Galaxy S6 Wins Early Kudos for Innovative Design, Materials

Jakarta Globe, Bloomberg, Mar 02, 2015

A hostess displays the Galaxy S6 edge smartphone at the Samsung Galaxy
 Unpacked event before the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain on
March 1, 2015. (Reuters Photo/Albert Gea)

Samsung Electronics won early praise for its new high-end Galaxy S6 smartphones, with reviewers saying the devices featured premium materials and innovative design.

The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, with a screen stretching from the front across both sides, were unveiled on Sunday in Barcelona, with Forbes saying the use of glass and metal represents “great gains in terms of style.” The BGR website called the S6 and the S6 Edge “truly fantastic smartphones.”

Samsung’s Galaxy S range has been criticized for using plastic instead of the metal frames featured in Apple’s iPhone and high-end devices by rivals running Google’s Android software. The new phones use an aluminum casing, the South Korean company’s own processors, as well as payment software and a fingerprint reader for added security.

“The Galaxy S6 accomplishes something important for Samsung: It’s a flagship phone that finally feels like a flagship,” the New York Times said. “Samsung is moving in a beautiful and powerful new direction, and has indeed created something that looks and feels new and different.”

Both phones will be available in gold, white and black. The S6 also comes in blue, while the S6 Edge has a green version. The phones, which go on sale from April 10, have high-speed and wireless charging capabilities. Samsung has not disclosed the prices.

While TechRadar praised the phones for their design and upgraded camera, it said the smaller battery, which cannot be removed, may be a drawback.

Re/Code said the new devices featured high-quality design and materials with a high-end feel that should have been part of the S range from the start.

Samsung has unveiled its “most beautiful phone,” said the Wall Street Journal, while Chosun Ilbo, a daily newspaper in South Korea, said that dropping the removable battery and memory slot put the new Galaxy devices into more direct competition with Apple.

Still, the changes have resulted in a more sophisticated phone, it said.

Bloomberg