Samsung Galaxy S6 edge gets a Plus for a bigger screen

If you’ve always wanted to get an S6 edge for its dual curve display but held back due to its smaller 5.1″ size, the folks at Samsung has probably heard your prayer. Like the name suggests, the S6 edge+ is a larger Galaxy S6 edge with a phablet size display. The screen isn’t the only thing that has been upgraded as the the internals for both hardware and software have gotten plus size in their own areas.

Underneath this familiar looking device, the Galaxy S6 edge+ is an identical Galaxy Note 5 underneath minus the productivity S-Pen. Strangely Samsung didn’t release the successor of the Galaxy Note Edge, but instead they have upgraded an existing Galaxy S smart phone it into a phablet device.

All the same but bigger

The Galaxy S6 edge is a beautiful looking thing but holding it isn’t as reassuring as the flat edged Galaxy S6. On the bigger Galaxy S6 edge+, it is no different. The front has curved front glass that slops onto its thin frame. If we have both the S6 edge+ and Note 5 side by side, the Note feels more reassuring to hold with its thicker sides and a curved back glass that’s more natural to hold.

The rest are identical, from the placement of its volume and power buttons down to its headphone jack, micro USB port and speaker grill. Looking at the top, you’ll find a SIM tray slot and that’s when you notice that it lacks an infrared blaster that used to be located in the middle. The front display is a Note category 5.7″ display that does a similar Quad HD resolution (2560×1440) with a pixel density of 518 ppi. Overall, it is a tiny bit thinner at 6.9mm (S6 edge: 7.0mm) and it is 21 grams heavier at 153g (S6 edge: 132g).

Upgraded Hardware

Although it shares the same Octa-Core Exynos processor, the Galaxy S6 edge+ gets 4GB RAM, which is 1GB more than the standard model. For storage, it has the same non-expandable 32GB or 64GB storage options using Samsung’s speedy Universal Flash Storage 2.0 solution. Keeping the lights on is a 3,000mAh capacity battery, which is 400mAh more than its smaller brother. While it gets the same native wireless charging, the Galaxy S6 edge+ like the Note 5 now supports faster wireless charging which does 0-100% charge in 2 hours.

Edge Features Expanded

Compared to the Galaxy Note Edge, the S6 edge curved display doesn’t offer as much features due to its reduced curvature at the sides. Instead of a permanent “edge” panel, the edge display that’s customisable for either left or right was mostly used for People Edge, a customisable bar with 5 of your closest contacts. In addition, Samsung wants you to reach out to your contacts in a more emotional manner. So in addition to the typical call, SMS and email, the People Edge lets you send sketches, emoticons and video. As mentioned in our S6 edge review, we prefer if Samsung adds the option for instant message considering it is the main communication channel these days. While the screen is off, you still can take a peek on your notifications and infostream when you rub from left to right on the edge.

In addition, they have introduced “Apps Edge” which offers additional 5 edge shortcuts for your favourite apps. Since the S6 edge+ shares similar underpinnings as the non-plus model, we reckon Samsung could be extending these additions for its current S6 edge models. Another nice touch is that the edge features are now accessible on any screen. As comparison, it could only be triggered on the home screen and you can’t toggle it if you’re running other apps.

If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it

The rest of the S6 edge+ remains unchanged. You get the same excellent 16MP f/1.9 OIS camera at the back and a front facing 5MP f/1.9 camera at the front for better lit selfies. Similar to the Note 5, it does get Live YouTube Broadcast from the camera app as well. Nope, the battery isn’t removable and despite us getting a dual-SIM version in Malaysia, there’s no microSD expansion for the S6 edge+ either.

So would you pick this over the Galaxy Note 5? They are identically the same underneath and the only difference is the curve display and productive S-Pen that sets them apart. The edge display to us has always been a technological showcase and it is hard to justify to pay a lot over a non-edge device for the sake of having a fancier screen. So the question of whether to get a Note 5 or an S6 edge+ really depends on whether you want something you can do more with or having a device that’s good to look at.

Galaxy S6 edge+ Photo Gallery