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All Hail the New Android Smartphone Kings

Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have more than just good looks. Photo: Getty

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge flagship phones are finally here. They are beautiful phones (unlike the uninspired Galaxy S5). The S6 Edge, with its unique curved screen, is especially eye-catching.

But the S6 and S6 Edge have more than just good looks. Both pack powerful processors, gorgeous 5.1-inch displays, and the best smartphone cameras on the market.

Throw in a new mobile payment system that lets you use your S6 anywhere you can use a standard credit card, and the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are the new Android smartphone kings.

Handsome handsets

After years of building the smartphone equivalents of that Pontiac Aztek, the company has crafted a pair of sleek luxury sedans.

Instead of the plastic and faux metal of its previous efforts, Samsung covered both front and back of the S6 and S6 Edge with Corning’s Gorilla Glass. Sandwiched between the glass is a slick aluminum frame.


These are easily Samsung’s most attractive devices, though the standard S6 in particular isn’t exactly original, as it looks like an amalgamation of the iPhone 4s and iPhone 6, an opinion shared by the majority of the people I showed the handsets to.

It’s the Galaxy S6 Edge, though, with its cascading display, that is the more attractive of the two handsets. Unfortunately, the phone’s unique screen configuration makes it a bit more prone to slipping from your hand, as there isn’t a lot of real estate for you to grip with your fingers.

Both phones’ cameras stick out from their rear panels a bit (like the iPhone 6 and 6s), which is a little disconcerting. Next to their cameras are the phones’ flashes and heart rate monitors. Both phones also have much improved fingerprint readers on the home buttons. Now, instead of swiping your finger across the reader, you just place your digit on it, similar to Apple’s Touch ID sensor.

Measuring 5.6 by 2.8 by 0.27 inches and weighing 0.14kg, the Galaxy S6 is a hair thinner but a bit heavier than the S6 Edge, which measures 5.6 x 2.8 x 0.28 inches and weighs just over 0.13kg.

For comparison, Apple’s iPhone 6, which has a smaller 4.7-inch display, measures 5.4 by 2.6 by 0.27 inches and weighs 0.13kg. The 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus is not only taller and thicker than the S6 and S6 Edge, it weighs more too.

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