Before Samsung Galaxy S6 came out, Samsung was known for rather cheap, plastic build qualities. The arrival of the Galaxy S6 marked a drastic change in the design philosophy of the flagship devices made by the Korean manufacturer. Gone are the plastic backs and the cheap feeling materials. But using a unibody premium design had its drawbacks as well. The removable battery was gone and so was the microSD card slot that a lot of loyal fans wanted in a Samsung phone. So if you don’t really care about removable backs and expandable storage, this is one of the best and affordable phones out there, right now. Without further jibber jabber, let’s dive into some of the best features of Samsung Galaxy S6.
Features of Samsung Galaxy S6
1. Design
This one is the obvious one; the design of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is simply put, remarkable. The smartphone feels premium to the touch and has a certain weight to it as well. The sides of the phone are made from metal and the back is encased in glass. The smartphone is very curvy around the edges as well, making it a joy to hold. The back looks really pretty but becomes gorgeous when light hits it at a certain angle. However, the glass back is also prone to get fingerprints and smudges on so make sure you either have a transparent bumper on or a microfiber cloth at hand.
2. Size
While many of the flagship smartphones have grown in size over the years, Samsung has made a point in releasing a reasonably sized variant of their flagship device. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is one of the most pocketable smartphones around, coming at only 5.1 inches. The device measures 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8mm and weighs only 138 grams. This means that the smartphone will not only be operable with one hand but also fit into your jeans pocket without any problem whatsoever. If you are looking for a fast operator with a handy size, the Samsung Galaxy S6 has you covered.
3. Screen
The Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a stunning 5.1 inch Super AMOLED screen. Samsung makes hands down the best mobile displays and this smartphone is a clear testament of their superior colors and contrast. The QHD resolution packed in a relatively smaller screen gives it an unprecedented sharpness and clarity. I have to admit, I am always taken aback by the beauty and viewing angles of a Super AMOLED display featured on Samsung devices, especially after using other smartphones and monitors. Rest assured, you will fall in love with the screen featured on this beautifully made smartphone.
4. Back Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S6 features a 16 MP back camera with a f/1.9 aperture and 28m focal length. But this is not what makes this camera one of the best ones around. The pixel size of 1.12 µm means it will work well in low light situations. The camera also comes with optical image stabilization that will not only help you in videos but also come in handy in low light situations. The LED flash on the back is also quite functional and mostly avoids the whitish hue other smartphones cast on the subjects.
5. Amped Download Speeds
One of the most useful features of Samsung Galaxy S6 is the download booster option it comes with. Basically, it allows you to combine the forces of Wi-Fi and 4G to get better download speeds. Sure, you will be chewing up your data but at least the movie will be downloaded in minutes instead of hours. You can easily enable this great feature of Samsung Galaxy S6 by heading to Settings> Wireless and networks > More > Download booster. Be sure to turn that back off after the downloading is completed to avoid extraordinarily expensive data charges.
6. Fingerprint Scanner
On the front of the smartphone, you will find the physical home button that is now a symbol of Samsung smartphones. While it is good to have a physical button, it also hides a fingerprint scanner inside. Simply press your thumb or any finger you like on the button and it will do a quick scan. If you are one of those people who don’t want to type in a code everything they want to access their smartphone, this feature will be a time saver. Simply scanning your thumb for security is far easier and secure than a simple four digit passcode.
7. Double Tap For Camera
While the physical button doubles as a fingerprint scanner, it also does something that will come in handy a lot. When your smartphone is locked, pressing the physical home button twice will open the camera app for you and take a quick shot. Samsung claims that the camera can take 0.7 seconds to launch and take a snap. In my testing, I found that mostly correct but the time varied between 1-2 seconds depending on the conditions. Overall, this is a great feature that allows you to capture moments that need a quick response. Now you will be able to take a picture of your baby’s first steps really quickly.
8. Automatic Call Answering
Now, this may not seem like a huge feature but for a fitness lover, it can be instrumental. Imagine you are in the middle of a run, using one of the best pedometer apps for Android and you get a call. Now you will have to stop, take the smartphone out of your pocket and answer the call. With this feature on, you won’t even have to break the stride and the phone will be answered automatically. There is a small condition, though; you need to have either the earphones or a Bluetooth headset connect to the smartphone. This also makes sense because you are certainly not going to yell while running in the park and use the speaker phone. Other than that, it is a small yet highly useful feature, even if you are cooking or simply tinkering with your car.
9. UFS Flash Storage
The removal of a microSD card slot from the Samsung Galaxy S6 was a huge disappointment to a lot of fans of Samsung. However, the smartphone comes with 32, 64 or 128 GB of UFS flash storage. Flash storage is considerably faster than the storage you would get from a microSD card. Even though it is not a consolation, at least your apps and 4K footage will run faster on the native storage space of the smartphone.
10. Fast Charging
The Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with fast charge technology inside that will allow you to juice up the smartphone in a very short duration. The smartphone comes with two fast charging techs, one is called quick charging that is made by Samsung themselves and the other one if provided by Qualcomm and is termed QuickCharge. So even if you purchase the international version of the smartphone that comes with Samsung-made Exynos processor, you will get quick charging.
11. Pop-up Apps
Even though the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a considerably smaller screen compared to other smartphones Samsung produces, it still has the option of making apps smaller on screen. All you need to do is press and drag the upper right corner of the app and move it to the exact size you want. This feature can come in handy when you want to quickly launch another app from the home screen. Or if you have very small hands, this will come in hand (pun intended).
12. Solid Battery
The Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a non-removable 2559 mAh battery. It is not remarkable but it does provide above average screen on time. You will be able to get 17 hours of talk time on a 3G enabled network on this smartphone. Around 4.5 hours of screen on time can also be achieved if you are diligent and keep the brightness at a reasonable level.
13. Sound Effects
Not many people are aware of this awesome feature of Samsung Galaxy S6 because it is buried deep in the settings menu. This feature will allow you to tune the sound you receive from the earphones or Bluetooth headsets. In order to gain the benefits of this feature, head over to Settings > Sound and notification > Sound quality and effects > Adapt Sound. From there you will be able to turn on SoundAlive+ and Tube Amp. Personally, I was not able to enjoy these features but a lot of people do like them. SoundAlive+ makes every sound coming out of your phone a surround sound. The Tube Amp replicates “The soft timbre of a tube amplifier”, as the smartphone explains.
14. Kids Mode
The Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a surprisingly robust kid’s mode. This mode basically allows you to hand over your smartphone to your kids without the added worry of them making international phone calls. The mode changes the home screen to something kid friendly and animated to boot. Kids will be able to interact with the home screen and even play kid-friendly games on your smartphone. Don’t worry; the smartphone will disable In App Purchases as well so you won’t get a 2000 dollar surprise in the credit card bill. What’s more? Well there is also a kids friendly selfies camera available on this mode. I have to say, Samsung has really outdone themselves when it comes to catering to parents. If you want more games, check out the best games for kids list as well.
15. Easy Mode
If you find the standard mode to be a hassle, an overwhelming hassle to be exact, then Samsung has a solution for that as well. Switch over to the easy mode and you will find a simplified smartphone. The home screen becomes a lot simple and the text becomes larger in size. Honestly, the easy mode is just a name for elderly mode; the large font gives that away instantly. It is good to see that Samsung is not only looking out for the kids but also the elderly too. So if you forget your spectacles at home, you can switch to this mode to perform some basic functions with good accuracy.
16. Ultra Power Saving Mode
The ultra-power saving mode makes a comeback in this smartphone and it is better than ever. This mode automatically turns off services that put a strain on the battery. For example, the location services will be turned off in this mode in order to save battery. The mode will also restrict the phone only to essential functions like calls and messages. It will even turn off the mobile data, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. This is a great mode to make the phone last a little while longer and make a run for a charger.
17. Wider Selfies
This is a unique mode that makes the default camera app of Samsung Galaxy S6 a worthwhile one to have. This mode allows you to take panoramic selfies, capturing all of your friends. However, just like standard panoramas, you will need to pan the phone around to capture all the details. If your friends can stay still, this is perhaps one of the best features to be found.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy S6 is only a year old so it will be a great smartphone to purchase this season. Now that all the firmware updates are completed for the smartphone and all the bugs have been technically quashed out, the smartphone does looks quite enticing. With the price cuts that are already reasonable, there is no reason not to try out for an attractively priced smartphone. I hope that the best features of Samsung Galaxy S6 might have helped in making up your mind. If you have any questions or suggestions about the smartphone, feel free to talk to us in the comments below. Image Credits The back looks really pretty but becomes gorgeous when light hits it at a certain angle. However, the glass back is also prone to get fingerprints and smudges on so make sure you either have a transparent bumper on or a microfiber cloth at hand.
