Monday 2 March 2015

THE NEXT GALAXY AFTERMATH SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

Above: The sublime and superb Galaxy S6 Edge! My next handset! Youbetcha!
SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
SAMSUNG THE NEXT GALAXY UNPACKED, MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, BARCELONA 2015

THE AFTERMATH


Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! It is great to see you as always! How are you? Are reeling in delight or a shocked disbelief over the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge?

Here’s my thoughts... Read on...

#Samsung #TheNextGalaxy #UnpackedEpisodeOne2015 #GalaxyS6 #GalaxySEdge #GalaxyS6Edge

AN OUTCRY
It seems that some Android fans are outraged at the non-removable battery and no microSD card slot but they must have known that a handset made from “premium” materials will come at a price! Some are saying, “Samsung has made an Android iPhone. Forget it!” If that’s you then what were you expecting? Did you purchase the Galaxy S5?

According to CEO & President of Samsung Electronics, JK Shin, the Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge were based on customer feedback. Many of you didn’t want the Galaxy S5 as there were complaints about the dimpled removable back, the swipe fingerprint sensor, plastic build and the overall design being similar to the predecessor, Galaxy S4. Personally, I can’t understand it... I think the Galaxy S5 is a great handset! I have recently started my keep fit regime to have an S6 (sexy 6) pack (hee hee) for the summer and the water resistant Galaxy S5 is just the ticket when I am out jogging, etc.

Sometimes I don’t understand the Android consumer... I mean, if a removable battery and microSD card was of great importance then why buy into the Google Nexus line? Let me try to guessplain (guess + explain = guessplain) why Samsung has made this move...

TURNING THE TABLES:
BEATING APPLE AT ITS OWN GAME

We have witnessed Apple taking its design cue for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus from the larger Android screens – notably Samsung. Now should Samsung drag Apple to court over stealing a 5.5” screen display that was first on the original Galaxy Note? Of course not! That’s progress!


Above: Do you see how bland the iPhone is? Ive can't design handsets like these... Are you nuts? 

THE ETHICS OF AESTHETICS
Sure, the Galaxy S6 is curvy like the iPhone and places the speaker and headphone socket at the bottom and that’s where the similarities end. Of course there is no way that Jony Ive can ever think of designing an iPhone with a wrap around dual edged screen; even the concept artists / designers work on future iPhones look better that Ive’s work.


The Galaxy S6 Edge is especially a work of pure art!

WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN
Essentially, Samsung has stamped its authority upon the smartphone market. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: it is about time that Samsung uses its own processors in its smartphones as they manufacture a number of processors for other companies such as Apple. Apple thought that they could go elsewhere and now they are coming back for more. I don’t think there was ever any plan to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 as the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are nearly ready to go! April 10 2015 and the Galaxy S6 Edge is mine! As Samsung made a considerable loss it just had to jettison Qualcomm in favour of its own Exynos chip!

SHATTERING ILLUSIONS
No matter how practical and durable plastic is people kept going on about metal and now we have metal and glass! iPhone fanatics have stated that they wouldn’t want a plastic Samsung handset because it doesn’t feel premium. And because there is a great rivalry between Samsung and Apple the way forward had to be a combination of metal and glass – Gorilla Glass 4 to be precise. I am going to see if I can shatter it! Now is the perfect opportunity for disgruntled iPhone fans to get a hold of a premium Android handset! I am surprised that Samsung didn’t announce a Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge made from platinum studded with diamonds! Lol!

UNMOVED: THE POWER OF THE GLORY
The thinness of the Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge meant that the battery could not be removed; plus there is wireless charging and that the battery can have up to 4 hours of usage from a 10 minute charge. Let’s look at the implications of that...

In truth I find that my Galaxy S2, S4, Note 2 and Note 4 do not run out of juice with a good amount of usage. For me usage includes: email, social networking, Internet and YouTube viewing. Oh, not to mention a bit of productivity using Google Docs and Blogger when I am doing my ‘Tablets in the Wild’ series of articles spotting how many people are using tablets on the streets!

Anyhoo, with the Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge I can see myself having a wireless charger at home and carrying the default charger in my bag to charge – if I need to – when I am enjoying a cup of herbal tea at a coffee shop. While this is not as convenient as a spare battery I know that it only takes 10 minutes to get about 4 hours worth of usage which is ample enough to get me back home. I have saved a bit of money on a spare battery but then again I would have purchased a wireless charger that can also charge my Nexus 6! I think that’s a win situation.

TOTAL RECALL
Now people are bitching because there is no microSD card slot, “No microSD slot no sale!” Think about it (no pun intended), the iPhone has sold regardless of not being able to expand the storage capacity because of iCloud. It is only natural for Samsung to sell the Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge based on capacity: 32, 64 and 128 GB. Yes, it is going to be more expensive but this is what you wanted, right? You wanted “premium” and you can’t say that you don’t have it. I am quite sure that Samsung would have made the Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge like the Galaxy Note 4 but the disappointing sales figures for the Galaxy S5 put paid to a removable back. And, once again, the thinness meant no room for a microSD card slot. Samsung has simply got to claw back some profit as the loss in 2014 was quite severe by the tech media accounts.

I don’t have too much of an issue with no memory expansion; I can only download so many apps that do more or less the same kind of thing. I try to pare my app usage down to what I see as the best in the category and for my needs. It is great that Samsung has skipped the meagre 16GB default for 32GB!

I can store my pictures and videos on Google Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive with a generous 115GB for 2 years – the length of a network contract. I think that a flash drive should work on it too which could be another addition / solution. I don’t see why people are pooping their pants over no memory expansion.

You shoot your 1080p or 4K video, edit it, output and upload to YouTube then store the raw, unedited footage and edit on any one of the cloud storage solutions mentioned above. If you want to keep a hard copy you would simply hook up your Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge to a computer and transfer the files to be burned to a DVD / Bluray disc. Perhaps photo and video recording will be faster as a result of not
going to a microSD card. Speaking of the camera...

PICTURE THIS
The camera, by the looks of it, is worth its weight in gold! Samsung has never let me down with its cameras yet! When Samsung makes a claim or claims about its products I can take it to the bank! The camera on the Galaxy S3 was a milestone for quality and functionality that kept getting better with each year for both the Galaxy S and Note line. So, to see Samsung reference the iPhone 6 Plus camera in comparison to the Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge means that the iPhone camera has been beaten outright! There is no doubt about that. I have come to know Samsung quite well and it doesn’t make claims that aren’t true. As a keen smartphone photographer I know that I am going to use the Galaxy S6 Edge camera a great deal.



The only thing I can’t say that I appreciate about the camera is the lens; the lens protrudes a lot and I do worry a little about scratching the lens. On the other hand I do intend to get a protective case for the Galaxy S6 Edge that should give some protection to the camera lens.

I can almost guarantee that the camera on the Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge will not be beaten by any other manufacturer this year! It is very possible that the ASUS ZenFone 2 & ZenFone Zoom might have something special about them but I can almost guarantee that the camera on the HTC One M9 is going to be a disappointment. I don’t know why HTC can’t put a decent camera into its flagship!

Anyway, the camera is one of the reasons why Samsung handsets have been my main driver over the years and it looks like it is going to stay that way. Again, I am a little flummoxed when people can’t see just how brilliant the Galaxy S6 & S6 cameras are. Even if I wanted to try something else I am unable for the camera alone!

These are the main factors why Samsung has beaten Apple at its own game! I also think that Samsung Pay has already won the “war” as it working with what is there already. Apple Pay, if I am correct, seems to want to coerce bank and payment systems to work exclusively with its technology. Whereas Samsung Pay works with systems already in place!

I can see Apple losing more of the market share due to the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge as they are clearly better handsets! The screen on them just blows the “Retina” screen away!

ODDLY
From what I have seen of the tech media reaction to the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, Android tech media in particular, they seem surprised that Samsung have kept things like Air Gestures, Smart Pause, etc are still within TouchWiz. That’s crazy! These features are outstanding and the Galaxy Note 4 utilizes some of these gestures with the S Pen. This reaction to these features by the Android tech media makes me wonder if they know how to use TouchWiz to the fullness. Very odd!


Above: The pebble inspired Galaxy S3. A great design for its time that has gotten better over the years. The Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge are the best ever! 


These Air Gestures and eye tracking features need good lighting to be able to function properly. If the front-facing camera aperture is F1.9 and makes for better low light photography these Air Gestures, etc could perform much better than on the Galaxy S4. I will give you a full review in due course!

Let’s not forget that the iPhone does not have such beautiful Air Gestures, eye tracking and S Pen – if we’re making a comparison to the 6 Plus and Note 4.

Once again, the iPhone is closed off environment to the Android open one. And this is one of the many reasons why the iPhone doesn’t appeal to me. Even if someone one gave me an iPhone for free I wouldn’t use it. So, I don’t really understand why some people think that the iPhone is so wonderful. Samsung and Android all the way, Baby! Samsung remains the King of Android!

SPECS:-
GALAXY S6

NETWORK  
GSM / HSPA / LTE

LAUNCH      
Announced 2015, March
Status: Coming soon. Exp. release 2015, April 10

BODY           
Dimensions: 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm (5.65 x 2.78 x 0.27 in)
Galaxy S6 Edge Dimensions: 142.1 x 70.1 x 7 mm (5.59 x 2.76 x 0.28 in)
Weight: 138 g (4.87 oz)
Galaxy S6 Edge Weight 132 g (4.66 oz)
Build: Corning Gorilla Glass 4 back panel

SIM    
Nano-SIM

FINGERPRINT SENSOR
Fingerprint sensor (PayPal certified)
Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified)

DISPLAY      
Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size: 5.1 inches (70.7% screen-to-body ratio)
Galaxy S6 Edge screen size: 5.1 inches (72.0% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution: 1440 x 2560 pixels (577 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch
Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 4
TouchWiz UI

PLATFORM 
OS: Android OS, v5.0.2 (Lollipop)
Chipset: Exynos 7420
CPU: Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57
GPU: Mali-T760

MEMORY     
No microSD card slot
Internal: 32 / 64 / 128 GB
3 GB RAM

CAMERA      
Primary: 16 MP, 3456 x 4608 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash
Features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, Auto HDR, panorama
Video: 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps, HDR, dual-video rec.
Secondary: 5 MP, 1080p@30fps, dual video call, Auto HDR

SOUND        
Alert types: Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Loudspeaker
3.5mm jack   

COMMS        
WLAN           
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth v4.1, A2DP, LE, apt-X
GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
NFC
Infrared port

USB  
microUSB v2.0 (MHL 3 TV-out), USB Host

FEATURES 
Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, gesture, heart rate
Messaging: SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM
Browser: HTML5
Java: Java MIDP emulator
 - Wireless charging (Qi/PMA/WPC) - market dependent
- ANT+ support
- S-Voice natural language commands and dictation
- Smart stay, Smart pause, Smart scroll
- Air gestures
- OneDrive (115 GB cloud storage)
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/H.264 player
- MP3/WAV/WMA/eAAC+/FLAC player
- Photo/video editor
- Document editor

BATTERY              
Non-removable Li-Ion 2550 mAh battery
Galaxy S6 Edge 2,600mAh battery

MISC 
Colors: White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Blue Topaz

SAY IT LOUD, I AM SAMSUNG AND PROUD!
Without a doubt the Galaxy S6 Edge is going to be my next handset! And the good news is that it is coming to a wide range of UK networks come April 10! I am sure that there is going to be either a fairly substantial an upfront cost and / or monthly fee! But this is the price we pay for “premium”.

Speaking of “loud” I am looking forward to finding out about the audio features! I want to know if Soundcamp is one of the default apps or available to download from the Galaxy App Store.

Thank you so much for reading Synapse Circuit!

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