Is the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Worth the Gimic?

With Samsung releasing their new flagship phones, many people wanting to buy Samsung’s high end smartphone are stuck in between two choices: the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. The S6 seems a great phone that would be able to compete against the iPhone 6 (and possibly even the 7 when it comes out). The S6 Edge seems to have all of the features of the S6 with that beautiful curved screen on the sides. Therefore, does it make sense to get the S6 Edge or is it just for show? 

The Similarities

Let’s go into the similarities first. The features for both phones are basically the same. They have the same 1440×2560 5.1 inch Quad HD display, the same Samsung Exynos 7420 processor, the same 16 megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilisation and the same 5 megapixel camera on the front. This makes it clear that the phones are actually very similar internally. So, if you thought the S6 Edge would be slower or have less of a camera, think again.

The Differences

Although both the S6 and S6 Edge have very similar internals, some of these are slightly different too. For example, the S6 Edge has a slighter larger battery at 2600mAh as compared to the S6’s 2550mAh battery. This does only equate to a 2% difference. But, upon testing, many people have found that the battery of the S6 Edge does seem to noticeable last longer than the S6. With batter performance becoming a huge factor with smartphones, this could be enough to push people towards buying the S6 Edge rather the S6.

As well as this, the S6 Edge is also lighter than the S6. The S6 Edge weighs in at 132 grams whereas the S6 weighs in at 138 grams: a 4% difference. For this reason, you probably will not be able to tell the difference in weights between the phone.

With this, though, the S6 Edge is slightly thicker than the S6. the S6 Edge has a thickness of 7mm whereas the S6 is 6.8mm thick. This equates to a 3% increase to the S6, which, like the weight, you will probably not be able to tell.

With the Edge, there are also some software changes, such to use the edges of the screen to full use. When the phone is planted face down and there is an incoming call, the side of the screen will glow. As well as this, you can swipe from the edge of the screen to show you a few select contacts you choose to speed dial or message and swipe just the edge of the screen to see notification without waking the whole phone or the OLED screen.

Is it worth it?

Judging from the differences and similarities between the phones, I think it is only worth it based on how it feels in your hand. If you like the edges of the S6 Edge for aesthetics or use, get it. However, be warned that any case that you want to protect an S6 Edge with will ruin the look of the phone a bit: it is a phone that looks miles better without any case on.