Samsung Galaxy S6 review

Where to buy

In the premium smartphone space, Samsung and Apple duke it out for primacy. Apple only releases a single device update annually, but Samsung typically has two bites at the premium cherry with its larger phablet Note devices (and this year, the larger Samsung Galaxy Note S6 Edge+), alongside its more regular sized device in the Galaxy S range. 2015’s entry is the Samsung Galaxy S6.

Upsides

• Good processor performance: The Galaxy S6 was one of the first "flagship" smartphones released in 2015, but it has held its ground in performance terms over the year, even as we’ve seen competing flagship products come to market. In day to day use, this means it’s a quick performer for basic smartphone tasks. In benchmark terms, here’s how the Samsung Galaxy S6 compares to a range of popular premium handsets:
  

  Handset	Geekbench 3 Single Core (higher is better)	Geekbench 3 Multi Core (higher is better)
  Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+	1492	4893
  Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge	1324	4626
  Google Nexus 6P	1251	4597
  Samsung Galaxy S6	1347	4569
  Apple iPhone 6S	2540	4410
  Apple iPhone 6S Plus	2491	4391
  Google Nexus 5X	1188	3198

• Samsung’s launcher is less obtrusive: The Samsung Galaxy S5 was loaded with additional software that you probably didn’t want or need. Samsung listened to its customers, and while the Samsung Galaxy S6 does run the Touchwiz launcher developed by Samsung, the overall impact and difference from stock Android is barely noticeable.
• Sharp, fast camera: Again, it’s testament to how well the Samsung Galaxy S6 has held up given its early 2015 release that its camera is still one of the best you can get on any smartphone, with notably quick focusing.
• Good battery life and power management: The Galaxy S6 packs in a 2550mAh battery, which is on the smaller side for a premium handset. It’s quite intelligent in how it sips at that power, however. Using Geekbench's inbuilt battery test with the screen dimmed, the Samsung Galaxy S6 acquitted itself well:
  

  Handset	Geekbench 3 Battery Test Duration	Geekbench 3 Battery Score
  Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+	8:24:10	5041
  Apple iPhone 6S Plus	7:48:10	4681
  Samsung Galaxy S6	6:51:30	4115
  Google Nexus 5X	7:14:20	4062
  Google Nexus 6P	6:39:20	3754
  Apple iPhone 6s	3:52:10	2321

  Samsung’s provided charger with the Galaxy S6 will give it a recharge rapidly, and it also supports both the Qi and PMA wireless charging standards, so power is easy to supply to the handset.

Downsides

• No more waterproofing: The Samsung Galaxy S5 was one of only a handful of handsets with IP-rated waterproofing, meaning you could have it accidentally drop into water without near instantly killing it. The metal body design of the Samsung Galaxy S6 didn’t apparently allow for that same level of protection, which means it’s worse in this respect than its predecessor.
• Slippy metal back: Previous Galaxy phones had a plastic back, which didn’t look as good but provided a level of hand grip. The Galaxy S6’s metal back is noticeably slippy, so a case is a must to avoid accidental drops.
• No removable battery: The Samsung Galaxy’s predecessors also had removable backs and batteries, so you could swap in a battery if you ran out of charge, or easily replace it down the track if it developed problems holding a charge. That’s also gone thanks to the metal body design.
• No expandable storage: It is feasible to include a microSD card slot on a smartphone, as HTC showed with the HTC One M9, but the Samsung Galaxy S6 doesn’t offer easily expandable storage.

Verdict

Samsung has a lot of smartphones on offer, but only a few premium options. If the larger size and style of the Note 5 or Galaxy S6 Edge+ don’t appeal to you and you want a premium handset with a few bundled extras, the Galaxy S6 is a good fit.

Coming essentially first in the 2015 premium space means that there’s a lot of competing handsets you could consider at the Samsung Galaxy S6’s outright asking price, whether you fancy the Google Nexus 5X or its sibling the Google Nexus 6P and its very clean Android interface, the actually waterproof Sony Xperia Z5 or any of the mid-to-premium handsets from makers such as Huawei or Oppo.

Pricing and availability

• Price: ~$250
• Where to buy: eBay

Specifications