Note Price

First the good. By ditching the plastic back for
glass and plastic faux-metal sides of the Galaxy
S5 for glass and aluminium, the Galaxy S6 does
indeed feel far better built. Logic suggests it
would be almost impossible for that not to
happen and it now matches the iPhone 6 by
feeling every bit as luxurious (regardless of
whether you like either individual design).
Galaxy S6 (left) versus iPhone 6 (right) – image credit
Gordon Kelly
Read more – Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S6 Edge: The
Differences Between The New Samsung
Smartphones .
It is important to state this isn’t just about the
materials, it is the attention to detail Samsung
has shown. Every edge, button and seam is
meticulously crafted and for my money this also
places it ahead of HTC ’s feted (if
photographically flawed) One range where ports
and buttons are found wanting . In this regard
Samsung can pat itself on the back for a job well
done.
The Galaxy S6 also feels good in hand and it
isn’t as slippy as the ridiculously slick iPhone 6.
Both phones could do with cutting down their
huge top and bottom bezels and they wouldn’t
suffer from being a little thicker to fit bigger
batteries (more later), but if I were to pick a
favourite it would be the Galaxy S6.
Build quality on both phones it top class – image credit:
Gordon Kelly
Then again Samsung’s major changes also come
with major downsides. Compared to the Galaxy
S5 the Galaxy S6 no longer has a removable
battery, upgradeable storage and it isn’t even
waterproof. In fairness these aren’t great losses
compared to the iPhone 6 which also has none
of the above, but it does open a window of
opportunity for other Android phone makers to
differentiate.
Are the trade-offs worth it? For those who rely
on one or more of these lost features, obviously
not – they are deal breakers. For most, however,
I suspect they will be accepted and record
shipments suggest this is the case.
Galaxy S6 (right) switches to a glass back, but
aluminium like the iPhone 6 may have been wiser –
image credit Gordon Kelly
So has the Galaxy S6 ultimately stepped up to
the iPhone 6 without any real head-to-head
issues? Not quite. Moving to a glass rear brings
back memories of the iPhone 4 and 4S which
were plagued by cracks. Countering this the
Galaxy S6 uses Corning GLW -0.8% Gorilla Glass
4, a major step forward from what Apple was
able to call upon three years ago. Still so much
glass makes me instinctively uncomfortable and
it is a fingerprint magnet.
Personally I think Samsung should’ve taken a
different track here: fit a removable aluminium
back which gives access to both the battery and
a microSD slot. Surely that would’ve been a win,
win? As it stands, it is a win some/lose some
that stands up well to the iPhone 6 but less so to
more feature rich Android handsets.
Read more – Samsung Galaxy S6 Vs Galaxy S5:
Should You Upgrade?
Displays: Great Meets Greater
Galaxy S6 – 5.1-inch QHD flat panel, 2560 x 1440
pixels, 577 pixels per inch (ppi), Super AMOLED
display
iPhone 6 – 4.7-inch, 1334 x 750 pixels, 326 ppi,
LED-backlit IPS LCD
Let’s stamp on an urban myth straight away:
the iPhone 6 has a poor display. It is a common
perception that because the phone only has a
326ppi screen it is somehow substandard. This
is garbage. To put it in context a 4K 50-inch
television has 88ppi and no-one complains
about lack of pixel density when staring up
close. The iPhone 6 is perfectly sharp and it has
superb brightness, great levels of contrast and
rich colours – all of which are all far more
important.
Galaxy S6 has the better screen, but not because of the
resolution – image credit: Gordon Kelly
Then again, make no mistake, the Galaxy S6 has
the better display of the two. Yes the S6 has a
much higher resolution and if you squint really
hard you can see the benefit this brings, but it
isn’t how you will use the phone in real life and
it isn’t the reason why the S6 wins out.
The fact is the Galaxy S6 takes what the iPhone 6
display is good at: brightness, contrast and
colours and cranks them up to a whole new
level. Something I think would’ve looked
equally stunning on a 1080p panel, a gripe I’ll
get back to later.
So yes, the PPI wars need to end – they’re just as
silly as the perception that more megapixels =
better photos. But Samsung has nailed the
elements that really matter and the result is the
best smartphone display I’ve ever seen. The
Galaxy S6 is the hands down winner.