Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 Edge: a Bit of Disappointment

sauce2k on 02/03/2015 - 07:17
Last edited 02/03/2015 - 07:18

Hi guys,

Started this topic as to see what everyone thinks of the new Samsung products.. Personally I didn't quite like it , well just like every other year which I was hoping they do something different to the iPhone. I have an iPhone 5s at the moment and was thinking to switch to android. I thought about OPO and XiaoMi but one problem is that they don't have Aus support=[.

Anyway, the new galaxy phones won't let you to remove battery and memory card😐, and it even looks like an iPhone now …I'm not a Samsung hater but come on 😐😐😐

If you were to switch to s6 what are some of the features that attracted you the most?

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Comments

  • Sunny84 on 02/03/2015 - 07:47

    MicroSD slot !!!

    • Woodyg22 on 03/03/2015 - 08:51

      Not in the S6!

      • Oliver on 03/03/2015 - 15:24
        +1

        Yeah samsung are really pushing it with the s6. I was all keen to buy one. I had an S1, S2, S4 and was waiting for the S6 but now… I don't think I'll bother. Why get a Galaxy if you can't put in an SD card or have swappable batteries. So stupid.

        • RedSky on 03/03/2015 - 16:12

          Yep. I am already expecting my next phone to be an LG or HTC. Only two large manufacturers that both do good headphone jack audio quality and offer a microSD card on their flagship. Pity, I was very happy that Samsung always offered those two as well as a removable battery.

        • PVA on 03/03/2015 - 18:48
          +6

          @RedSky:
          look at Sony as well if you want headphone audio quality and microSD slot

        • Pyrock on 03/03/2015 - 19:33

          I was thinking the same thing. Had the s2 and s4 and was thinking of going with the s6.
          The no waterproof/removable battery makes me think again. The microSD isnt a big thing for me since they have bumped up the internal storage and currently 16gb is enough on my s4.
          I will just wait and see what the battery life is like, as it is apparently a whole lot better since its not removable- i usually use an external power supply anyway.

        • RedSky on 04/03/2015 - 01:18

          @PVA:

          Yeah I forgot about Sony. Only really since the Z3.

          http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z3-review-1140p7.php

  • mooney on 02/03/2015 - 07:49
    +1

    Bit harsh on the edge. Its visually very interesting.

  • ShamelessBargains on 02/03/2015 - 09:00
    +13

    Design is definitely a step up from the S5 but seems they have sacrificed a lot to get there.

    No removable battery, No SD card slot, No waterproofing.

    I always thought the above three were good differentiators to switch to Andriod from iOS but removing them in place of a better design is hard to gauge.

    Will be interesting to see how much they are priced at though.

    • djones145 on 02/03/2015 - 09:21
      +5

      removeable battery and waterproofing I can live without
      but no SD card is annoying, as long as the base model is a 128g'er!

      • ProjectZero on 02/03/2015 - 09:53
        +1

        Yeah, the biggest issue with iphone is the storage… if Samsung doesn't make us pay a premium for the storage that it wouldn't be too bad.

      • BanannaMan on 03/03/2015 - 10:31
        +1

        Unfortunately base model is 32gb, this is a killer for me

  • polol on 02/03/2015 - 09:00
    +1

    Highlights are DDR4 RAM, UFS2.0 (quicker boot/launching apps?), OIS camera in specs. Looks are looks. Apparently these things along with the special SoC should make the battery last.

  • iridiumstem on 02/03/2015 - 09:05
    +1

    VR porns, VR porns, VR porns. I mean movies, yes movies.

    To be honest, I've always saw Samsung to be differentiatable in Android market from being able to be differentiated with better hardware (Internals mainly). So in a way, I see S6 to be closer to what they used to do, S5 was a disappointment in many regards, mainly design and lacklustre internals (though I wouldn't deny that it had many ups as well). 14nm, UFS 2.0, better wireless charging (So I've heard, I have slept through the event) and VR to some extent. I don't know how well that will translate with the losses we have, removable batteries and microSD card support. That being said, when my phone finally dies, S6 Edge does look pretty enough and interesting enough for me to consider as a solid option.

  • ProjectZero on 02/03/2015 - 09:19
    +5

    There are a few reasons as to why I prefer Android to iOS. Not closed off, customisable and expanding memory just to name a few.

    Design and specs all come second to the features IMO, as such, if the said phone doesn't have the expandable memory like it's previous products, this is by all means a no go for me. Unless the price is dirt cheap for a 128Gb edition, I wouldn't go for it as I'm sure other companies will have similar or better specs, more or less the same features but may include expandable memory and/or waterproofing.

  • uder on 02/03/2015 - 09:32
    +1

    As someone who's used a Nexus for the last 3 years and disappointed by the N6, would like to see a good review of Sammy's Lollipop implementation.

    • ProjectZero on 02/03/2015 - 09:58
      +2

      If previous implementation is anything to go by, Touchwiz is really good for the first year or so… then it tends to slow down and feel sluggish after that… so you may be in for an "uder" disappointment?

      Sorry just wanted to do the pun =P

      But what I said still stands… its zippy for the first year or so but tends to slow down… one of the reasons I went for a different brand this time. I've kind of tested it in the sense that I had a GS3 and galaxy note 2 (which have identical specs), my GS3 is running CM11 whilst my note2 is running touchwiz… you can really feel the difference in the OS as touchwiz is laggy then CM11 due to the bloatware and possibly coding.

      • Ramrunner on 03/03/2015 - 09:00
        +2

        I replaced the Touchwiz launcher with the standard Google Now launcher and have not looked back.

        • ProjectZero on 03/03/2015 - 09:21

          Sounds interesting, is there a guide to how it can be done?

        • Ramrunner on 03/03/2015 - 11:25
          +1

          @ProjectZero: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/google-now-launcher-andr…

          Have fun.

          The biggest benefits I've found are it's speed, the ability to move icons WITHOUT having to press edit first (which Samsung idiot thought that up?) and in the case of most Australian phones the ability to move apps on and off the bottom app tray.

          Ok. and of course it's awesome to be able to do the "OK Google" on any of the desktops :)

        • ProjectZero on 03/03/2015 - 11:30
          +1

          @Ramrunner:

          Giving it a go on my Z3… cheers!

  • [Deactivated] on 02/03/2015 - 09:58

    None of this year's big brand phones are impressive, both S6 and M9.
    I'm still waiting for the Zenfone2…

    • scrimshaw on 02/03/2015 - 10:46

      Ugh, zenfone 2. They promised us a $199 Zenfone 2 then it turned out to be a 5 inch rehash of the previous Zenfone 5, with no real improvement to performance (still using the previous-gen processor).

      • [Deactivated] on 02/03/2015 - 11:16

        Could I ask where you got your info from? I'm not sure if there's any valid sources of pricing right now.
        I got some info on this Taiwanese forum and apparently $199 is the 2GB 1080P version. The ones using old processor and 720P are cheaper than $199.
        If you can read Traditional Chinese you should have a look: http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=588&t=4225105

        • scrimshaw on 02/03/2015 - 13:07

          According to Phone arena anyway, dated Feb 27
          http://www.phonearena.com/news/Asus-ZenFone-2-wins-IF-Design…

          Zenfone 5" $199 (basic version with previous gen Z2580)
          Zenfone 5.5" $299 (720p version with current gen 1.83 ghz processor, 2gb ram)
          Zenfone 5.5" $439 (1080p version with current gen 2.3 ghz processor and 4GB RAM)

        • [Deactivated] on 02/03/2015 - 18:49

          I guess we'll have to wait till it comes out to really know what the price is then.

    • cluxya on 03/03/2015 - 18:24

      It actually depends on buyer's preference. If the buyer is the one who always buys new phone, every time there is a new one come out, then it is better to buy Samsung or Iphone. They have the highest re-selling price. If you wanna use the phone, until it breaks, then choose xiao mi or asus. I prefer xiao mi note pro over this phone

      • [Deactivated] on 04/03/2015 - 00:51

        I doubt the resell value of ASUS is gonna be too bad, at least compared to Xiaomi in Australia most people know ASUS.

        • cluxya on 07/03/2015 - 22:43

          You absolutely right on that. Samsung and apple are the most suitable phone for people who always change their phone, once new ones release

  • discopotato on 02/03/2015 - 10:53

    I came from a S3 & Note2 to the Note 4 and the difference in materials used are a vast improvement. While it still retains some plastics, I was impressed that the metal portions are actual metal and not plastic that is painted in metallic colour (i'm talking to you S5 & Note 3). I'm sure the S6 will feel premium in hand and whilst it has taken away some features like non-expandable memory and IP67 rating it won't deter many from it. I can live without the IP67 rating, and if USB-OTG is an available feature that will help with memory storage. It's the right direction for Samsung to take. That said, I'm liking the S6 edge and camera optics.
    As @ProjectZero mentions, Touchwiz and it's the previous iterations have been sluggish performers and looks dated. Note 4 is no exception to that but since the multiwindow feature on Touchwiz (which I use a lot) it's mainly the reason I haven't made the jump to another android brand or mobile device ecosystem.
    But that being said will pricing structure be on par with Apple (Premium price for a premium feel device) ?

  • esty on 02/03/2015 - 11:16
    -5

    you mean the new iPhone6 looks like a Samsung S5. :)

    • centrelink on 03/03/2015 - 12:16
      +4

      i know man apple just can't help copying samsung.. They must of went into the future ripped off Samsungs designs.. came back to the present and voila.. a ripped off version… I KNEW IT!

  • burningrage on 02/03/2015 - 12:39
    +2

    With the 3 sacrifices, Removable Battery, MicroSD, and Waterproof…

    Removable battery I can somehow understand because of the Rapid Charger tech that charges 0-100% in 90mins and now they upped the ante saying 4 hrs of use in 10 mins of charge. With that tech, it somehow negates the need for second battery which is what I experienced with Note 4 (I got spare battery for S4 as well)

    Waterproofing didn't turn out to be a key selling point… as disappointing as it is. Fact of the matter is S5, which is waterproof didn't sell like hot cakes. Samsung must have felt it's not that important. Another thing they pointed out was the NFC, they're saying only 10% of terminals use that tech.

    Lastly with MicroSD, they compensated with OneDrive cloud, saying everything is cloud these days. It's interesting they didn't go with GoogleDrive, maybe thinking it's going to be privacy-compromised if they went with GoogleDrive. Personally, I want MicroSD so I guess they might get a backlash on this.

    Otherwise, the phone looks good especially the dual edge. It's useful as ticker night clock as someone said.

    • ProjectZero on 02/03/2015 - 14:00
      +6

      Lastly with MicroSD, they compensated with OneDrive cloud, saying everything is cloud these days. It's interesting they didn't go with GoogleDrive, maybe thinking it's going to be privacy-compromised if they went with GoogleDrive. Personally, I want MicroSD so I guess they might get a backlash on this.

      That's all well and good for some countries that have good internet speed and cheaper data… but that is a terrible selling point for us isn't it? Not to mention it gets rid of the option to use a microsd instead of cloud?

    • BobbyJ on 03/03/2015 - 18:31

      Question: Can a MicroSD Card actually be replaced by a cloud. I mean, can you save application data (cache and total data) on a Cloud?

      PS: This is a genuine question.

      • scrimshaw on 03/03/2015 - 19:48
        +3

        cache, probably not, as the purpose of the cache is to store frequently accessed data so that the phone actually performs faster. For eg. a web browser app needs a cache so that it can store a local copy of a web page so that it can be retrieved faster when the user requests for it to be displayed again. It should also store login sessions, history, cookies and passwords locally.

        But application data can generally be streamed from the cloud when needed. This is the basic premise behind the Firefox OS for mobile. some of it's applications are run through the web browser in HTML5.

        You can also try it out in your web browser on PC
        https://turbo.net/apps/firefoxossimulator

        • BobbyJ on 03/03/2015 - 22:03

          Cheers.

      • Agret on 04/03/2015 - 00:41

        The biggest things on your MicroSD are not usually the apps but are movies, music and photos that you save. Especially with phones pushing for higher megapixel cameras some of the photos can be very large in size if you are shooting at max resolution. The 4k videos are like 600mb for 2 minutes which will eat your storage quickly and is not viable to upload to the cloud in Australia.

  • [Deactivated] on 02/03/2015 - 12:49
    +5

    I think the thing about cloud storage is that people do want to use it - BUT, with only 3-5GB data allowance per month I seriously have trouble thinking how cloud is a good thing.
    You can set it to use home wifi only, but with Australia's super slow upload speed it's still terrible to use cloud. Most people are on ADSL2+, and with around less than 1mbps of upload (120kb/s), a 5MB jpg picture is going to take 42 seconds to upload!

    • uder on 02/03/2015 - 13:13

      Exactly. Cloud will not work until mobile data limits dramatically increase, and people have decent upload speeds at home.

      • Agret on 04/03/2015 - 00:42

        When I first went with LiveConnected we got unlimited social data so I could upload all my videos/photos with the Facebook backup feature but now i'm with Vaya and there's no free social =( Have to settle for wifi with 40kb/s upload speed. I set it to just sync while connected to charger and wifi so it does it while I sleep but it still takes multiple days to sync my photos/videos.

  • Reverse Snorkel on 02/03/2015 - 14:02
    +1

    I have a LG G2.. It has no removable battery or SD slot but It's still a great phone. I guess you just have to consider what you want to use the phone for prior to making your choice.

  • Axelstrife on 02/03/2015 - 15:56
    +1

    what i don't understand is them removing sd card slot. my HTC one M8 looks amazing and they added the slot from the M7 Samsung has gone the other way and removed waterproof (meh)
    removable battery (sucks) and micro sd card slot.

    i understand all of these to get a solid build but removing sd card slot is stupid and as proved by HTC it doesn't affect looks or build quality,they are just cheaping out.

    If i get any of this years flagships it will be the HTC one M9

    • ProjectZero on 02/03/2015 - 16:00
      +1

      The Xperia Z4 looks like a real contender too…

      Supposedly using the top of the line CPU and GPU combo and retaining all the features teh Z3 has (i.e. the ones Samsung took out). Also supposedly a better camera too. If the Z3 is anything to go by, it has great battery life too.

  • TRENT86 on 02/03/2015 - 21:08
    -1

    Love the look! Couldn't care less about an sd slot as there is so much free online storage these days and that will only get bigger and better

    • MasterNoob on 02/03/2015 - 23:28
      -5

      then buy a damn iphone if you love the look

      • TRENT86 on 02/03/2015 - 23:34
        +6

        Lol never again after owning an iphone 3! The restrictions and stuff ups from Apple are ridiculous, I like the Android world

      • ProspectiveDarkness on 03/03/2015 - 10:48
        +1

        They don't even look alike. The bottom edge, sure, but that's all.

    • kdtrey35 on 04/03/2015 - 06:20

      Exactly and it does come with a 128 GB model for anyone who is so opposed to using cloud storage.

  • breakfastlover on 03/03/2015 - 06:33
    +2

    My initial impressions; it sucks.

    The entire appeal of the Galaxy devices are those two things: Removable battery and Expandable Storage (MicroSD). Add Water Resistance and Wireless Charging to the Note 4 (which is what I'm using) and it would be the ideal PERFECT phone.

    In an odd way, I'm relieved, since I picked up the Note 4 last week I had just a tad buyers remorse for not holding out for the GS6 or Note 5. :)

    • burningrage on 03/03/2015 - 10:15
      +2

      I don't think Note 5 will follow S6 as it would be far too close to each other.

      Note 5 will come out sometime in 2nd half of the year if the pattern can be repeated. If Note 5 is to follow S6, I am thinking it would delay the release of Note 5 and I just don't think it will be the case.

      But I do agree, MicroSD, Battery Removability (very useful in event of error as a true soft reset), Waterproofing, and Wireless Charges are the ultimate phone.

      • KaTst3R on 03/03/2015 - 12:13

        I did have a few situations where I needed to remove the battery to reset the phone as it didnt respond to button presses nor the reset button hold procedure.

  • neonlight on 03/03/2015 - 07:31
    +1

    Loving my LG G3 since last October. Never touching Samsung again. Since S3 nothing good came out of them all incremental upgrades and now no battery swap or micro Sd slot. They think they are prestige brand like Apple. Tell them F off.

    • Kuro on 04/03/2015 - 11:35

      +1 The LG G3 is amazing, for a 5.5 inch screen with tiny bezels. It's only slightly bigger than a 5 inch phone. Battery life is amazing, continuous rom updates. The G4 hasn't been announced yet, probably waited for the backlash of the s6 and then announce everything the s6 isn't.

  • Abaddon on 03/03/2015 - 08:24
    +7

    Battery and SD have killed it for me.

    The battery removal is seriously useful especially when the phone freezes. Also the batteries struggle to live for more than 2 years and get progressively worse as time goes by. My work phone is an S3 4G and I struggle to get more than about 5 hours of battery life with minimal use, power saving on and nothing on except wifi and mobile data.

    Will be interesting to see how non-removable the battery is.

    • dvsbastard on 03/03/2015 - 11:34
      +3

      The battery removal is seriously useful especially when the phone freezes.

      FYI, all phones and most other portable electronics have a a hard power off (i.e. the equivalent of pulling the battery) by holding down the power button for a period of time.

      • leonheart1 on 03/03/2015 - 18:39
        +2

        Yup, people are making this issue bigger than it actually is.

      • Abaddon on 05/03/2015 - 11:36

        True, but I have had it not work before (Galaxy S4). I would have had to wait for the battery to die, except I just pulled the battery out and everything was working again.

  • MadMaxBargainRoad on 03/03/2015 - 08:56
    +1

    Check out the Android authority hands on. Despite having a s810 CPU it's UI transition is slower than LG magna / spirit. The promise to implement a cleaner android turned out to be another disappointment. Plus the omission of removable battery and sd slot, I think the ship is sinking further.

    I still remember the days I recommended S3 and Note3 to my friends/families. Now it's pretty much LG or Nexus. I'm using a G2 right now and alone with Nexus 5/6 they pretty much represent Android for the time being.

    • Cobalt_ on 03/03/2015 - 14:34
      +1

      The Galaxy S6 is using the latest Exynos SoC, not Qualcomm's S810.

  • [Deactivated] on 03/03/2015 - 09:42

    Yeah, the big selling point to me for Samsung has been the battery & SD upgradeability.

    Hopefully this is just a one off for the Edge model and doesn't come in on all future models.

  • neonlight on 03/03/2015 - 10:00

    They have gone backwards. Their demise is near like HTC went to non-removal battery no SD card slot.

    Look at what happened to them? They struggle will be out of market soon.

    The next brands to take over is LG, Xiaomi, Huawei they will crush Samsung soon

  • netsurfer on 03/03/2015 - 10:26
    +3

    Non-removable battery: It is to allow wireless charging, make the phone a bit thinner, and metal back cover.
    No more MicroSD card: Other than storing movies and photos, it is generally better to have more phone storage. You may be able to use USB OTG as a workaround.

    The screen res did improve, so did the cameras and CPU. It is disappointing that Samsung removed non-removable battery and microSD card support. However, at the end of the day, they want to address the cheap plastic impression. Also, honestly, did both of those features made people rushed out to buy Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, and S5? Not really.

    I don't quite agree with Google simplifying Android (removing options in Lollipop to be more "iOS" like) and now Samsung removing phone features. The more they make Android more iOS like and phones more iPhone, they will end up playing to Apple's strength. Honestly, iPhone 6/6+ looks like a big iPod touch (the material at the back of phone, including lens sticking out just reminds me of iPod touch. It was just good marketing from Apple. Starve your customers on small screen, and then on the year where there is little CPU improvement, release phones with bigger screen to make them forget the other bits did not really improve much.

    • praga on 04/03/2015 - 10:42
      +1

      Completely agree with memory card and removable batteries. I wonder how many people swap batteries. I use a power bank because I dont have to worry about buying an external charger to charge the second battery, switching off my phone, removing case, removing back cover etc.

  • pana on 03/03/2015 - 11:39
    -5

    News flash!!!!!

    The "New" phone is just last years phone with packaging and small upgrade on specs.

    The phone you have now can do everything you need.(don't lie to your self you know its true)

    Stop buying stuff because the TV/media tell you need it.

    A smart phone is not a status symbol.

    Wake up

    • ProspectiveDarkness on 03/03/2015 - 12:19
      +1

      The "New" phone is just last years phone with packaging and small upgrade on specs.

      As far as upgrades go, it's a bit better than 'small'. It's the biggest improvement in 3 years.

      Also different packaging and different specs would by definition constitute a new phone.

      Stop buying stuff because the TV/media tell you need it.

      Right, because OzBargainers need to be told this. Thank you, wise one, for yours words of enlightenment, what ever would we do without you?

      • pana on 03/03/2015 - 12:45
        -2

        Thank you for proving my point.

        A product that does the same thing as it did last year and the year before is now new…. Interesting….

        What would make you think that?…. again interesting…..

        Is that your own thoughts on what "new" is or what the tv and media tells you? …. very interesting…

        Start thinking independently, you will be glad you did.

        • ProspectiveDarkness on 03/03/2015 - 12:55

          You seem to be easily '…interested….' Somewhat telling, if you ask me.

          A product that does the same thing as it did last year and the year before is now new…. Interesting….

          Yeah, sure. Has this combination of atoms existed in this particular form before? No? Then it's new. Please don't tell me I need to elaborate on the definition of 'new'.

          The Galaxy S1 had the same basic feature set as the S6, but if I'm looking for a new phone I'm sure as shit not going to look for one of those as a replacement.

          Start thinking independently, you will be glad you did.

          Yes Wise One. I apologise for doubting Your Wisdom.

          /rolls eyes

        • pana on 03/03/2015 - 13:03
          -2

          I accept your apology.

    • lplau on 03/03/2015 - 13:10
      -2

      Sounds like you are describing the iPhone, their hardware barely changes. Where as Android ones usually change and upgrade pretty much every model.

      • cheng2008 on 03/03/2015 - 15:50
        +2

        First time I've heard someone describing removing the sd card slot and battery cover as an upgrade…

        • lplau on 03/03/2015 - 16:45

          You get some good upgrades then you get some bad.
          Sadly its human nature to put emphasis on the bad but not the good.

          Its how you do business, its not all about the customer it is also about the business. We whine and whine about downgrades but there is a business decision to do so. e.g. more profits?

          More companies are going towards the iPhone philosophy, "It doesn't matter how much we screw over the customer, either way they will still suck it up and buy the item".

          HTC went towards that direction, and now Samsung too.

    • Cobalt_ on 03/03/2015 - 15:09
      +1

      Your pointless tirade seems to totally ignore the fact that many people out there replace their hardware (computers, phones, tablets etc) on a 3-5 year cycle. If that is the case, why would any sane person buy anything but the newest devices with the latest and greatest features? If you're on a tight budget you could compromise and buy the previous generation technology to save a few bucks, but that choice is up to the individual to do their own cost benefit analysis.

  • KaTst3R on 03/03/2015 - 12:17
    +1

    Somehow the contour of the phone does have some similarity with the Iphone 6. If you look at the gold S6, the metal edge also has the white stripes and the aluminium feel like the iphone. I wonder if its blatant copying. Next question you will ask yourself….Does it bend?

    • ProspectiveDarkness on 03/03/2015 - 13:05
      +3

      the metal edge also has the white stripes

      (a) Those stripes are for the antenna.
      (b) They also appeared on the Galaxy Alpha, which was announced before the iPhone 6
      (c) HTC had them before everyone, so…

      the aluminium feel like the iphone

      Didn't realise Apple had a claim on the use of metal in a phone.

  • kabigon on 03/03/2015 - 12:46

    However you feel about no micro sd slot, the fact is the price difference from a base model of any phone / tablet with x GB internal storage to models with more capacity is always exorbitant compared to what a micro sd card would cost.

    Apparently the 128GB model will cost ~$144 more than the 64GB model, which will cost ~$144 more than the 32GB model. Wtf. Either you get ripped off handsomely, or decide later that you need more capacity / your non-removable battery isn't holding charge any more, hey the S7 is out buybuybuy

    • lplau on 03/03/2015 - 13:08
      +1

      Apple been doing that for years, it's time Samsung gets on the bandwagon.

      • kabigon on 03/03/2015 - 13:09
        +1

        :( Rip Samsung (still using an S2, no plans to upgrade any time soon…)

  • lplau on 03/03/2015 - 13:07
    +5

    I tried bringing in my Samsung phone into the Apple genius bar the guy gave me a funny look. Strange though, Apparently they don't see a difference in them according to their lawsuit.

    • RockyRaccoon on 04/03/2015 - 20:48

      Too much time on your hands. or not enough programs to play with… Really

  • cannedhams on 03/03/2015 - 14:36
    +1

    I imagine that these new phones are targeted at people who replace their phones frequently, and are therefore less worried about battery degradation.

    Inevitably we get to a stage where the improvements become more and more marginal with each new release, it doesn't matter whether you're talking Android or Apple. The most important competitor for Apple isn't Android but earlier versions of the Apple phones that people are still quite happy with.

    The first steam engine (the Newcomen engine) was 0.5% efficient. It was superseded by the James Watt Engine that was 3% efficient. Companies gladly changed their engines as new models became available given the substantial improvements in performance.

    These days improvements in diesel engines have plateaued, companies change them only when they are broken or clapped out. Same with washing machines and toasters. Eventually the same thing will happen with phones. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth by all the phone makers when that day arrives.

    • scrimshaw on 03/03/2015 - 16:26

      Yeah. Still using my Samsung Galaxy S2 as a backup phone alongside my lg g2. It wouldn't be usable till this day if not for the removable battery - I bought 2 good quality Anker cells for it and they really extended the useful service life of the device.

      Try using an iPhone for 4 years on the same battery..

    • lplau on 03/03/2015 - 16:48

      Clearly from the lawsuits Apple does think of Android (Samsung) as a competitor. If they didn't then they wouldn't bother suing them.

      Xiaomi (One of the largest Chinese Mainland Vendors) for example uses MIUI which is pretty much a copy of the iOS layout. They don't consider them a competitor which is why they don't bother suing them.

      • [Deactivated] on 04/03/2015 - 14:28

        Yeah, they should probably consider Android a competitor since it has an 81% of the smart phone market.

  • nubzy on 03/03/2015 - 14:54
    +2

    Not impressed by it. My galaxy S3 has been through two batteries already so I hate buying phones and throwing them away when the battery dies. I also like expandable memory as I plan to take some nice videos/photos with my next smartphone. I also want a smaller size. Personally holding out for Sony Z4 Compact, just hope they address that cracking and camera overheating problem this time. I also think smartphones are getting far too expensive for what they are. $800+ for a phone is a bloody joke.

    • lplau on 03/03/2015 - 16:49

      Replacing a battery isn't that hard even if they don't make it like a snap case.
      It usually only takes like 3 screws then remove internal battery and put in a new one. Did it on a HTC and a iPhone before.

      More companies need to get these so they can decrease the cost of R&D and producing the phone:
      http://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/shock-footage-bbc-…

      • jackary on 03/03/2015 - 18:38

        Okay, its easy to replace, great. But why should you? Voiding your warranty to replace what SHOULD be a user serviceable item? Particularly if as a manufacturer, you're going to decrease the capacity of the battery by 10%. Here's an article worth reading…

        I love Galaxy's. Have personally had an S3, S4, and S5. But their new direction is stupid. They're removing all of their positive points of difference (swappable battery, SD card etc) yet leaving the much hated relics behind (I'm looking at you, Touchwiz) - and I can't quite understand the logic.

  • cluxya on 03/03/2015 - 18:20
    -5

    There are some reasons, I would not recommend anyone to buy this phone
    1. No Micro Sd slot
    2. Less battery life only 2500 mah
    3. No Radio (could be a deal breaker for some people)
    4. Non-removable battery
    5. 3gb Ram, Seriously? I thought 2015 is the year of 4gb ram.
    6. Samsung process and Mali GPU. I just don't like them, I think snapdragon is better with its adreno GPU
    7. Same camera resolution as S5. But, may be there is a slight upgrade. We don't know until further review on this released.
    8. Expensive price compared to LG's phone

    • jackary on 03/03/2015 - 18:42

      Agreed on all points, particularly their CPU/GPU choice. Their in house processors consistently benchmark lower than their Qualcomm equivalents (there is a reason why the Exynos variant S4/S5/N3 are cheaper to purchase). It was obviously a cost saving measure on the part of Samsung, and I think its going to bite them.

      Though maybe the RAM is a bit of a stretch. When was the last time you honestly picked up a recent android flagship and thought "God this thing is slow!"?

      • ProspectiveDarkness on 03/03/2015 - 18:54

        Wrong and wrong. The Exynos versions were cheaper because they didn't have LTE modems. They are now the SoC of choice for Samsung because they are built on Samsung's brand new 14nm process, unlike the Qualcomm 810 which is still on 20nm. Early benchmarks have put the Exynos 7420 well ahead of the 810, but I'll wait until the actual ones before rendering judgment, as should you.

        • jackary on 04/03/2015 - 00:28

          Okie doke. You must have missed the Exynos Note 4, and pretty much every recent model Tab S/Note Pro with a radio…

          Their SoCs have been capable of LTE since 2013 and yet they haven't used it. Why? Because they're rubbish. OEMs are even choosing Mediatek chips over them. I will bet my hat that they're only being used now because of cost. I'm genuinely happy to be corrected. As you've said, they do benchmark higher. Great. But Samsung are known for their interesting benchmarking tactics and as you say, I'd be holding my final conclusions until I'm using the actual product in my hand. Though some insight on their appalling track record can be found here.

          In any case my final sentiment from my previous comment still stands. When was the last time you picked up your recent android flagship and said "Bloody hell this is slow!"?

        • ProspectiveDarkness on 04/03/2015 - 01:49

          @jackary:

          Apologies, I wasn't aware this had changed (it has historically been the case). I was aware that the Exynos 5433 had Samsung's modem but didn't know about the tablets. Also apologies for being douchey. I see a lot of uninformed idiocy (which probably seems hypocritical at this point) in comment sections by your typical internet trolls and have been getting quite annoyed about it. I'm curious to know if the Exynos LTE versions you mentioned are indeed cheaper than their S800 counterparts. I just can't see Samsung discounting these devices based on the relatively small differences in how they bench, especially not when more consumers have no idea what SoC even stands for.

          But Samsung are known for their interesting benchmarking tactics

          They supposedly stopped with the Galaxy S5 (the future remains to be seen, though), and make no mistake that Samsung is the only one guilty in this. From memory, only Google, Motorola and Sony didn't partake in the activity. Anandtech had an article about it that I CBF'd looking up now.

          their appalling track record can be found here.

          Yeah, I'm aware of their cluster migration headaches. Not sure if they still use it, or even if they do, if it's a problem.

          I still stand by the reasoning of performance over cost though. A 14nm SoC is a valuable advantage to have at this point - especially since we have reports of the S810 performing crappily and rumours of excessive thermal throttling and overheating. Which we'll get confirmation on either way in the coming months. I don't think they'd be throwing away valuable 14nm production capacity simply because their chips are cheaper to buy as opposed to Qualcomm.

          In any case my final sentiment from my previous comment still stands. When was the last time you picked up your recent android flagship and said "Bloody hell this is slow!"?

          True. The only one I noticed, ironically enough, was the Galaxy S5 and it's occasional hiccups. Hopefully that'll be solved in the S6 - especially considering it's using much better NAND, DDR4 RAM, and a different file system.

      • cluxya on 06/03/2015 - 19:47

        As the "leader" in smartphone business, they need to follow the trend or be a trendsetter. Even Asus and xiao mi has released a phone with 4gb ram. Why do you have a 64bit processor, but still have 3gb ram even though it is DDR4. I may not own samsung phone, but I know how terrible the touchwiz is, it takes a plenty ram. Friends are complaining about it. Even Samsung realize this weakness and fix them. I pick android phone based on my needs and yes, compared to IOS, Android is still losing in terms of efficiency. I just express my opinion, if you wanna buy them, please do so. I won't buy a phone that has battery lower than 3,000 mah, no micro sd slot and crappy touchwiz. It is just a waste of money.

        • ProspectiveDarkness on 07/03/2015 - 02:21

          Why do you have a 64bit processor, but still have 3gb ram even though it is DDR4

          64bit is the least important part of these new SoC's. They're ARMv8 chips that happen to only be 64bit, not 64bit chips that are ARMv8. Samsung doesn't need to just chick some more RAM in to justify the move to 64bit, that's not the main point in all this. I wish people would stop making a big deal out of it, because it honestly is just not that exciting. And you can probably expect to see 4GB of RAM on the Note 5 later in the year, if it's that important to you.

          I know how terrible the touchwiz is, it takes a plenty ram.

          The better solution to that is to trim down TouchWiz, not throw more RAM at the problem.

    • plmko on 03/03/2015 - 19:36

      3gb of DDR4, not 3gb of DDR3. So correct we are in 2015.

      • cluxya on 06/03/2015 - 19:55

        And pathetically still use 3gb DDR4 while chinese brands (Asus and Xiaomi) uses 4gb DDR4.

        • ProspectiveDarkness on 07/03/2015 - 02:22

          while chinese brands (Asus and Xiaomi) uses 4gb DDR4.

          They're not using DDR4 RAM.

        • cluxya on 07/03/2015 - 23:12

          @ProspectiveDarkness: based on this:http://m.androidcentral.com/xiaomi-announces-mi-note-pro-2k-display-snapdragon-810-4-gb-ram-and-lte-cat-9 it is stated 4gb ddr4. Correct me if i am wrong. And thanks for the explanation on the processor, for the touch wiz, hopefully, they make it more ram-friendly.

        • ProspectiveDarkness on 08/03/2015 - 02:35

          @cluxya: My mistake, I only checked the Asus' RAM.

  • Kiryui on 03/03/2015 - 18:57

    In regards to Oppo, I'm adamant that OppoMobile is the official retailer for Australia and would provide support.
    I've had a Find 5 for more than 2 years and I still don't think that it has fallen off from today's high mid-range phones.
    They're implementation of ColorOS is a work in progress and from my experience has been giving features to customers that Touchwiz and Sense are calling "New features", it has its flaws but as an alternative Android OS, I think it's just fine.
    I think that Samsung's effort with the S6 is somewhat lacking, especially compared to the S5, Getting caught up in the whole QHD race as well as going for a uni-body design, just irks me. It's like they just want to catch up to the competition, rather than stay ahead.
    The Edge however, I think is a step in the right direction. Given that it's almost a clone of the S6 with just a tweaked screen design. I still think that putting that small amount of innovation, especially in a flagship (albeit a rather niche one) is a good sign.
    Good luck on your choice :).

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