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H*ly Sh#t !! Android Smartphone at 4 Dollar : Luke with Unbox Therapy

Saturday, March 12, 2016
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Moto G Turbo Edition | Late 2015

Motorola has launched the Moto G Turbo Edition in India. The handset is an upgraded version of the Moto G (2015), which was introduced earlier this year, and is priced at Rs 14,449 or roughly $220, and can be purchased exclusively from Flipkart.

The Moto G Turbo Edition and the Moto G (2015) have largely identical specifications, save for a few upgrades. The quad-core Snapdragon 410 SoC has been replaced with an octa-coreSnapdragon 615 SoC, which comprises of 2 quad-core ARM Cortex A53 clusters clocked at 1.5GHz and 1.0GHz respectively. Motorola has paired the chipset with 2GB of RAM. There’s 16GB of internal storage that is expandable upto 32GB via a microSD card slot.

MUST READ: MOTOROLA MOTO G 2015 REVIEW53

The front side of the Moto G Turbo Edition sports a 5-inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) display protected by Gorilla Glass 3, which offers a respectable pixel density of 294ppi. There’s also a 5MP f/2.2 front-facing camera to appeal to selfie lovers. Meanwhile, on the rear side you’ll find a 13MP f/2.0 camera accompanied by an LED flash. Also present on the rear side is a 2470mAh removable battery, which Motorola claims can last all day long. Unlike the Moto G (2015), the new handset’s battery supports Motorola Turbo Power quick charging.

Perhaps one of the most notable features of the Moto G Turbo Edition is its IP67 rating, which certifies the handset as dust and water resistant. The device, by default, comes in Dual SIM flavour and runs a lightly customised version of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop that delivers on the stock Android experience. It is highly likely that this device is updated to Android 6.0 Marshmallow sometime in the coming months. Motorola is offering the Moto G Turbo Edition in two colour schemes – Black, and White.

All in all, Motorola’s upgraded offering is a well-balanced, mid-range device with an aggressive price tag that effectively kills the Moto G (2015). What about you, what do you think of the Moto G Turbo Edition? Let us know in the comments below.To appeal to budget conscious buyers, Motorola India has announced an attractive package of Moto G Turbo Edition launch offers. Consumers can exchange their old phones to get discounts of upto Rs 6,000. Also, 100 lucky buyers will receive 100% cash back. Lastly, Airtel subscribers will be eligible for a double data offer on the purchase of the device.

Friday, December 11, 2015
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Google Pixel C Review : Is this worth the price ?

Accessories

A funny thing happened on the way to inventing the future of touchscreen computing: everybody is botching it.

Google is the latest company to try to rethink how we interact with computers, designing and manufacturing a tablet and keyboard combination itself for the very first time instead of leaning on a partner to do it. The result is the Pixel C, a beautiful Android tablet that’s just slightly bigger than the iPad Air 2.

Google probably would never admit it, but putting its own hardware team in charge of this year’s Android tablet makes a statement: everybody else has been doing it wrong. That doesn’t just include Android tablets like the Nexus 9 or Samsung’s Tab series, but also Apple’s iPad Pro and even Microsoft’s Surface line. The iPad Pro is massive with a gangly keyboard and all the limitations of mobile software, and the Microsoft Surface has only recently begun to resolve its fundamental identity crisis between laptop and tablet. They’re good, but they're over-engineered solutions to problems we’re only beginning to have.

This tablet is the Pixel hardware team’s response. It’s a simple, well-considered, uncomplicated glimpse into what a tablet computer ought to be. “Get on the train,” it says, “this is the future.”

Except, well: Google’s Android and developer relations teams never even got to the station.

Let’s start with the hardware, and I won’t make any bones about it: I love it in all its squarish simplicity. The Pixel C is slightly bigger than the iPad Air 2 in every dimension (including weight), but not so much that it should give anybody significant pause. Even though both tablets share the same basic materials — glass and aluminum — they look and feel totally distinct.

The Pixel C has straight, squared off edges — you can trace the design language straight back to the Chromebook Pixel. But it isn’t a slavish port from laptop to tablet. It’s designed with slightly curved edges and dual speakers. There are no creaks or weird misaligned ports and buttons like we often see on Android tablets. Google’s Pixel team has only ever made beautiful-looking hardware, and the Pixel C is no exception.IT FITS THE PIXEL DESIGN AESTHETIC PERFECTLY

The 10.2-inch screen is beautiful too, at a resolution of 2560 x 1800 in a screen with an uncommon aspect ratio: 1:√2. That’s the same ratio as a standard A4 piece of paper, which means that the Pixel C’s screen feels capacious whether you’re using it in landscape or portrait mode (it also has implications for multitasking, maybe, someday — more on that later).

Like those Chromebook Pixel laptops, paying for the design and materials of the Pixel C isn’t cheap. It starts at $499 for the 32GB version, and it’s another $149 for the Bluetooth keyboard that’s meant to go along with it. From a certain perspective, that may not seem like too much — an iPad Air 2 with only 16GB of storage costs $499 as well. But Android tablets typically don’t cost this much.

The battery is good enough — which doubtlessly accounts for some of the 0.27-inch thickness — and so this tablet just lasts and lasts. In our battery test of refreshing web pages, it topped out over 11 hours. In real-world use I never plugged in the USB Type-C charger until the next morning, even after using it all day.

The specs are also huge: 3GB of RAM paired to the latest Nvidia X1 64-bit processor. That all seems good, but something is amiss with performance on the Pixel C. There are inexcusable pauses and latency, especially when launching and switching apps. My hunch is that the Android team still hasn’t figured out how to take real advantage of all that power out of Nvidia’s silicon (the Nexus 9 seemed to similarly underutilize its processor). Whatever the reason, it’s a miss. A bad one.

Hardware that looks good is easy to come by. But what’s genuinely new and interesting about the Pixel C is the optional Bluetooth keyboard accessory. It’s a $149 gadget that is more gadgety than any mainstream piece of consumer hardware I’ve used in years.

It attaches to the tablet with magnets, closing it up into a sealed little flat box in a mode that Google calls "sunny side down." When closed, the tablet wirelessly charges the keyboard. You can attach the keyboard to the back with more magnets — that’s "sunny side up." But what you want to do with a keyboard is type, and there again you have yet more — and more powerful — magnets.IT TAKES A MINUTE TO FIGURE OUT, BUT IT WORKS WELL

There’s a small hinge at the top of the keyboard that latches on to the back of the Pixel C, letting you pull it up to any angle you might want — and it sticks there too, because that hinge is as sturdy as it can be without being obstinate. The Pixel C automatically detects whether the keyboard is attached and knows whether or not to show you the on-screen keyboard.

The system is clever. Actually, it’s too clever by half.

The Pixel C came with a cheeky little how-to card that explains how it works and, well, it needed it. I’ve watched no fewer than five Very Smart People who hadn’t seen it before struggle to figure out how to work the thing. Does it open like a laptop? Nope, you slide it out. Do you set the tablet on top of the keyboard to make the hinge pop up? Nope, you have to lay it flat or slap the two things together in the right position.

Once you get it, there is something kind of satisfying in that gadgety way of slipping the two things apart and reattaching them (but take note, it only works in landscape mode). When they’re together, you get a little laptoppy-looking thing that’s sturdy and won’t come apart or flop around at all. Surface and iPad Pro: take note.

But because this is a 10-inch tablet, there’s not enough horizontal space to fit a full-sized keyboard. The Pixel team’s solution was to excise less-used keys like brackets and the tilde, which means that the keys you use most get to be bigger. Like any diminutive keyboard, it takes a minute to get used to. But once you do, you can really fly. The key travel is plenty deep and there’s a little three-dot menu you can hit to bring up a symbol keyboard on the screen. (Google also tells me that there are hidden, secret keyboard combos for some symbols, only a few of which I’ve discovered).

You can definitely get used to this keyboard and even learn to love it — I did. Except, well, something is amiss again: missed and repeating keypresses. The Pixel C seems to just have a stutter-step in the Bluetooth connection from time to time. When it drops, nothing registers for a few seconds. When it returns: fffffffffffffffffffffff (literally and figuratively).

Bad Bluetooth connections and rogue latency are the sort of thing that could be improved with a minor OS update — or so I’d like to hope. But Android doesn’t need a minor OS update to get up to snuff on tablets, it needs a major one. And that update needs to be combined with an all-out campaign to woo developers to update their apps to truly support tablets.1ANDROID NEEDS SERIOUS WORK ON TABLETSOne big problem is that most of the apps I use on Android tablets still aren’t truly optimized for tablets. Most apps are comprised of wide, wasted expanses of open space that are technically designed for any screen size but actually aren’t utilizing all this screen real estate. That’s problematic with third-party apps, but it’s unforgivable from Google’s own apps. Hangouts, the perennial forgotten child of Mountain View, is a mess on this device. Even Google Docs (presumably the app best suited to this keyboard) feels more like a phone app than something I can do real work in.

It gets worse with third-party apps. The Pixel C wants to be used in landscape mode, but too many apps assume that they’re on phones. Popular apps like Slack, Twitter, and many more toss you into portrait mode even when the keyboard is attached.

Complaining that Android is lacking tablet apps is old hat, but that’s not even the biggest problem here. No, it’s that Android and the Pixel C have a hair-on-fire screaming need for some kind of split-screen solution. Microsoft, Samsung, and Apple have all figured this out, but there’s not any kind of solution inside Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Heck, the √2 aspect ratio of the Pixel C’s screen is basically designed to be split in half, yet there’s no option to do so here.

I’ve spent the past month or two on a sort of casual quest to try to move into this weird and woolly future of computing — the kind with a touchscreen and mobile-style apps and new form factors. I tried various Microsoft Surfaces, which had too few apps and fiddly keyboard designs. I tried the iPad Pro, which also had a fiddly keyboard and an unconscionable lack of support for multiple users. And now I’ve tried the Pixel C.

The pieces should have been here, but there are just too many flaws. Occasional performance skips and Bluetooth connection issues aside, the Pixel team has built a really nice piece of hardware. It simply engenders affection — you pick it up and you want to love it. The keyboard setup is a little weird at first, but when put together, it feels sturdy and much less of a hassle than what you’ll find for iPads or Surfaces. Plus, Android supports multiple users where iOS doesn’t. It has more mobile-style apps (albeit without proper tablet support) than Microsoft.THE PIXEL TEAM HAS MOSTLY DELIVERED SOMETHING REALLY GOOD, THE ANDROID TEAM HAS NOTBut the performance issues, the lack of apps, and the lack of split-screen functionality show that, right now, Android isn’t really even trying to participate in that future. Simply put: the Pixel team has mostly delivered something really good, the Android team has not. Android may not be Google’s answer for the next generation of computing on a tablet. Maybe that will have to wait for whatever weird hybrid ChromeOS / Android thing that Google is supposedly working on.

The future of tablet computing just isn’t here yet, on any platform. So I bought an iPad.
Better luck next time #Google
Author +Abhishek Bhattacharya

Thursday, December 10, 2015
1 Comments

Motorola wins the 'best cheap phone' crown, again : Moto G review (2015)

Smartphone

Moto G review (2015): Motorola wins the 'best cheap phone' crown, again

Motorola is on a mission. For the last two years, it's been trying to suss out the finest blend of silicon and style it could get away with selling for just $180. And for the last two years the company has had winners on its hands -- can you say "best-selling smartphone in Motorola history"? That level of success makes crafting a second Moto G sequel even trickier: Can Motorola keep its winning streak alive? Have people come to expect more out of a cheap phone than what the company can provide? It's true that this year's model doesn't stray far from the formula we've already seen, but make no mistake: The 2015 edition is still the best deal you'll find on a good Android phone.

Motorola

Moto G (2015)

PROS

Fast, fluid performance
Camera is a big leap over last year's model
Finally has US LTE support
That price!

CONS

Camera is weak in low light
Notification light is gone
Base model only has 1GB of RAM

SUMMARY

Oh, how far we've come. Smartphone makers are really trying to nail the "high-quality, low-cost" formula this year, and they're working up ways to sell straight to consumers too. Even with all that new competition, the Motorola Moto G's blend of performance, clean software and a mostly solid camera make it the best bang for your Android buying buck... for now, anyway.

Hardware

There wasn't much broken about the Moto G's design, so Motorola didn't bother fixing much. We're still looking at the same curves, and the same chrome accents that actually look like dual front-facing speakers. (In fact, only the bottom one pumps out the jams.) Wedged between those grilles sits a 5-inch, 720p screen (the same size and resolution as last year), with a sheet of Gorilla Glass 3 providing some extra protection. So far, it seems to be doing the trick; I'm already seeing little pockmarks and dents in the plastic frame, but there's nary a scratch on the panel itself. Alas, the introduction of Moto Display to the G line this year means that you'll get all your notifications from fancy little onscreen icons, so the notification LED that used to be something of a Moto G hallmark is no more.

The design team clearly took some cues from this year's version of the entry-level Moto E, which has optional colored bumpers that gave the phone a nice, grippy feel. This time, though, Motorola took that textured finish and applied it to the entirety of the G's removable backplate. The sides are still as sparse as ever -- there's a textured power button and a volume rocker on the right edge -- so the phone isn't actually much easier to grasp than earlier models. C'est la vie. It's a bit of a clunker too, in that sort of streamlined, Motorola way. And while the 11.6mm waistline makes it heftier than its rivals, it's not what I'd call uncomfortable to use.

Meanwhile, under that backplate lurks a locked-down 2,470mAh battery, joined by a micro-SIM tray and a microSD reader that accepts cards as large as 32GB. That last detail is crucial, since the Moto G is only available with 8GB or 16GB of built-in storage (the 16GB variant also includes 2GB of RAM, as opposed to 1GB in the base model). Beyond all that lies the quad-core Snapdragon 410 running at 1.4GHz, and while it's plenty powerful for most day-to-day stuff, I was secretly hoping Motorola would graduate to one of Qualcomm's 600-series chips this time around. Turns out, my fervent calls were answered, just for a completely different device; Motorola's Moto X Play happens to run a Snapdragon 615, but that's little comfort to our American readers since it's not currently slated to ship in the States.

This is the first year you'll be able to customize the Moto G through Moto Maker to make it more definitively yours. The review unit I received at the company's press event last week was white with a navy blue backplate, but that seemed a little too boring for a week of full-on, real-world testing. Thankfully, our own Terrence O'Brien got a delightful black-and-purple model with a metallic pink accent running around the 13-megapixel camera. We swapped almost immediately. Regardless of the parts and configuration you choose, the new Moto G's body is waterproof for up to 30 minutes as long as it's in less than a meter of water -- a rarity for a phone at this price point. I didn't have a body of water to submerge myself and the phone in during my week of testing, so I settled for taking showers with it and dunking the thing in my drinks (still a crowd-pleaser!). Surprise, surprise: It still worked like a charm.

Oh, and perhaps the most important addition to the mix: LTE support! For the longest time, Motorola's best-selling phone only came with HSPA+ radios, but the US version plays nice with LTE bands 2, 4, 5, 7 and 17, meaning it should work on just about any GSM carrier in the United States. Curiously, early spec sheets — including the ones given to us at the event — said the G supported LTE band 12, but that no longer seems to be the case. Sorry, T-Mobile customers, there goes any chance you had of using VoLTE calling on this thing.

Display and sound

When it comes to crafting a low-cost phone, you have to cut corners somewhere. For Motorola, that "somewhere" often winds up being the screen -- that's why after nearly two years we're still looking at a 720p display on a brand-new smartphone. I'll be the first to admit my eyes might have been spoiled from testing so many Quad HD handsets as of late, but thankfully the LCD panel here is no slouch considering the price.

On the whole, the Moto G's screen is a solid performer with a noticeably dry, blue cast; you might notice the display's color temperature sucking some of the life out of pure whites, but it's only really apparent if you've got a better-screened phone sitting nearby. Still, colors are bright and nicely saturated without appearing lurid, and they seem a touch more accurate than on last year's model. Speaking of the 2014 G, my old review unit had some issues with backlight bleeding, but Motorola seems to have tightened up its production process since then.

Don't be afraid to take the Moto G out of your cave, either. (We all have those, right?) This display is one of the brighter ones I've seen on a cheap smartphone, and it easily outshines the 2014 Moto G and even Huawei's P8 Lite when it's cranked up to the max. The G's viewing angles are none too shabby either, even if the backlight gives things a milky cast when you hold the phone just right. Coincidentally, my biggest quibble had to do with turning the screen to view it at an angle; the plain white of the app launcher or a web page can look gritty when viewed askew, probably due to how the panel's subpixels were laid out. It's really not a big deal and it shouldn't keep anyone but the biggest screen snobs from shelling out the cash for this thing, but it's one of those things you'll never be able to un-see.

Oh, and the single front-facing speaker on the G's face isn't too bad either. It struggled to give deep, bassy tunes their needed oomph, but mids and highs came through with vigor, although the resulting sound could be a little muddy. One of these days, Motorola will find a way to squeeze a quality set of drivers into its mass-market movers, but until then we're left with something that's loud and doesn't sound terrible. That'll be good enough for most.

Software

What's there to say, really? Unlike other low-cost smartphones, the Moto G proudly packs what the company calls a "pure" Android experience. Before we go any further, though, we've got to make a distinction between stock Android and what Motorola's got going on here. What you'll see is almost all vanilla Android 5.1.1, from the behavior of the Google Now tray to the oh-so-light app launcher windows to those nuanced volume controls. Most of the major changes here are unseen, in that they help Android work a little more intelligently with the underlying hardware. And the rest of Motorola's tweaks? Well, there aren't many. When you fire up the G for the first time, you'll probably notice the dearth of non-stock Google apps; there are only three this time around, and that's down from the number of add-ons that Motorola included in the 2014 edition. That doesn't mean the additions here aren't useful, though.

First up, the basics. The phone is always on the lookout for telltale gestures (still no way to customize them, alas) that fire up bits of hardware. Longtime Moto fans will know to crank their wrists twice to launch the camera -- which sounds a little more awkward than it actually is -- but now you can karate chop air while holding the phone to turn on the flashlight. The accelerometers watching for these motions can be a bit finicky and prefer sharp, crisp gestures, so don't be surprised if it takes a few moments of looking like a putz before the phone launches what you want it to. Meanwhile, most of Motorola's contextual smarts can be controlled from the generically named Moto app... but you won't need to spend much time there outside of some initial setup.

Take Moto Assist, for instance: You can program your usual sleep schedule so the phone knows when to quiet down. Also, allowing Assist access to your calendar will keep the phone quiet when you're napping through your meetings and other events on your docket. If you'd rather not give Motorola such broad access to your goings-on, you could also just give it a specified location where the phone should go silent (think: your home, places of worship and so on). I've never thought the ol' "furiously mash the volume buttons to shut the phone up" routine was all that annoying in the first place, but setting up a few basic Assist rules could easily help some people save face.

GALLERY|14 PHOTOS

Moto G (2015) software tour

+ See all 14

As I mentioned before, Motorola finally fitted the G with Moto Display, a neat bit of software trickery that lights up the screen with icons when a new notification rolls in or you nudge the phone. Alas, it doesn't work quite the same as it did on the Moto X because of some crucial hardware differences: No infrared sensors means no Jedi-mind-trick-style hand waves to activate the screen, and Motorola's choice of an LCD screen instead of an AMOLED one means the whole panel lights up instead of just the area where icons live. The feature doesn't seem to have taken a toll on the G's battery life (more on that later), and it always showed me what I wanted to see with just a quick nudge. Still, I suspect a few of you will gnash your teeth over that lost notification light. I feel your pain; I really do.

Camera

Motorola was surprisingly blunt about what it did here: It basically plucked the same 13-megapixel sensor from the enormous Nexus 6, kept the f/2.0 aperture lens and added some additional IR-filtering coatings. The result is a camera experience that's leagues ahead of last year's model. Colors are bright and natural-looking, especially with ample light, and my test shots are crisp and detailed. Of course, that hardware transplant also means the Moto G inherited the Nexus 6's low-light weaknesses.

The drop-off in quality is pretty dramatic, especially for a camera with such a wide aperture. I still managed to get some good-looking shots when day gave way to dusk, but all bets were off when the sun finally dipped below the horizon. After that, shots came out almost universally grainy, and any color nuance from my daytime shots basically evaporated. You can mitigate this a bit by taking advantage of HDR mode. Sure, the best results will still be grainy and HDR requires some seriously steady aiming, but every once in a while you get a shot like this:

This is a mostly forgivable sin for a phone that only costs $180. If anything, it's tragic that Motorola stuck such a wimpy low-light performer in its very first attempt at a Nexus device, but I digress. Flipping the camera into video mode reveals that the 1080p video quality is fairly mediocre; there's not a lot of detail to be seen and colors appear bland even in generous lighting. The 5-megapixel camera up front doesn't aspire to much, and churns out adequate, if unexciting, shots. Motorola endowed it with a slightly wider-angle lens this year, though, so at least you can squeeze a few more friends into yourpoorly thought-out selfies.

Moto G (2015) camera samples

The actual process of shooting a photo is as straightforward as it's always been, which basically means there's zero delay between launching the camera app and snapping away. In case you haven't experienced Moto's approach before, there's barely anything on screen when you're taking a photo: One touch on the display captures an image, and holding your finger down takes a series of them. This dead-simple system works nicely until you actually decide you need some control over things, at which point a quick swipe left from the screen's edge brings up your options. Just don't expect a full manual mode. The best you can do is fire up HDR, or toggle the super-useful exposure and focus controls. Your shooting won't be lightning-fast after that, but you can home in on exactly what you want to see and make sure it's reasonably well-lit. It's so handy, in fact, that I just leave it on all the time now (and you probably should too). Motorola's shooting philosophy might not be the most powerful or the most nuanced, but it's fast and offers just enough control to keep frustration at bay. Keep it up, Moto.

Performance and battery life

Right, so here's where things start to get tricky. You see, this year's Moto G uses one of Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon 410 chips, with the CPU cores clocked at 1.4GHz and an Adreno 306 GPU. That doesn't seem like a huge lift in horsepower compared to the 2014 edition (quick refresher: a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 and an Adreno 305 GPU). That said, spending an extra $40 now gets you the G with 2GB of RAM -- double the amount of memory you'd have gotten last year. The reason I'm harping on seemingly modest changes is that it's easy to assume falling silicon prices and shifting demand mean yesterday's flagships are today's cut-rate volume sellers. Not always. We're still working with a phone on a budget here, but it moves with a level of polish and fluidity that might make you forget how much you actually paid for it. Of course, our usual suite of benchmarks reminds you what you're paying for.

	MOTO G (2015)	MOTO G (2014)	HUAWEI P8 LITE
AndEBench	4,259	3,929	4,588
Vellamo 3.0	1,992	1,669	2,128
3DMark IS Unlimited	4,518	4,679	8,841
SunSpider 1.0.2 (ms)	1,522	1,534	1,956
GFXBench 3.0 Manhattan Offscreen (fps)	1.7	N/A	5.8
CF-Bench	20,999	14,470	36,967
SunSpider: Lower scores are better; results compiled on Chrome.

A bunch of numbers in a table don't always tell the full story, though, and I've found very few situations where the Moto G struggled to get things done. In fact, I couldn't tell you the last time I encountered a hiccup during my daily grind (think: Gmail, Hangouts and Slack; watching TV episodes on YouTube; and playing the odd game). After a while, I'd have what felt like countless apps going in the background, but the decision to offer 2GB of RAM meant switching between them always felt fluid. Turns out the Moto G has some gaming chops after all, especially when playing Dead Trigger 2; graphical quality is cranked down to low by default, at which point everything ran smoothly. To my surprise, though, turning up the dial on those visuals to maximum still left me with adequate gameplay; there was quite a bit of stuttering while cutscenes depicted the collapse of society as we knew it, but that was about it. The very same could be said for my time playing Asphalt 8 with the settings maxed out -- just know that the screen is more likely to get warmer than the rest of the G's body.

Now, how about that battery? It's a little sad that it took Motorola this long to increase the capacity of the G's battery, but whatever: This year we've got a comparatively spacious 2,470mAh battery to work with. In our standard rundown test (video looping with screen brightness set to 50 and WiFi on), the G managed to last 10 hours and 40 minutes. That's on par with, or better than what I squeezed out of, some flagships. The second-gen Moto X, for instance, managed a few minutes less, and the HTC One M9came up nearly two hours short when I tested it earlier this year.

That's a big, big increase over the second-gen Moto G too; that device only managed seven hours and 38 minutes. You've already got a sense of what my days sort of look like (recap: I eagerly replace human interaction with mashing on a phone), and indeed, the G survived through that near-constant use for over 14 hours before needing a recharge. If your daily workload is lighter than mine, you'll find the G is capable of lasting even longer -- I'd often get a day and a half of use if I saved most of my communication for my computer instead.

The competition

If you hadn't already heard, companies are starting to take this cheap, good, unlocked phone business seriously. The Moto G isn't the only inexpensive contender on the block, and that means very, very good things for your wallet. First up is the obvious option: the ultra-cheap Moto E. This updated model isn't too far off from the G in terms of its spec sheet and price, but it isn't nearly as fluid or responsive as its slightly more expensive cousin. Pay the extra $30 (compared to the 4G Moto E) for the Moto G if you can. It's worth it. ASUS' ZenFone 2, on the other hand, packs a 5.5-inch, 1080p screen into a curved body that feels surprisingly dainty in the hand. The base model costs $199 and is powered by a 1.8GHz quad-core Intel chipset. Throw in niceties like dual SIM slots and a microSD slot that takes up to 128GB cards and you've got a potential winner... unless you like fast updates and the look of stock Android. The ZenFone 2 is skinned to within an inch of its life, and the overall effect was just too much for me to deal with.

Then there's Huawei's $250 P8 Lite, which also comes with a 5-inch, 720p display. It's more a competitor to the 2GB version of the Moto G, but -- as you've seen in our benchmarks -- the octa-core Snapdragon 615 gives the P8 Lite an edge in pure power. This low-cost competitor only runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat, but it almost doesn't matter because Huawei painted over it so completely with its own Emotion UI. Personally, I love stock Android, so I wouldn't go in for one of these over a Moto G, but those of you looking to try something different might want to keep it in mind. Alcatel's OneTouch Idol 3 might be the most palatable of the bunch; it's certainly the sleekest looking. It too will set you back just $250, and has a Snapdragon 615 chip with 2GB of RAM. It's a little heartening to see Alcatel kit this thing out with a properly good 5.5-inch, 1080p display, not to mention stereo front-facing speakers. Oh, and the pièce de résistance? The phone'll work fine no matter which way you pick it up. Ultimately, this is the sort of phone I wish Motorola could've made and sold for $179, but alas -- the laws of gadget economics are cruel indeed.

Wrap-up

Last year, I wrote that the then-new Moto G was "still the best budget smartphone" around. Little did I know that the quality bar for cheap phones would shoot into the air the way it did over the past 12 months. This updated Moto G faces fiercer competition than it ever has before, and it may well lose its hard-fought, low-cost crown someday. Today is not that day. Even with outstanding devices like Alcatel's Idol 3 being sold straight to consumers, the Moto G still stands tall as the cheapest Android phone you can buy without feeling like you're missing out on something. Make no mistake: Motorola had to make plenty of compromises to be able to sell this thing as cheaply as it is. Motorola's real gift is in making the G feel more powerful, more elegant than it really is, and that's worth the asking price.

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Sunday, August 23, 2015
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Samsung Galaxy S6 Review: A True iPhone 6 Killer In Every Regard

Android Form

The Samsung Galaxy S6 is Samsung's answer to the iPhone 6. But can the Galaxy S6 take on Apple's iPhone 6 in 2015? Let's find out

Rating:

Typical Price:

£599.00

Pros:

Excellent Design; Awesome Display; Brilliant Camera; Great Battery Life; TouchWiz Still Needs Work But Is A LOT Better Than Before

Cons:

No MicroSD; Battery Is No Longer Removable; Fingerprint Scanner, While Improved, Still Struggles Too Much

Verdict:

The Best Android Phone On Market Right Now –– Bar None.

The Samsung Galaxy S5, last year's model, took a bit of an unprecedented hammering when it launched. Samsung's Galaxy S flagship range had been steadily gaining more and more traction over the previous few years, buffered in no small part by increasingly appealing Galaxy Note devices too. There had been a fair bit of criticism along the way, however, notably grumblings about lacklustre design and tacky feeling plastics while rivals experimented with premium polycarbonate, metals, ceramics, and glass, amongst others. Samsung threw massive amounts of money at marketing, and pointed to robust sales figures as proof that everything was fine.

While metal and glass rivals such as Sony's Xperia line-up and HTC's One series hadn't sold too well, they had certainly garnered attention and shown what could be done. Apple, meanwhile, continued to push out well-receieved metal and glass phones. Ahead of the Galaxy S5 launch there were rumours, many rumours, that we'd see the first metal build Samsung device. Samsung didn't deny these rumours, instead, Samsung spokespeople commented how new and revolutionary in design the Galaxy S5 would be, effectively fuelling the fire.

Then the Galaxy S5 finally emerged. And...it was rather a lot like the Galaxy S4 in appearance and build. Sales fell massively short of Samsung's expectations. The worm had turned.

Essentially, not many were impressed. It was a bit of a flop. Samsung had got too cosy putting out "good enough" handsets and throwing money at big advertising.

So things needed to change. And to be fair to Samsung it took the feedback in stride and promised to do better. "Project Zero" began behind the scenes while the firm did put out a few experimental handsets during the rest of the year, notably the Galaxy Alpha and A-Series clad in metal or part-metal bodywork.

This was all prep for the big show, however. In early March 2015, once again at MWC in Barcelona, Spain, Samsung revealed both the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 EDGE, featuring a raft of advanced features, bespoke high end processors and some of the most attractive metal and glass design ever witnessed in the mobile space.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 should be getting a price cut soon, according to reports. First up, Samsung revealed its 2015 Q2 earnings report and in doing so stated it would be adjusting the pricing of its existing Galaxy S6 product line-up, so a price change of some kind is definitely on the cards. The other evidence comes via SamMobile's insider sources, which claim the Galaxy S6 EDGE+ will be priced at €799.99, a cheaper price than the Galaxy S6 EDGE's current €849.99. However, it's understood that hte Galaxy EDGE+ will be priced higher than the regular Galaxy EDGE, so combining the two bits of information together is at least somewhat indicative of how much Samsung may shave off. There's no accurate figure, of course, but some have speculated around €100 may be slashed from the Galaxy S6 EDGE, so we may be looking at a similar price cut on the regular Galaxy S6.

So let's have a look at how this alluring Galaxy S6 smartphone handles shall we?

Samsung Galaxy S6 EDGE Review: Verdict

Here’s an extract from our Samsung Galaxy S6 EDGE Review:

“Design. Power. Performance. Imaging. Connectivity. Features –– the Galaxy S6 EDGE, like its EDGE-less brother, has them all to the max. No other handset we’ve tested this year feels quite so well realised as these pair from Samsung.

“The LG G4 was a fine setup and, to a certain extent certainly equal to the Galaxy S6 EDGE in some respects, but where the G4 loses some points for its rather clunky design, the Galaxy S6 EDGE rages on with its unique and HUGELY satisfying design, which not only sets it apart from every other phone on the market, but also brings with it a bunch of useful features that some people might really enjoy.

“If I had to choose between the two, I’d almost certainly go for the EDGE. I prefer the way it looks and when you’re talking about phones, when features and specs are the same, this is all that matters.”

Samsung has pulled out all the stops when it comes to processing power, battery tech, and camera hardware. The use of its own Exynos processor chip over the darling of the Androidspace; Qualcomm's Snapdragon, tantalisingly promises an even more robust and powerful smartphone experience than many key rivals.

The Galaxy S6 also launched alongside the Galaxy S6 EDGE, essentially the same phone but with some advanced display technology featuring a unique curved design on the two longer sides of the touchscreen. However, neither handset has managed to match Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in terms of sales –– at least just yet. According to data, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 EDGE are seriously outperforming last year’s Galaxy S5, though neither are likely to give Apple’s iPhones any trouble anytime soon.

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 EDGE are fantastic Android handsets. They look great. They perform great. They even have decent battery life and some of the best displays in the business. But Samsung just isn’t selling enough of them – and this is bad new for the company. Very bad news, indeed.

According to the company’s Q2 financials, Samsung’s mobile business took a massive hit in the nuts, dropping 37.6% year-on-year. Meanwhile, Apple experienced HUGE growth during 2014/15 and is now by far and away the most profitable phone maker on the planet – nobody else even comes close.

“Samsung misread demand for its unique curved screen Galaxy S6 Edge model, instead focusing production efforts on normal versions that went head to head against iPhone,” notes Apple Insider. “A report covering Samsung's earning estimates earlier this month cited a source as saying the company thought regular S6 sales would outpace S6 Edge four-to-one.”

Counterpoint expects Samsung’s flagship devices to hit sales of 50 million units by the end of the year.

And according to the latest reports Samsung may have another variant lined up, the so-called "Project Zero 2" aka the Samsung Galaxy S6 Plus. Word of this phone comes via reputable source SamMobile, which details a device slightly larger than the regular Galaxy S6 with a 5.5in Super AMOLED display of currently unknown resolution. It's alleged this handset, with the model number SM-G928, will have the Galaxy EDGE style display with curved sides. Instead of Samsung's Exynos processor, however, it will apparently be fitted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core chip and 32GB of onboard storage space. Lastly, it's believed the Plus model will pack 16MP and 5MP cameras and will arrive in "the coming weeks", so expect to hear more soon.

Anyway...on with the review of the Galaxy S6 flagship!

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review: Design

Samsung is one of the world’s most popular brands, next to Apple and Google. But the thing about Samsung is that it didn’t really get there on merit –– it sort of bought its way in with INSANE levels of spending on marketing and advertising (reportedly $12 billion in 2012). It has always made excellent handsets, a prime example would be the Galaxy Note which gave birth to the whole phablet scene, but more recently it has fallen on tough times (sales dropped, the Galaxy S5 flopped) because people got sick of the company drumming out the same old crap year after year.

And then something happened in late 2014…

Samsung began to pump out great looking handsets. The Galaxy Note 4 was, of course, brilliant –– Note updates always are. But for me it was the Galaxy Alpha that really showed a change in the way Samsung built and designed phones; it was just stunning to behold. For this reason, I began (for the first time in a very long while) to actually get excited about the prospect of a new Galaxy S flagship.

The Galaxy S6 takes everything that was great about the Alpha, its gorgeous shape, sleek profile and excellent contouring, and takes it several steps further. The result is a brilliantly realised handset that sits perfectly in your hand and pocket. The Galaxy S6 is a goldilocks handset if ever there was one, being just the right size. Handy if phablets aren’t your thing and you want a phone with the very best specs and hardware currently available.

The front and back of the Galaxy S6 are constructed from glass which looks nice but means two very important things: 1) it smudges like a mother trucker, and 2) if you drop the handset, even from a small hit, it will almost certainly crack or, worse, shatter. This means you WILL need a case. Aside from these issues, though, the look and finish of the handset is superb. I love the metal trim around the edges too, which aids grip and ties the whole aesthetic together very nicely.

The Galaxy S6 is available in four, very fetching colour schemes: White Pearl, Gold Platinum, Blue Topaz and Black Sapphire. The handset itself is also exceptionally thin at 6.8mm and super light too, pushing the scales at just 138g. For me, this handset represents the perfect compromise between modern, phablet-sized handsets like the Nexus 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and more traditionally sized units like the HTC One M9, iPhone 6 and Moto X. But in an odd twist of fate, Samsung now makes the best looking handset on market; not even the HTC One M9 or iPhone 6 can hold a candle to this baby. It truly is stunning and then some, as the saying goes.

All this stunning design innovation does come at a cost, however, as the handset no longer supports microSD cards and you can no longer remove the battery. Both of these things have been staple features on Galaxy S units since day one, so their omission this time around will almost certainly set a few handbags in motion amongst Samsung’s old faithful.

This isn’t a deal-breaker for me, if I’m honest. I don’t use cards and I never carry a spare battery around with me. But I do get why some users may be a little cheesed off about this switcharoo; nobody likes building up year’s worth of media on cards and then not being able to use them on their shiny, brand new handset.

New Colours!

Samsung's had a bit of a habit for launching multiple new colour variants of its major smartphones in recent years and now its the turn of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Of course the difference this time around is that previous models had spiffy new colours added to their plasticky, generic-shaped exteriors, where the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are much more impressive canvases to begin with and will look even better with a fresh coat of paint.

The company has officially announced the two new colour variants. The Galaxy S6 is coming in Blue Topaz, while the Galaxy S6 Edge will be available in Emerald Green, both with a bit of a metallic sheen.

Samsung's statement says they're availble "now", but doesn't mention dates or regions of availability. Naturally we'll update you when we hear more, but we're expecting networkexclusives.

he Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 represents the perfect fashion accessory for style-conscious consumers looking for a vibrant, expressive and distinctive color, and the Green Emerald Galaxy S6 edge provides a simply stunning color choice that meets the needs of those who want a sophisticated, yet unique looking mobile device,” said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics. “We aim to bring a truly one-of-a-kind smartphone to consumers and provide them with a seamless combination of dynamic beauty and meaningful purpose, complementing every part of their mobile lives.”

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review: Display

I’ve been pretty vocal about my disdain for QHD panels in recent months and the main reason for this was battery life; QHD panels simple require too much power and, as a result, need HUGE battery cells to run them which in turn require a huge chassis to house them. Hence every QHD phone to date being a phablet.

This is where the Galaxy S6 is different, however. It uses a 5.1in QHD panel in a normal sized chassis with a normal sized battery, and yet by some form of voodoo it manages to last longer than both the HTC One M9 (a 1080p handset) and the Google Nexus 6 –– more on this later though.

The screen itself is stunning. There really is no other word for it. This is the best screen I have ever used. Period. Everything looks wonderfully vibrant; colours are precise, yet pop right off the display; TouchWiz looks sublime, almost like paper; detail is off the charts; videos look immense; NOTHING has been left to chance here. The panel itself surpasses even the Galaxy Note 4’s impressive QHD setup, paying testament to just how much effort and resources Samsung puts into making its displays. I really cannot say enough good things about this panel, so I’ll simply relay to you its pertinent details: the Galaxy S6 uses a 5.1in Quad HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1,440 x 2,560 and a pixel density of 576ppi.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review: TouchWiz and Operating System

The Galaxy S6 is of course running Android Lollipop out the box and benefits from all of its excellent and well executed optimisations and tweaks. Most Android handsets these days run pretty damn smoothly, but it is clear some firms –– notably HTC and Samsung –– are better at tying their software in with Google’s world-beating mobile OS. Sense and TouchWiz are both liquid-smooth these days, running with the same level of performance that was once usually only reserved for iPhones.

I recently tested the HTC One M9 and found it rather lacking as an upgrade from last year’s model. Part of the reason for this was because I just couldn’t find anything to really get excited about, but the Samsung Galaxy S6 is the EXACT opposite; there is almost too much going on here –– everything has been tweaked and upgraded, so much so the experience of using it feels completely different from last year’s model, which is exactly how a flagship experience should feel.

Samsung has also done A LOT of work to TouchWiz. It still looks bloody awful, mind, but the software runs smoother than ever and the multitasking carousal is off the charts –– it is insanely fast, unlike anything else I’ve experienced this year in the Android space. This “lean-down” has been a long time coming, however, so while I am glad Samsung has FINALLY listened to its customers, I’m also sort of peeved that it took this long to happen!

Less is definitely more here, though. Everything looks and feels great, refreshed almost –– despite the fact it still looks god-awful compared to stock Android. It’s not all sunshine and cider, however, as there are still plenty of dubious apps onboard the handset like Samsung Apps, S Voice (you know, the Siri alternative that only six people have ever used), and “Briefing” which is sort of like HTC’s BlinkFeed, meaning it is largely pointless and you only ever open it by accident.

The BIG takeaways here for me, though, are the speed and general performance of TouchWiz, its stripped down nature and the fact that it now kind of gets out of the way and lets you get on with what you want to do. This is a BIG change from previous Samsung handsets and I am very pleased that Samsung has finally listened to what people have been saying for donkey’s years. It's not perfect. Not by a ling stretch. But it is a HUGE improvement over what shipped aboard the Galaxy S5.

By and large, though, the torrent of crap that we once knew as TouchWiz is a far more subtle and useful beast these days, almost as if it’s grownup from an annoying teenager into a lovely, well-rounded 20-something. The software itself takes up less room on your device, is less intrusive and –– best of all –– it doesn’t constantly ask you to sign in to Samsung Apps or to start tilting the device to read webpages, which I might add was one of the worse ideas EVER devised for a phone.

Now, if Samsung could finally get around to making it look a bit less rubbish…

Samsung Galaxy S6 Will Get Android M's New Features!

So this is interesting, Samsung has now made a post on its official blog outlining some of its plans for Android M. The firm posted an infographic showcasing which Android M capabilities will be implemented in its next version of TouchWiz. These include enhanced power saving and auto backup features, improved app permissions, memory tracking and fingerprint scanning.

According to reports there are a number of confirmed devices for Samsung's TouchWiz update, including the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge.

Samsung Galaxy S6 To Get Android 5.1 In June

According to a listing posted on the website of Canadian carrier Rogers, Samsung has plans to rollout the Android 5.1 update to the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in June.

However, the post also does state that the June estimate is subject to change. So far we know the update will not be a major one, it will likely focus on bugfixes,perofrmance improvements and stability tweaks as per usual. But with that said we have seen talk of an alleged tablet style "Guest Mode" allowing users to share their phone with others safely and restricting access to certain apps, features, capabilities and content. On top of this it's also believed there will be support for RAW photo files, which will be a boon for photo afficionados wishing to store and edit high quality images.

In actual fact these features have been part of Android Lollipop since its arrival, but not every manufacturer has enabled them for every device, and so far they were neglected by Samsung. It seems the firm has paid attention to the disappointment voiced by some users at the lack of support.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review: Specs –– CPU, RAM, GPU and Storage

Like everything else in this handset, Samsung has pulled zero punches when it comes to the Galaxy S6’s power unit. Inside you’ll find the insanely powerful, 64-bit 14nm OctaCore Exynos 7420 CPU running alongside 3GB of RAM and a Mali-T760 GPU. As you’d expect the results of all this grunt are pretty startling and I’m willing to wager this handset is the most powerful smartphone ever created.

That Exynos 7420, which comprises twin quad-core CPUs (one running at a frequency of 2.1GHz and one at 1.5GHz), will devour everything and anything you can throw at it. TouchWiz runs smoother than ever before, intensive games run without a hiccup and even things like photo and video editing are taken well inside the Exynos’ stride. Benchmarks tell a similar story, though we won’t bore you with those, as the performance on show here requires zero pomp or ceremony; nothing else in the Android space comes close to what’s going on inside this handset. No wonder Qualcomm is getting Samsung to build its next-generation Snapdragon 820!

Beyond this the most impressive thing about the Galaxy S6 is just how reserved it is; the handset doesn’t feel showy. It just does what it does in a very satisfying and efficient manner. Yes, the omission of SD-support is a pain, but the handset is outfitted in three storage versions (32/64/128GB) alongside 100GB of free Drive storage, so even those running on the lowest storage version should have more than enough space to play with.

The Galaxy S6 supports CAT 6 LTE, meaning 300 Mbits/sec download, 50 Mbits/sec upload, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2x2 MIMO) and Bluetooth 4.0 as well as all the usual bells and whistles –– NFC, wireless charging, etc –– you’d expect on a top flight Android handset. Pound for pound, the Galaxy S6 offers up perhaps the best array of specs and hardware we’ve seen on a phone so far this year. All that could change with the launch of the LG G4 and Galaxy Note 5 later this year, obviously, but for now the Galaxy S6 really does look, feel and perform like a flagship in every sense of the word.

Samsung Working 10nm Chips For Late-2016

If you thought the Exynos 7420 inside the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 EDGE were impressive, well, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Samsung is now hard at working on brining a 10nm mobile chipset to market by the end of 2016.

Using the new 10nm node manufacturing process brings with its a myriad of benefits such as improved processing power, actual chip size and power efficiency. The new 10nm chips will continue to use Samsung's fin-shaped field-effect transistors (FinFET) technology, just like the Samsung Exynos 7420, the first mobile chip in the world manufactured using the 14nm process.

“TSMC, Samsung's biggest rival as far as Apple chip orders are concerned, was recently rumoured to start testing its 10nm FinFET chip manufacturing technology as early as next month,” reports Phone Arena, “with mass manufacturing rumoured for 2016 at an unspecified date. Although Samsung has started mass manufacturing 14nm chips back in February, TSMC will only start mass producing chips using its 16nm node process in about a month's time.”

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review: Camera

Samsung, even back in the days of the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5, has a very good pedigree when it comes to imaging technology. The Galaxy Note 3’s imaging unit was exceptional. Ditto for the Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4, so it’s no surprise the imaging aboard the Galaxy S6 is yet another step forward for the company.

Android Lollipop 5.1.1 Update To Bring MASSIVE Camera Boost

It is being reported that Samsung is working on a new update to the camera app. The update, according to sources who spoke to SamMobile, will roll out with the Android 5.1.1 update, Reports The Irish Examiner, citing Sam Mobile. “Both the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are set to receive some extra camera features. It’s not clear what these features will be.”

The update is believed to be bringing the full Google camera API into the mix, meaning support for RAW shooting and shutter speed control. This would obviously be very cool and make an already excellent camera setup even better. Android Lollipop 5.1.1 update will likely begin rolling out very shortly, so keep your eyes peeled.

This isn’t a dramatic overhaul of what came before; rather, it is a refinement (a la Apple’s style with the iPhone) of what came before, aboard the Galaxy S5, just with a few key tweaks in the exact right places. You have the same 16MP sensor onboard, for instance, only this time it is backed up by Optical Image Stabilisation and a wider aperture which allows for more light and, in the end, better shots regardless of the setting you’re shooting in.

The results of this tune-up are VERY impressive indeed, as you can see below.

The addition of Live HDR, the quick launch mode, accessed via a double tap of the home button, an improved 5MP front facing camera with an aperture of f/1.9, and Samsung’s already awesome, but now simpler camera application make for a thoroughly satisfying user experience.

Video, again, is very decent and benefits from an array of new features like object-tracking auto-focus, a first on a smartphone in my experience, as well as having the chops to shoot crystal clear 4K video, 1080p, and lower. The only downside to this new mode is that it cannot be used in conjunction with OIS…

KYM’s go-to recommendation for the best imaging experience on offer always used to be the Galaxy Note 4. Pound for pound, nothing else really equaled that handset for ease of use, features and picture quality. However, there’s a new sheriff in town these days, one with all the prowess and power of the Note 4 and quite a bit extra, and it goes by the name of the Samsung Galaxy S6.

It’ll be very interesting to see how the LG G4’s setup compares to what’s on offer aboard the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 EDGE because as it stands right now –– early-Q2, 2015 –– Samsung is a good country mile or so ahead of the competition in this regard.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review: Battery

QHD panels and battery performance do not go hand in hand; that’s been my position of them since day one. Every QHD device I’ve tested so far had a shocking battery life and struggled to get through a full day (and a night on the town) with heavy usage. The Galaxy S6 is the exception to the rule, however, as its battery –– a mere shrimp at just 2,550mAh –– just keeps on going and going and going. And even when it does want to conk out you can switch on Power Saving mode and eke out another full day’s worth of usage.

The only explanation I can think of is Samsung’s Exynos 7420 CPU; it must be a seriously efficient mother trucker. I never had to worry about the handset running out of juice, unlike with the HTC One M9, Google Nexus 6 and iPhone 6. Nope, not once –– this thing goes all day long. And, in the event you do manage to max it out, you have the Power Saving mode to save your ass and keep the phone’s vital systems running for upwards of 10 hours.

Couple this with the Galaxy S6’s rapid charging abilities –– it’ll go from dead to 70% in 30 minutes –– and you’re looking at one of the best performers in the business. Impressed is an understatement; Samsung has just proved you CAN do QHD without hurting the battery life detrimentally (providing, of course, you use an Exynos CPU).

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review: Verdict

Impressed. Very, very impressed. This is the handset Samsung fans have been waiting for… an actual contender that surpasses Apple’s iPhone in almost every regard. Samsung might have made some erroneous mistakes in the past but all is forgiven now because the Galaxy S6 is easily one of the finest handsets I’ve ever tested. It's great at imaging. It performs great. It looks great. Hell, it’s even got a decent battery life AND a QHD display.

And it is this latter point which makes the Galaxy S6 so damn compelling. I’ve never tested a QHD handset with decent battery life, even the one’s with HUGE 3000mAh+ setups. This is a HUGE USP for Samsung and one it will likely continue to exploit in 2015 with the release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, which is tipped to feature an even more powerful screen –– not that you need one.

Samsung hasn’t produced a handset this compelling since, well, as long as I can remember. Like all good things, it is difficult to pin down exactly what makes this device so good, because it isn’t just one thing by itself. It’s more like a symphony of attributes, engineered perfectly, which combine to create a truly brilliant smartphone experience across the board. The Galaxy S6 does EVERYTHING and, best of all, it feels like it has plenty more in the tank should you need it.

The only thing it’s missing is microSD and the ability to remove its battery –– that’s literally it. And if you’re bothered about that, well, just go and get the Galaxy S5 because I don’t think Samsung will miss your business. This –– along with the Galaxy S6 EDGE –– is going to sell by the truck load.

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Friday, August 21, 2015
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