back to article Steely wonder? It's blind to 4G and needs armour: Samsung Galaxy S6

I’ve found life is so much easier if one sticks to three simple rules. Never drive a Volvo car, never buy a Samsung phone, and always grind your own coffee. However, I might have to rethink one of those – and it isn’t the coffee. Samsung Galaxy S6 Samsung's Galaxy S6 flagship handset Samsung can’t do anything without a …

  1. Real Ale is Best
    Thumb Down

    Too Thin.

    Double the thickness, and fill it with battery.

    Then you might actually be able to use it for more than an hour or so before you start lloking around nervously for a power socket.

    1. N13L5

      Re: The market has clearly signalled...

      "The market has clearly signalled, at this end of the price range, that many buyers don’t regard the omission of a flash slot as a deal-breaker"

      Who paid you to write this nonsense?

      Could only be Google really, they probably got Tony Blair to call your editor to insist on the inclusion of this statement or else get people fired...

      Without MicroSD card slot, there's especially no reason to buy Samsung.

      But Samsung noticed already, hence the S6 PRO is coming with MicroSD card slot and user replaceable battery. Maybe even 4G reception.

      So quit applauding this fashion victim of a phone, trying all together too hard to be metallic and thin.

      And I've never heard anyone else bitch about Samsung's plastic but media pundits. Users were pretty happy with the high quality, near indestructible polycarbonate Samsung used.

      1. Michael Habel

        Re: The market has clearly signalled...

        What do you want to do with your MicroSD anyway? Google has neutered that Pup, since the beginning of Kitkat? As to what its good for outside of storing Read-Only *.mp3's? Well I'm stymied? Perhaps you could shed some light on this? I for One do not need a 400€ 200GB MicroSD Card when I can now dump what is it? 50,000 Songs on Google Music. In the event that I need to fly somewhere I'm sure my old 40GB iPod has all the Music I might ever need.

    2. Voland's right hand Silver badge

      Re: Too Thin.

      Concur. Battery life is laughable. My Xperia SP manages several days on average with WiFi, Bluetooth on, SIP client running. So moving to this (if I was mad to do it) will be a downgrade.

      The iPhonesque insistence on no-flash cards allowed is also quite annoying (to say the least).

  2. Alex Walsh

    Competition

    Can't imagine spending £600 on a phone. I thought what I spent on the Nexus 5 was a large price increase over the Nexus 4. When I see people at work spending £40-£50 a month on a 24 month contract just to have an iPhone 6, it always strikes me as a bit mad. I'd rather spend up to £300 on a phone off contract and £15 a month on a SIM only deal myself- just makes more sense to me. Over a similar 2 year period the monthly cost would still top out at well under £30, and lets face it phones are getting cheaper with better features away from the flagship end of the market.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Competition

      >>When I see people at work spending £40-£50 a month on a 24 month contract just to have an iPhone 6, it always strikes me as a bit mad.

      Eh. New iPhone costs $650 and is current for 3 years. At the end of 3 years, it can be sold for $200-$250.

      So as long as the phone doesn't break, you're paying $150 per year for a device that you will use (probably) pretty frequently every single day for any number of tasks. Or $0.41 per day.

      Usually I hate these sorts of "per-day" cost calculations but I consider it valid for a modern smart phone, considering how many functions they serve and how much use I get out of mine. Phone, email, IM, maps, calendar, GPS, podcast/music player, pedometer, camera, blah blah blah. You know the list.

      I use my phone more than I use my laptop, and my phone is cheaper. I don't mind too much.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Reception a wider Sammy problem?

    As the unhappy keeper of a new works Galaxy Ace 4 (one of Samsung's bargain basement cheapy all plastic models) I've found that it too has absolutely atrocious reception compared to preceding Samsung models on the same networks in the same places, to the tune of "one to two bars of displayed reception". Previously I've found S2, S3 and S3 mini models all to offer acceptable standards of reception.

    This extremely limited and unscientific survey may suggest that the problem is linked to something other than an aluminium chassis, and maybe down to some other SOC, antenna or signal processing problem that has arisen because Samsung have forgotten that they're making phones.

    What is the experience of other users with recent Sammy handsets, such as the Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy Core Prime?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Never mind the bars

      Does it drop calls? A phone that works but shows no bars is fine, OTOH if it shows loads of bars but still can't hold a call then it's shit. So is this actually a problem or just cosmetic?

      1. handle

        Re: Never mind the bars

        I too started rolling my eyes at the mention of bars, but there is convincing evidence that the thing has a problem:

        "At various spots near Hampstead Tube station, the Galaxy S6 had dropped back to 3G, while an iPhone 6 (also on EE) registered one to three bars of 4G. This was on EE’s network, and I had two other EE SIMs running at the same time showing three bars – so it wasn’t the network."

        1. druck Silver badge
          Boffin

          Re: Never mind the bars

          It depends if the phone is set to desperately cling to a modicum of 4G signal, just so it can have boasting rights it in the status bar, or whether it sensibly drops back to 3G for a better quality signal that you can actually get some data transferred over.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Never mind the bars

        "Does it drop calls? "

        Referring to the Galaxy Ace 4, yes. And it has no connection where previous handsets did, so that it won't pick up data signals (eg work email) when I know from the wired broadband account that emails have been sent. As this is well away from the frontiers of 4G, that's not the issue either.

        Maybe Korean mobile coverage is so good that they don't need to major on sensitivity, but if that's the case then they could perhaps withdraw from the UK market, where weak signals are the norm.

    2. southen bastard

      Re: Reception a wider Sammy problem?

      we all know that it's all down to the way you are holding it/

    3. AlbertH

      Re: Reception a wider Sammy problem?

      My Galaxy S3 and S5 phones both have fine reception - significantly better than any of the iPhones. These work well in areas where the Apple things can't detect a signal at all. The sample S6s I've seen work just the same as the S5, so perhaps you've got a damaged one!

  4. joeW

    So...

    You're going to start driving a Volvo?

  5. Gordon 10

    Android 5 bugs?

    This is the second Andrew O article where he says that Android 5 is incredibly buggy, without any substantiation. I've been on it almost since launch (Nexus 5) and cant say I've noticed it being any more buggy than its predecessor - isn't it time we had some examples? Play Music in particular seems to have carried over all its pre-existing bugs intact. Random playlists and Voice control not working, so I'd be interested in knowing what is actually new if anything.

    1. sabroni Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: "Android 5 is incredibly buggy"

      "cant say I've noticed it being any more buggy than its predecessor"

      Your point being?

      1. General Pance

        Re: "Android 5 is incredibly buggy"

        He's right. It's been as buggy as buggery. 5.1 is an improvement, if your phone company has deemed you worthy of receiving it.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Android 5 bugs?

      I just wish they had not changed the GUI... But I might grow to like it... I prefer function over pretty blue dots.

    3. Russell Hancock

      Re: Android 5 bugs?

      I think you are all the evidence needed...

      "Any MORE buggy" - i.e. it has all the same bugs, i.e. it is buggy... Now however if you had said "i notice some of the old bugs have been fixed and i've not noticed any new ones...." that would have been a different story...

  6. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. handle
      Facepalm

      Screen burn

      "Does it suffer the same serious screen burn in that my Note 3 has after less than a year? I first noticed it after two months and now the display looks awful."

      Are you going to offer the reviewer a time machine in order to answer that question?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Not noticed any burn in here. Had my Note 3 for about 6 months now. But do always use power saving mode so the screen is not overbright. If it's up to 100% it does look too bright for the display...

      PS, it is the risk of AMOLED screens. Go for a LCD screen phone instead. It's horses for courses as they are less bright and may use more battery power up, but last a little longer. AMOLED is possibly at the 2 year plus lifespan, but not the same extended lifespan of LCD.

    3. Ice coffee

      2 year warranty means it's samsungs problem, not yours. I had screen burn on my galaxy 2 and they sorted it

  7. Waspy

    unless wireless charging plates are included

    People just aren't gonna use it. And this from a wireless evangelist - I loved wireless charging on my Pre 3 and I love wireless charging on my Lumia. In fact people probably won't even know it's there, and if they do there is no way 90% of those people will bother ponying up even a tenner for a charging plate.

    No, people will start raving about wireless charging when Apple's marketing juggernaut starts talking about it...much as I hate to admit it.

    Nice thing to have though for those who can arsed, props to Samsung

  8. msknight
    Coat

    I read...

    ...sealed battery ... and went no further.

    Please pass that information to Samsung for all the good it won't do.

    1. handle

      Re: I read...

      It won't do, as batteries no longer need topping up with distilled water at regular intervals any more. I too had an irrational hatred of non-removable batteries until I got one. They last long enough for the phone to be completely out of date/scratched to pieces, and the world is full of neat portable battery packs if you need to recharge them on the move.

      1. msknight

        Re: I read...

        My rationale is that I still use older phones (I'm still using my Sammy S2) and I prefer a larger battery as I live in a poor signal area. In fact, I used the extended battery for the S2 to make it a bit chunkier in my hand. It magically became much nicer to hold when I had a better grip on it and had a little more weight to it.

        I really can't stand these super slim, slippery, light as a feather phones. I also have an external battery pack, but it's a real pain to walk around with the battery pack cabled to the phone in my jacket pocket. Cramps the style somewhat :-)

        1. Dave 126 Silver badge

          Re: I read...

          Plus One to msknight for making an often overlooked point - low signal areas make a massive difference to battery life.

        2. Shovel

          Re: I read...

          wholeheartedly agree. I purchased the extended battery because my original was going to die, & I found the added thickness and weight made the phone so much more enjoyable to use.

    2. Magani
      Unhappy

      Re: I read...

      Likewise.

      No replaceable battery; no external storage.

      Sorry Samsung, you've lost me with this one.

      1. Handy Plough

        Re: I read...

        For the money Magani, the 2nd gen. Moto X is excellent value. Battery isn't removable, but it does still offer removable storage and has pretty much stock Android on it. I wouldn't bother with "Sammy" (ODFO) for anything, overpriced tat.

  9. IHateWearingATie

    Quite sad..

    ... as I'm due an upgrade of my work mobile later in the year, buck sucky reception, no SD card slot and lack of a removeable battery come together to make a dealbreaker.

    Shame really as I think my S4 is really very good (have had iPhones and Blackberries in the past) and I may be the only person in the entire world who quite likes Touchwiz and didn't find the S4 plasticky.

    What annoys me more is that there is no longer a flagship android with a removable battery - using this as a work phone (with some games & podcasts added for my commute) I swap batteries more often than you would imagine and having to wander round the office talking on the phone while an external power pack is dangling away off the phone will annoy me.

    Yes, yes, I should remember to charge it while I'm at my desk or bring my charger to meeting rooms etc, but I'm sometimes too busy and forget. A quick battery swap is easily the most convienient option, now sadly not available if/when i upgrade and choose a flagship android phone.

    1. joeW

      Re: Quite sad..

      Note 4 is pretty much a flagship model, that has a removable battery. Probably the last one that will unfortunately.

      1. IHateWearingATie

        Re: Quite sad..

        Good point. note 4 is a bit big for me but i may have to suck it up if i want a removable battery

    2. Swarthy

      Re: Quite sad..

      The LG G3 is a flagship phone, and it has an SD slot and a removable battery. Something to remember is that Samsung and Apple are not the only companies that make good phones.

      1. IHateWearingATie

        Re: Quite sad..

        Didn't know that the G3 has a removable battery - will check it out

  10. Marcus Aurelius
    Meh

    It's lovely but

    I think I'll stick to my Moto G 4G at 1/6 of the price. Since I've got 5 phones to buy that saves me £2.5k minimum.

    (Cunning stunt: save £25 by buying locked to Tescos and paying £2 or so to unlock)

  11. Joe 48

    I'm sad I know....

    But for the first time in years I'm genuinly looking forward to Friday when my pre order turns up. I've gone with the edge. In for a penny in for a pound, or quite a few as it was....

    1. djack

      Re: I'm sad I know....

      Friday? Do you mean tomorrow?

      I thought the release date is the 24th?

      1. Joe 48

        Re: I'm sad I know....

        Nope, the 64GB Edge is due tomorrow. 10th as is the 32GB 'normal' version. The fancy gold ones and larger capacity phones are due 24th April - 1st May.

        1. djack

          Re: I'm sad I know....

          Not quite, according to Samsung's website.

          It does appear that the 32 and 64 gig normal ones are out tomorrow and the edges are on 24th. I only saw the 24th date.

          1. Joe 48

            Re: I'm sad I know....

            Considering I have it I suspect the website is wrong :) Looks stunning.

  12. itmonkey
    FAIL

    Signal issues

    If you can't get a decent signal, isn't that the biggest fail in a phone?

    1. It'sa Mea... Mario

      Re: Signal issues

      Only if Apple make the phone apparently..

    2. chr0m4t1c

      Re: Signal issues

      Maybe he was just holding it wrong....

      (Runs away)

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Not the fastest?

    Interesting that this review claims the S6 isn't the fastest phone you can buy when all of the other reviews and benchmarks that I've seen show it as noticeably faster than anything else out there. Is there any evidence to support the claim that the HTC One m9 is actually faster?

    1. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: Not the fastest?

      Faster at doing what? Benchmarking? Very useful in a phone. I benchmark my phone at least 3 times a day.

      Most phones are already faster than they need to be.

    2. SuccessCase

      Re: Not the fastest?

      @AC You are reading the wrong websites then. The most scientific of the technical review websites are Anandtech (these guys are serious silicon boffins and have always given the most detailed breakdown of silicon capabilities of any site out there).

      The reality is these measures mean increasingly little to real world use, however Samsung are still beaten by Apple in almost every category. Pretty impressive For Apple, since they have been out for the better part of a year now and showing that when systems need to be tuned for lower power consumption, a greater number of cores is not a synonym for better performance.

      benchmarks

      @werdsmith, great answer

  14. Gary Heard

    Fingerprint detector

    Strange that you say it can only register one finger. My Note4 can recognise 3, it's set up and works that way, My Wife, my Granddaughter and I all use the fingerprint recognition.

    Surprised they would have gone backwards

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Neil 8

      Re: Fingerprint detector

      That's what I was thinking too. In fact it's odd that the article compares the phone to the iPhone 6+ in a couple of places, but never to the Note 4.

  15. Bunker_Monkey

    Well well.. I own an S5

    No replaceable battery, no SD card slot, no Picoprojector (yes they have existed for some time now).

    its a No from me, I hope next years S7 is a lot better...

    1. Unicornpiss
      Meh

      Re: Well well.. I own an S5

      Where do you get "no DS card slot?" I have an S5 and the SD card slot was one of the selling points for me. Look under your battery cover again...

  16. Christopher Rogers

    Still using my S4 and have yet to find a compelling handset to replace it with. Battery is crap, but i've learnt to adjust and its made of plastic, but then so is the Speck case on it that hides the entire device bar the screen. Even if i were to get a swanky metal and glass upgrade, it would be hidden by the plastic cover.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Shovel

      I love the OtterBox for my s4 makes it easy to grip, and every port is accessible with a normal connector

  17. cambsukguy

    > The only fly in the ointment was the worst-in-class signal reception

    That's an enormous fly, seriously... "My phone is pretty, my phone is fast, my phone takes adequate pictures fairly fast - the only thing it fails to do adequately is phone calls".

    Jeez, what in the world would make someone buy a phone that doesn't work properly and for a huge sum of money - reminds me of the previous iPhone reception debacle and the laughable visions of people holding them with as little of their hand as possible.

    It's no wonder hardly anyone has the same phone as me, my priorities are so different.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I was going to say exactly this

      but I figured someone else would have.

      Most people have enough problems with reception based on flaky networks without having to worry that their phone is part of the problem. Granted lots of people use their phones as the main wifi device at work/home but it's still a phone. If it's crap as a phone then I won't be spending £600 or even £60 on it.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Multi Fingerprints

    My new T-mobile S6 edge accepts multiple fingerprints. I read that the update that was applied at first power on addressed issues with the fingerprint scanner, so maybe the author had an old version. I also found the reception excellent, but I upgraded from a non-lte S3, so maybe that was the difference for me. I do love the phone, but it is very slippery!

    1. Tromos

      Re: Multi Fingerprints

      My clunky old Alcatel accepts thousands of fingerprints - you can clearly see them all over the screen.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    F-Off Samsung!

    Three days ago I had to charge my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 at least twice a day.

    Two days ago I replaced the battery in my 1.5 year old Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and charged it.

    Two days later I have not recharged the battery, have hammered the phone usage and I still have 45% charge left!

    I also have a 128Gb Sandisk card in place that contains a significant percentage of my music collection encoded as flac files. The 128Gb Samsung S6 is available in the UK for £699 whereas a Note 3 plus card cost me £680 so not much in it by price but I can't swap the card and my Note 3 has an additional 32Gb of internal storage.

    Both of these factors mean that I won't be touching an S6, OR the Note 5 if it has the same limitations, with a bargepole.

    1. David Lawton

      Re: F-Off Samsung!

      At least with Apple you can walk into a store and get a battery changed in under an hour, and there are plenty of Apple stores, i did this with my iPhone 5 after 2 years and cost me £39. I know its still not as convenient as having interchangeable batteries, but at least its not the most awkward thing to get done.

      Im guessing with the Samsung or even HTC you will have to send the phone off for a battery replacement meaning being without your phone for days. They battery on my Galaxy S2 had to be replaced after 12 month as it went really really bad (as did others i know with this phone). I don't think Samsung have thought about this well as my experience of Samsung phones has left me very unimpressed battery wise.

      1. werdsmith Silver badge

        Re: F-Off Samsung!

        No need for an Apple Store, replace iPhone batteries, it's kids stuff and takes less than 5 minutes and costs less than a tenner. If you are not so keen doing it yourself, then plenty of independent repairers will happily relieve you of £25 for 5 minutes work.

        Samsung is probably the same.

        But, as a reason to get all indignant? It's a peach.

        Ooh, I'll never buy one of those (pursed lips)....

        1. gnasher729 Silver badge

          Re: F-Off Samsung!

          Whether its Apple or Samsung, I wouldn't trust a £10 replacement battery. It may look like an original, but it's unlikely that it is.

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

  20. Greg D

    Bye Bye Sammy

    Just put my order in for a HTC One M9.

    Sammy removed my favourite features - SD card and battery I can change out.

    And kept the features I disliked - teenage girl touchwiz theme, touchwiz itself, and power button location.

    It also looks too much like an iPhone. I mean they are not even bothering now.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    600 QUID?!?!

    Who do Samsung think they are?!?! Apple?

  22. DerekCurrie
    Gimp

    Designed by Apple; Sold by Samsung

    What would Samsung be selling today with Apple? Seriously!

    If you don't care, oops wrong answer.

  23. Richard Barnes

    What's wrong with Volvo's?

    I don't drive one myself, but just asking....

    1. N13L5

      Re: What's wrong with Volvo's?

      The reviewer is all about personal bias.

      Besides the 4G issue, he has provided no reason to believe he's talking about anything but his personal foibles...

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Everything you have is an absolute piece of garbage-- it will just take you another 10 years to realize that." --me, after my friend told me I should have spent student loan money on a nice laptop ten years before. It would have held a Coppermine or a Northwood.

  25. Alan Denman

    Wot, no bigger bars ?

    Surely they could have done a sop to buyers and given you bigger bars ?

    In the past, form over function phones gave bigger bars to keep the punters happy.

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What about upgrades?

    Having had an S2, then S4, then having a Galaxy Tab 3, one think Samsung (and most Android manufacturers) is delivery phone updates. Each of the devices I've had have had 2 limited non-major updates maximum, then the phone is forgotten about by the manufacturer. This isn't only a usability and functionality issue, but also a security issue.

    Dare I say it, I'm almost tempted to go iPhone, if only then because then at least I'll have a few updates to get through before my phone is rendered/considered obsolete by the manufacturer. Guess either that or move to the not quite so astehtically pleasing, but cheaper Moto G models or Nexus handsets.

  27. crayon

    "The market has clearly signalled, at this end of the price range, that many buyers don’t regard the omission of a flash slot as a deal-breaker if the overall package is attractive."

    How clearly has it signalled? The main reason I bought a Galaxy Note 2 is that it had a removable battery, and an SD card slot. This S6 has neither. When out and about and away from any power source it is extremely convenient to be able to pull out a dead battery and replace with a charged one and carry on using the device.

    1. werdsmith Silver badge

      "How clearly has it signalled?"

      Like a giant flag by the millions sold to people, who are not El Reg readers and clearly don't care about batteries and SD cards and have spent the money.

      You can carry a small external battery booster as easily as a spare battery. 2000mAh, £6. Carry on using the device.

  28. damworker

    making a case a necessity

    "making a case a necessity"

    So now my really thin, light phone has become a brick.

    I don't need a removable battery so I can have a spare battery - external battery packs do that task better. I need a removable battery so that my £500 investment isn't worthless in 2 years because it needs £100 of dismantling to fit a new battery.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: making a case a necessity

      True. Sadly they want your £500 investment to be worthless. Or for us to pay for a swap of the battery.

      I hear some companies do it for free (Apple?). But I prefer the risk/choice/responsibility in my court. Once had a bicycle returned and the pedals fell off. If people cannot be trusted with something that simple, I'd not trust them with my phone! :P

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: making a case a necessity

      iFixit seems to suggest that your chance of swapping the battery on an S6 without breaking something serious is very minor. The S5 might have been and looked plastic, but the battery was swappable. I wonder to what extent the mobile phone companies are helping the drive against terrorism by removing uSD slots and making opening the case without damage near impossible?

      The Samsung reception problem is confirmed anecdotally - I'm replacing my wife's phone with the product of another manufacturer after finding that all the places in which hers keeps dropping calls have solid reception on my BB Q10, both on EE.

  29. Jason Hindle

    Nice phone, but....

    The 4G reception is pretty unforgivable.

  30. fridaynightsmoke

    No replacable battery, poor signal, no memory card

    ... but wow it looks so kewl right?

    I think I'll pass.

  31. Ian Michael Gumby

    Meh!

    "Where the Galaxy S6 really stands out is ease of use for taking photos and videos demonstrating a versatile level of performance. "

    Still not as nice as the Nokia Lumina, but then again try buying one new... Now that was the best camera that doubled as a phone. If only they weren't handicapped by a lousy OS...

    1. Lallabalalla

      Re: Meh!

      And not as good as an iPhone 6, which with 64Gb memory is actually cheaper, too! Fail!

  32. werdsmith Silver badge

    Really? You like looking like a twat walking around using your phone with something unsightly dangling from it?

    Like the owner you mean?

    You'd really have to be a twat if you do it that way.

    Those with more than 2 brain cells notice their phone is on 10% and plug in the charge for 15 minutes.

    Not really that hard.

  33. Yugguy

    It doesn't get a signal - how can you rate it highly?

    Or is this truly the deathknell of the smart"phone" actually being useful as a phone?

    Cos you know, sometimes, I actually need to make calls.

    What next - a resurgence of Nokia bricks as we all buy a dumb handset that actually gets a signal.

  34. Green Nigel 42
    Thumb Down

    Built in obsolescence

    Has Samsung used aa new technology type battery in the S6?

    I only ask as rapid charging on anything other than a pristine condition battery will severely shorten its life span. This is especially worrying on a device with a built in battery.

  35. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Rumour has it - Samsung are discriminating against the Welsh! (Just like O2)

    So have O2 and Samsung have teamed up and decided to discriminate against the Welsh?

    Given most of Wales has no signal, a very weak signal and pretty much non-existent 4G, you could be forgiven for thinking that both companies have an Anti-Welsh agenda.

    Lets get 2G coverage removed from Ofcom coverage maps, and show the bare naked 3G/4G coverage map Lady for what it is. In Rural areas on O2 Data is nearly all 2G and useless.

    1. Yugguy

      Re: Rumour has it - Samsung are discriminating against the Welsh! (Just like O2)

      heh - if they've no decent mobile coverage then they're fecked for calling the police any time past 2020

  36. Paul Chambers

    One of the most important reasons for a removable battery, is to be able to take it out of the phone in the event of getting the phone wet. There are other good reasons. It is an advantage to be able to do so. A premium phone will allow you to. One that compromises on design won't.

  37. Lallabalalla

    What a turkey

    So tl;dr - it's more expensive than an iPhone 6, the battery only compares well with iPhone 6+, it's outstanding feature is the camera and it's outperformed by the iPhone 6, the reception is even worse than the original "you're holding it wrong" iPhone 4... WTF? Why would I ever buy this thing? Oh because it's got an OS that's open to hackery, trojans, malware and anything else you can put in an app from the largely unregulated Wild West Store.

    Really don't think so.

    Tick one of the following:

    A) I read this article and came to some conclusions

    B) Everything made by Apple is Inferior Rubbish for Sheeple

    C) Everything made by Samsung is Wonderful Joy

    D) Whatever, I just hate Android

    E) I love Apple and Samsung are just wannabe's

    F) None of the above

  38. Green Nigel 42
    Megaphone

    Ministry of Truth

    The S6 appears to be an inferior phone in many important areas to its predecessor, the S5 namely.

    1. Waterproofing ( why is this not now with nano coatings a default on a device designed for use outside?).

    2. Robustness, the use of metal not better than plastic here. The automotive, motosport, defence & aerospace are dropping metal in favour of robust plastic ( when did you see a metal bumpers on a car last!) Add thinness to the mix & you have the complete iPhone 6 problem of bending.

    3.Built in battery, see my above post and add that most lithium batteries are only good for 500 charge cycles (2 yrs average use then back to Sammy for a new phone they hope).

    4. Data is the most valuable thing in your phone, if the S6 is accidentally dropped down the loo, you may as well pull the flush as there is' nt the chance of real data recovery you have with a removable SD card.

    All the Tech site writers are singing the praises of this S6, and the comments sections are fairly consistent in damming it. The question is, how much pressure or lucrative incentives is Sammy exerting on these sites? Where & who in history said if you said something false often enough that it would be eventually held to be true by the masses

  39. Wilseus

    This is why I am not a fan of Samsung's high-end phones

    Clicky: Moto E edges the Samsung Galaxy S5 in speed test video

    I'm not saying for one minute that the Moto E is "better" mind you, and I realise this article is talking about the S5 not the S6, but when you consider the price difference it puts things into perspective a little bit.

  40. get off

    "LIKE OMG Yes, to those themes....!

    God forgive me but that Hello Kitty theme looks fun. Imagine pulling that out in a meeting... I wantz...

    As for the Lego theme. Quite how The Reg can pull its nose up to a LEGO theme, of all things I'll never know. Come on people you know you want them .All this slick stainless, where's the fun gone in you all?

  41. Huckleberry Muckelroy

    S6 Battery?!?

    The inability to replace the S6 battery is a total deal killer for me. I have owned some fine Samsung phones. I always had a spare battery to pop in, say if I took too many snaps, or forgot to charge it. If I can't swap out the juice, I might as well own some POS like an iPhone.

  42. Unicornpiss
    Flame

    It must not be too bad...

    ..If it can sway an obviously biased reviewer who mentions the iPhone 6 in nearly every paragraph.

    Yes, it looks like an iPhone6. Samsung was obviously influenced in their design by Apple... who were obviously influenced in their design of the 6 by Samsung and other Android models. And so it goes in every sphere of the marketing world. A car becomes popular and all the other manufactures ape the design. True innovation is rare. While I will be sticking to my S5 for a while longer, it makes me happy that Samsung has gotten rid of the 50s diner/kitchen table border around the phone, though the 6 does look more fragile, as the iPhone 6 definitely is. (and I can vouch for that, having replaced at least 20 at our company)

    I too wish the author could substantiate his comments about the Android OS being "buggy". All phone software is buggy. I have stationery in my email describing the iPhone reboot process as I've had to explain it so many times I got sick of typing it. It's not worth getting into a pissing contest about which OS is better, though I will say that at least those of us partisan to Android don't have to suffer the kick in the nuts that is iTunes.

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