Samsung Galaxy S6 review

Unfortunately, this upgraded design comes with a few drawbacks and two of the most criticized changes to the phone compared to previous models. To create a unibody design, Samsung decided to remove microSD card support and go with a non-removable battery pack. However, to help account for this, they have upgraded the storage of the base model to 32GB, with 64 and 128GB models available as well. The phone also supports both Qi and PWM wireless charging as well, a feature that Samsung is touting heavily about the new handset. They claim that with a single 10-minute charge you can pull more than 4 hours of battery life out of the phone.

Fortunately, this is virtually the only potential issue that reviews had with the S6. All reviews were positive for the phone’s 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display. Running at a resolution of 1440-by-2560 pixels, it packs in more than enough pixels for watching a movie on the plane or checking email. Trusted Reviews put the display through its paced and found that it “impresses with the brightness of its colours and outstanding contrast evident in videos and photos.”

Pushing all those pixels is a Samsung-exclusive octa-core Exynos processor with speeds up to 2.1GHz and 3GB of RAM. Samsung claims that the processor offers a 35-percent increase in efficiency while boosting performance as well. This is good news if you’re worried about the non-removable battery. Overall, performance appears stellar in most reviews. Engadget tried to find a hiccup in the device and failed, stating, “Thumbing through webpages, jumping in and out of open apps with the manic frenzy of a rabid squirrel and generally just trying to be a jerk didn't phase the S6 or S6 edge in the slightest.”

The S6 also runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with the latest version of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. While reviews of past versions of TouchWiz were often less than great, Engadget, Trusted Reviews and Forbes all noted how much they liked the latest edition of Samsung’s interface. Most reviews found that it is less cluttered and more streamlined than previous versions, fixing many of the issues that reviewers and users had with it. The Verge noted, “Samsung also trimmed back the software features, claiming that there are 40 percent fewer features in the Galaxy S6 than the S5. Overall, the software feels largely the same as before, however.”

Lastly, if you like to snap photos and post selfies with your phone, reviews indicate that you’ll be more than pleased with the camera on the Galaxy S6. Boasting a 16MP rear-facing camera and optical image stabilization, reviews were surprised as just how fast the camera launched and captured shots. Both the front- and rear-facing cameras see upgrades to f/1.9 lenses and optimized software from Samsung. One of the biggest claims from Samsung is low-light performance and according to Trusted Reviews, the handset delivers, stating, “the low-light features blow the competition out of the water.”

Overall, reviews indicated that the S6 is one of the most refined Android devices to date. While die-hard fans of removable batteries and expandable storage might be disappointed, there are plenty of other reasons to love the phone. From wireless charging to LTE Cat 6 support, the phone offers plenty of cutting edge bells and whistles to keep even the most tech-savvy gadget lover happy.