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Galaxy S6

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http://www.digitaltrends.com/cell-phone-reviews/samsung-galaxy-s6-review/
The battery is really the key to the Galaxy S6. If it whittles down quickly, the phone’s features and performance hold less credence. The Galaxy S6 actually has a smaller battery (2,550mAh) than the GS5 (2,800mAh), but it’s supposed to use a more efficient processor. The jury’s still out on the Exynos chip, but questioning the longevity of the non-removable battery is totally understandable.

Samsung flatly noted that it only went with the non-removable design because it was confident the battery could stand up on its own. Well, that confidence has a backup plan, just in case. The Quick Charger that comes in the box with the phone can give you four hours of use (or two hours of HD streaming) from a fast 10-minute charge. Samsung says it can charge from empty to full in only 80 minutes. I wasn’t provided with the proper charger, so I can’t verify that those numbers are indeed accurate.

The second part of that plan is wireless charging support for both the Qi and PMA (Power Matters Alliance) standards. This is the first smartphone to have dual compatibility, so it’s a big deal if you own a wireless charger. I tried to charge it on an old Powermat charger (which used PMA technology) but it didn’t work. It did work like a charm on a Qi pad, however.

Charging options aside, the battery’s overall performance didn’t impress me. I could go through a full day, except it drained faster than I expected. This isn’t to say that it’s awful and a major cause for concern, just that it isn’t as robust as it should be. In some respects, I consider the GS5 to last longer than this phone does.
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This is when you wished Samsung went with a 1080p display. The 2K works better for above 5.5" and tablets.

I don't bother with AnandTech for reviews anymore. Only sometimes. LONG and well-written but you might as well watch a video from Android Authority and PocketNow TELLING and SHOWING you. The only knock from Josh Vergara and Michael Fisher is they never give you actual data on battery life. That's where GSM Arena and Phone Arena comes in with their ratings data.

Waiting for PA for further confirmation that the 2015 flagships have WORSE battery life than their 2014 predecessors. Phone Arena seems far more accurate with the real world SOT as their test seems more rigorous than other sites.

For further confirmation that 2K screens is useless or some of these OEM's should have went for a BIGGER battery since the SoC is going to be faster, check the LG G Flex 1 vs 2.


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G Flex - Snapdragon 800 / 6" / 720p / 245ppi / 3500 mAh
G Flex2 - Snapdragon 810 / '5.5" / 1080p / 403ppi / 3000 mAh

Phone Arena
Samsung Galaxy S5 - 7 hrs and 38 min
HTC One M8 - 7 hrs and 12 min
LG G Flex - 7 hrs and 11 min

At least the drop-off with the S6 isn't as significant from the S5 compared to the Flex2 from the original. The M9 could be WORSE...
 
Savor said:
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http://www.digitaltrends.com/cell-phone-reviews/samsung-galaxy-s6-review/


This is when you wished Samsung went with a 1080p display. The 2K works better for above 5.5" and tablets.

I don't bother with AnandTech for reviews anymore. Only sometimes. LONG and well-written but you might as well watch a video from Android Authority and PocketNow TELLING and SHOWING you. The only knock from Josh Vergara and Michael Fisher is they never give you actual data on battery life. That's where GSM Arena and Phone Arena comes in with their ratings data.

Waiting for PA for further confirmation that the 2015 flagships have WORSE battery life than their 2014 predecessors. Phone Arena seems far more accurate with the real world SOT as their test seems more rigorous than other sites.

For further confirmation that 2K screens is useless or some of these OEM's should have went for a BIGGER battery since the SoC is going to be faster, check the LG G Flex 1 vs 2.


Image
Image

G Flex - Snapdragon 800 / 6" / 720p / 245ppi / 3500 mAh
G Flex2 - Snapdragon 810 / '5.5" / 1080p / 403ppi / 3000 mAh

Phone Arena
Samsung Galaxy S5 - 7 hrs and 38 min
HTC One M8 - 7 hrs and 12 min
LG G Flex - 7 hrs and 11 min

At least the drop-off with the S6 isn't as significant from the S5 compared to the Flex2 from the original. The M9 could be WORSE...
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S6 a bit better than the iPhone 6:

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I agree, I wish it were even better, and it's a shame it's a step back from the S5, but if it's a bit better than the iPhone 6, and offers wireless charging + quick charging, I think I can live with it.

Can't wait to see Edge battery tests...
 
As long as my future phones can get what my first gen Moto G does I am good, I can get 6+ screen hours with it when I really let it get low, 5+ without hitting red
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mclld said:
As long as my future phones can get what my first gen Moto G does I am good, I can get 6+ screen hours with it when I really let it get low, 5+ without hitting red
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It's hard to compare modern flagship phones with the Motorola G. The difference in resolution, processing power is astronomical. It's like wanting your Ferrari to get the same mileage as your Prius.
 
Here's some images from a recent hands on with the S6. It's a really great feeling device and extremely fast in use.

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jamezr said:
All will be revealed is quite true.

I hope for HTC's sake they are wrong. This might be the final nail in the coffin for them. No hate for HTC or Qualcomm from me......
But if after release the M9 under performs in benchmarks. Then we all know it is being throttled so it doesn't overheat.
The site reporting the M9 overheating issues was Dutch not Chinese. But it doesn't matter what the country origin was......

http://tweakers.net/nieuws/101871/htc-one-m9-heeft-last-van-oververhitting-bij-zware-belasting.html
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BGR: HTC reportedly fixes the One M9 so it won’t scald your hand. http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIw_-PP5iA


So it was buggy pre-release software at fault and NOT the Snapdragon 810 in general ;)

Max temp under heavy load was now 40° degrees which is lower than some of those in that first reported test.
 
MRU said:
BGR: HTC reportedly fixes the One M9 so it won’t scald your hand. http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIw_-PP5iA


So it was buggy pre-release software at fault and NOT the Snapdragon 810 in general ;)

Max temp under heavy load was now 40° degrees which is lower than some of those in that first reported test.
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That's good news for sure,40 Celsius is pretty good for full load(while charging too it said). I know this is apples and oranges but my desktop hits the high 50s under load with the fans revving. Sounds good to me.
 
You know what's a simple feature that I love on the S6/Edge? The camera shortcut. Double tapping the home screen anywhere/anytime, even during screen off, launches the camera in under a second. Every review/preview has said this works very fast and reliably.

It's simple things like this that should be applauded. It's a very Apple-like feature. Simple and effective. Useful.

Such a tiny thing but every time I see it happen in a review/video preview, I get giddy. :)
 
gotluck said:
That's good news for sure,40 Celsius is pretty good for full load(while charging too it said). I know this is apples and oranges but my desktop hits the high 50s under load with the fans revving. Sounds good to me.
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Yeah but you aren't holding your desktop in the palm of your hand.

Im hoping that HTC managed to fix the overheating as I want them to do well in the smartphone market but I have concerns about the means they used to reduce cpu temperatures that much.
 
As far as I can tell, the only serious knock against the S6 in all these early reviews, in my opinion, is the "average" battery life.

And given what you're getting and the specs that the battery is powering, and given the inclusion of Quick Charge (10 mins = 4 hours. That is unbelievably sweet) and wireless charging, I think "average" battery life can be forgiven.

It's so far rated slightly better than the iPhone 6, and should get you through a full day's use until bed time. And again, if you plan to invest in a wireless charger, say at work, this should more than suffice.

Quite happy so far with the reviews...

And gawd, that camera...! Everyone should really watch the camera sectoin in that Android Authority review; those low-light and night camera shots are straight up unbelievable.
 
epicrayban said:
It's so far rated slightly better than the iPhone 6, and should get you through a full day's use until bed time. And again, if you plan to invest in a wireless charger, say at work, this should more than suffice.
.
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IPhone 6 battery wasn't great though... 6+ yes, 6 pretty meh.


Also quick charge 4 hours is actually about 90 mins physical screen on time which is good (advertised on Samsung's own site as enough to watch 1 movie).
 
MRU said:
IPhone 6 battery wasn't great though... 6+ yes, 6 pretty meh.


Also quick charge 4 hours is actually about 90 mins physical screen on time which is good (advertised on Samsung's own site as enough to watch 1 movie).
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Nice. I can totally live with 10 min charge equalling 90 mins of SOT. Most definitely.
 
epicrayban said:
As far as I can tell, the only serious knock against the S6 in all these early reviews, in my opinion, is the "average" battery life.

And given what you're getting and the specs that the battery is powering, and given the inclusion of Quick Charge (10 mins = 4 hours. That is unbelievably sweet) and wireless charging, I think "average" battery life can be forgiven.

It's so far rated slightly better than the iPhone 6, and should get you through a full day's use until bed time. And again, if you plan to invest in a wireless charger, say at work, this should more than suffice.

Quite happy so far with the reviews...

And gawd, that camera...! Everyone should really watch the camera sectoin in that Android Authority review; those low-light and night camera shots are straight up unbelievable.
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If the battery life is as good as the S5 then that's good enough for me. I got through a whole day with the S5 with heavy usage.
 
epicrayban said:
If you can get there, go for it. The staff were very friendly in letting you try the devices. They're also on display, too. I forgot to see if they had a gold platinum on display. D'oh.

If availability or even price is a major issue with the Edge, I may hold off until it becomes more readily available and/or the price comes down. I really want the Edge now over the regular S6...
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The experience shop is in the Time Warner building at Columbus Circle. Is this where you went?
 
epicrayban said:
You know what's a simple feature that I love on the S6/Edge? The camera shortcut. Double tapping the home screen anywhere/anytime, even during screen off, launches the camera in under a second. Every review/preview has said this works very fast and reliably.



It's simple things like this that should be applauded. It's a very Apple-like feature. Simple and effective. Useful.



Such a tiny thing but every time I see it happen in a review/video preview, I get giddy. :)
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I wonder what is happened to S-Voice now seeing as that was its default shortcut....
 
I am so mad that they are getting rid of the replaceable battery and SD slot for the S6. The whole reason I have an S5 (upgraded from an S3) is for those two exact features!
 
MRU said:
I wonder what is happened to S-Voice now seeing as that was its default shortcut....
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Not sure. But I did long-pressed the home button and it brought me to Google Now.

In the ANdroid Authority review, he says that TouchWiz just really gets out of the way, and doesn't bombard you to use their features. The base experience is simple and non-intrusive, and if anyone wants to dive deeper into TW features, they can do so on their own discovery.

So... ya, who knows.

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Praxis91 said:
I am so mad that they are getting rid of the replaceable battery and SD slot for the S6. The whole reason I have an S5 (upgraded from an S3) is for those two exact features!
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Understandable. Personally, I think they might the right call.

Perhaps you can wait for the Active variant of the S6. That should theoretically retain at least the user-removable battery.
 
I hope this new S6 design carries over to the upcoming Note 5. Would love to see a thinner, rounder, all metal Note 5, basically a larger S6 would be awesome IMO.

The S6 battery results are no good for me. I need something to last a full day of heavy hardcore use, and the S5 can't even handle my kind of use, I need 6h On Screen time daily, only phablets seem to work for me all day and night long.
 
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