Samsung Galaxy S6 Worse Than S5? Tech Experts Say Yes
Samsung may be hyping their new Galaxy S6, but according to Consumer Reports, the new phone doesn’t reach the high-water mark left by its predecessor. That’s not to say that the Galaxy S6 is a bad phone, with the review praising its quick charge and beautiful screen, but there are a few problems.
Notable sticking points with the S6 are its lack of expandable memory (the S5 could be expanded by up to 128GB), and the non-removable battery. Also, unlike its precursor, the S6 isn’t water-resistant. Any spills could send this phone straight to Davy Jones’ Locker.
The S6 comes with more onboard memory than the Galaxy S5, with customers able to choose between 32, 64, and 128GB of storage, compared to the S5’s choice of either 16 or 32, but lack of expandable storage is still a problem for some users. It’s particularly problematic for those who can only afford the 32GB model, yet want more storage for videos, music, or apps. You can no longer just buy a cheap microSD card and up the storage.
In a video posted on their Youtube channel, Consumer Reports experts Maria Rerecich and Glenn Derene explained why the S6 doesn’t match up to what came before.
“Samsung has traditionally thrived by being an anti-iPhone,” Glenn notes. He goes on to say that “They usually had bigger screens, they had this upgradeability where you can add memory, swap out the batteries.”
The Galaxy S6 has nevertheless been a huge success, with Forbes reporting that the new models racked up massive pre-order numbers, 20 million for the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge worldwide. Speaking to Korea Times, a Samsung executive said back in April that he fully expects the S6 series to be the best selling Galaxy.
“The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are drawing positive responses. I have no doubt that they will be the biggest-sellers in the Galaxy series ever.”
It’s certainly true that a lot of people have taken to social networks to praise their new purchase, with particularly kind words being said about the 16-megapixel camera.
Beautiful sunset video from lake Overholser. Shot with #galaxy #s6 #edge #samsung https://t.co/PIFjprhywQ #sprintemployee #sunset
— David T. Copeland (@DavidTCopeland) May 11, 2015
Surprisingly Im impressed with the camera on the #S6 #Raw pic.twitter.com/o89WW0QyCP
— ?K I S H O? (@bkisho) May 10, 2015
The camera on the @SamsungMobile#S6 is crazy. #capturingmemoriespic.twitter.com/4KtyztT5cc
— Pam Hennard (@PamAtDell) May 11, 2015
The launch hasn’t been all rosy, however. Some Galaxy S6 Edges had problems reported with screen rotation. The S6 will truly be the massive success Samsung expects, though, we’ll have to wait and see.
Do you own a Galaxy S6? How do you think it compares to the S5? Have Samsung lost touch with what made the Galaxy series so successful?
[Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]
