GALAXY S6 EDGE REVIEW PART TWO SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
GALAXY S6 EDGE REVIEW
PART TWO

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! It’s great to see you as always! I hope that you are well and enjoying the wonderful spring weather! How are your tech projects coming along? Let me know! I am knocking around on G+ and you can let me know what you are doing!

I am going to continue with the Synapse Circuit penultimate definitive Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge review! Synapse Circuit tells it like it is! Get comfortable... Get a hot or cold beverage and a healthy snack... Okay, get an unhealthy one if you like! Lol!

#Samsung #GalaxyS6Edge #TheNextGalaxy #UnpackedEpisodeOne2015 #GalaxyS6 #GalaxySEdge #GalaxyS6Accessories #GalaxyS6EdgeAccessories #GalaxyS6BatteryPack #GalaxyS6EdgeBatteryPack

PART ONE: AFTERTHOUGHT


I have decided to uninstall the Nova launcher and give TouchWiz on the Galaxy S6 Edge a chance... I feel that I may be too dismissive even though the source of frustration is the immovable Flipboard homepage, not being able to add apps to a folder from within the folder and that there is no infinite scrolling of the homepages. I want to test S Voice as a way of interfacing with the handset. I still don’t like the TouchWiz keyboard! I forgot to mention that the folders can be assigned five different colours: green, orange, lime green and grey; it would have been even better if we could add our own through tapping the palette icon which hides the colour choices.

My wish for TouchWiz on the Galaxy S6 Edge / S6 is that it gets updated to be the same as what is currently on the Galaxy Note 4!

GALAXY APP STORE


Above: The mobile DAW with great potential, Soundcamp. It's available on the Galaxy S6 Edge / S6.

As well as being able to download applications that you may have missed from previous TouchWiz versions such as S Translate, S Note and camera modes you will find apps for the edge screen that can let you know who’s calling, RSS feeds and a specific news feed for a German newspaper / magazine. You will be pleased to know – if you are musically inclined – that you can download the Soundcamp digital audio workstation to compose music! You can also download the Samsung Video Editor application along with some themes for Party, Action, Family and others. Although the Galaxy App store has specific Galaxy based apps the store is populated with general apps that can be had in the Google Play Store. Again, I would prefer the Galaxy App store to just feature apps developed by Samsung or in conjunction with to avoid unnecessary app duplication. I’d rather have 100 new apps from the Galaxy App Store than all these duplicates. It makes me wonder what is happening with Tizen as I would have thought that Samsung would be busy with the Tizen operating system and building up the applications that can either be compatible with Galaxy handsets or made available on the Google Play Store. Hmmmm...

SNAPPY
Personally I would never associate the world “slow” with a Samsung flagship and the 64-bit Exynos system on a chip is extremely fast! It didn’t come as a surprise that Samsung used its own processor over the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chip; if anything I wondered why it took them so long considering Samsung makes chips for a number of manufacturers including Apple. It is said that Samsung will manufacture the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip!

For those who aren't into tech, the advantage of the Samsung 64-bit Exynos chip over the Snapdragon 810 is that it is 6 nanometers (nm); the Snapdragon 810 manufactured in 20nm to the Exynos 7420 14nm. The smaller the nanometer number the more battery efficient and faster the chip is. Apparently! This is what I have understood as the reason why Samsung has bypassed the Snapdragon 810 chip. I have been reading that handsets using the Snapdragon 810 tend to overheat. I want to get my hands on one of those handsets asap! Also Samsung has obviously perfected the art of the SoC (system on a chip) for mobile device beyond its competitors. This is why I pick Samsung above anything else for myself but I would happily tell you about other handsets – good, bad and in-between!

I did find that the Galaxy S6 Edge got quite warm when downloading Google app updates and YouTube videos. But I will have to write up the test with everyday usage and then some! I prefer to take my time and do the review in what I feel is the right way to go about it.

ON EDGE
To be honest the dual edge screen does seem more cosmetic than useful – at least in my reckoning. Sure, I can assign 5 contacts to 5 different colours on either side of the edges so that when the handset is faced down I can see who’s calling me as the screen lights up in the colour associated with a contact. There’s also a simple 7 hour clock that can be activated by rubbing the edge of the screen, plus you can get weather information too. And as mentioned earlier you can download specific edge screen apps to see who is calling and to receive new feeds. Yet the protective case defeats the purpose – unless you purposely leave the flip open! Well, what are the chances of an object dropping on the Gorilla Glass 4 screen on the bedside cabinet? If you are like me you’d get the Galaxy S6 Edge because it looks different – futuristic. I am sure that developers will make more use of the edges. I am actually quite happy with what the edge part of the display can do. It would have been a boon if the Samsung cases had cut outs for the edges. Hmmmm... That’s a bit of a design headache... But that’s what 3D printers are for!

I do feel that the dual edge screen is an innovation; it fulfils the purpose of quick information when you need it without having to unlock the handset.

BATTERY OBSERVATIONS
I have yet to give the battery a good testing but while I have been testing the user interface / functionality the battery goes a long, long way before showing signs of depletion. In fact at the end of test period I would have over 50% battery left after a couple of days so I am really looking forward to taking the Galaxy S6 Edge out on the road and push usage beyond how I would typically use a main driver.

STANDBY FOR PART THREE – THE FINAL PART OF THE DEFINITIVE PENULTIMATE SYNAPSE CIRCUIT SAMSUNG GALAXY S6 EDGE REVIEW

In the third and final instalment I will be looking at media consumption and the camera. I figure it would make more sense to break up the review in parts than to give you the whole review at once! I would like to think that I am thorough (as I can be)!

SAMSUNG HAS THE EDGE
My observations thus so far with regards to the smartphone marketplace is that the Galaxy S6 Edge / S6 have really captured the market in an unprecedented fashion. I can see that many former iPhone users have traded in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models and continue to do so at a never before seen rapid rate. Earlier on today a friend from Denmark informs me that she has the upgraded to the Galaxy S6 instead of going for her usual “premium” iPhone. I was taken aback as she was a staunch iPhone user! Wow!




Above: The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus trade-ins continues to rise. Former iPhone users are trading in their iPhones for the Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and other flagship Android handsets. The pictures were taken at various computer exchange shops around Central London over the weekend. 

As I stated in part one of this review: Samsung have created a new standard of “premium” that makes these new Galaxy S models very, very desirable.

Previous Galaxy S handsets had everything but this “premium” look and feel. Unlike HTC, Samsung have always managed to combine a decent build, design, powerful components inside and a decent camera! While HTC got all heavy metal with the One M7 – 9 there are still issues with the camera. Can Samsung keep its crown for the best camera on a premium handset with the Galaxy S6 Edge? You will find out in the next  and final instalment...

Thank you so much for reading Synapse Circuit!

Expect more reviews, news, opinions, competitions and more from Synapse Circuit!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit site here: SynapseCircuit.com

Synapse Circuit for tech news, opinions, articles, reviews and competitions. You will find interactive PDF magazines, videos and links to free legal software! Check it out at Synapse Circuit dot com

GUNNING FOR SAMSUNG SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

Above: The 64-bit Galaxy S6 Edge; do I go for the Gold Platinum or Pearl White?

 SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
GUNNING FOR SAMSUNG

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! How are you? I hope that all is well with you and your tech! It is great to see you as always! Are you in line for a Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge next month? I am definitely getting the Galaxy S6 Edge!

For some odd reason or reasons people are prematurely counting Samsung out in a few years time. Cyanogen, the folk behind the Cyanogen custom Android ROM, have given Samsung 6 years before they are no more... Ooooh! I think this is wishful thinking... Wanna know why? Great! Read on...

#Samsung #TheNextGalaxy #UnpackedEpisodeOne2015 #GalaxyS6 #GalaxySEdge #GalaxyS6Edge #ChineseManufacturers #Xiaomi #Huawei #OnePlusOne #ZTE #Nokia

NOKIA: YOU CAN’T BE ON
TOP ALL OF THE TIME...
Some people have used the situation with Nokia to predict Samsung’s demise and I think it doesn’t quite work that way. Nokia was sitting pretty at the top once upon a time and after the popular N95 (which can be seen on the American Über-Geek-Nerd-Scientist series The Big Bang Theory with the character Howard Wolowitz) and the N96 it looked as though either Nokia didn’t see the iPhone and Android coming or underestimated them. Either way these new technologies changed the game and the Symbian operating system became obsolete pretty much like the BlackBerry is today.

As you know, Nokia got thrown a lifeline through Microsoft and then got bought out for the Windows phone division; is this a case of too little too late? In any event Nokia was fortunate enough to be able to sell off the handset part of Nokia. So, really and truly it wasn’t a doom and gloom situation for Nokia. However, the Nokia name still carries a bit of weight and had they chosen Android over Windows who knows if they’d still be in existence today as a handset manufacturer. Still, Nokia is still in the mobile device business with the N1 Android tablet.

Can you really map the Nokia story onto Samsung? I do not think so!

LET’S GET REAL...

It seemed like Samsung was always knocking around at the time of the Nokia N95 and N96 with some candybar looking handset. Where I used to work I remember a few of my colleagues busting out their latest Samsung upgrade and I was quite impressed. I also had a sleek dinky silver Samsung flip phone some 9-odd years ago. Pretty much what happened in those 9 or 10 years seems like a blur to me as the iPhone was the talk of the tech world and then Android with efforts from HTC and then Samsung. I got the HTC Hero and upgraded to the Samsung S and S2. Another factor is the Apple lawsuit offensive against Samsung that helped to put them at the top. Golly gee, I am starting to come across like a broken record but it seems to me that people who claim to observe tech are only seeing that they want to see... Anyhoo... I quickly changed my allegiance from HTC to Samsung as I was very fortunate to have had a review unit of the Galaxy S1 and I was so impressed by the quality of the video and pictures as well as many other aspects. The Galaxy S1 made the HTC Hero look and feel like bullsquirt! As a handset reviewer I got hold of the HTC Desire and while it was a very good looking phone the camera just was not there. There wasn’t any other Android handset that could outclass the Galaxy S range. LG subsequently came along and put out some good efforts but the Galaxy S range was too strong up until the Galaxy S5; LG surprised everyone – me included – with the beautiful looking G3. But as with most Android phones the camera wasn’t the best it could have been in comparison to the Galaxy S5.

So, the rest is history and “history” is the operative word; the tech media pushed the LG G3 over the Galaxy S5 because of the design and quad-HD screen. Now I am not exactly what you would call a Tech-Guru and I do not pretend to be but although I loved the G3 I, as a consumer at least, would have gone for the Galaxy S5 based on the following:-

1. It’s water and dust resistant. Although the G3 doesn’t make statements to that effect it can resist water in some tests that I have seen. That said the Galaxy S5 was built specifically to resist water up to a point. If I remember correctly it can resist being submerged into 30 metres of water.

2. The battery can be replaced.

3. There is a microSD card slot

4. The range of colours for the backplate. I think I must be one of a few that appreciated the backplate colours. I would have wanted a combination of a white front and blue back.

5. TouchWiz. I do appreciate the Air Gestures, Smart Stay and so on.

6. The camera. Samsung is the best at smartphone cameras ever since they put video recording capabilities in one of its candybar phones with TV out (as advertised by UK, London, Chelsea football team manager José Mourinho). Because of Samsung I hardly use my dedicated digital cameras as the quality isn’t on par! Gosh! Golly!

In a nutshell I felt that the Galaxy S5 was a more practical handset for everyday usage that is built to survive a knock or two. And now that the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge aren’t water and dust resistant all of a sudden it’s a talking point, “It’s not water and dust resistant... I think I’ll pass...” Oh, not forgetting that the battery cannot be replaced and there’s no microSD card slot. You don’t know what you have got until it’s gone! However, I have pointed out solutions to that possible problem for the most intense user: Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge solutions.

I didn’t hear of anyone saying that they are not going to get the Galaxy S4 because it’s not water and dust resistant... Plus what we (in the UK) have to bear in mind is that the Galaxy S4 under contract has only 16GB of internal storage and after taking the operating system base apps preinstalled that 16GB gets whittled down to around 9GB – I think! I could check to be totally accurate but as I have a Galaxy S4 I can say that 16GB of internal storage is good enough for me. Just recently I got a microSD card to transfer some 4GB worth of pictures from the internal storage! And thankfully Samsung has made 32GB storage a base standard ditching 16GB – unlike Apple. Like Apple there are further options for 64 and 128 GB and unlike Apple there is the S6 Edge, of course, which has a slightly different but important design feature – the dual edge screen which looks set to be sold in the UK from 64GB. As far as I am aware it appears as though UK carriers are doing away with the 32GB version. Okay... I am still getting one! So, there is enough space on these wonderful new Galaxy handsets.

As for the removable battery... Well, it looks like Samsung has done something with the battery in terms of updating its technology. It charges faster and offers wireless charging too. So, you won’t have to swap it out – in theory! I don’t think that Samsung would take a risk like that with the battery. However, Samsung has a external battery pack that will be no doubt released around the same time as one of the many accessories for the Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge which should do away with the replaceable battery arguments.

BODY & SOUL: THE VISION...

I have to admit that I find it a little annoying as a Samsung fan that people are saying that the Galaxy S6 is an iPhone clone. No! It is NOT! Once again... ...there are some minor similarities with regards to the headphone socket and speaker grille. That’s it! How can people say that the Galaxy S6 and especially S6 Edge retain the Samsung design signature and yet be an iPhone clone for having the speaker grille and headphone socket at the bottom? That’s contradictory in the extreme! Face on the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge look a whole lot better than the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus! Just by looking at them I would imagine they will feel a lot better too! I can’t say that I have heard anyone complain and chastise Apple for churning out yet the same boring iPhone design.


Above: A visual joke that's not too far from the truth. Same ol', same ol' design only a little bigger. Oh, the agony that went into perfecting the latest iteration...  

BENDGATE

Above: Bender bending the iPhone 6 Plus. During the Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge reveal President and CEO of Samsung Electronics cracked a joke saying, "The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge doesn't bend..." That's good to know! ;) 

Let’s not forget that Apple are not engineers as such otherwise the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus wouldn’t bend. Now Samsung are, amongst many attributes, engineers and they know how to build a great durable handset.

As I keep saying, Apple cannot invent but reinvent. They are kind of good at reinventing things and putting a spin on those things to make them Apple. The Apple products just appeal to those who aspire to be elitist and they are prepared to pay for it. This is not the case with Samsung; they want to create great products for everybody! People have been criticising Samsung for using plastic yet the LG G3 is made from plastic and it gets awarded phone of the year or some crap like that just for the QHD screen and great design. No, I am not disrespecting LG as I do appreciate what they have done and will continue to do. So, you see that you can’t trust many tech-media sources because they do not review a product based on end results but the looks. And, of course, you have the Apple biased media that will have the competition secondary to the iPhone and iPad no matter what!

Samsung are aiming for that affluent Chinese market with the Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge by making them premium products. I do think that they will sell very, very well in China. Also, these great handsets should appeal globally; I know that the use of plastic has been an issue for the UK tech-media and now they have no excuse. In actuality the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus just can’t compete with the Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge spec sheet. The combination of the Exynos 7420 & 3GB of LPDDR4 RAM ought to make the new Galaxy handsets the fastest in the world!

I am very, very excited about reviewing the Galaxy S6 Edge and owning one! That 16MP OIS camera looks like it is going to deliver the best results yet! It looks like the camera on the iPhone 6 / 6 Plus will date considerably in comparison. We’ll see...

It may please you to know that the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has won an award at the recent Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona, Spain for the Best New Handset category.

INNOVATION & FUNCTION...

Samsung didn’t get where it is today just to fade away in 6 years time; I have seen the company name and brand go from ups, downs and great triumphs at various time periods. I don’t think people that claim to be technology enthusiasts understand that Samsung are in it to win it. Why shouldn’t they be? Some people forget that they put out the first handset that could record HD video with the Omnia HD i8910 running the Symbian OS, 2009. Someone shot a music video using that Omnia HD handset – it might be on YouTube. Samsung subsequently ditched Symbian and produced a number of handsets with the Bada operating system developed in house! So, they knew there was a change coming in the mobile world and they made the switch to Android in the nick of time. There’s a story / rumour that Samsung was approached in the purchasing of Android and they turned it down. Hmmm... Anyway, Samsung created the Galaxy Note in 2012 much to the ridicule of many of the UK tech-mediums. I think someone said that it’s, “like making a call with a piece of toast”. Yet whether you like it or not the Galaxy Note paved the way for the iPhone 6 Plus! I told you that Apple can’t invent! Hate me for it if you must!

The Apple biased tech-media are so keen to report how the iPhone 6 Plus outsold Samsung for the first time since 2011 in the last part of 2014. I guess Cook won’t accredit Samsung for the sales opportunity. Lol! And just look at how the Apple biased media are getting the Church of Apple followers used to the idea that the Apple Watch could cost thousands of dollars! It cracks me up! I can see the most devoted emptying their bank accounts... Gosh...

GEE WIZ
I really don’t understand why the tech-media – including Android media – why TouchWiz is demonized. With the TouchWiz overlay it has brought so much functionality to Android. Although I get great mileage from my Nexus 6 it does feel that it could do with a bit of oomph! Just the other day I was watching a video on my Galaxy S4 and I got distracted and turned my head and it paused! I just love it! Sure, I am not saying that because I love aspects of TouhWiz that everybody else should but I do expect more from the tech-media than bitching about lag. Even though I am using the Nova launcher instead of TouchWiz I don’t feel like a hypocrite as I still use the Air Gestures and Smart eye tracking, etc. As you know they aren’t perfect as the sensor needs good lighting conditions to get the best out them.

These so called reviewers seem to behave as though they can’t turn these features off when they get in the way or not called for. Bizarre. The combination of the Nova launcher, Android and TouchWiz is unbeatable in my book – especially as the Nova launcher has taken on some of the Lollipop animations. I can’t say that the experience is a laggy one; the interface is very smooth. I can only hope and imagine that TouchWiz on the Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge will be likened to the Nova launcher experience as  I have been saying that a lot of what is in TouchWiz can be tucked away in the form of widgets and in the settings menu. I can’t wait to get my hands on the Galaxy S6 Edge in particular (as I keep saying) to explore the new changes. I like the idea of themes. One reason why I use the Nova launcher is because I like scroll the different home screens indefinitely.

At the moment I am waiting for the Lollipop upgrade to my Galaxy Note 4 before I engage the Nova launcher as I want to see what Lollipop brings to the TouchWiz experience.

SAMSUNG SECRET LABS...
Anyone who seriously believes that Samsung will be out of the running in 6 years time must be off his or her trolley! It’s as though people – especially tech journalists don’t understand that many, many companies have a bunch of experimental devices waiting in the wings. Samsung has already given us a clue of the future in a promotional video. Look, the reality is that you don’t become a chip manufacturer and the makers of just about every handset for different markets globally to fade away into obscurity. I reckon that Samsung is already ahead in terms of innovations that they would like to bring to the marketplace in the not too distant future just like I think LG and Huawei is ahead. I would imagine that there are plans to create a new production plant based on these new technologies being worked on right now.

Just look at how Samsung went all out to recover from the Galaxy S5 being somewhat of a disappointment... Seemingly out from nowhere came the metal Galaxy Alpha with a removable back and from there we have the Galaxy A series. I can’t think of any other manufacturer that can do that. So, I knew that these new Galaxy handsets would have a non-removable battery – I saw it from a mile off. I know that Samsung are constantly working on improving the battery even though it might not seem that way but the Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge batteries indicate that this is the tip of the iceberg.

TIZEN


Above: The Samsung Z1; a Tizen based handset that is said to be selling well in India. Plastic fantastic. 

When I first heard about Tizen I envisioned that it would be compatible with the Google Play Store. Although the tech-media have tried to make out that this is a war against Google I can see it is simply a way for Samsung to keep developing its own innovations. I do apologize for the repetition if you have been following my work but I feel that it needs to be said again in this article. Tizen is Samsung expressing itself freely. I do think that a premium Tizen handset could go down well in the not too distant future; it will be a win / win situation for Samsung and Google as people do love Google apps! Google apps can also be found on the iOS platform. This talk of Samsung against Google is pretty stupid if you ask me. It might be good for headlines (if you are desperate) but in this day and age such cheap tactics is not necessary as I think we’ve come a long way from tabloid journalism or so I would like to think...

THE CHINESE INVASION
While Xiaomi has rapidly become the biggest handset manufacturer in China it has yet to conquer the rest of the world. Xiaomi have beaten Samsung in sales in China and this is largely because the Android market is a constantly changing one. In China what many manufacturers have done is taken influences from the major players and produced some great high-end handsets in the process at a cost effective price. As a result the Samsung mid-range is out of step in the Chinese marketplace. You could also say that Lenovo Motorola has also created some great low-end handsets such as the Moto E and mid Moto G. Again, these budget handsets have had a jarring effect on the Samsung handsets aimed at the markets mentioned above. I don’t think people realize just how many handsets Samsung puts out in a year; many of them don’t reach the UK! I do think that – with the exception of the Galaxy S5 perhaps – that the premium Galaxy handsets can hold their own. However, some Samsung handsets sell over a longer period. I wonder how many people will take out a contract on a Galaxy S5 when the price is reduced somewhat... It’s still a great handset!

So, where can Samsung go from here? Now that the Galaxy Note 4 and S6 / S6 Edge have become metalized sandwiched between Gorilla Glass 4 it means that the low to mid and mid-high handsets can retain a plastic build containing either in house chips or Qualcomm or perhaps another chip manufacturer like Intel. It should be fairly easy for Samsung to knock out cut down versions of the Galaxy S and Note series that is centred around a good camera as they have the knowhow that comes with years of experience. Also, a handset based on Tizen could go down well in China as I get the feeling that the Chinese consumer want to try anything new. I am quite sure that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus sales is down to the Chinese wanting to experience a slice of that Apple pie! It could very well be that the iPhone rush in China will be short-lived as the consumer will discover that the Android operating system is more versatile. The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge should see sales in the Chinese markets rise significantly as I do believe the market worldwide is driven by new design and innovations; the Galaxy S5 may have come across as too pedestrian in an Android market that’s churning out a myriad of interesting designs.

For now I think that the premium side of Samsung’s business is still safe! The pre-orders for the Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge are high! I am predicting that the Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge will be Samsung’s biggest seller to date and I won’t be surprised to learn that the S6 Edge especially will outsell the iPhone 6 as the specs speaks for themselves.

IN CLOSING...
Samsung is going to be around for a long time to come. Anyone thinking that they won’t be at the top of the Android market or in the top 5 is delusional to put it mildly! As well as manufacturing great handsets it looks like the chip aspect of Samsung’s operations is set to grow significantly. Qualcomm may have some serious competition. We haven’t even discussed tablets yet! I’ll hold off until Samsung officially announces new tablets. In the meantime...

Thank you so much for reading Synapse Circuit!

Expect more reviews, news, opinions, competitions and more from Synapse Circuit!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit site here: Synapse Circuit.com

Synapse Circuit for tech news, opinions, articles, reviews and competitions. You will find interactive PDF magazines, videos and links to free legal software! Check it out at Synapse Circuit dot com

SAMSUNG GALAXY S6 LEAK DAMAGE SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

Above: Samsung teaser promotion alludes to wireless charging and speed.

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
SAMSUNG GALAXY S6:
LEAK DAMAGE?

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! How goes it? Well, it’s not long before we learn what the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S Edge is all about! Are you planning on getting either the Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S Edge? I’ve got to have the Galaxy S Edge as I gave the Galaxy Note Edge a miss for the Galaxy Gear VR!

Here’s a question: Do you think that all these “leaks” are damaging Samsung’s chances for success?

#Samsung #GalaxyS6 #GalaxySEdge  #Leaks

NO SURPRISES?
Do you think that there will be no surprises on the day of the reveal, 1^st March 2015?

What do we really know about the Galaxy S6 apart from some “leaked” specs? Not a lot, right?

Here’s what we don’t know:-

The new cameras
The camera is a big deal on smartphones these days and Samsung knows more than any manufacturer just how important it is to get this feature right. We’re seeing many Chinese manufacturers such as Huawei putting in some serious MegaPixels on the front-facing camera these days i.e. 13MP! Gosh! Golly! Gee! But at the end of the day it’s easy enough to take selfie pictures with the main camera. Besides, many selfie pictures are fodder for social network feeds; 13MP may be overkill for that purpose. If the rumoured 5MP front-facing camera on the Galaxy S6 & S Edge is accurate then I’d say that Samsung has got it right (for the front-facing camera).

As for the main camera... ...it seems there is some fluctuation between 16MP and 20MP. I am going to place a bet on 20MP as this was a big rumour for the Galaxy S5. We are still in the dark (hee hee) about how the main camera will compete against strong efforts from other manufacturers. I would imagine that in any event (Mobile World Congress 2015) Samsung will make a massive effort in outdoing the iPhone cameras. Samsung should be aiming to obliterate the iPhone cameras in terms of quality of results and not just a high MegaPixel rating alone. As well as optical image stabilization we want more quality night shots.

Battery life
It looks as though the battery will be smaller due to the fact that we are expecting not only a metal / glass unibody but the Galaxy S6 (and possibly S Edge) will be ultra-thin. As a result the battery is said to be 2600 mAh. Now there are several factors to a handset that can drain a battery fast:-

a) The operating system... Lollipop (Android 5) may be causing the battery to drain rapidly as it is a major upgrade. No doubt that Google will keep releasing updates to improve the overall Lollipop experience as they have done with other incarnations of Android.

b) A QHD display! Samsung could reveal an improvement upon its Super AMOLED technology that is less taxing on the battery.

c) The processor; as soon as you start using your handset to consume media i.e. YouTube videos, games and music the battery starts to diminish considerably. It seems to me that the tech media keeps forgetting that Samsung is an experienced chip manufacturer and that it has been responsible for the iPhone A series of processors. Many showed concern regarding the use of Samsung’s own chip, Exynos 7420 for the Galaxy S6 (and S Edge) instead of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 but Samsung would not jeopardise its flagship knowing how high the stakes are. Who knows how long Samsung has been working on the Exynos 7420? To hazard a guess I would say since Apple engaged Samsung to realize its 64-bit processor; it was just waiting for Lollipop.

We have an idea that the Exynos 7420 chip will be less of a strain on the battery.

Biometric scanner
We have yet to get details on the fingerprint scanner. Apparently the swipe to unlock fingerprint scanner is out! The fingerprint scanner should work in a similar way to the iPhone. But that is just hearsay! It could be that Samsung removes this feature totally from the Galaxy S6 and S Edge. To me a fingerprint scanner is just a novelty.

It does appear as though the heart rate scanner will still be a feature.

Samsung specific apps
I am not talking about bloatware but Samsung productivity apps... We have no idea what or if Samsung will provide its own apps that can take advantage of the Exynos 7420 processor and much rumoured 3GB RAM. For all we know it could be 4GB when it is actually released.

It sort of goes with the biometric scanner in that Samsung did a good job with the S Health app to track steps, heart rate, calorie intake, etc. I use it on my Galaxy Note 4. I find it very useful.

Sound
We don’t know if the Galaxy S6 and S Edge will have the same kind of sound features that will appeal to enthusiastic and professional musicians like the Galaxy Note 4 does. Fingers crossed that it does! The functions for sound can make a great difference in sales as music making apps on Android have gotten to a very high standard. Again, Samsung has its own Soundcamp music making app that could see its way on the Galaxy S6 and S Edge.

See?
There is a lot that we really don’t know. I could post up “leaked” pictures of the Galaxy S6 and its Edge variant but you have probably seen them already. And the chances are is that those pictures are genuine. Samsung and other manufacturers “leak” the images and benchmarks on purpose to generate excitement and to keep the media (in general) writing and talking about the Next Big Thing. The images are also leaked so that we don’t expect too much of the design so when it is actually revealed it shouldn’t come as a shock if you were expecting something outlandish. Once the look of the handset is “revealed” we should then start to focus on what the handset can do.

In a way we’ve been looking at “leaks” ever since Samsung put the Galaxy Alpha out there which has morphed to the all metal Galaxy A series. Some of that design ethos will go into the Galaxy S6 & S Edge (as I have pointed out already).

SHOWTIME
The reason why the Galaxy S5 didn’t do so well wasn’t because of the “leaks”... Well, kind of... We’ll get to that in a bit... It was simply because Samsung didn’t do a presentation in a similar vein to the Galaxy S4. Samsung should get back to those big reveals; while the introduction of the Galaxy S4 didn’t go down with everybody – it was seen as patronizing to women – it still showed off the great functionality of the handset. I would imagine that Samsung was feeling deflated after the Apple witch hunt and when the tech media panned the Galaxy S4 Unpacked event it (Samsung) felt rejected and decided to tone things down for the Galaxy S5, “Back to basics...” If the “leaks” did damage the Galaxy S5 it was because some of the “leaked specs” didn’t live up to the hype. I was initially disappointed with the Galaxy S5 design (even though it was “leaked”); I found myself hoping that some of the concept renderings (at the time) would have been based upon a Samsung design. I was also disappointed with the spec. We Android folk want our premium handsets to have the best tech crammed inside it! As it turned out the Galaxy S5 “Prime” was the LTE-A G906S variant of the Galaxy S5 and there are so many variants of it! Here in the UK – at least – we were expecting the LTE-A G906S to be on the market but it wasn’t. As a result some consumers opted for the LG G3 instead.

I reckon had Samsung stuck to its flamboyant Unpacking sense of showmanship with a more thoughtful approach to women, for example, I think that the Galaxy S5 would have shifted more units. I don’t know about you, but I do appreciate when Samsung shows us situations where its innovations are useful. Samsung didn’t go all out on presentation with the Galaxy S5 so much so that I can’t even remember the whole event like I do the Galaxy S4 Unpacking.

UNPACKED 1^st MARCH 2015
I am hoping that Samsung will restore the Unpacked flare that they are famous for since the introduction of the Galaxy S3 at this year’s Mobile World Congress. I want to see what Samsung has envisioned for us. I love it when they make a great show of it combing the use of video projection and actors. The Unpacked event is not just for the media and tech-heads out there... Uh-uh! Many consumers are watching to learn as much as possible on what could be their next handset. Consumers like to see how what could be their next handset differentiate from the competition. It’s these unique selling points that went into the adverts for the Galaxy S3 and S4. For the Galaxy S5 ads I remember the battery saving capabilities and heart rate monitor... Whereas with the Galaxy S3 I learned about the great camera functionality and unique design! And with the Galaxy S4 it was not only the camera but Air Gestures and Smart Pause!

In other words the Galaxy S5 was undersold. That said there was a great interest on the UK launch that took place in London’s Westfield shopping complex in Stratford. Since then Samsung has closed its Stratford retail outlet. It’s a bit of a shame but the Central London Samsung shop is still in existence and is very busy!

A SENSE OF WOW
What I have taken from the various “leaks” is that the Galaxy S6 and S Edge will most likely be the most powerful handsets in the world.

It’s also going to have a different design language that befits an ultra-thin unibody while being recognizable as a Samsung handset. Yeah, yeah... ...some people are saying, “It’s like an iPhone...” already... If the “leaked” pictures are for real then it is more like a hybrid between the HTC One and iPhone. I would have preferred that it had front-facing stereo speakers but as Samsung seem to be aiming to create the world’s thinnest handset it’s not going to support it (front-facing speakers). Maybe, just maybe those “leaked” images are a red herring and we could be in for a surprise with the actual Galaxy S6 and S Edge. I am not going to hold my breath on the design for the reasons mentioned above i.e. the “leaks” are meant to get people used to the design (instead of expecting something from another galaxy... hee hee...). I saw the leak for the Galaxy S3, S4 and S5 and I did hope that they would be different. But the designs never detracted from the functionality of the handsets themselves. I have yet to see the camera on a premium Galaxy handsets bettered; the camera is one of the reasons why I have stuck with the Galaxy S and Note ranges.

I don’t think the media and consumers will be disappointed when it comes to the functionality; functionality is Samsung’s speciality and I expect to be wowed once more on what the Galaxy S6 and S Edge can do!

If Samsung presents the Galaxy S6 and S Edge right I don’t see a reason for them not to sell like hotcakes!

64... BIATCH
That’s right! Samsung’s 64-bit Exynos processor is going to be another selling point for the Galaxy S6 and S Edge. As a result I envisage that the Galaxy S6 and S Edge will be the biggest selling handsets this year (not counting the Galaxy Note 5 come September). By the looks of it the Exynos 7420 processor is more advanced than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 and since most premium handsets will be packing it i.e. the HTC One M9, LG Flex 2 and the Sony Z4 - to name a few – the Galaxy S6 and S Edge are going to stand out (from any device using the Snapdragon 810). Samsung are coming back with a vengeance.

Related articles:-

Double Edged Sword

Galaxy S6 Follow-Up

Samsung Throwing A Curve

Samsung Design Principals

Samsung to Fade Away

Apple Biased Media Assault on the Soon To Be Released Galaxy S6 and S Edge

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APPLE BIASED MEDIA ASSAULT ON GALAXY S6

Above: Samsung's press invite for the 1st March 2015 at the MWC, Barcelona, Spain.
I am looking forward to unpacking whatever form the Galaxy S6 or S Edge takes!

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
APPLE BIASED MEDIA CLAW AT THE SOON TO BE ANNOUNCED GALAXY S6!

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! How are you? It is great to see you as always! I hope that you are keeping warm in this chilly weather. I do my best to keep the sniffles at bay! I also hope that you are making the most of your tech!

I think that all this wishful thinking that Samsung will fade into obscurity is nuts! Plain and simple! What I find even more nuts are “news” sources with an obvious bias towards Apple... Find out why Apple is afraid of Android and Samsung in particular... Read on...

#Samsung #GalaxyS6 #GalaxySEdge

MEEOUCH!
Reading from the blatant Apple biased tech media can be a hoot sometimes... Most of the time the Apple biased media is just plain silly! One source has it that because Samsung “stopped copying Apple products” its fortunes have taken a tumble! LMAO!!! I never saw an iPad Tab 7, did you? I didn’t recall an iPhone Note? Furthermore, the Galaxy 10” tablet series looked nothing like the iPad! Let’s not forget that Apple had to publish an apology to Samsung on its UK based website. Talk about bias! Good gosh!

What this source and many others are referring to about Samsung “copying again” is that the Galaxy S6 could feature a unibody made from aluminium and glass. This is nothing new of course as a few Android manufacturers have done this already. Now it appears as it is Samsung’s turn to go metal and glass! Big deal! I have noticed that the Apple biased tech-media don’t state that Apple have copied the Galaxy Note what with the adoption of the 5.5” screen for the 6 Plus. Uh-uh! But they are quick to state that the 6 Plus is breaking sales records, etc. Funny, huh?

Still, it’s good that the as yet unannounced Samsung Galaxy S6 is getting some coverage. Such “news” just piques my interest even more – as if I couldn’t get more interested! True to my word I have resisted posting up “leaked” images of what could possibly be the Galaxy S6 but if they are anything to go by it looks like iPhone meets the HTC One M series (without the front-facing speakers, sadly).

Besides, the Galaxy S6 and its S Edge variant may have already been “leaked”. And if the “leaked” pictures are anything to go by then the Galaxy S6 still retains the Samsung design language. I am very much of the opinion that these “leaks” are put out on purpose to ease super-high unrealistic hopes and in the case of the Galaxy S Edge it is to tease the public!

I didn’t opt for the Galaxy Note Edge because of the Gear VR unit that I will get later on but I do WANT the Galaxy S Edge for sure! All I can say at this point is that I hope the Galaxy S Edge isn’t exclusive to one mobile network as it was with the Galaxy Note Edge. I think it is an odd way to sell such awesome new designs.

Yes, as I stated in another article: when Samsung showed off the concept handsets with a curved YOUM screen at CES 2013 the press and consumers alike acknowledged these concept handsets as “advanced” and now that these awesome concepts are in production the Apple biased media, once again, is placing a negative spin on these innovations!

Apple is said to be working on a stylus for a possible forthcoming iPad Pro and uses “Air Gestures” too! Now where have I heard that term, “Air Gestures”?

I FEEL THE NEED...
THE NEED FOR...
Judging by the “leaked” benchmarks for the Galaxy S6 or S Edge it looks as though Samsung has produced the fastest Android handset on the planet. And it looks as though my wish for a 5.5” screen is dashed! Here’s what could be the Galaxy S6 innards:-

5.1” 1440 x 2560 display.
Samsung Exynos 7420 processor.
20MP main camera.
5MP front-facing camera.
3GB RAM.
32GB internal storage.
Android 5.0.2.

The Exynos 7420 processor has set a new record at 60,978 points, beating Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 quite comfortably.



This makes me very happy as I am a Samsung Galaxy S user and it also makes me wonder why Samsung couldn’t do this for the Galaxy Note 4. There again, most handsets are designed well in advance. Still, the Galaxy S6 and S Edge appear to be the pinnacle of Android handset design. Oh, it looks as though 4GB of RAM is out of the question! Lol! Now I am curious as to why ASUS has put 4GB of RAM on one of its ZenFone 2 models... Anyhoo... The 20MP camera is very exciting for me as I do LOVE to take pictures on my mobile whenever I am on my travels in Central London. Samsung cameras have never let me down yet! Okay, briefly with the Galaxy S4 which was remedied with a software update soon after.

Sticking with the camera, I do hope that 4K video recording will have no time restrictions.

There’s no mention of external microSD storage but I suspect that Samsung will allow for it as it always has! Now that 4K video recording has taken hold I think it would be advantageous for the capacity of microSD cards to increase! By now I would have thought that up to 500GB is possible on a microSD card, no? Serious video makers will want to take advantage of what 4K has to offer!

Photo and video editing... It would be great if Samsung features some desktop-like apps for picture and video editing to compliment such a great – potentially great – camera!

A SOUND BET
Another aspect of the Galaxy S6 and S Edge to be excited about is the sound facility; Samsung design and builds its flagships around multimedia. As a result the Galaxy Note 4 is a gift to musicians as there is compatibility with IK Multimedia’s music hardware interfaces and apps for Android as it is on iOS. So, if you want to use your handset for the purpose of music making without going iOS then the Galaxy Note 4 is the best offering out of all the OEMs (original equipment manufacturer). I am expecting the same for the Galaxy S6 and S Edge.

I do make music when I get the chance and I am looking forward to exploring music making on Android mobile devices in due course.

And if you are a journalist the Galaxy S6’ relatively small screen factor could change your working life. I used to record interviews using my Galaxy S and an assortment of digital cameras with HD video recording capability. Today I would use my Galaxy Note 4! In the future I see myself using the Galaxy S Edge!

I do think that the tech-media – Apple biased or not seem to be ignorant of the flagship Galaxy S (and Note) audio capabilities. There are some music / audio apps that require a Samsung premium flagship handset for best results. Now do you understand why I bet on Samsung each and every time for my main drivers?

64-BIT ANDROID FRENZY
I just love it when Apple tries to put the squeeze on the Android industry; Cook and co remind me of the coyote in the famous Roadrunner cartoons that always gets caught in his own traps! I do think that Apple have already started to regret forcing 64-bit on Android before it was ready. It was bad for Google and OEMs in the short run. It’s always going to be good for the consumer as the 32-bit handset prices should fall dramatically come summer when 64-bit floods the Android marketplace. This is why ASUS have gone all in with a decent 64-bit handset at a decent price point from the off with the ZenFone 2. Other OEMs have a number of budget 64-bit handsets to bring to the Android marketplace! But not all 64-bit chips are made equally! It looks as though Samsung and it 7420 Exynos chip could land them on top of throne when it comes to chip manufacturing. I know that that Apple is going to use Samsung again for more chips! And I would imagine that other Android OEMs will start using Samsung chips in the not too distant future. Samsung can start clawing back what it has lost in chips alone! Look at the loss that Qualcomm is anticipating because Samsung is using its own chipset on the Galaxy S6 and S Edge? Not taking anything away from Qualcomm they make great chips and I reckon Samsung will still use Qualcomm chips on smaller handsets and tablets.

CHIPPED ACCESSORIES
Talking of “chips”! It looks as though Samsung will require accessory manufacturers to authenticate Galaxy S6 and S Edge accessories with a Samsung issued chip! I think this is about time! I think it is important for consumers to purchase accessories made specifically for Galaxy products knowing that they have been approved by Samsung. I am not talking about just cases... Yes, cases are important as some do not cater for the NFC capability on the Galaxy Note 4 for example. I think it is more important for battery extension accessories such as a power-stick or power-case. I believe an unapproved battery extension for my Galaxy S is what caused it to not function properly. As a result I never use anything that does not have the Samsung branding upon it.

It looks as though that there will be a number of decent accessories that consumers can trust with regards to Samsung products. The thought of a non-removable battery on a Samsung flagship does disturb me somewhat; I’ll be relieved to know that I can use a protective case that also houses a battery extension. Bring it with those authentication chips!

SAMSUNG PAY? BE AFRAID... BE VERY AFRAID...
Ah, that’s another rumour doing the rounds regarding Samsung “copying Apple”. If this rumour turns out to be true then I can only imagine that this is a rebranding of Samsung Wallet and its ability to make payments with PayPal. This is no big deal! Samsung had the Wallet before Apple had Apple Pay. Nothing wrong with a bit of rebranding – if the rumour turns out to be true. I feel that I have to keep reminding people that iOS and Android are two different platforms. The main difference between Android and iOS is that it’s better... Lol! Seriously (even though it true), the main difference is that Android isn’t saddled with another computer operating system that is the equivalent of OS X (and to some extent Windows) and therefore Android can serve both OS X and Windows with applications that save in OS X and Windows compatible formats. So, this is the real reason why Apple is afraid of Samsung’s flagships! It is also a reason why Microsoft is desperately trying to garner interest in Windows, etc. Microsoft has bought a mobile phone manufacturer (Nokia) but there is very little desire for Windows phones. It’s no wonder that Microsoft has invested a reported 70 Million in Cyanogen – the start-up company that will most likely produce a forked version of Android at the end of the day. Again, look where that got Amazon and its Fire phone...

IN CLOSING
I have pointed out that there is no real challenger to the Samsung crown when it comes to its high-end premium flagships. Many of the Chinese OEMs have yet to reach the European and US markets. Because the UK lost mobile device retail outlet Phones 4U last year it has meant that some of the best alternatives to Samsung’s mid-high down to the budget end of the market have been denied to consumers. Phones 4U had the LG L budget range that was quite popular. If you lost your phone or broke it beyond repair or that it costs more than it’s worth then you’d pick up an LG L. However, I think that Motorola has put paid to the budget end of the market whereby the LG L range is dead in the water and even this seems like it could be for the short term as there will be a few budget 64-bit handsets that may prove to be more powerful than the Moto G 2014 for example. So far Motorola haven’t announced that they’ll be releasing a 64-bit equivalent of the Moto G 2015.



Above: Samsung's new lead designer, Lee Don-tae.

I do think that Samsung can also redefine the sub £200 handset market by either using lesser Qualcomm 64-bit processors or Samsung’s Exynos processors. In fact this is a good opportunity for Samsung to experiment with new designs in the form of plastic 64-bit handsets aimed at the budget market now that they have hired designer, Lee Don-tae who worked for Tangerine where Jony Ive worked before starting with Apple.

I don’t think Samsung is going to fade away anytime soon...

We’ll just have to wait and see what the actual Galaxy S6 and S Edge are about... It’s only the 10^th of February! Only 18 more days to go! Lol!

Thank you so much for reading Synapse Circuit!

Expect more reviews, news, opinions, competitions and more from Synapse Circuit!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit site here: Synapse Circuit.com

Synapse Circuit for tech news, opinions, articles, reviews and competitions. You will find interactive PDF magazines, videos and links to free legal software! Check it out at Synapse Circuit dot com

A NEW SYNAPSE CIRCUIT WEBSITE IS ON THE WAY!