S6 & S6 Edge : Samsung Gatecrashes Apple

Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and iPhone 6 – proportional comparison

This is the big one. The big kahuna. The ultimate smartphone showdown in 2015. The iPhone 6S? It will arrive too late. The HTC One M9? Loved or loathed it won’t come close to generating the same cultural awareness or sales figures. For better or worse, the iPhone 6, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are the phones that will dominate smartphone sales in 2015.

So let’s put them head-to-head.

Design – Luxury And Style Meets Luxury And Style

The first place to start when looking at the iPhone 6, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge is their design. Why? Because what we have is not the battle many would have expected a few years ago.

In 2014 Apple took a sizeable leaf out of Samsung’s book with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus stepping up to compete head-on with the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note ranges. It paid off in spades.

Now in 2015 it is time for Samsung to take a leaf out of Apple’s playbook. The new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge have joined the Apple design school and it is a decision which has split Samsung fans right down the middle.

The first inklings of change come from looking at the size and weight of these devices compared to their predecessors:

    Galaxy S6 – 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm (5.64 x 2.77 x 0.27 in) and 138g (4.86 oz)
    Galaxy S6 Edge – 142.1 x 70.1 x 7 mm (5.59 x 2.76 x 0.27 in) and 132g (4.65 oz)
    Galaxy S5 – 142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm (5.59 x 2.85 x 0.32 in) and 145g (5.11 oz)

    iPhone 6: 138.1 x 67 x 6.9mm (5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27in) and 129g (4.55oz)
    iPhone 5S: 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm (4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 in) and 112 g (3.95 oz)

Yes the Galaxy S6 range has got thinner and lighter while the iPhone 6 has got larger and heavier (though also thinner). As such whereas the iPhone 5S and Galaxy S5 were miles apart, now the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and iPhone 6 are all similarly sized.


But more than that, they are also now similarly styled. With the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung has seemingly done the unthinkable and ditched its trademark plastic finish for the same aluminium unibody appearance as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. They also now feature glass backs.

The positive here is this puts Samsung right up with Apple in the design and build quality stakes. The negative is the switches mean Samsung has had to compromise on its earlier principles: no removable back, no removable battery and no expandable storage.

If you’re coming from an iPhone then the fuss about this will baffle you, but to hardcore Samsung owners the loss of these features – plus the water resistance of the S5 – is an outrage. As such Samsung is clearly desperate to win new iPhone customers, possibly at the expense of some of its existing users.

If you don’t care about these missing elements then all three of these phones remain in the running for your affections. Otherwise I’m afraid things are looking grim. Elsewhere LG still offers a removable battery on its G3 while Sony’s Xperia models have waterproofing, but there’s no-one now providing them both – and that’s a great shame.

Displays – Everyone Levels Up

While Samsung’s design shift was clearly meant to close the style gap to the iPhone 6, where it hopes both the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge will stride clear are their displays. Most notably with the Galaxy S6 Edge.

    Galaxy S6 – 5.1-inch QHD flat panel, 2560 x 1440 pixels, 577 pixels per inch (ppi), Super AMOLED display
    Galaxy S6 Edge – 5.1-inch QHD curved panel, 2560 x 1440 pixels (577 ppi), Super AMOLED display
    iPhone 6: 4.7-inch, 1334 x 750 pixels, 326 ppi, LED-backlit IPS LCD
    iPhone 6 Plus: 5/5-inch, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 401 ppi, LED-backlit IPS LCD

On paper this looks like a typical Samsung Vs Apple battle: the former throwing a super high resolution at Apple’s seemingly more modest panels. The reality is the iPhone 6 (and the largest iPhone 6 Plus) punch far above their weight with superb brightness, contrast ratio and viewing angles.

That said the competition just got stiffer. DisplayMate gained early access to both the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge and its respected benchmarking process saw it proclaim them as the greatest ever smartphone displays. Crucially this isn’t only about resolution but increased brightness, colour accuracy and a low level of reflectance which makes them easier to use outdoors.

But the real head turning aspect in these three phones belongs to the Galaxy S6 Edge and its so-called ‘three sided screen’.

Galaxy S6 and S6 glass backs are non-removable

What this amounts to are curves on both sides which not only look great, but also offer additional functionality akin to the Galaxy Note Edge. Out the box this will mean services called: ‘Information Stream’, ‘Night Clock’, ‘Edge Lighting’ and ‘People Edge’.

The first two are on the Note Edge and, as their names suggest, scroll information or the time along the edge. Meanwhile People Edge is triggered by a swipe from the top right side and brings up most frequent contacts while Edge Lighting can tie calls from those people to a colour which lights up on the side of the phone when it is face down.

Interesting, yes. Revolutionary? No. Consequently the success of the Galaxy S6 Edge as functionality-based rather than aesthetic purchase will largely depend on how many third party developers embrace it. The potential is certainly there and Samsung has made a brave move that I hope pays off, but finding critical mass will be crucial to deciding whether the Edge display amounts to anything more than a cool gimmick.

Cr.Forbes, Android TV