Functional side panel.
Color-coding your favorite contacts makes it even easier to manage. Each of your 5 favorite contacts will have a different color for quick access from the sidebar and color notification for calls and messages. Side edge of the screen Samsung Galaxy S6 edge has another function - night clock -. Now there is no need to turn on the main display to find out the exact time or turn off the alarm. It is enough to slide your finger back and forth along the side edge to activate the screen with the display of time and notifications.
New intuitive user interface.
The more structured and cleaner interface of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, based on Android 5.0 Lollipop, simplifies navigation and allows you to quickly and easily navigate the device. Each section of the menu is assigned a certain color, all applications are presented in the form of simple icons, the number of pre-installed elements has been reduced. You can even create your own smartphone themes using the Mobile Theme Editor app.
Clarity and brightness.
The camera allows you to take high quality pictures thanks to its high resolution and large aperture. And optical stabilization ensures blur-free photos.
Focus movement.
Moving subjects are always sharp with the new AF Tracking mode, which keeps your subject in focus no matter how it moves.
Correct exposure.
Photos with flawless color and detailed details. The pictures look the way they really are. Two images with different exposures are processed and combined in real time for stunning results.
Expressive selfie.
A lens with fast optics and an increased number of pixels is what you need for flawless shots with the front camera in any conditions.
Quick start.
Double-tapping the center button of your smartphone activates the camera in the blink of an eye. You will not miss a single highlight of your life.
Fast charging mode.
Recharging within 10 minutes will keep your smartphone running for up to 4 hours. If recharging is not possible, the maximum power saving mode will provide more economical use of the remaining energy.
Save energy.
Extend battery life and optimize your smartphone with maximum power saving mode.
Incredible power.
The super-powerful next-generation processor handles the most demanding game resources and multitasking with ease.
Visible benefits.
The innovative display of our flagship smartphone will allow you to enjoy accurate color reproduction and vivid, rich images, both indoors and in daylight.
Operational testing of one of the brightest smartphones of the new season
Every spring, in late February or early March, the geeks of the world are eagerly awaiting the Mobile World Congress. After all, it is during this event that almost all mobile device manufacturers, without exception, announce their new flagship smartphones. The greatest excitement is traditionally caused by the new products of the segment leaders, and Samsung, of course, does not stand aside. We have already been accustomed to the fact that it is during the MWC that the Korean company "rolls out" the next flagship smartphone of the Galaxy S line. Well, good traditions must be observed, and this year was no exception: on February 28, during the zero day conference, we were shown two whole new devices - Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
I must say that after 2014 and the Samsung Galaxy S5, the wait was a bit tense. Not that last year's leader was a disappointment, but it didn’t cause a true “wow”. There was too much criticism: both a dubious, rather inconspicuous-looking plastic case, the surface of which many compared with an adhesive plaster, and practically the same characteristics without significant improvements, and a somewhat "stagnant" proprietary TouchWiz interface... In general, the S5 then became “just another cool smartphone”, and against its background, for example, the graceful glass devices of the Japanese company of four letters looked much fresher, and the Chinese brothers were actively pushing their “ultra-fast, ultra-thin, on the Mediathek and everything for 200 bucks ".
The heat in the cauldron of general distrust was also thrown into the cauldron of general distrust by the situation with the ruble that was rapidly going into a tailspin and the global crisis of despondency; the situation turned out to be tense, here it was already necessary either to give up and go to the segment “inexpensive, cheerful and good firm”, or to go ahead. Samsung chose the latter. It seems that someone stirred up a swamp, got thick Talmuds with claims to the previous devices of the line from somewhere from the depths of bureaucratic oblivion, angrily hit the table with his fist, and exclaimed: well, everything was fixed immediately! And everything started spinning - they found new components, interesting technical solutions, instead of one of the two designers who was fired last year (it is not clear: the one who kept, or the one who circled), they hired several with good taste, and ... In general, Samsung is finally , after much torment, made it a premium smartphone, and not a product for geeks, for whom the characteristics are most important.
Instead of one flagship smartphone, it turned out as many as two. One is more traditional Samsung version Galaxy S6. The second is an innovative modification of the Edge. The difference between them is minimal - in fact, the devices differ only in the screen (and they also have a slightly different battery capacity, by 50 mAh). The “classic” model has a flat screen, while the Edge has a rounded side edge. At the same time, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge smartphone, where the "bevel" was a separate matrix, in Galaxy line The S screen is one, and it is also absolutely the same for both flagships (in the section about the screen, I will tell you about the difference in detail). Therefore, everything said about the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is also true for the Samsung Galaxy S6. There are some differences in ergonomics, and, probably, the difference could have been found during instrumental testing of the screen, however, the smartphone ended up in our hands for only one night, practically in the "field" conditions, so so far we have not had the opportunity to conduct such tests.
Video review
First, we suggest watching our video review of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone:
Now let's take a look at the characteristics of the hot new item.
Key features of Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
- SoC Exynos 7420 (64-bit), two clusters of four processor cores: ARM Cortex-A57 2.1 GHz and ARM Cortex-A53 1.5 GHz
- GPU Mali-T760
- Operating system Android 5.0 Lollipop
- Touch Super AMOLED-display, 5.1 ″, 2560 × 1440
- Random access memory (RAM) 3 GB LPDDR4
- Inner memory 32, 64 or 128 GB
- Slot for microSD cards absent
- Communication GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
- Communication 3G WCDMA 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
- Max 4G LTE data rate up to 150Mbps
- Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 / 5 GHz), Wi-Fi hotspot
- Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
- DLNA, OTG, MTP, Miracast support
- GPS / Glonass
- Infrared port
- 16MP camera with optical image stabilization (OIS)
- Front camera 5 MP
- Barometer, fingerprint sensor, Hall and heart rate sensors
- Non-removable lithium polymer battery 2600 mAh
- Dimensions 142 x 70 x 7 mm
- Weight 132 g
Appearance and usability
A couple of years ago smartphones of this size were called “shovels”. Today it is a strong midrange - 5.1 inches, now you will not surprise anyone with such dimensions. At the same time, due to the narrowed edges, the device looks a little smaller than it actually is, and gives the impression of a kind of "neatness".
The rounding also causes another positive effect in general - I personally have no particular desire to compare a smartphone with an iPhone. Nevertheless, the constant mentions of "apple" products at the presentation do their job: I want to remake the classic anecdote in a new way - they say, "also gay, but now bent." But if you come to the question seriously - no, it is not similar (it is in the Edge modification), and let the purists compare the location and shape of the lattices. The device lies confidently in my hand, the "grip", in my opinion, is much better than that of the Samsung Galaxy S6. However, here you need to make a discount on the fact that I usually go with Huawei Ascend Mate 7 and used to big smartphones.
In terms of materials, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge should appeal to many. Instead of pretty boring plastic, Gorilla Glass 4 panels are used on both sides - a new modification of plasticized glass that is said to be much stronger than the previous one and, in addition, less fragile. The back cover looks very good - the designers specifically sought a "deep" glossy shade. For the smartphone, there are 4 color variations: black, which we got in our hands (although in fact it is very, very dark blue), white, bronze and green. The latter, in my opinion, looks especially impressive.
I must say that fingerprints are perfectly visible on both surfaces of the smartphone. Almost all color options are prone to "sticking", and only white does not look like a forensic guide after a few minutes of use. However, company representatives claim that this (test) modification is devoid of an oleophobic coating, and the situation in serial deliveries will greatly improve. This statement seems to be true, but in any case, if you are annoyed by "fingers", it is better to prefer the white version of the smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is made on an aluminum chassis, the edging of which is visible on the edges of the device. Again, employees of the company claim that the alloy used is "50% stronger than the alloys in other high-end smartphones." And the smartphone will not bend in any way. We did not check this statement, because we didn’t want to witness death from heart failure in any of the exhibition staff.
On the front, curved edge of the smartphone, you can see the speaker grill, the front camera, the screen itself, and the mechanical Home button. It is worth paying attention to the fact that when you double-click on it, the camera is launched - this seemingly incredibly simple solution made it possible to do without an “extra” key and, at the same time, practically without any loss in convenience. The button is pressed distinctly, with a well-discernible click, but tight enough to avoid accidental presses in the pocket. The other two buttons ("Back" and a call to the list of applications) are touch-sensitive.
On the back there is a powerful LED flash, as well as a decently protruding camera. The latter will inevitably cling to the edges of the pocket and generally to anything, however, in my opinion, the question “do you want a non-protruding or good camera»Should be left to everyone to decide for themselves. I suspect Samsung engineers have done everything possible to fit the optical system between the Megara screen and Athens. back cover, trying to have as little as possible in common with the well-known hero of Greek myths.
The back cover is non-removable, so hopes of replacing the battery should be abandoned.
The right and left sides of the smartphone are laconic - on one of them there is a power / lock button, on the second there are two volume keys. Since the sides of the smartphone are very thin, the controls turned out to be small and thin - however, there are no complaints about their convenience.
On the top edge of the smartphone there is a slot for a SIM card (opened with a paper clip), you can see the hole of one of the two microphones used, as well as an infrared port. By the way, the return of the latter is becoming a trend, and this is good - it is better to control the TV from your usual smartphone than to look for this eternally lost "lazyness" throughout the apartment.
On the bottom there is a Micro-USB connector, as well as a 3.5 mm jack for a headset. Here you can see the hole of the second microphone. In general, both the top and bottom edges look as similar as possible to the iPhone 6, practically copied. However, as I have already said, in general the device has its own "face", it is almost impossible to confuse it with the products of the company from Cupertino.
There are no plugs on the case, the device is not protected from water and dust ingress.
Screen
For the extremely limited time of our acquaintance, we did not have the opportunity to test the screen, so I will simply state my personal impressions here. Well, to begin with, the screen is surprisingly crisp, which is not surprising. The pixel density here is 577 ppi, while the Galaxy S5 has 432 ppi, the iPhone 6 Plus has 401 ppi, the LG G3 has 543 ppi (the screen resolution of the LG G3 is the same, but the diagonal is larger - 5.5 inches ). The screen produces rich colors, very bright and contrasting, but what more could you expect from Super AMOLED? Inflated color saturation is especially noticeable when looking at photos taken with the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. At the same time, the minimum brightness is quite comfortable for reading in the dark. There is the ability to adjust the color temperature, as well as an energy-saving mode.
When looking at the screen from an angle, changes in brightness and contrast are absent as a class. The folded corners do not look alien and do not distort the perception of the picture. This is partly achieved because the screen itself only hits half of the "rounding", and the rest is a thin frame.
I have not been able to find applications where the rounded corners get in the way. However, this effect may appear in some games in which the edges of the screen are actively used.
There are no differences in brightness and contrast compared to the Samsung Galaxy S6. However, as mentioned above, there should not be a difference between them: this is the same matrix, as the company representatives told us, the difference is only in the very final stage of creation, as well as in the coating - for Edge, Gorilla Glass is subjected to additional heat treatment under pressure.
Sound
The sound of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is decent. The smartphone emits a fairly loud sound, saturated with the entire spectrum of frequencies, including low frequencies. The sound is pleasant enough, at the maximum volume level it is not distorted, there are no wheezing, there are no complaints about the spoken dynamics. With headphones, the smartphone also sounds at the level of modern flagships.
Camera
Despite the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge (and the regular Galaxy S6) uses a camera similar in characteristics to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 camera (the same 16 megapixels, as well as optical stabilization), the f / 1.9 lens does the trick. - the camera shoots very well in the dark. Implemented useful technologies such as HDR shooting in real time (without the need to take multiple shots in sequence) and a special mode for shooting in low light. I am also glad that the camera starts up very quickly - in just 0.7 seconds. There is no dedicated button to launch the camera, but it is possible to use a double click on the center key ("Home").
Below is an example of how the camera functions in low light: in almost complete darkness, with strong contrasting light, without processing.
Test photos can be viewed in the gallery on our photo hosting Fotkidepo:. There, for each, you can download the original, and in addition, the photo page displays additional information about the shooting parameters: aperture, shutter speed, etc.
Several resolutions for shooting photos and videos are available - up to 16 megapixels and up to Ultra HD, respectively. Examples of videos are shown below (do not forget to open the video in full screen when watching!).
Full HD video at night:
4K video at night:
Full HD video during the day:
4K video in the afternoon:
Slo-mo-video:
OS and software
The operating system is the version software platform Google Android 5.0 (Lollipop), on top of which is traditionally installed its own proprietary graphical user interface - TouchWiz. However, little is left of the usual colorful-parrot TouchWiz in the updated interface - all redundant whistles with animation are cut as much as possible, the lines are simplified, and correspond to the guidelines as much as possible. new Android... Unfortunately, the test sample was blocked from taking screenshots - we had to "take" them in the field, the old fashioned way, using a camera. However, they are worth taking a look at.
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Overall, the revamped user interface is more reminiscent of bare Android than earlier versions of TouchWiz. Most of the criticized things have disappeared or were hidden away. Several special control gestures have been added, "sharpened" for beveled edges. For example, if you slide your finger from the right edge along the top of the screen, a list of the most frequently called contacts will appear (screenshot below left), and swiping from the right edge in the middle of the screen, we will bring up a window with missed calls (screenshot below right). In general, the new gestures do not look vital and very convenient - rather, it is a demonstration of additional features that appear due to the "convex" screen. In my opinion, it is enough that the screen is very beautiful.
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The delivery is preinstalled with Microsoft software.
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Performance
As already mentioned, the screenshot functionality was blocked in the test sample. And since we were forbidden to modify the phone software in any way, we had to get out the old fashioned way.
In complex Antutu in 32-bit mode, used in the new Samsung flagship SoC Exynos 7420 turns out to be head and shoulders above the closest (according to the benchmark) competitors. Yes, and with other new products MWC 2015, judging by the available information, the Galaxy S6 Edge straightens out playfully:
Testing in MobileXPRT as well as latest versions GeekBench 3, Mozilla Kraken and Google Octane
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Javascript tests allow us to make at least some performance comparison with the iPhone 6. In Google Octane, the Samsung smartphone lags behind the iPhone 6 (6256 points), but the difference with the iPhone 6 Plus (7056 points) is quite significant. In Mozilla Kraken, Apple products are already a quarter faster. In terms of the performance of one core, Samsung is inferior to the iPhone, but in terms of the performance of all cores, it bypasses the “apple” competitors twice. Which, to put it mildly, can be explained by the ratio of the number of cores in these smartphones. However, in any case, browser tests are too dependent on the performance of the browser itself to draw far-reaching conclusions based on them.
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A new milestone is conquered in 3DMark Unlimited - 22267 points. This is a record! Tablets with the new Tegra have higher results, but they also have a slightly lower screen resolution. And on the smartphone market, the Galaxy S6 Edge, of course, has no competitors yet.
In the most trusted GFXBench, the Samsung smartphone falls short of the iPhone in the most demanding scene, and in T-Rex HD too. But here, again, you need to take into account the difference in resolution, taking it into account, the gap is quite small. Be that as it may, before us, undoubtedly, the most powerful smartphone with OS Android to date.
Battery life
The battery installed in the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is smaller in volume than even the Samsung Galaxy S5 - its capacity is 2600 mAh. However, at Samsung battery Galaxy S6 capacity is even smaller, albeit only slightly - 2550 mAh. At the same time, do not forget about the economy of Super AMOLED screens - it is usually at its best. However, we have not yet been able to properly evaluate the energy-saving functions of the new SoC Exynos. The fact is that we had the device for a time that was completely insufficient for any lengthy tests, so we had to limit ourselves to gaming, loading the processor and graphics to the fullest. Note that the firmware on which we ran the smartphone may not be final at all, so the obtained figures should be taken as preliminary.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | 3D Game Mode | |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge | 2600 mAh | — | 3h 45m |
| LG G3 | 3000 mAh | 9h 00m | 2h 50m |
| Sony Xperia Z2 | 3200 mAh | 15h 20m | 3h 30m |
| Oppo Find 7a | 2800 mAh | 16h 40m | 3h 00m |
| HTC One M8 | 2600 mAh | 22h 10m | 3h 20m |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | 2800 mAh | 17h 20m | 4h 30m |
| TCL Idol X + | 2500 mAh | 12h 30m | 3h 00m |
| Lenovo Vibe Z | 3050 mAh | 11h 45m | 3h 30m |
| Acer Liquid S2 | 3300 mAh | 16h 40m | 6h 00m |
| LG G Flex | 3500 mAh | 23h 15m | 6h 40m |
| LG G2 | 3000 mAh | 20 h 00 m | 4h 45m |
| Sony Xperia Z1 | 3000 mAh | 11h 45m | 4h 30m |
So, in 3D games mode, the smartphone worked for a little less than four hours, that is, the level of autonomy for this indicator is average. By the way, under heavy loads, a rather strong heating of the rear wall of the case is observed.
Outcome
It looks like Samsung has finally managed to release the undisputed flagship. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone combines a lot - here is the design, and the speed, and the serious "lightness" of the built-in software, and, finally, the noble materials of the body instead of the boring plastic. The battery life is at an acceptable level. Among the "chips" characteristic of modern top-end devices, a smartphone has almost everything, including an infrared port, a barometer, a fingerprint sensor, etc. Someone can blame the lack of dust and moisture protection, however, as practice shows, the circle of fans this "feature" is so narrow that it gets lost even against the background of a disappearing audience of buyers of premium gadgets.
Alas, you have to pay for everything, and in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, you will have to pay with money. The company is still afraid to name the retail cost of the smartphone (because it will have to be called in rubles, but it is not clear what the dollar exchange rate will be in a couple of months - 100 or 10 rubles), but various experts talk about the amount from 58 to 63 thousand rubles for the basic modification with 32 GB memory. The cost of the "undistorted" Galaxy S6 is 4-6 thousand rubles lower. However, this price is shocking only until you convert it into dollars or until you compare it with the cost of apple products.
In other words, the device turned out to be interesting, but in the uncompromising and premium segment. If we ignore the iPhones, then it has practically no competitors - probably, it is worth mentioning, first of all, the recently announced HTC M9 (but we have not tested it yet), and among the oldies - Meizu MX4 Pro (but it is already lagging behind in performance). The rest of the top smartphones have either an unsuitable diagonal, or insufficient performance, or other body materials.
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- a flagship smartphone of a well-known brand, a characteristic feature of which is a screen curved at the edges, as evidenced by the word "edge" in the name. The sleek new model features an aluminum casing, and the front and back panels are protected by tempered glass Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The phone is quite comfortable in the palm of your hand, although it is not always convenient to operate it with one hand.
By technical specifications Samsung GALAXY S6 Edge SM-G925F 32Gb LTE Black In almost everything it copies its S6 brother (without the "edge" in the name): a new fast eight-core Exynos 7420 processor with clock frequency 2.1 GHz, Mali-T760 video accelerator and 3 GB of RAM (DDR4) with a very high bandwidth of 3.2 GB / s. Internal memory capacity is 32 GB. Responsible for management OS Android 5 Lollipop with a proprietary TouchWiz interface.
A clear and bright "picture" provides screen samsung SuperAMOLED with a diagonal of 5.1 inches, with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and a high image density of 577 ppi. Provides automatic brightness control and several preset display settings. On the curved part of the screen, you can display various notifications and display the clock and date.
The communication capabilities of the phone are varied: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, microUSB and NFC, 4G (LTE), there is also navigation using GPS and GLONASS. The infrared port allows you to control home appliances.
As the main camera, a 16 megapixel Sony module is used with the ability to shoot videos in UHD format and with optical stabilization. The front camera (5 megapixel) allows you to take self-portraits, "selfies" and chat via Skype.
Samsung GALAXY S6 Edge SM-G925F 32Gb LTE Black has the function of fast battery charging, and the wireless charger allows the use of both proprietary "charging" and devices from other manufacturers.
The device is equipped with a heart rate sensor (with S Health app), and physical button"Home" on the front panel is a built-in fingerprint sensor.
With an average load, a 2600 mAh non-removable battery allows the smartphone to work for about 20 hours.
Flagship with world's largest dual-curved screen
The prerequisites for the creation of such a model as the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + have ripened by themselves. In this case, they were largely determined by the users themselves. Firstly, after the simultaneous release of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge models, most people showed much more interest in the curved edge option than in the usual “flat” one. Well, the fact that smartphones with huge screens are now popular and that Samsung Note series tablets have been in stable and unremitting demand for several years, prompted the developers to logically combine all these features in one device. What the Koreans did by presenting a smartphone with a huge curved screen called the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + in the fall of this year.
Naturally, the novelty is for the most part a successor to the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, it can be seen with the naked eye. And at the same time, it should not be considered the same device, only with a larger screen. There will be more differences between the two smartphones, to someone they may even seem so significant that they will push to purchase new items, but in any case, the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + is worthy of its own review.
Main characteristics of Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + (model SM-G928С)
| Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge + | Lg g4 | Nexus 6 | Huawei Mate S | Sony Xperia Z3 + | |
| Screen | 5.7 ″, Super AMOLED | 5.5 ″, IPS | 5.96 ″, AMOLED | 5.5 ″, Super AMOLED | 5.2 ″, IPS |
| Permission | 2560 × 1440, 518 ppi | 2560 × 1440, 538 ppi | 2560 × 1440, 493 ppi | 1920 × 1080, 401 ppi | 1920 × 1080, 424 ppi |
| SoC | Samsung Exynos 7420 (4x Cortex-A57 @ 2.1GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.5GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (2 cores Cortex-A57 @ 1.8 GHz + 4 cores Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (4-core Krait 450 @ 2.7 GHz) | HiSilicon Kirin 935 (8 cores ARM Cortex-A53 @ 2.2 + 1.5 GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (4x Cortex-A57 @ 2.0GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.5GHz) |
| GPU | Mali-T760 | Adreno 418 | Adreno 420 | Mali-T628 | Adreno 430 |
| RAM | 4 GB | 3 GB | 3 GB | 3 GB | 3 GB |
| Flash memory | 32 GB | 32 GB | 32/64 GB | 32/64 GB | 32 GB |
| Memory card support | — | microSD | — | microSD | microSD |
| Operating system | Google Android 5.1 | Google Android 5.1 | Google Android 5.0 | Google Android 5.1 | Google Android 5.0 |
| Battery | non-removable, 3000 mAh | removable, 3000 mAh | non-removable, 3220 mAh | non-removable, 2700 mAh | non-removable, 2930 mAh |
| Cameras | main (16 Mp; video 4K), front (5 Mp) | main (16 MP; 4K video), front (8 MP) | main (13 MP; 4K video), front (2 MP) | main (13 Mp; video 1080p), front (8 Mp) | main (20.7 MP; 4K video), front (5 MP) |
| Dimensions and weight | 154 x 76 x 6.9 mm, 153 g | 149 x 76 x 9.8mm, 155g | 159 x 83 x 10.1 mm, 184 grams | 150 x 75 x 7.2mm, 156g | 146 x 72 x 6.9mm, 147g |
| average price | T-12788831 | T-12466715 | T-11153512 | T-12840967 | T-12568232 |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + retail deals | L-12788831-10 | ||||
- SoC Samsung Exynos 7420 (64-bit), two clusters of four processor cores: ARM Cortex-A57 2.1 GHz and ARM Cortex-A53 1.5 GHz
- GPU Mali-T760
- Operating system Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
- Touchscreen Dual Edge Super AMOLED-display, 5.7 ″, 2560 × 1440
- Random access memory (RAM) 4 GB
- Internal memory 32 GB
- Nano-SIM support (1 pc.)
- No microSD card slot
- Communication GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
- Communication 3G WCDMA 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
- LTE data transmission (Cat.9 or Cat.6) (FDD LTE Band 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,17,18,19,20,26)
- Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 / 5 GHz) VHT80 MIMO (2 × 2), Wi-Fi hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
- Bluetooth 4.2 LE, ANT +, NFC
- USB 2.0, OTG
- GPS / A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
- Position sensors, proximity, lighting, barometer, fingerprint sensor, heart rate sensor, electronic compass
- Camera 16 MP (F1.9), optical stabilization, autofocus, LED flash
- Camera 5 MP (F1.9), front
- Battery 3000 mAh, non-removable
- Wireless charging support
- Dimensions 154 x 76 x 6.9 mm
- Weight 153 g
Contents of delivery
The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + is shipped in the traditional packaging for modern Samsung flagship products. The box made of solid matte cardboard is laconically decorated, there are minimal inscriptions, there are no pictures and colors. The package is not too large in size, the entire set of accessories is located in the lower tier under a plastic tray with the device itself.
The complete set is standard, it includes a charger (5 V, 2 A) with a Micro-USB connection cable, a wired headset, a metal key for removing a SIM card, and several thin paper books with documentation.
The headphones are individually stowed away in their own plastic container, have a tangle-free flat wire and two sets of removable rubber ear pads.
Appearance and usability
As for the design of the novelty, in this regard, there are minimal differences from the Galaxy S6 edge, there are almost no differences. The updated model with the prefix "+" in the name looks from the outside exactly the same as its predecessor. This is the same rather original-looking smartphone with a "convex" screen, in which both sides are strongly curved, which, in fact, was the very highlight that attracted users so much. The smartphone really looks very impressive, unusual and catchy. Korean designers have made a giant leap in quality and managed to raise the image component of their products to a completely different level.
At the same time, the dimensions of the smartphone have noticeably increased, and all the constituent elements of the case have also increased proportionally. The stylish metal frame on the sides is not as thin and unpleasantly cut into the hand as it was in the case of the regular S6 edge. On the other hand, due to the fact that the device has grown significantly in size, it became not so convenient to hold it in the hand with outstretched fingers. Naturally, some users have long switched to tablet phones and have no difficulties in handling such "shovels", but still the original S6 edge had dimensions that were much more comfortable to hold in an average hand.
At the same time, even such a significantly increased size of the device did not weigh much more. A very large smartphone with a huge screen in weight barely exceeded 150 grams, which is surprising and pleasant at the same time. Coupled with a very small thickness of the case, this significantly eliminates many unpleasant moments associated with the large dimensions of mobile gadgets. The wide, but at the same time thin and light device fits quite comfortably in the pockets of clothes, albeit not in any. In any case, at this size, things could be much worse.
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As for the quality of materials and workmanship, there can be no complaints here, everything is assembled and fitted perfectly, the body is monolithic, nothing creaks, no backlash and no flex. One can, of course, argue about the choice of the materials themselves: slippery and easily soiled glasses used for the front and rear panels make up the largest part of the total surface area, the matte metal frame is lost against their background. Moreover, even this frame is very slippery for a comfortable hold in the hand, in this regard, the new flagship Samsung devices cannot be called practical.
As for the elements located on the case, in this regard, not everything exactly corresponds to the previous model. In the enlarged novelty, the infrared port suddenly disappeared from the top end, which in general defies any logical explanation. But sometimes it was convenient to use a smartphone like that Samsung series Galaxy S as a remote control that could not only turn on the TV, but also display the current program guide on the screen.
Perhaps this is due to the relocation of the SIM-card slot to the upper end, but it is also unclear what the reason for this relocation is. In any case, the card is now inserted into the slot located not on the side, but on top. There is no slot for installing a microSD card either on the case itself or inside it, that is, the device, like its predecessors from the sixth Galaxy S series, does not support expanding the storage capacity using memory cards, you have to make do with what you have.
On the opposite, lower end, there were more different elements. There is a universal Micro-USB connector, cut in the middle, and an audio output for headphones and a speaker grill located on the sides of it. Thus, a smartphone tucked into a pocket “head down”, even with headphones connected, will not cause discomfort. However, different people carry their mobile gadgets in their pockets in different ways.
The front panel of the smartphone remains unchanged, it is completely covered protective glass Gorilla Glass 4, which has a curved shape that narrows the metal frame on the sides. Taken together, this creates the impression that the smartphone does not have side frames at all - naturally, this effect is achieved when the screen is off.
However, with the screen turned on, the smartphone looks even more impressive, especially when you look at it from the side. The screen folds on the sides along with the glass, creating a sense of volume, it's impressive.
In the upper part of the front panel, along with the eyes of the front camera and sensors, there is such a useful element as an LED event indicator. The large round dot shines in different colors depending on the battery charging status or incoming messages.
In the lower part under the screen there are customarily located control buttons, the central of which is mechanical, and the other two on the sides are touch-sensitive, with their own backlight. The central key has a built-in fingerprint scanner, it works without the need to "drag" your finger - just by a single touch. The finger can be positioned at any angle, the print will still be identified. The sensor works well, there are practically no errors recorded.
The rest of the buttons are located on the sides of the device: on the right side there is a power and lock key, on the left there is a double volume control button. The keys are not as large as previously installed in smartphones of the Galaxy S series. Now these are rather small, thin metal buttons, which, perhaps, have a too hard and short stroke.
On the back of the smartphone, there is still a large camera module protruding beyond the surface, adjacent to a single LED flash and a heart rate sensor that can act as a photo button when taking a selfie with the front camera. The flash can act as a flashlight.
The smartphone is not protected against dust and moisture, there is no strap attachment on the case either. The device has support for wireless charging, compatible with WPC 1.1 ( output power 4.6W) and PMA 1.0 (4.2W). The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + goes on sale in two design options, which the developers traditionally have given sublime names: "Black Sapphire" and "Dazzling Platinum".
Screen
The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + is equipped with touch screen Super AMOLED, protected by Gorilla Glass 4. The display glass is curved at the edges on both sides (Dual Edge), the developers claim that this is the world's largest curved screen on both sides. There are no separate lateral matrixes along the edges of the bevels, the display here is a single whole, although the curved edges of the screen can carry additional load, acting as separate side mini-displays.
The physical dimensions of the display are 71 × 126 mm, the diagonal is 5.7 inches. The screen resolution is 2560 × 1440, the dot density is 518 ppi.
The bezel around the screen is quite narrow. The sides from the edge of the screen to the edge of the case are a little more than 2 mm, and the bulge of the screen itself and the curved edges of the glass hide the width of these side stripes even more. When the screen is off, it seems as if the smartphone is "frameless". The top and bottom edges are 14 mm wide.
The display brightness is automatically adjusted based on a light sensor. There is also a proximity sensor that locks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to handle 10 simultaneous touches.
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Alexey Kudryavtsev, editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, carried out a detailed examination using measuring devices. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are not worse than that of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the turned off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge +, then they can be distinguished by their size):
The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + is slightly darker (the brightness in the photos is 109 versus 111 for the Nexus 7, the glare curved edges of the tested screen are excluded) and does not have a pronounced shade. The doubling of reflected objects in the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (such as glass / air) with greatly different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of strong ambient light, but their repair in case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. The outer surface of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, slightly better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are much easier to remove, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of regular glass.
When the white field was displayed on the full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 400 cd / m², the minimum was 1.7 cd / m². You also need to take into account the fact that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the lighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher specified value... As a result, readability in the daytime in the sun should be enough good level... The reduced brightness level allows you to use the device without any problems even in complete darkness. Automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). You can make adjustments to how this function works by moving the setting slider. Further, for three conditions, we give the screen brightness values for three values of this setting - for 0%, 50% and 100%. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness decreases to 1.7, 7.3 and 16 cd / m², respectively (the first and second are too dark, the third is normal), in an office illuminated with artificial light (about 400 lux), the brightness is set to 43 , 130 and 325 cd / m² (darkish - just right - bright, which corresponds to the specified correction), in a brightly lit environment (corresponds to illumination on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or slightly more) - increases to 450 cd / m² regardless of the position of the slider. This value is greater than the maximum for manual adjustment. If we increase the brightness of the ambient light (in the area of the light sensor) somewhere up to hundreds of thousands of lux (corresponds to direct sunlight), then the brightness of the screen rises to 550 cd / m². This brightness should definitely be enough for the image on the screen to be well distinguished in any natural conditions. In general, the result of the automatic brightness control function is as expected. Note that even with the automatic brightness correction disabled in a dark environment, the smartphone does not allow the brightness to be set above 170 cd / m². At any brightness level, there is significant modulation with a frequency of about 60 seconds or so or 242 Hz. The figure below shows the dependence of brightness (vertical axis) on time (horizontal axis) for several values of brightness adjustment:
It can be seen that at the maximum and close to it brightness, the modulation amplitude is not very large, as a result, there is no visible flicker. However, as the brightness decreases, modulation appears with a large relative amplitude. Therefore, the presence of such modulation can already be seen in the test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, such flickering can cause increased fatigue.
This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light-emitting diodes. A full color image is created with subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a micrograph:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of photomicrographs of screens used in mobile technology.
In the fragment above, you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), while repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without gaps and overlaps. For such matrices, Samsung has introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer considers the screen resolution for green subpixels, for the other two it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this variant is close to the case of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and some other newer devices from Samsung (and not only) with AMOLED screens. This PenTile RGBG variant is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and green subpixel stripes. Nevertheless, some uneven contrast borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to the very high resolution, they have minimal impact on image quality.
The screen is characterized by excellent viewing angles, although the white color, when deviated even at small angles, alternately acquires a light blue-green and pinkish tint, but black is just black at any angle. It is so black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. When viewed from a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. For comparison, here are the photos on which the screens of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + (profile Basic) and the second comparison participant displayed the same images, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 170 cd / m2, and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K. White field:
Note the excellent uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field (except for darkening and hue change towards the curved edges). And the test picture (profile Basic):
The color rendition is good, the colors are moderately saturated, the color balance of the screens is slightly different. Note that in this case the picture occupies in height (with this screen orientation) the entire area available for displaying the image and goes over the curved edges of the screen, which leads to darkening and color distortion. Also, in the light, these areas almost always glare, which further interferes when viewing images displayed in full screen. And even the picture of films with an aspect ratio of 16: 9 goes into the folds, which greatly interferes with watching a movie. The photo above was taken after selecting a profile Basic in the screen settings, there are four of them:
Profile Adaptive display differs in some kind of automatic adjustment to the type of displayed image and the surrounding conditions, and what happens when the two remaining profiles are selected is shown below.
AMOLED movie:
Saturation and color contrast are noticeably increased.
Photo AMOLED:
Saturation is still high, but color contrast is closer to normal.
Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen (profile AMOLED movie). White box:
The brightness at an angle on both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid severe darkening, the shutter speed is increased compared to previous photos), but in the case of Samsung, the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness, the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + screen visually looks much brighter (in comparison with LCD screens), since the screen mobile device often you have to look at at least a slight angle. And the test picture:
It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness at the Samsung angle is noticeably higher. The switching of the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the turn-on front there may be a step with a width of about 17 ms (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). For example, this is how the dependence of brightness on time looks like when switching from black to white and vice versa:
In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing behind moving objects. However, dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high definition and even some "jerky" movements.
For profiles Photo AMOLED and Basic The gamma curve plotted using 32 points with equal intervals in terms of the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal any blockage in highlights or shadows, and the exponent of the approximating power function is 2.23, which is close to the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma -curve slightly deviates from the power-law dependence (the captions in parentheses show the exponent of the approximating power-law function and the coefficient of determination):
For profile AMOLED movie The gamma curve has a pronounced S-shaped character, which increases the visible contrast of the image, but in the shadows the distinction of shades is preserved.
Recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images. As a result, the obtained dependence of brightness on the hue (gamma curve), most likely, does not correspond a little to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential output of shades of gray on almost the entire screen.
Color gamut in case of profile AMOLED movie very wide, it almost covers Adobe RGB coverage:
When choosing a profile Photo AMOLED the coverage is compressed to the borders of Adobe RGB:
When choosing a profile Basic coverage is compressed to sRGB borders:
Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:
In case of a profile Basic with maximum correction, the color components are already noticeably mixed with each other:
Note that normal sRGB-optimized images appear unnaturally saturated on screens with wide color gamut without proper color correction. Hence the recommendation - in most cases, watching movies, photos and everything natural is better when choosing a profile. Basic, and only if the photo was taken on the Adobe RGB setting, it makes sense to switch the profile to Photo AMOLED... Profile AMOLED movie, despite the name, the least suitable for watching movies and anything else.
The grayscale balance is good. Profile color temperature AMOLED movie above 6500 K, in the other two it is close to 6500 K, while in a significant part of the gray scale this parameter does not change very much, which improves the visual perception of the color balance. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) for most of the gray scale remains below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, and also does not change very much:
(The darkest areas of the gray scale in most cases can be ignored, since there the color balance does not have of great importance, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has good anti-reflective properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable value. It is permissible (and even necessary in bright light) to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works quite adequately. The advantages of the screen include a good oleophobic coating, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB and an acceptable color balance (when choosing the appropriate profiles). At the same time, let's recall the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), excellent uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, a drop in image brightness when viewed from an angle. The disadvantages include modulation of the screen brightness. Users who are particularly sensitive to flicker may experience increased fatigue due to this. However, the overall quality of the screen is very high. Separately, we note that from the point of view of image quality, curled edges only harm, since this design find introduces very noticeable color tone distortions and reduces brightness at the edges of the picture, and in ambient light conditions leads to inevitable glare at least along one long side of the screen.
Sound
The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + sounds pretty decent. Both in the headphones and in the main speaker located at the bottom end, the sound is clear, bright, thick, saturated with the entire spectrum of frequencies - the lows are not abundant, but the bass is palpable. There is a volume reserve, although the device is at the maximum level and does not deafen. The sound at any volume level remains clear, without distortion and wheezing. There are no complaints about the microphone as a whole - however, at the highest frequencies, the interlocutors note a barely noticeable hiss, but this is already from the category of minor quibbles. The second microphone for noise canceling with its functions generally copes adequately. In the conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable.
A proprietary player with a large number of settings is used to play melodies. Sound effects are collectively known as SoundAlive. Enhancements with UHQ Upscaler technology, emulation of the "Pro tube amp" effect, and the addition of SoundAlive + surround effects are only possible when headphones are connected. For manual settings an equalizer with preset values is available, as well as separate controls for bass and treble. Supports UHQ audio transmission over Bluetooth with matching headphones.
There is no FM radio in the device. The standard voice recorder has several modes, including "interview" and "voice memo".
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Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + is equipped with two of the same 16MP and 5MP digital camera modules as the previous S6 and S6 edge models. The front camera is equipped with a 5-megapixel module with a CMOS sensor and a lens with an aperture of f / 1.9. You can shoot with the front camera using voice or gestures, as well as touching the heart rate sensor on the back next to the LED flash. This is convenient, allows you to hold the device in front of you in an outstretched hand in a more natural way, there is no need to touch the screen when shooting.
The front module copes with its tasks with dignity. The camera works quickly, the color rendition is natural, the pictures are bright and detailed, there is even digital stabilization for video shooting. Video, by the way, front-camera can shoot in resolutions up to 2560 × 1440 (QHD). True, the wide-angle module, clearly designed for group selfies, partly distorts the proportions of the face at close range. Most likely, the calculation of the developers was to use the now fashionable stick-bracket, increasing the distance to the object being filmed.
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The main 16-megapixel camera has an f / 1.9 aperture lens, very fast autofocus with subject tracking capability, optical image stabilization (OIS) and a single LED flash. Quick launch of the camera is possible by double-clicking on the central hardware key under the screen, even if the smartphone is inactive (double-clicking on the Home button turns on the camera in 0.6 seconds).
The camera settings are exactly the same as in previous models of the flagship series. They are combined into a long scroll, in addition to the usual automatic mode and manual settings, here you can also select panoramic, selective focus mode, HDR in real time (Real-time HDR), the ability virtual shooting 3D object, GIF animation, and fast and slow motion video modes. In addition, with the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + camera, you can create spectacular collages by combining up to four video clips into one clip, each of which can be played in slow motion.
From the added, it can be noted that it is possible to save uncompressed RAW images in professional mode, and among the individual modes - new opportunity live video broadcast to your YouTube channel... It is also possible to download a variety of additional specific modes, from sports to food photography.
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Video Samsung camera The Galaxy S6 edge + is capable of shooting in a variety of resolutions and options, including slow motion, fast motion, 4K resolution (UHD), and Full HD at 60 frames per second. The camera copes with any of the options with dignity, there are no complaints about the quality of the resulting video image and the sound recorded at the same time. The quality of video recording can be judged by the test clips. The speeding up and slowing down is displayed when playing such clips on the smartphone itself, but not every player supports these functions when playing on a computer.
- Movie # 1 (64 MB, 1920 × 1080 @ 60 fps)
- Movie # 2 (55 MB, 3840 × 2160 @ 30 fps)
- Movie # 3 (40 MB, 2560 × 1440 @ 30 fps)
- Movie # 4 (40 MB, 1280 × 720 @ 120 fps, slo-mo)
- Movie # 5 (12 MB, 1280 × 720 @ 30 fps, accelerated)
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Good field and shot sharpness, although distant shots are slightly blurred. |
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Again, the soapiness is felt in the distant shots, but at the same time the foliage is worked out well. |
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The camera works great in the close and medium shots. |
| RAW | |
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If you look closely, you can see a subtle sharping on the wires. |
| RAW | |
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The numbers of all cars are distinguishable. Sometimes the camera does not wash at all in the distant shots. |
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The camera copes well with solid-colored surfaces. |
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The shadows worked well. Again, the distant plans are not blurred. |
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Noises in the shadows are muffled neatly and almost imperceptibly. |
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Even with backlighting, the noise in the shadows is not off scale. |
| RAW | |
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Good detail in difficult lighting. |
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The field of view is almost excellent. |
| RAW | |
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Foliage only merges a little in places. There is no soap in the distant plans again. |
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The text was worked out well, although for some reason it was also processed by the program. |
| RAW | |
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The camera copes well with macro photography. |
| RAW |
We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.
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Illumination ≈3200 lux. |
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Illumination ≈1400 lux. |
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Illumination ≈130 lux. |
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Illumination ≈130 lux, flash. |
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Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. |
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Perhaps, there is practically nothing to complain about. Only a little soapiness in the distant shots and barely noticeable sharping give out the smartphone's camera. As for the rest, including the noise reduction, the pictures already look like a good compact.
The pictures of the stand show that the quality of the shooting is at a fairly high level - even at the edge of the frame. Due to the relatively narrow flash angle, the resolution at the edge of the frame drops, but in this case it is possible to adjust the flash power, which allows us to flatten our curve. True, for this it is desirable to have a darker center of the frame, so as not to overexpose it.
The S6 Edge + isn't the first camera to shoot RAW. Talk about "why in a smartphone RAW?" we will not, because such a question is not even raised. If there is an opportunity to make a double in RAW, then why not, and whether to use this opportunity - the owner of the device will decide for himself. But here you need to understand that "pulling" a smartphone RAW is a little more difficult than taking a picture from a good camera, although it is quite possible to do this. Much here depends on the quality of the sensor, and no less on the quality of the optics. But modern flagships practically do not sin with optics, but sensors still have room to grow. Below are a few images, with minimal processing output through Camera Raw and RawTherapee, which prove that it is quite possible to draw out Samsung RAW, and moreover, it is quite possible to work with it.
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The archive with RAW images can be downloaded here.
The camera captures RAW images in DNG format, which avoids special problems with profiles. Perhaps, the smartphone should not be removed in anything else.
The shots of the stand were displayed through Camera Raw in the "As Shot" auto mode, and it can be seen from them that the computer retains a little more detail than the smartphone, however, accurate processing of noise and work with color in this case falls on the shoulders of the user. In normal scenarios, the automaton copes well, even perfectly. If you want special colors, it makes sense to use RAW. The size of such a photo is about 32 MB, so it is impractical to shoot constantly in RAW, but switching between manual and auto modes does not take long.
In general, the camera turned out to be quite flagship. It does a good job of shooting both auto and RAW, which it can really afford.
Telephone part and communications
The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also has support for fourth generation LTE Cat.9 (or Cat.6, depending on the operator) networks. The following FDD LTE bands are supported: B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B3 (1800), B4 (AWS), B5 (850), B7 (2600), B8 (900), B12 (700), B17 (700) , B18 (800), B19 (800), B20 (800). That is, all three of the most common ranges among domestic operators (B3, B7 and B20) are supported by a smartphone. In practice, with a Beeline SIM card in the Moscow region, the smartphone confidently registered and worked in 4G networks. The quality of signal reception raises no objections, the device confidently maintains communication in rooms and does not lose the signal in areas of poor reception.
The rest of the communication capabilities of the smartphone are also excellent. In the presence of support for NFC technology, Bluetooth has version 4.2, the ANT + standard is also supported. Wi-Fi 802.11n / ac, HT80 with MIMO technology (2 × 2, up to 620 Mbps) supports operation in both frequency ranges (2.4 and 5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct is supported. You can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. It is possible to connect external devices to the USB port in OTG mode. Samsung Pay payments can be made using NFC or MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) technologies.
The navigation module works with all three world systems: GPS (with A-GPS), Glonass and Beidou (BDS). There are no complaints about the speed of the navigation module, the first satellites are detected during a cold start within the first tens of seconds. The smartphone is equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the compass of navigation programs functions.
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In the standard keyboard layout, there is a dedicated top row with numbers, it is possible to change the row height. For lovers of Swype, there is a method of continuous input by a stroke from letter to letter when the T9 smart dialing system is on. The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, when dialing a phone number, a search is immediately carried out by the first letters in contacts. It is possible to reduce in size not only the virtual keyboard, but also the entire working area of the screen as a whole for ease of operation with one hand. True, in this case, all the information becomes too small and difficult to understand. In order to reduce the working area of the screen, you need to quickly press the central hardware button under the screen three times.
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OS and software
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + runs on the fifth version of Android OS (5.1.1) with the proprietary TouchWiz shell installed on top of it. The TouchWiz interface is pretty much the same as the original Samsung Galaxy S6. Of the features: it is possible to work in multiple window mode (if the application supports split window mode) or in pop-up window mode. Supported work with gestures (screenshot or mute the sound with the palm of your hand, call a contact by bringing the device to your ear, etc.). For the convenience of working with one hand with an enlarged screen, the usual functions of shifting the virtual keyboard closer to one of the edges of the screen and reducing the entire area of the working space on the screen have been added. From the fifth version of Android OS, the interface got pop-up interactive information tiles, a scrolling perspective menu of the last open programs, guest mode. From additional themes immediately available for download and installation, you can choose all the same pale pink for girls or inky blue with a space bias for boys - the rest will have to go to the online theme store.
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Naturally, additional functions are implemented for the curved screen, some of which, however, could well be used with the most ordinary, flat screen - for example, the same multi-colored tabs that look out as labels on the side and are tied to certain contacts. Of course, with a flat screen, there is no way to provide backlighting of the side of the display when receiving calls or notifications, but it is actually only useful if you put the device face down, and hardly anyone does this often.
In addition, a scrolling news feed with news received from subscribed channels can be displayed on the side of the screen, as well as a clock in night mode, which looks more interesting and useful. At least there is no need to turn on the whole screen to see the time. True, this option can be implemented with a normal, non-curved screen: in LG devices, for example, you can pull down the extinguished screen, and the time and date will be displayed on top (Glance View function). So, in general, it seems that the presence of curved edges of the screen does not give any special functional advantages - after all, this is for the most part a spectacular-looking decoration element.
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The set of preinstalled applications is standard and familiar from the previous models of the series. Smart Switch app for PC and Mac is designed to sync data using iTunes, as well as devices based on Blackberry and Windows operating systems. SideSync function provides both wired and wireless connection to a computer without additional settings and a cable to synchronize and control your smartphone. A set of system utilities Smart Manager is responsible for system optimization, memory cleaning and anti-virus security. A widget called Briefing, not in the first generation of Korean top-line smartphones, is responsible for collecting and displaying information from various news sources. S Health is habitually associated with health indicators: the program works both with a heart rate sensor located on the back of the device and with numerous individual accessories, such as smart bracelets and watches.
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Performance
The hardware platform of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + is based on Samsung's own Exynos 7420 single-chip system (SoC), manufactured in accordance with the 14-nanometer technological process. The configuration of this single-chip system consists of two clusters of four cores: ARM Cortex-A57 at 2.1 GHz and ARM Cortex-A53 at 1.5 GHz. The GPU is the Mali T760 video accelerator. The smartphone has a whopping 4 GB of RAM (LPDDR4 is used), which is more than the regular version of the S6 edge (3 GB). The "plus" version is on sale in Russian retail so far only with 32 GB of internal memory, of which about 25 GB is available to the user. There is no possibility of expansion due to memory cards, connection in OTG mode is supported.
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According to the test results, the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + expectedly demonstrated the same high results as the two previous flagship models S6 and S6 edge - since they are based on the same platform. The performance in the 64-bit version of the popular AnTuTu benchmark approaches 67K points, and in the usual 32-bit version it is almost 63K, which has not yet been demonstrated by any of the competing SoCs Qualcomm and MediaTek. The most powerful of Huawei's platforms, HiSilicon Kirin 935, does not reach such heights. In other complex tests, the results of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + are also maximum.
In terms of graphics and support for 3D games, the Galaxy S6 edge + platform is also excellent, although here the Adreno 430 graphics subsystem of the competing Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 platform is almost on par with the Mali T760 GPU, which is part of the Samsung Exynos 7420 SoC.
In any case, the device is extremely productive, the capabilities inherent in it will be enough for a long time to complete any tasks, including for the most demanding games.
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Testing with the latest AnTuTu and GeekBench 3 Benchmarks:
All the results obtained by us when testing the smartphone in the most recent versions of popular benchmarks, we have summarized in tables for convenience. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, therefore, many worthy and relevant models remain behind the scenes - due to the fact that they once passed the "obstacle course" on previous versions of test programs.
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Testing the graphics subsystem in game tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:
When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).
| Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + (Exynos 7420) |
Meizu MX5 (Mediatek MT6795T) |
Lg g4 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 808) |
Huawei Mate S (HiSilicon Kirin 935) |
Sony Xperia Z3 + (Qualcomm Snapdragon 810) | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better) |
Maxed out! | Maxed out! | Maxed out! | 6292 | 9817 |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better) |
23125 | 16390 | 18372 | 12553 | 20169 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen) | 37 fps | 27 fps | 25 fps | 16 fps | 44 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen) | 57 fps | 27 fps | 35 fps | 12 fps | 40 fps |
| Bonsai benchmark | 4237 (60 fps) | 3966 (57 fps) | 3340 (48 fps) | 3396 (48 fps) | 3846 (55 fps) |
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Browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can be truly correct only on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
Thermal imagery
Below are thermal images of the rear surface taken after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:
The specularity of the back surface causes the surrounding objects (in particular, the hand holding the camera) to be reflected in it. Nevertheless, it can be seen that the heating is highly localized closer to the right edge, which, apparently, corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 40 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), this is the average heating in this test among modern smartphones.
Video playback
To test the "omnivorous" video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats that make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that it is important for mobile devices to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.
According to the test results, the subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are needed to fully play most of the most common multimedia files on the network. To play them successfully, you will have to resort to using a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings in it and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 audio format.
| Format | Container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Native video player |
| DVDRip | AVI, XviD 720 × 400 2200 Kbps, MP3 + AC3 | reproduced normally | reproduced normally |
| Web-DL SD | AVI, XviD 720 × 400 1400 Kbps, MP3 + AC3 | reproduced normally | reproduced normally |
| Web-DL HD | MKV, H.264 1280 × 720 3000Kbps, AC3 | video plays fine, no sound¹ | |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280 × 720 4000 Kbps, AC3 | video plays fine, no sound¹ | video plays fine, no sound¹ |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920 × 1080 8000Kbps, AC3 | video plays fine, no sound¹ | video plays fine, no sound¹ |
¹ the sound in MX Video Player was played only after installing an alternative custom audio codec; the standard player does not have such a setting
Testing of video output features was carried out Alexey Kudryavtsev.
We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see "Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) 720 / 24p
Note: If both columns Uniformity and Skips green ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and skipping of frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with the playback of the respective files.
According to the criterion for outputting frames, the quality of video files playback on the screen of the device itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without frame drops. In the case of files with 60 fps - one frame per 1-2 s is always displayed a little longer due to the strange refresh rate of the screen at 60 Hz. This effect also exists at lower staffing rates, but it is harder to notice it. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, going into the bends. The clarity of the picture is high, but not ideal, since there is no escape from interpolation to the screen resolution. However, for the sake of experiment, you can switch to one-to-one pixel mode, there will be no interpolation, but the PenTile features will appear - the vertical world through the pixel will be in a grid, and the horizontal one will be slightly greenish. This is on test worlds, the described artifacts on real frames are absent. The brightness range displayed on the screen actually corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows only a couple of shades merge with black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed.
Battery life
The capacity of the built-in non-removable battery installed in the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + is a considerable 3000 mAh. An economical SoC made according to the 14 nm process technology and a Super AMOLED type screen did their job: the smartphone more than proved itself worthy in terms of battery life. Samsung flagships in the latest generations have always demonstrated outstanding autonomy in the top segment, among their own kind, and the last device of the series was no exception.
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In the settings, there are traditionally two proprietary power saving modes: normal and extreme. The maximum power saving mode significantly reduces the level of energy consumption by turning off secondary and preserving vital functions at the moment, as well as, for visual effect, converting the color image on the screen into simplified shades of gray.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D Game Mode | |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge + | 3000 mAh | 15h 30m | 10h 50m | 4h 20m |
| Sony Xperia Z3 + | 2930 mAh | 13h 40m | 8h 30m | 3h 40m |
| Huawei P8 | 2680 mAh | 13h 00m | 9h 00m | 3h 10m |
| Lg g4 | 3000 mAh | 17h 00m | 9h 00m | 3h 00m |
| Nexus 6 | 3220 mAh | 18h 00m | 10h 30m | 3h 40m |
| HTC One M9 | 2840 mAh | 11h 00m | 8h 20m | 3h 50m |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 | 2550 mAh | 20 h 00 m | 12h 00m | 4h 00m |
| Meizu MX5 | 3150 mAh | 15h 00m | 11h 00m | 4h 10m |
The developers themselves promise up to 20 hours of talk time, as well as 11 hours of continuous work on the Internet and up to 66 hours of audio playback. Our own measurements showed that continuous reading in the Moon + Reader program (with a light theme, with auto-scrolling) at the minimum comfortable brightness level (the brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted about 15.5 hours until the battery was completely discharged. Without the auto-scroll function, these figures will increase even more. The device lasted almost 11 hours while continuously watching videos in high quality (720p) at the same brightness level over the home Wi-Fi network. The device worked for about 4.5 hours in 3D games mode.
At the same time, the smartphone charges extremely quickly. With a Samsung branded charger with an output current of 2 A, the large smartphone battery is fully charged in just 1.5 hours. We did not have the opportunity to check the charging time from a wireless device, but the developers promise that it will be only no more than 2 hours.
Outcome
Samsung has once again released a very high-quality product, the main drawback of which is only its high cost: in the current conditions, not everyone can afford it. At the time of its release on the Russian market, the official price of a certified Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + smartphone with 32 GB of memory in both color versions is almost 55 thousand rubles. But those who are not afraid of such a price will be able to enjoy all the remarkable features of this extraordinary smartphone with a high-quality large screen, one of the best cameras on the market, an impressive set of communication services, good sound and decent autonomy. Not to mention such two most important features of any modern smartphone, as expressive appearance and the highest speed of the hardware system.
South Korean manufacturer has announced an improved version of the curved flagship smartphone GalaxyS6edge -GalaxyS6edge +. He got a much larger screen. This can be seen in the comparative photo. But what other surprises did she give him Samsung? Let's find it out right now.
1 - size
The first thing that catches your eye when comparing two phones lying side by side is the changed dimensions. New variant GalaxyS6edge + gained height and width, but at the same time was able to become slightly narrower than the original version.
The overall dimensions look like this: 154; 76; 6.9 mm y GalaxyS6edge + against142; 70.7 mm y GalaxyS6edge.
2 - weight
Of course, this also affected the weight of the new device. The extended version now weighs 153 grams versus 132 for its predecessor.
3 - structure of the body and cover
Nothing has changed in the body and lid material. Still aluminum, still Gorilla Glass 4 on the non-removable lid. It does not happen that a version marked with + suddenly starts to be made from something else. So the designers are resting here, enjoying a well-done previous job.
4 - color palette
Remained and the classic black and white body colors. Also, both options have gold. And in order to be somehow different, the new phone with a curved display received a silver color, and the old one differs from the entire line. Galaxy green.
5 - display
You can clearly see that the new display has become much larger. More precisely, by 20 percent. 5.7 inches received GalaxyS6edge +. This is the size of a great phablet, and is a good replacement for a mini tablet. GalaxyS6edge has 5.1 inches, which is also good, but not so catchy.
But in the screen resolution and display type, nothing has changed. The QHD screen has 2560 by 1440 pixels. The display type is oleophobic, or AMOLED, as the buyer is more accustomed to seeing on the product box. Only the density of pixels per inch has changed. From 577 units to 518. That is, the picture became less sharp, but it is hardly noticeable to the eye at this resolution.
Of course, there were also curved displays, which are usually called "triple". Samsung also did not add support for the S Pen stylus, so that the model does not compete with another product of the company - the Note 5 phablet.
6 - processor
The processor remains the same. For almost half a year Samsung did not have time to release a more advanced chip than that of Exynos 7420... This eight-core and 64-bit chip operates at frequencies of 2.1 and 1.5 GHz and allows the battery to last much longer than the opponents.
7 - RAM
The update lies in the fact that the new version has received the maximum possible at the moment for smartphones 4 GB of RAM. The original version has "only" 3 GB. Support for multitasking just got better.
8 - internal memory
In order not to increase the cost of the extended version of the smartphone with a curved display, Samsung had to abandon the 128 GB version for sale. Then it would cost almost as much as meaningless branded phones. And the South Korean manufacturer prefers cutting edge and affordable. Support for Micro SD memory cards was also not added. It will slow down the device as Samsung has switched to a new type of flash memory that offers improved performance.
9 - cameras
The cameras have remained the same. 16 megapixels for the main camera, 5 megapixels for the front. Support for automatic digital stabilization is included.
10 - battery
The new growth and width (even despite the thinner body) allowed Samsung to solve the main problem of the flagship - to supply a more capacious battery. The new smartphone received 3000 mAh, while the previous version had only 2600 mAh. A few extra hours of work will not hurt the device.
The batteries are still non-removable, have fast charging capabilities and support wireless charging.
11 - other
Both devices support the company's instant mobile payments - Samsung Mobile Pay. Both also still have a heart rate sensor. But the new phablet also received support for an additional qwerty keyboard from the Blackberry company. The device clings to the case and you can type quickly with both fingers if you miss the physical buttons on your phone.
12 - software
Latest version Android 5.1.1 stands on both smartphones running a proprietary shell from Samsung.
13 - release, price and withdrawal
The first version of the smartphone with a curved display on both sides entered the market in April 2015 and is offered for $ 750. The extended version will appear at the end of August 2015 for $ 800. For those for whom the difference of $ 50 does not matter (and for everyone else), of course, we recommend the extended version. It has no drawbacks other than the lack of a 128GB storage option. And the huge display of this device can easily replace any tablet. And even the tablets that will be released next year will not compare with GalaxyS6edge + by performance.
