 3.5 mm headset jack, a microUSB port and an external speaker.

On the back side we see a main camera module with a resolution of 16 megapixels. It protrudes above the body. which is a little impractical. To the right of it there is a flash and a saturation and heart rate sensor. Closer to the center is the company logo.

Display

The Galaxy S6 duos review moves on to the screen, which is built using Super AMOLED technology with a 5.1-inch diagonal and a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. This combination gives 577 dpi, which sets the display apart from its competitors. Of course, with such a high density, you won’t notice any individual pixels. The picture turns out rich, contrasty and well detailed; working with the screen is a pleasure.

Color reproduction varies greatly depending on user settings, with a total of four modes available:

• Adaptive;
• Movie;
• Photo;
• Base.

The last two produce the most realistic colors, but if you like them slightly oversaturated, then it's worth setting up any of the first two.

Galaxy S6 performance

Samsung Galaxy S6 specifications are based on the Exynos 7420 processor, developed at the manufacturer’s facilities. It is based on 8 cores with a frequency of 2.1 GHz, which is complemented by the Mali-T760MP8 graphics accelerator. RAM - 3 GB, built-in - 32 GB, of which 24 GB remains for user needs. Galaxy S6 32gb characteristics are relevant even now; it can easily handle even the latest games with high graphics. Not a single application has yet been able to fully load the device so that it fails.

Samsung Galaxy S6 in synthetic:

There are some drawbacks; now games, photos and video files are quite large, so 24 GB may not be enough, and there is no way to expand the volume with a memory card. This shortcoming is compensated at least a little by providing 100 free gigabytes per cloud storage OneDrive, but it's still not the same.

Samsung g920f Galaxy S6 32gb black review showed that the external speaker sounds clean and has a good volume headroom, although the low frequencies are slightly lacking. The headphones included with the device are perfect for everyday use; they are not only comfortable, but also sound good. With a high degree of probability they will replace your old headset.

Heart rate monitor Samsung Galaxy S6

Near the sensor from the main camera module there is a sensor designed to measure heart rate. It was pre-installed for its use branded application S Health, where you can track your heart rate and stress levels. It works quickly, but there are doubts about the accuracy of the measurements. In addition to tracking physical activity indicators, such as running or cycling, you can find out the level of oxygen in your blood and enter information on the amount of fluid you drink per day. The application will help you monitor your health and maintain an active lifestyle.

Autonomous operation

A review of the Galaxy S6 64gb active in Russian revealed that everything is bad with the battery capacity - 2550 mAh, despite the fact that the performance has increased noticeably. You can count on a day of autonomy if you turn on the Internet only when necessary, set the brightness to a low level, and unload resource-intensive applications from memory when you stop using them. Autonomy is the weak point of the device.

In an hour of playing Asphalt 8, the battery loses 22% of its charge, and when playing videos at 100% brightness and 70% volume, 16% is lost in an hour. In standby mode, with one active SIM card, only 1% of the charge is consumed in a few hours. In about a week, the gadget shrinks completely if you don’t touch it at all.

Samsung Galaxy S6 duos gold 64gb review showed that in difficult situations, when it is not possible to connect your smartphone to a power outlet in the near future, you can switch to one of two energy saving modes: standard or extreme. The first has a barely noticeable effect on autonomy, while the second improves it by approximately 150%, but in this case the screen goes into black and white mode.

A full charge from zero to one hundred takes 1 hour 35 minutes. Thus, in 10 minutes you can charge the battery for 4 hours of operation. This saves you in situations when it’s time for you to leave the house and there’s no time to wait. Charging time from a computer is an order of magnitude longer - about 5 hours. Wireless charging is supported.

Interface

Review Samsung phone The Galaxy S6 switches to an interface that is built on Android version 5.0 out of the box, but you can immediately update over the air to more recent versions. Everything is simple and convenient, as you can see in the screenshots below.

Cameras Samsung Galaxy S6

Samsung Galaxy S6 camera review is pleasantly surprising, because at the time of release the phone had one of the best cameras. The manufacturer managed to prove that the main thing is not the number of megapixels, because most competitors had 20 megapixel modules, but they were noticeably inferior in image quality.

If you wish, you can use the advanced mode, where you can set your own shooting parameters, but in most cases this is not necessary. With automatic settings, the optimal algorithm is selected depending on the current shooting conditions. A real find was night photography, in which you can get pictures with decent quality and detail. Of course, noise is present; no manufacturer has yet managed to completely get rid of it in night shots, but its amount is minimal.

Samsung Galaxy S6 review in Russian showed that under simpler shooting conditions you can get excellent pictures. If you shoot without HDR, fine details will be difficult to see in deep shadows. When this option is activated, the detail and color saturation in the shadows improves.

The video quality is also good. You can save recordings in FullHD format at 60 fps, QHD, in accordance with the display resolution, and UHD (3840x2160). The last two formats are limited in time - up to 5 minutes of shooting, which was done in order to save user memory.

The front camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels and takes decent pictures, especially if you remember the year of manufacture. The module has a wide viewing angle and can be used both for taking selfies and for video communication.

Conclusion

So we have completed the review of the Samsung Galaxy S6, which has grown significantly compared to its predecessor. Improvement on all fronts - design, ergonomics, display and, of course, hardware, we've worked on everything except the battery. Although it is enough for a day of average use.

Where can I buy?

Your rating for the smartphone:

The South Korean smartphone manufacturer will undoubtedly continue to release flagship models of the Galaxy S line in 2015. The Galaxy S6 has been featured in various rumors for months now, and we already know something about its hardware specifications and the timing of its announcement. In any case, the S6 model is already in the works and in the coming months there will be a lot of information from various sources.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 has been on the market for about six months now, so the media, analysts and fans are already turning their attention towards the Galaxy S6. Based on previous presentations and leaks that have surfaced online in various articles, we hope to get an idea of ​​what we can expect from the unannounced flagship.

Over the course of a couple of years, we have already gotten used to the fact that Samsung introduces its Galaxy S smartphones in February or March. We also expect the Galaxy S6 to be unveiled in the first quarter of 2015 - probably either in February at MWC 2015, or maybe at CES 2015 in January (but there's very little chance of that). In any case, sales could begin in March next year.

In recent news, we said that Samsung is working on the flagship Galaxy S6 literally from scratch. The smartphone is being developed as part of Project Zero, which is not surprising, since sales of smartphones have dropped significantly compared to its predecessors, and the company clearly does not intend to lose fans.

At the beginning of this year, there were already rumors that the Galaxy S5 will receive a display with Quad HD resolution. Samsung considered that a Full HD screen would be sufficient for a flagship, and therefore in 2015 we should definitely expect an increase in the screen resolution of the S6 to QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels). This is because already in the second half of this year an unspoken standard for flagship smartphones was established. Again we will see a Super AMOLED screen, but its diagonal should grow to at least 5.2 inches, but no more, so as not to threaten sales Galaxy Note 4. By the way, Samsung is quite capable of fitting a slightly larger display into Galaxy sizes S5 due to narrower frames.

We all know that Google recently introduced a new version of its operating system - Android 5.0 Lollipop with built-in support for 64-bit processors. There are already rumors that the Galaxy S6 will run on a self-produced processor – Exynos 7420, and the second flagship model will already have Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processors (depending on the sales market). Yes, let's clarify about the processors - the Exynos 7420 will have LTE support thanks to the built-in Exynos Modem 333 modem, but the Snapdragon 810 will already be eight-core with four Cortex-A57 and four Cortex-A53 cores, with graphics accelerator Adreno 430 and support for 64-bit computing.

As for the design, this should be the first flagship of the Galaxy S line with a metal body. Enough steps have already been taken to produce affordable premium smartphones. Firstly, this is the Galaxy Alpha with its metal frame, which we also saw on the Galaxy Note 4 phablet. Secondly, a separate line of premium Galaxy A smartphones with metal cases has appeared. It's a pity, but this means one thing - we lose access to a replaceable battery.

The Galaxy S6 will “get fatter” due to an increase in memory - the RAM will already be 3GB, and the built-in volume will increase to 128GB. The initial model will have 16GB of internal memory, but is only available in the Asian market, while the international market will have 3 variants: 32, 64 and 128GB. But what about MicroSD card support? I hope Samsung doesn't give up on this.

Samsung is also already setting a new standard for front-facing cameras - it makes sense to wait for a 5-megapixel selfie camera, given that it's already popular trend. As for the main camera, Samsung may limit itself to a 16-megapixel camera, as in the Galaxy Note 4, with optical image stabilization, smart autofocus, support for Ultra HD video recording, as well as the possibility of accelerated recording (slow motion). It looks like low-light shooting will also be improved.

Apple set a new rule in the smartphone market by introducing its iPhone with a fingerprint scanner. Samsung supported the initiative, so the S6 will also have this sensor, and there will also be a heart rate monitor and an ultraviolet sensor, which gives a significant advantage. Perhaps a retinal scanner will also appear, but the chances are slim.

Surely you have already learned characteristics and know about all the possibilities Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Today I will talk about the experience of actually using one of the hottest new products of this year. We will talk about the nuances of operation, useful or useless features, and also see what the built-in camera of a smartphone is capable of. Go!

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge package includes: charger(5 V, 2 A), wired headset, Micro-USB cable and metal SIM card ejector. It's good that the Koreans stopped using yellow boxes made of thin and super cheap cardboard. Now, of course, the packaging still doesn’t make much of an impression, especially considering the price of more than fifty thousand rubles per phone, but it’s still better than before.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge SM-G925F

I think it will be interesting not just to look at specifications smartphone in its purest form, and compare them with the capabilities of its predecessor - Galaxy S5 (SM-G900F). The specifications of the regular S6 and its curved version are no different from each other. Compared to last year’s version, a lot has changed: green marks what has changed towards improvement, red – towards worsening.

Later we will definitely talk in more detail about the hardware components and, of course, touch on performance.

Design

Let's talk a little about the design of the device. I want to say right away that in real life the device looks much better than in photographs and, especially, in press images. Judging only by the photo, it may seem that Samsung continues to stubbornly push its line of monotonous devices with a lack of design, but now it is also trying to deceive the user by saying that we are talking about a device with a first-class appearance.

When you take a smartphone in your hand, you understand that there is no deception here and this is a truly interesting, beautiful device.

The most surprising thing for me was that Samsung managed to combine the continuity of its design, which was correct in their opinion, and create something that was objectively very interesting from the point of view appearance device. Of course, you may not like the design, but in any case, it’s worth admitting that it turned out to be interesting and, due to the curved display at the edges, there is simply nothing like it on the market.

Owners of the S6 Edge should be heartened by the fact that nothing like this will appear on the market in the near future. Yes, perhaps at the beginning of 2016 we will see something curved in a similar way from some eminent manufacturer, but not a single Chinese company rushing to Olympus will be able to do something similar in the next year or two. The latter will look for ways to stand out in other ways (lack of side frames, etc.) and this is certainly a plus for you and me, consumers.

Sorry, but I can’t resist comparing the device with the iPhone 6. In the Edge, like the regular S6, the rear camera protrudes very noticeably above the surface of the body. It is clear that this nuance is due to an engineering solution - placing an excellent photomodule in a thin body is a task that no one can yet do. However, the Koreans managed to beat this moment and the back side, even with a protruding camera lens, is perceived as one piece.

The same cannot be said about the Apple device. Here the camera sticks out, apparently because the engineers simply did not have time to complete the product in time. This is exactly the impression you get when you look at the iPhone 6.

Ease of use

Curved screens give +50 to the charisma of the device, but at the same time -25 to ease of use.

The thing is that during normal use, accidental presses on the screen at its curved ends are not uncommon. Sometimes this happens in the browser when you accidentally click on some link with an advertisement like “How to lose 65 kg in two weeks!” And it also happens that when shooting something with the built-in camera, you try to tap on the screen to focus on the object, but you don’t understand why the device doesn’t respond to your attempts. After 5 seconds, it becomes clear that at this moment the thumb lightly touches the curved part of the screen and the viewfinder stops responding to any touch.

Here's another scenario for everyday use of a smartphone. In the morning, while still lying in bed, the first thing many of us do is reach for the phone to check the time, check the weather, or check our email. It is clear that we do this either in a completely horizontal position or in a reclining position. So, using the “edge” in any of these cases is very difficult. The device is tilted down towards your face and, of course, the phone rests on your thumbs. And given that you can’t hold it on the edge in this position (false clicks on the curved edges of the display will be triggered), it’s impossible to use the smartphone while lying down.

It would seem that there is a simple way out - always hold the device by the metal edge. However, in this case, the area of ​​contact between the smartphone and the palm along the edge becomes smaller and the risk of dropping the smartphone from your hands increases many times over. Any S6 Edge owner will have to go through this stage and get the hang of holding the device correctly or end up dropping it and breaking it.

There's one more thing to consider if you can't decide between the regular S6 and its curved sibling. In about a week, the euphoria from a new, interesting and unique device will pass and, so to speak, harsh everyday life will begin, during which you will constantly make compromises when using your smartphone. Either it is difficult to pick it up when it is lying on the table, or you accidentally and constantly press the screen with your palm and something goes wrong - all these troubles will haunt you constantly.

Think carefully about whether you need such an attraction and whether you are willing to sacrifice the ease of use of your device for the sake of the wow effect that the Galaxy S6 Edge produces.

By the way, due to the use of tempered glass on the front and back (the latest generation of Corning Gorilla Glass 4), the device itself does not try to slip out of your hands. In this regard, for example, the iPhone 6 is much more difficult to manage.

During use, of course, small scratches will begin to appear on the glass, but on the white model they are very difficult to notice. My copy had these available, but it was very difficult to photograph them.

The movement of all physical buttons is moderately soft and clear. It’s pleasant to press them, even despite the barely noticeable, but still present, play.

In general, the assembly of the smartphone is excellent, but a couple of nuances were still discovered.

In corners, in places smooth transitions On the body you can see a gap between the glass and the metal bumper.

In the photo below, I even managed to insert a piece of paper into this slot. In other places, the front panel fits as tightly as possible and there are not even tiny gaps.

The paint on the sloping end of the protruding camera lens peels off quite quickly.

Somehow this is not very healthy for an image product costing over 50,000 rubles. Perhaps the manufacturer will solve this problem in future batches.

Lovers compact smartphones will be happy to get the Galaxy S6 Edge, since despite its 5.1-inch display it is very compact, light and very thin. The smartphone seemed a little small to me and it would be great if Samsung released something larger. I think we should wait until fall and try the Galaxy Note Edge 2. By the way, there is no one-handed operation mode here. You can use the device comfortably this way.

Display

Despite the seemingly large 5.1-inch screen, you shouldn't expect the screen to be large. Such is the paradox. Due to the rounded sides, the useful area of ​​the screen is reduced and this is reflected in the information that fits on the screen, or rather, which remains readable. For example, in the browser we are used to the system automatically aligning the text along the edges of the screen with a double tap, but here the text extends onto the curved sides and it becomes difficult to perceive the text in this position. Each time you have to adjust the text to fit the usable display area by additionally scaling the text manually with two fingers. Comfortable? Unlikely.

The above applies only full versions sites. For clarity, in the left photo below you can see what one of the popular resources on the topic of mobile devices looks like on the S6 Edge screen. In the photo on the right, our website is open in the browser, which is specially optimized for mobile devices - nothing needs to be scaled, everything remains readable from the start.

In general, a curved screen makes you take a fresh look at the already boring interface of many applications. Thus, Instagram began to play differently due to its rounded edges. The same applies to other utilities on Android. And this is certainly very cool! Completely useless, but very cool Galaxy chip S6 Edge.

I liked the time display on the side strip of the display in night mode. You woke up so suddenly at night, turned your head, looked at the glowing clock on the side of your smartphone and continued to sleep until the alarm clock. Comfortable? Yes. Need to? Um... I guess.

When it comes to viewing angles, there is a lot to talk about. In the test photos below, I compared the S6 Edge's screen (left/top in photos, display mode: Adaptive) with one of the best displays I've seen on a mobile device in the last year - (right/bottom).

As you can see, the display of the Korean smartphone performs, in general, quite well, but it still lacks the brightness reserve in comparison with the Chinese one.

I would not say that color reproduction is ideal in both devices. In the S6 Edge, the image is slightly green, while in the MX4 Pro the colors go a little pink. Here, everyone likes what they like, but I’m not close to the traditional green displays in solutions from the Korean corporation.

However, the “edge” screen is unrivaled in terms of black transmission.

Samsung displays the deepest possible blacks, which the Meizu device cannot boast of. By the way, the latter, so you know, conveys a dark shade quite well if you compare its display with that of Huawei Honor 6 Plus. Here you can look at the comparison of these two Chinese and see the veracity of this statement.

The same applies to the behavior of the screen in the sun. The display remains readable in any conditions. The backlight adjustment sensor, of course, does not react the fastest to sudden changes in lighting, but it always does it correctly.

Processor, graphics and memory

The most modern one existing today is used as the “brains” of the smartphone. mobile processors from Samsung Exynos 7420 Octa. It is based on 4 powerful Cortex-A57 cores with a frequency of 2.1 GHz and 4 additional Cortex-A53 with a lower frequency of 1.5 GHz (big.LITTLE). The processor is created using 14-nanometer technology. The closest competitors are the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, which has some overheating issues, and the Nvidia Tegra K1.

The graphics are handled by the ARM Mali-T760 MP8. The frequency of each shader cluster reaches 772 MHz. Support for OpenGL ES 3.1, OpenCL 1.1 and DirectX 11 is declared. According to some tests, this video chip built into the processor outperforms Adreno 430 and PowerVR GX6450 (Apple A8). The high resolution of 2560 x 1440 in games is something that the graphics cope with with a bang.

In addition, it uses the fastest memory 3 GB LPDDR4-3104 (speed up to 24.8 Gbps).

Performance

The speed of animation and interface is maximum. Any menu and graphics fly and it becomes clear that you are dealing with a well-functioning interface.

The camera starts up in less than a second and takes photos even faster. During the entire testing period, I was never able to find any bottlenecks where the device stuttered at least once.

Have you read above about the smartphone specifications? So, does it make sense to say that the performance of modern 3D games is maximum? I think this is unnecessary.

The same applies to performance in various benchmarks.

In the 64-bit AnTuTu test, the Galaxy S6 Edge managed to score a whopping 70,641 virtual parrots! It’s really: “Can your smartphone do this?”

More details in the screenshots below.

Camera

Gorgeous! Seriously! She is truly the best among all those existing on this moment mobile devices (spring 2015). Don't believe me? Then look at the bee peacefully collecting nectar from the almond blossom below.

If you still have doubts, then here are examples with other frames taken on the device. The originals can be taken from here in one archive and studied in detail offline.

Even photos taken at night look good. Check out how the Samsung plant turned out in one of the photos below.

Optical stabilization works well in most situations, but taking two or three shots at a time never hurts. It happens that the photos turn out blurry, but this is discovered too late.

Examples of 100% crops are below, in their proper places.

The device takes photographs very quickly. The same applies to HDR images, and indeed launching the camera in general. In the settings, you can set the photo application to launch when you double-click the Home key. Thus, you will have approximately 1.5 seconds from the moment you discover an interesting plot until the image is saved to the smartphone’s memory.

Samsung has taken a path that can only be welcomed. Firstly, they improved the already excellent camera compared to the same Galaxy Note 4. And, secondly, they simplified the process of creating photos and menus. Previously, when you pressed a button with gears, a matrix with monochrome icons and inscriptions opened in front of you, which made your eyes water.

Now everything is simple. Basic settings, including choosing a resolution, activating geotagging, setting up additional shutter buttons (volume keys), and so on, are available by pressing the same gear.

Again, there are few modes, but all the most basic things are there: shooting slow or fast video, creating panoramas, choosing the focus after shooting, which is now fashionable, and so on.

Of course, there is a “Pro” mode, where you can play around with the shutter speed settings yourself, tighten up the picture using additional settings and select the appropriate ISO. By the way, below is an example of a picture put together from different frames at different ISO settings.

There are two sets of preset filters: the first is called up by pressing a separate virtual key from the viewfinder, and the second is accessible from the “Pro” mode. Korean developers apparently don't like what Instagram has to offer.

The smartphone is capable of recording video in a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels at 30 frames per second. Example below.

As before, the camera is capable of shooting slow-motion or sped-up videos. In this case, the resolution will not exceed 1280 x 720, and to correctly view such masterpieces on a computer, special players and codecs will be required. I'm more interested in the implementation of shooting such a video in . There the feature is called Timeshift Burst and is made more elegantly.

Battery life

Forget about two days battery life from one battery charge. The Galaxy S6 Edge will need to be charged every day, unless, of course, you bought this smartphone just to make calls.

Buy a wireless charger and train yourself to place the device on it every day before going to bed. This will make life much easier and you won’t have to worry about the lack of battery power.

Overnight, the device spends about 6-8 percent of its charge to nothing. During the day, most of the energy is consumed by the screen, data transfer and, of course, the built-in hardware. If used very intensively, the smartphone runs the risk of not surviving until the night and being discharged halfway to the outlet. In this case, you should use the energy saving mode. From normal mode There is not much benefit in saving, but extreme energy saving will allow you to stay connected for twice as long. By the way, when this feature is activated, the device is not only limited in the use of all its functions, but also behaves like some kind of budget phone: it becomes slightly thoughtful.

Models and prices

In this material, in addition to reviewing the actual use of the phone, I propose to touch upon the issue of existing models. The range of prices and modifications, of course, is not great, but the information will still be useful. This is especially true for those who decide to buy a gadget abroad during a vacation or business trip.

We have

There are currently several versions of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. First of all, they differ in the size of the built-in memory: it can be 32, 64 or 128 GB. The order of prices, respectively, is as follows: 54,990, 57,990 and 62,990 rubles. All these modifications have the same marking: SM-G925F.

A little later, another model will appear on our market, which will have support for two SIM cards on board. True, we are talking about the regular Galaxy S6 Duos (SM-G920F), which will have 64 GB allocated for data storage. Nothing is yet known about the version with a curved display and two SIM cards.

And that is not all. Most recently, the Korean company announced the start of sales of a special version of the smartphone in a color with the brand name “noble emerald”. The coloring itself does not carry any special bonus, the point here is different. For only 89,990 rubles, the lucky owner of the device will receive a wireless charger and an external battery included.

In addition, the buyer will receive a membership card to the Quintessentially Lifestyle Club, a service that books you hotels, restaurant reservations and much more around the world. A good opportunity to try the service for very little money. A subscription in isolation from a Samsung device costs completely different money, much more than the price of an “edge”.

They have

In the international arena (if you’re on vacation in the USA, this will come in handy) there’s a whole scattering of different types"edja". Below is a selection of models with approximate prices for them as a guide.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge SM-G925P- this option is available from the Sprint operator and has support for the following cellular networks: UMTS: 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz. As for LTE, the modification is designed to work in networks with the following bands: FDD LTE: 700 (12), 850 (5), 850 (26), 1700 / 2100 (4), 1900 (2), 1900 (25) MHz ; TDD LTE: 2500 (41) MHz.

SM-G925A- sold to AT&T operators and supports UMTS networks (850 / 1900 / 2100 MHz), as well as LTE FDD: 700 (17), 800 (20), 850 (5), 900 (8), 1700 / 2100 (4), 1800 (3), 1900 (2), 2100 (1), 2600 (7) MHz.

SM-G925V— can be purchased at Verizon stores and points of sale. Declared to work in UMTS (850/900/1900/2100 MHz) and LTE FDD: 700 (13), 850 (5), 1700/2100 (4), 1800 (3), 1900 (2), 2600 (7) MHz .

SM-G925T from the American operator T-Mobile - will be able to connect to UMTS (850 / 1700/2100 / 1900 / 2100 MHz), as well as cellular network 4th generation LTE FDD: 700 (12), 700 (17), 800 (20), 850 (5), 1700 / 2100 (4), 1800 (3), 1900 (2), 2100 (1), 2600 (7) MHz

And a relatively rare modification SM-G925R from U.S. Cellular is equipped with support for UMTS (800/1900 MHz), as well as LTE FDD: 700 (12), 700 (13), 700 (17), 850 (5), 1700 / 2100 (4), 1900 (2), (7 ) MHz.

The same applies to the regular version of the Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F. It is enough to remove the last letter in the model name and substitute the missing one from the operator: substitute A, T, V or R instead of F at the end of the model name.

The only parting word before purchasing: check which bands are broadcast in your city by the operator whose services you are going to use. This is an important point that should be taken into account in advance, in addition to the fact that not all of the models indicated above can be purchased by non-US residents.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone is a truly unique device. At the moment, it remains the leader of the entire market both in terms of productivity and innovation.

Most likely, the situation will not change until the end of summer, until the moment when the Korean manufacturer introduces the next generation of Note 5 or Note 5 Edge to the world. Considering all this, the stated price of 54,990 rubles is completely justified. Moreover, the manufacturer could set the price higher, since the S6 Edge is still playing alone in its league.

We talked about everything that is important to know when purchasing a device. I did not touch on the points that you already know. We looked at what the manufacturer and other publications are silent about. Only two points remain unclear: why is the regular Galaxy S6 so overpriced and how will you deal with the curved edges of the hero of today’s article? I described the last point in some detail in the body of the review - it contains everything that any user will most likely encounter during real, normal use of a smartphone.

As for the price for a regular, non-curved modification, everything is different here. Yes, we have before us a very powerful, productive device with excellent body materials. However, the device does not have the same image component as the Edge or the iPhone 6. Such a comparison set the teeth on edge, but it is not we, journalists, who do this, but the company itself.

Samsung openly competes with Apple when building its pricing policy. However, why the buyer should pay for the manufacturer’s ambitions is unclear.

If Samsung had set the price at 35-40 thousand rubles (which, in fact, happened as part of the price war in the spring-summer 2015), it would have had a chance to finally do away with competitors such as HTC or Sony and push them out of the Russian market. However, the company did not want to do this, nor did they want to remember Chinese companies, which are increasingly conquering the domestic market. In unstable economic conditions, users tend to save money and choose more affordable solutions. And there’s also the holiday season ahead—after all, you also want to relax. They don’t have extra money for the very best device.

Now, after the publication of sales reports from Apple and the Korean electronics giant, it becomes clear that Samsung’s strategy is not working and it is still impossible to compete head-on with the Cupertino team. People are addicted to stereotypes that are stuck in their heads: iPhone is cool, it’s status, period! So far, the Koreans have only partially succeeded in convincing buyers of the superiority of the Galaxy S6 Edge (on all fronts).

Release expensive smartphones that look and feel cheap? Even the market leader cannot afford this in 2015 - the top devices of competitors have become too good, too many excellent devices offer good characteristics and stylish appearance for half or even a third of the price of flagships. Probably, Galaxy smartphone S made of glass and metal should have appeared a year earlier - then Samsung might not have had it in 2014. But still, better late than never.

Appearance

Galaxy S6 is the most beautiful smartphone, which Samsung has ever released. Previous S-line flagships have always caused discomfort due to the combination of high prices and plastic housings. In the case of the Galaxy S6, this dissonance is absent. An aluminum frame, front and rear glass with elegantly rounded edges, record thinness and convincing weight - all this is designed to convince that the price tag of 47,000 rubles is justified. We are talking here about a simple version of the Galaxy S6, not an Edge with a curved screen (there will be a separate article about it).

Some sources of inspiration for Samsung designers are still easy to guess, but this time the rounded frame with a perforated speaker grille, already seen in more than one or two smartphones, does not hurt the eyes.

The Galaxy S6 may not speak a new word in design, but it organically combines current trends with the body contours that are classic for the company’s flagships.

It cannot be said that the device makes passers-by turn around on the street (this only happens today with), but looking at it and turning it in your hands is much more pleasant than the Galaxy S5 or Note 4. The only thing that hurts the eye is the protrusion under which the camera is hidden. However, given the quality of the images, which is discussed below, this sacrifice is more than justified.

Convenience

For better or worse, the smartphone is becoming everything more people as one of the main items in their lives, competing with their work PC and car. Comfortable shoes and clothes, a comfortable bed are important to us, and a smartphone should also be comfortable - after all, we often devote several hours a day to it. How good is the Galaxy S6 in this regard? Based on the rather modest dimensions for a device with a 5.1-inch display (143.4 by 70.5 by 6.8 mm), as well as the frame without sharp edges, one would assume that the device is very convenient.

In fact, believe me, everything is not so simple. Yes, when you take the Galaxy S6 in your hand, the smartphone fits perfectly in it. You don’t experience any problems during a conversation either, but then nuances begin. The fact is that “premium” aluminum and glass are very “slippery” materials. In addition, the shape of the case makes the grip area between the smartphone and the palm minimal.

Bottom line: The Samsung Galaxy S6 is one of the most easily dropped phones I've ever handled. That is, the user either constantly risks dropping the device when manipulating with one hand, or is forced to work with a fairly compact device like a phablet with both hands. To be fair, it is worth noting that the iPhone 6 and especially the 6 Plus have the same problems - they slip out of your hand very easily. One solution is to buy a bumper case. But then it’s not clear why spend money on a beautiful new smartphone, after all, in a case, the Galaxy S6 from half a meter cannot be distinguished from the Galaxy S4 from the year before last.

The location of the power/lock button on the right edge of the smartphone is very good, but changing the volume with the keys on the left edge is not so convenient; they are placed too high for pressing with the index finger. The home button with a fingerprint scanner that finally works quickly and without problems is quite convenient, although I personally prefer devices with on-screen keys. In the case of off-screen touch buttons, it is very common to accidentally press them while playing a game or watching a movie, which is annoying. On the Nexus 5, for example, the virtual buttons are hidden in full screen mode, until you specifically call them by swiping from the edge of the screen.

Screen

Samsung could not help but install an ultra-high-resolution Quad HD screen (2560 by 1440 pixels, 5.1-inch diagonal, pixel density 557 ppi, Super AMOLED) in its newest flagship. On the one hand, it’s nice, high-tech, and the picture is great. On the other hand, Full HD with such a screen diagonal is more than sufficient; the vast majority of users in life will not distinguish a clearer display from a less clear one with a pixel density above 300-350 per inch. And rendering a super-clear image requires additional processor resources and uses up the battery faster. In general, I still don't see the point (except for marketing, of course) in smartphone displays with a pixel density higher than 400 per inch.

In terms of brightness and color reproduction, the display is excellent, and you can choose the color profile (more saturated or more natural colors) to suit your taste. In bright sunshine, the mode of increased brightness and contrast is automatically turned on, color rendition suffers from it, but the picture becomes visible almost as if in the shadow.

Gorilla Glass 4 promises to protect the screen glass from cracking and scratches. However, reality can be cruel even with the most high-tech materials. Our test unit showed one greasy scratch and a couple of smaller scratches after a few days of use. Before this, the smartphone fell with its screen on the floor a couple of times (linoleum in the office, parquet at home), perhaps it encountered a couple of especially durable grains of sand there. Frankly speaking, the appearance of scratches, despite the fact that the device has not been through any serious alterations such as falling on asphalt or tiles, was upsetting. So you shouldn’t expect sapphire invulnerability from Gorilla Glass 4. If you want a smartphone without scratches, buy protective films or book covers.

Cameras, sound

Do you know what's the best thing about the Samsung Galaxy S6 as a pocket camera? It's not even the quality of the pictures, but how quickly you can launch the camera by double pressing the home button. Firstly, this function works equally well both on a “sleeping” smartphone and when you are in some application. Secondly, it seems to me that finding and pressing the large enough “Home” button is easier than feeling for the dedicated camera button that some smartphones from other manufacturers are equipped with. But the main thing is speed; a picture can be taken literally in one and a half to two seconds after the thought came to you: “Stop, just a moment, you are wonderful!” and you reached into your pocket for your smartphone. The camera's stated startup time (whether via double-tapping Home or via the home screen icon) is 0.7 seconds.

The main camera of the Galaxy S6 uses a fast lens (minimum aperture f 1.9), optical stabilization and a 16-megapixel Sony IMX240 sensor with back-illumination. There is an LED flash, Live HDR, 8x digital zoom, ISO up to 3200, 4K or Full HD video recording at 60 frames per second, slow motion and time lapse shooting. The sound is recorded in stereo mode from two microphones. The front camera is 5 megapixel, uses a matrix manufactured by Samsung.

Samsung programmers have continued to improve image processing algorithms for years, as a result, the company’s smartphones have become the best photo solutions among Android devices. And due to the higher sensor resolution, the presence of optical stabilization and the superbly implemented “night” mode, the device manages in many situations to outperform even Apple devices that are traditionally considered the photo standard among smartphones. Here are some photos (click to view full size image in new tab):

All pictures taken during the test on the Samsung Galaxy S6 can be viewed (Dropbox).

The only complaint regarding the camera is that if you want to immediately view the photo you just took, you will have to wait an agonizing couple of seconds; the delay is noticeably longer than on most smartphones released last year and this year. It is hoped that this is a software bug that will be fixed in future software updates. After all, the Galaxy S6 has the most advanced flash memory in terms of speed, so in theory there should be no delays in writing and reading images into it.

The built-in music speaker of the Galaxy S6 sounds loud, but for my taste the sound is too “metallic”, the same iPhone 6 Plus plays music more pleasantly, more details are heard. Through the audio output, the playback quality is simply excellent, including with expensive headphones, there are no complaints.

Performance, software features

In short, the Galaxy S6 is the fastest Android smartphone today. At least this is what the results of popular benchmarks indicate.

The device runs on the proprietary Samsung Exynos 7420 system-on-chip (64-bit processor, 4 Cortex-A57 cores with a frequency of 2.1 GHz and 4 Cortex-A53 1.5 GHz cores). This is the world's first mobile chip produced using the 14nm process; Qualcomm will use this technology only in the upcoming Snapdragon 820 (which, according to rumors, will again be produced by Samsung, and not TSMC, like previous models of chips in this line). 3 GB of RAM is so far more than enough for any scenario, although the 64-bit SoC can work with a large amount of memory.

Built-in memory 32, 64 or 128 GB, and supports microSD cards No. This is disappointing - after all, 32 GB, and this is the version that will most likely be the best-selling, is not enough in these times. If you take full-resolution photos and 4K videos, save TV series from Amediateka for offline viewing (all smartphone buyers receive a free trial monthly subscription to the service), install modern games with advanced graphics, then the free space will run out very quickly.

By the way, about games - the ultra-high screen resolution makes itself felt, and the result in the Epic Citadel test at maximum graphics settings is not exactly record-breaking. The coveted 60 fps is achieved only with simply “high” graphics quality:

At the same time, in practice, no slowdowns were noticed in modern games like Real Racing 3, Dungeon Keeper 5, NOVA 3. By the way, the device heats up quite a lot during the game, but, fortunately, the temperature does not reach an uncomfortable level.

However, it is not only the performance of the SoC and memory that determines whether the device will seem fast to the user or not. Samsung's flagships have never had any problems with the number of points in benchmarks and frames per second in games, but quite often with the speed of the interface. It’s gratifying that the branded Touch Wiz in the version for the Galaxy S6 differs much less from stock Android than before and is not overloaded with unnecessary bells and whistles. Even the Briefing panel with news and other content based on Flipboard recommendations is now disabled.

I have only one major complaint left with TouchWiz, and it is purely subjective - the blue color of the notification “curtain” is disgusting to me personally. You can change it only by installing another theme from the theme store, where, unfortunately, nothing decent could be found. Samsung clearly needs to add at least one professionally made theme in the style and colors of stock Android, since a Google Play version of the flagship is no longer planned.

The updated Touch Wiz still lacks the reasonable and neat organization of the system “curtain”, like in stock Android 5.0 - notifications are displayed on the first swipe, and a panel with settings shortcuts and switches on the second. A more traditional all-in-one scheme for Samsung interfaces is used here.

Battery

The Galaxy S6 does not set autonomy records - Samsung engineers clearly prioritized minimizing the thickness of the case; they had to sacrifice the battery capacity, it is 2550 mAh. At the same time, the energy-efficient AMOLED screen and the “smart” battery-consuming processor help the device last from morning to late evening during standard use (without games and videos). Streaming the House of Cards series from Amediateka in HD 720p resolution over Wi-Fi at maximum brightness takes up about 22% of the battery (that is, in this mode the smartphone will last a little over 4.5 hours on a full charge). The same indicator when watching an hour of video from the smartphone’s built-in memory was 12% in our testing - that is, a 100% charge will last for about 8 hours 20 minutes. Half an hour of playing the slasher game with poor graphics Dungeon Hunter 5 “cost” me 14% of the charge (3.5 hours on 100% battery). The indicators are weaker than those of such “hardy” devices as the iPhone 6 Plus, Xperia Z3, or especially the Huawei Mate 7, but slightly better than the Nexus 5.

In practice, it looks like this: when I use an iPhone 6 Plus, I don’t have the thought of connecting it to a charger in the car on the way home from work (I usually arrive at the editorial office around 7:30, leave around 3-4 p.m.), there’s usually more 60-70% charge. The Galaxy S6 remains at 40%, and “automatic recharge” occurs almost always. Nexus 5 usually receives an additional dose of electricity even earlier, around 2 o'clock in the afternoon - because you never know. Luckily, the Galaxy S6 has technology fast charging, from zero to 70-80% the device is charged from the included adapter in about an hour, a full charge takes another 30 minutes. The weaker charger from the Nexus 5 fills Galaxy battery S6 up to 100% in two and a half hours.

Purchase, conclusions

The Galaxy S6 is an ideologically different smartphone than all previous devices in the Galaxy S line. The previous Korean flagships were a geek's dream - top-end specifications, support for memory cards, a replaceable battery, water protection (in the Galaxy S5). In the new product, flexibility and security were sacrificed for the sake of style, and the result was not only a powerful, but also a really very beautiful phone, which for the first time does not lose out in appearance to its main competitors, including Apple devices.

The Galaxy S6 is also, perhaps, the best mobile camera today, in many situations it takes nicer (clearer and brighter) photos and videos than the iPhone 6. At the same time, the ergonomics of the smartphone are not “slippery” due to the selected materials. ideal, typing text with one hand or operating applications is uncomfortable - you are afraid of dropping the device. It's probably just a matter of habit, but it was a relief to switch back from the Galaxy S6 to my good old plastic Nexus 5. Firstly, a device with a cover made of soft-touch plastic simply cannot slip out of your hand. Secondly, dropping 20 thousand on the asphalt is still not as unpleasant as almost 50.

In large retail chains and mobile operators Galaxy S6 sells for 46,990 rubles for the 32 GB version. “Gray” phones without an official warranty can be found somewhat cheaper - from 41,000 rubles. The price does not depend on the color - white, gold, blue-black. The version with two SIM cards in official retail is equipped with 64 GB of internal memory and costs more - from 49,990 rubles.

Let's summarize the Samsung Galaxy S6 review.

Pros:

• The best design in the history of the Galaxy S line
• Premium case materials
• Record for today for the ecosystem Android performance
• The best mobile camera among Android smartphones, superior to the iPhone 6 in many shooting scenarios

Minuses:

• High (especially in conditions of a slightly strengthened ruble) price
• Doesn't fit securely in the palm; typing with one hand is awkward
• Unremarkable battery life
• No slot for microSD memory cards

Specifications

• Model: SM-G920F
• Screen: Super AMOLED 2560 by 1440 pixels, 5.1-inch diagonal, pixel density 557 ppi, Gorilla Glass 4
• Chipset: Exynos 7420 (64-bit, 4x 2.1GHz Cortex-A57 and 4x 1.5GHz Cortex-A53)
• Graphics: Mali-T760MP8
• Memory: 3 GB RAM, built-in flash drive 32, 64 or 128 GB
• Cameras: 16 MP, optical stabilization, autofocus, flash and 5 MP front
• Network: 2G, 3G, LTE
• Wireless interfaces Wi-Fi dual-band 802.11b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, infrared port, wireless charger supporting Qi and PMA standards
• Geolocation: A-GPS, GLONASS, “Beidu”
• Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, light sensor, compass, barometer, heart rate sensor
• Battery: 2550 mAh
• Dimensions: 143.4 by 70.5 by 6.8 mm (thickness excluding camera protrusion)
• Weight: 138 g

Image model on the fastest platform

The flagship Samsung Galaxy S series smartphones do not need any special introduction. Along with Apple products, Samsung smartphones have traditionally aroused 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 the iPhone, and in the Sony Xperia, and even in the fashion models of the Huawei P series, but for Samsung smartphones it's 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, Samsung's new flagships have confidently perched on the top step of the podium and, apparently, will not be ousted from 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 others modern smartphones, whose creators reoriented themselves 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. All that will remain in my memory is another cute and very fast smartphone, One of many.

Video review

To get started, we suggest watching our video review of the Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone:

Now let's take a look at the characteristics of the new product.

Main characteristics of Samsung Galaxy S6 (model SM-G920F)

• 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
• Inner memory 32, 64 or 128 GB
• No microSD card slot
• Communication GSM 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), point Wi-Fi access
• 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, and headphones with a flat wire and rubber ear pads exactly the same shape as Apple 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. Slim profile, strong 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 glass Corning Gorilla Glass 4, and the side frame that runs 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 Apple iPhone 6/6 Plus, which only the lazy did not wash their bones for this option of placing the camera module. Not far from the lens is a block consisting of a single LED flash and a heart rate sensor.

The front of the smartphone is completely covered 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 you about 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. 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.

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 has implemented the volume key not as a single two-position rocker, but as 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 supports connecting 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 televisions to stereo systems. 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 Galaxy modifications 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 accidental taps on the screen were recorded.

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.

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 little 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 automatic brightness adjustment function is as expected. At any brightness level there is significant modulation with a frequency of 237 Hz. The figure below shows the dependence of brightness (vertical axis) on 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 company 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 the very high resolution, they have a 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 indicator 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 curve deviates little from the power-law dependence (the captions in parentheses show the indicator of the approximating power 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 Adobe RGB gamut:

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 Adobe installation RGB, it makes 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. Color 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 the voice recorder, in addition to the 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.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy S6 is equipped with two digital camera modules 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 entertainment, there is a group selfie mode, and even virtual shooting is possible specific object to create a multi-directional view of an object—in this case, most likely your own head. Shoot on front camera without touching the screen, using an open palm gesture or a 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.

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 mode 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).

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)

	Good sharpness across the frame, but it drops off a little towards the edges.
	Even in the shadows the sharpness is good.
	Excellent sharpness in distant shots.
	The color of the sky and building is quite even. Light noise can be seen at the edges of the frame.
	The camera does a good job of capturing details in the shadows.
	Sharping on the wires is practically absent.
	The tree branches are well crafted.
	The license plates of all cars in the frame are clearly visible.
	And on a fairly dark frame, good sharpness and noise reduction work are visible.
	In room lighting and with flash, the text is rendered well.
	The camera does just as well without a flash.
	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 are not noisy, the details are well worked out, there are small defects, but this is not a DSLR camera or even a compact one - it is 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.

Rest networking opportunities The smartphone is also excellent: it supports 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 Mbit/s) supports operation in both frequency bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) and Wi-Fi Direct technology, 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.

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.

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 overall everything remains 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.

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. Sidebar removed 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 panel of Android 5.0, everything here remains the same: the panel does not fold out in two stages, the list of quick access icons is scrolled with a horizontal swipe, and proprietary buttons are built in here for quickly connecting to other devices and S Finder.

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 is serviced by a special remote control emulation program 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 Microsoft branded programs (OneDrive, OneNote, Skype).

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.

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:

All the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the most latest versions popular benchmarks, we have summarized them in tables for convenience. 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.

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).

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.

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.

¹ sound in MX Video Player was played only after installing an alternative custom audio 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. For this we used the set test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methods 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 the standard range of 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 performed well in terms of battery life, showing excellent autonomy in most standard use 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 energy consumption by turning off non-essential functions and preserving vital functions at the moment, as well as for visual effect, converting the image on the screen to black and white.

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 via home Wi-Fi network the device lasted 12 hours. The device worked for 4 hours in 3D gaming mode. The smartphone supports fast charging technology, 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. A fingerprint scanner, an infrared port, a heart rate sensor, wireless charging - all additional flagship super features are available. The only thing that comes to mind is the lack of protection from water, but in Lately user excitement around the need for such functionality began to fade, and the Koreans immediately deleted it. 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 everyone can afford a new smartphone for 50 thousand rubles, but Samsung is on trend here too: all top echelon players, without exception, 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.