Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ Review

Samsung's latest edition is coming soon, unless you live in Europe. Touting very similar design, the new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ will impress with its larger size of 5.7 inches diagonally, and wrap-around screen. Because the sides are included in the glass screen, Samsung gave it a slightly visible, but easy-to-grip, edge. The sides now hold items that were on the flat screen of previous models, some of which, like the navigation menu, weren't removable. Now, the menu disappears when it's not in use, but is easily found again with the swipe of a finger. 

Applications Users Will Love 

The wrap-around glass not only provides users with the hide-away navigation menu strip, but also a clock whose digital numbers glow in a soft and pleasant blue hue, doing away with the need to activate the phone to see what time it is. 

The menu strip is really cool because users can place it wherever they wish, instead of it being in a predetermined spot. This includes the bottom of the screen, and not just the sides. Accessibility from any screen is a major plus, sure not to be lost on most users.

Having a longer window keeps text large enough that users don't need to enlarge everything that might be of interest to them, cutting down on browsing and searching time. The top and bottom still consist of metal strips for the ear speaker and mouth piece, creating a stylish and polished frame for the wrap-around glass screen.

The front-facing camera with 5-megapixels is sure to please users with its crisp photos and video. This is in addition to the standard camera with 16-megapixels. Clarity is at its highest, even when viewed on the bigger screen TVs or your computer. Using SideSynch or BlueTooth makes that part easy. 

What Carriers Are Planning for This Phone

Carriers in the USA will be able to offer users two of the four colors to consumers, along with the Galaxy Note 5, starting August 21. White and silver won't be available, leaving users to choose between gold and black, instead. Those who typically use a case shouldn't be put off by this color limitation, though. The two plans available are based on the size of storage in the non-removable storage built into the phone. 

AT&T 

AT&T has opted to break their two plans down further into six, instead, providing users with different lengths of contract. Both 32 Gb and 64 Gb are still on the menu, but now 32 Gb contracts are broken down into 30 payments at $27.17 a month, 24 payments at $33.96 per month, and 20 monthly payments of $40.75. Users wanting the increased storage of 64 Gb will pay $30.50, $38.13, and $45.75, respectively. 

Verizon

Keeping things simple, Verizon has priced their phones at $768 total for the smaller capacity phones, and the higher ones at $864. Monthly bills are $32 and $36 for two years. US Cellular This carrier won't be carrying the higher capacity phones for some reason, and the price tag, at $38.40 a month for 20 months, is the same as Verizon's price tag for the same model, $768. 

T-Mobile

Following suit, T-Mobile only plans to offer the smaller storage phone to consumers. The price is $699.99 total. It can be paid in one payment, or monthly, for 23 months at $29.17, with the 24th monthly payment being slightly less, at $29.08.

Sprint

With LeasePlan, users will pay a total of $349.99 for 32 Gb versions, and a hundred more for double the storage capabilities. Off lease, with their Spring Easy Pay, the lower storage versions more than double, to $792. Phones with 64 Gigs increase in price to $888.

Build Specs

* 518 pixels/inch

* Constructed of metal back, top, and bottom

* 6.07 by 2.98 by 0.27 inches, or 154.4 by 75.8 by 6.9mm

* 5.4 oz or 158 grams

Feel and Tactile Comfort

This phone, while it's definitely slimmer than most others, still has quite a lot of stuff packed inside. The double cameras do require some bulk, and this is evident where the phone slightly bulges out. The rounded corners add to the sleek feel, as do the sides. This may start a precedent other makers of cell phones begin to copy. They'll do well to also implement the sharpness found on the sides, giving users something substantial to grip onto.

Which Features Were Scrapped, and Why

Stylus lovers will be disappointed, though, as no stylus is included with this latest version. Other features lost include an SD slot, and a removable battery, both so the phone remains slim and compact. The built-in storage is dependent on which company and plan customers decide on. Choosing between 32 Gb and 64 Gb should be fairly easy, though – the price tags for double the space allotted is only a few dollars more each month than it is for the 32 Gb.

The built-in battery does save on space, but at the same time could reduce the life of many phones, simply because all batteries do eventually wear out. Being unable to change the battery for a new one, and then coping with the constant recharging needed, the phone could become tiresome, and even frustrating, for many users in the near future.

These trade offs are going to be personal decisions for users, and many might decide the increased thinness isn't worth the loss of the ability to replace a battery that might wear out in a year, especially when most plans are for two years, and the inability to use an SD card when desired.

If users are willing to pay the higher price tag for a larger phone at the expense of a removable battery and the absence of an SD slot, they might be happy with the gains they'll see with other applications.