PERFORMANCE
Samsung this time does not chose the Qualcomm for powering its chip and uses their own chip which is based on 64 bit architecture. The phone is boasted by an octa-core Exynos 7420 processor. Interestingly, it shares some commonalities with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 SoC, since the two consist of four Cortex-A57 cores running at 2.1GHz, while another four Cortex-A53 cores clock in at 1.5GHz. The difference is only in maunfacturing the chip as Exynos 7420 uses a14nm process whereas the Snapdragon 810 relies on a 20nm process. The reports are saying that Samsung's chip is more power-efficient.
The processor is driven by Mali-T760 graphics and backed by 3GB of ram which perform flawlessly with its operations. But one would suspect that make use of quad-HD resolution would stall its performance but that’s hardly the case when you see that operations are accompanied with buttery and fluid responses. Also there’s always that nagging feeling in our mind that will it maintain its smooth performance long-term – more so when additional apps are installed on the phone and new services are added to the background process. For what it is now, however, we can’t deny that it’s absolutely unstoppable.
In the terms of connectivity, Samsung Galaxy S6 has an expansive LTE band support with category 6 downlink, which will deliver theoretical download speeds of 300Mbps. Beyond that, it shares all of the cutting-edge connectivity– include aGPS with Glonass, Bluetooth 4.1, dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, NFC, DLNA, MHL, and a microUSB 2.0 port with the fast charging feature.
CAMERA
Samsung have an intimate relationship with its camera on the phones. They really do care about the performance, which has become extremely clear in our various photo comparisons. Last year’s Galaxy S5 continued the trend, only to be improved by the Note 4 later on, so it’s no surprise that the love is going to be extended here to the Galaxy S6.
On the back Samsung Galaxy S6 sports a 16MP Sony IMX240 sensor (same sensor used by Note 4 camera) with wider f/1.9 aperature lens. This lens help us getting great shots even in low light. The camera also features optical image stabilization, BSI, LED flash, and a new infrared white balance to perfectly adjust the shot to the present lighting conditions. Check out some sample below
The camera app itself is also extremely fast to launch – you can even call it up by double-pressing the home button at any time, which takes less than a second to get running. The reason why the camera app is so quick to start is because it never gets cleaned up from the system memory, so it's always running in the background. Thankfully, Samsung promises that this isn't supposed to introduce any battery or performance issues, thanks to its software optimizations.
Samsung also make new features in the camera app which now open by double tapping the home button at anytime. It takes less than a second to open the app because the app always running in the background. Thankfully, Samsung promises that this isn't supposed to introduce any battery or performance issues, thanks to its software optimizations. The app contains modes like selective focus, panorama, slow motion, fast motion, virtual shot, and pro. We also have full manual control over the camera to adjust parameters for ISO, white balance, exposure compensation, and now focus as well.
In addition, the camera handles dynamic range decently – to the point that it casts a neutral exposure with most shots. Although, HDR mode definitely adds a touch to shadows and highlights to further draw out details that would otherwise be lost. Color production is quite natural looking, so it’s neither too warm, nor too cold in the process.
Samsung also offer 360 degree video making mode and makes its debut with the Galaxy S6, Virtual Shot, offers a new experience in the form of a 360-degree capture. All that’s needed is to move the phone around your object, where it then stitches it all together to produce a 360-degree sample. And from there, we can observe the object because it taps into the phone’s sensors for navigation. Seriously, though, we find it more gimmicky than anything else.
Samsung Galaxy S6 doesn’t disappoint in its abilities to record the moment. Not only is there a wide degree of shooting modes, such a UHD, QHD, 1080p at 60 FPS, 1080p at 30 FPS, and 720p at 120 FPS to name a few, but the results from each are to die for.
The UHD mode by the S6 offers a great deal of detail captured by it, that the digital zoom offered by the camera proves effective enough to an extent. Other agreeable qualities include its smooth auto-focus, minimal artifacting when panning, gradual exposure adjustment, and mostly clear audio recording.
Battery
Due to new design, Samsung not only had to use non-removable battery but also decrease to their battery capacity and shrunk it down to 2550mAh. The lower capacity battery is something of concern for those who regard themselves as power users – more so when this one is packing a quad-HD screen, which generally requires more juice than its 1080p counterparts. For daily, real-world usage the Galaxy S6 is not extraordinary with its battery life. Rather, it’s enough to get us through a solid-one day of normal usage. It's battery lasts upto 7 hours 45 minutes in normal usage.
Conclusion
At the end of the day we can say that it’s probably the biggest redesign to the series in recent memory, one that embodies the qualities that give it a more serious, substantial feel – in comparison to the unflattering feel of plastic. Secondly, it’s a specs demon wherever you look! From the quad-HD Super AMOLED, to the 16-megapixel rear snapper, and its 64-bit based octa-core Exynos chip, this is ensured to be future proof in almost every way imaginable.
The software of the device also gets a change and finally, it’s a solid-performer in the areas that matter to us. Samsung has paid a great deal of attention to everything. The design of the phone is the biggest change in the device but it also makes sacrifices of its many features from its predecessors such as expandable storage via microSD card slot, user replaceable battery, and a water resistant construction.
Check if you did not see 1st part of this review.