However I do think this is a game changer on the Android scene, and I would get the edge version if I was in the market for a new phone.
I don't see the need for two S6's i.e. one with the edge screen and the other without.
Edge looks prettier but I think Edge would be bit more expensive.
I do. The price premium for the Edge is too much for many who are happy to pay for the standard S6. So the Edge becomes the premium, aspirational model that entices people in to look at Samsung phones.
They had to be launched simultaneously, otherwise the S6 would have cannibalised the S6 Edge (as the Note 4 has seriously affected sales of the Note Edge; people who wanted the latest edition of the Note bought it, then the Note Edge was released some time later -- too late to pick up the early adopters).
I am seriously put off by the lack of a removable battery and SD card expansion capability, and by the lack of support for Qi wireless charging. Exactly the three things that I was hoping for: my S4 (less than 2 years old) which needs replacing because it keeps doing weird things (e.g. frequent crashes); its battery now lasts maybe 70% of a day; its internal memory is full and I save to its SD card; and I charge it on a (Samsung!!!) Qi charger (having installed a Samsung!!! Qi charger back plate).
So it's a big NO to both variants of the S6 from me. I think I'll pursue my other alternative:
What would you recommend for a large (> 5.5") screen phone/phablet now? One (probably minor) consideration is that I really like the beep'n'go app, which stores cards such as loyalty cards (Cumulus, etc.) for scanning in stores -- but currently only Samsung phones support this app.
It does support Qi wireless charging . Its actually the most advanced in this regard since it supports both wireless charging standards (WPC and PMA)
That'll learn me to take the BBC at face value. Its report on the launch of the S6 initially said something like "the S6 supports wireless charging for the PMA and WPC standards. Users of Qi wireless charging will not be supported", or words to that effect. Clearly the reporter was not up to speed on his wireless charging standards.
I note that the report has now been edited to read "The firm is claiming a "world first" by embedding support for both the PMA and WPC's Qi wireless charging standards". Not being a moderator of the BBC News website, I can't pull up the old version of that report to quote it precisely.
And I see that Samsung has explained away the lack of swappable battery, leaving the lack of SD card problem. They do offer a 128 GB model of the S6 Edge, which seems to be available (from Swisscom, anyway) only in black... for only CHF 1,149 !
Any suggestions for my new supersize-me smartphone?
My next phone will NOT be a samsung to much bloat ware. I'm thinking of the new sony Z4 (I'm not updating my contract until summer)
Well, that makes two of us
My Z1 feels tired (another way of saying I'm just itching for a new device). Was very hopeful that the S6 will lure me to the dark side, flashing it out of the box with something other than TouchJizz... Seriously underwhelmed and unimpressed with the stripped water/dust resistance, removed internal storage and access to battery.
Lately all have gone in the same direction, glass/unibody, nothing removable but asking 1k for a 128GB phone when you can add a microSD for roughly 100 if supported... not cool.
But then, geeks were never the target market of Samsung, who prefer to sell like Apple does: in container units, whenever possible.
The (probably unreliable) BBC report that I referenced above states that "changes include making the TouchWiz user interface simpler to use by cutting the number of pop-up messages".
It's never really concerned me, especially since the processor in the S6 is faster and more powerful than ever, but then again, I just use smartphones as smartphones, to make calls, surf the web, manage my email and calendar and run a few basic apps.
Beep'n'go is now available on all Android smartphones, according to their Facebook page.
And I'm still happy with my LG G3, can be had for less than 400 chuffs for the 32 GB version. Wireless charging, removable battery, expandable memory, Lollipop.
Full disclosure: Other people on this forum that have purchased the G3 have been unsatisfied with its size (too wide to hold comfortably), LG firmware, and call quality. I'm personally fine with the latter two, but agree it could be smaller.
If you use it only for calls + browsing, perhaps the Nexus 6 is an excellent choice: latest android by default with the Motorola radios/antennas to give you the signal you need. 6 inch may be overkill but then @Russkov's suggestion for the LGG3 may be the optimal middle ground, imho...
The Nexus 6 is never a good choice - it's a seriously flawed handset. The troubleshooting thread on google groups is more than 1k posts long, and that's just for the spontaneous reboot issue.
Gotta say, the M9 doesn't have much going for it. I'd say the Galaxy S6 Edge is the prettier, more solid device this year.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/1/812...nds-on-preview
apparently, HTC still hasn't managed to produce a decent camera. No IS (resulting in lousy low-light performance).
I should have been more specific: only late-model Samsung phones support all the functionality of this app. There are multiple apps offering storage of cards with barcodes (to be scanned passively at the store checkout), but beep'n'go is (I understand) the only app that actively sends the barcode to the scanner, using the phone's infra-red signaling hardware (or something ). Apparently late-model Samsung phones are the only Android phones to incorporate this hardware.
The benefit is that the scanning works every time with beep'n'go. Passive scanning often doesn't work off the mobile phone's screen, and in some stores (like Coop), I'm usually met with "that won't work" when I present my phone -- I have to push the check-out operator to just try scanning my phone, and it works very single time (to their amazement).
HTC is a company on the ropes, not far behind Blackberry in terms of falling revenue and talent exodus. Perhaps they should go back to their forte, OEM manufacture and leave the branded market for those with deep enough pockets to make a success of it.
I agree. It's a pity they couldn't succeed, though.
The company are dying a very slow and protracted death, they just haven't quite realized it yet.
Now that we have the MWC news: what earns your attention and (possibly) your money?
The Galaxy S6 Edge was the star of the show for me. Absent of course was any announcement from Sony on the Z4, however the rumours of wireless charging in the next model would be very good news but I would still like to see fingerprint unlocking. This is becoming a must have given that its now standard on iPhones and iPads and the higher end Galaxies.
No flagships of note for me, but the show brought a few more mid-range reasonably priced phones I can recommend to casual users. The Sony M4 Aqua and the LG Magna for example.
Hi,
Very disappointing product launches from Samsung. Hopefully, something better is coming. Couldn't care less about the metal body. What I do care about is expandable Memory and battery life.
I assume that Samsung will sell a lot less of the S6 compared to the S5, which seems a weird decision. Maybe higher prices and lower volume is what they want.
It did make me laugh...looks like an iPhone 6 which of course looks remarkablely similar to the HTC M8.
I don't understand why they got rid of the their 2 competitive advantages and went with 2 of the worst apple "Features".
Phones last a long time so I will not need a new one for a while.
Have fun
Martin