Our friends from the Men’s Folio Singapore team had a bright idea for looking at the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge – give the phone to non die-hard Samsung users for a fresh take. Below we present their final verdicts on the phone.
A Blackberry Classic user’s point of view
By Rachel Ang
Despite the cries of astonishment and undeserved horror whenever I whip out my Blackberry Classic to tap out a reply, I’ve stuck with the brand for the past four phones I’ve owned because I appreciate its focus on messaging, whether SMS, email, WhatsApp, or Blackberry Messenger. I’m not somebody who plays many games, so the fact that many applications aren’t available on the Blackberry platform doesn’t bother me. That being said, it was a pleasant surprise to see most of the common apps already installed on the Galaxy S6 Edge, even after rebooting it to factory settings. Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Drive are all there ready to go. For me, the only necessary app that needed to be downloaded specially was WhatsApp. Another reason I’ve remained using a Blackberry is its ability to multitask, especially between apps. I can easily minimize a browser window that is playing a YouTube video, and it will keep playing while I reply to any messages that come in. Although the Galaxy S6 Edge has a multi window feature, it unfortunately is not exactly user-friendly or intuitive. Perhaps, it takes a little getting used to. That being said, I do appreciate the touchscreen real estate on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, which is halved on my Blackberry Classic due to the physical keypad. I’m rather hard pressed to choose between being able to browse beautifully through feeds and banging out emails under the table without having to look and check for autocorrect blunders.
Final Verdict: The sleek form of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge certainly wins points for attractiveness. While its user interface has room for improvement, I can certainly see myself living with it quite comfortably.
A Nokia Lumia 930 user’s point of view
By Patrick Chew
Here’s the thing, I like my phones to have a bit of weight to them. I need it to feel solid and sturdy so that when I place it in my pocket, I’ll know it’s there instead of feeling the urge to perform the ‘mobile phone dance’ every once in a while, you know, the one where you’d frantically pat down all your pockets the moment you don’t feel like your phone is on you. That’s why the 132g and 7mm thickness of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge (a feat that Samsung’s engineers must have worked tirelessly to achieve) just doesn’t quite cut it for me. Having said that, I do appreciate its sleek design, held together by a metal frame with chamfered edges, a refreshing step away its predecessors’ heavy use of plastic. The mix of curved lines with right angles also gives it a very contemporary and expensive look and feel. My moment of satori came when I turned on the phone. The images and colors were incredibly sharp and more vibrant than anything my Lumia 930 has ever displayed, courtesy of a Quad HD (2560×1440) 557ppi display, which made it slightly underwhelming when I switched back to my Nokia’s 1920×1080 resolution. Additionally, the Google Play store presented a vast variety of apps, from immensely useful ones to the downright redundant, that the Windows Store sorely lacks. For years, I had convinced myself that Window Store’s embarrassing array of apps actually enabled third-party app developers to release their own versions of popular apps, but with added features. But I’ve found that there’s nothing like owning official versions of apps and taking comfort in its guaranteed quality and customer service.
Final Verdict: The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge succeeded in persuading me to consider switching to an Android operating system. But whether or not I eventually opt for the S6 Edge is something that’s still up in the air.
An iPhone 6 user’s point of view
By Beatrice Bowers
My first reaction to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge was typical of any staunch Apple fan – derision that slowly faded into indifference. But pulling my courage and spirit of adventure together, I set my iPhone 6 aside (sorry, my love) for a day, and gave the S6 Edge a shot. Its 5.1-inch Super AMOLED screen is significantly larger and has a higher resolution than the iPhone 6, so watching movies on it is particularly enjoyable, especially with the tasteful color settings that made visuals appear crisper. Also a plus, it processes most common video formats, allowing me to watch MKV versions of MasterChef on the bus without the hassle of converting them first. My inner narcissist also believes that the cameras is an important part of a phone and the S6 Edge’s 16-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front cameras, had me sold with the Beauty setting, which eradicated my blemishes and made me look like a K-pop star’s unsuccessful sister – a massive boost for my self-esteem since the front camera on the iPhone 6 tends to make my zits look more offensive than usual. When it comes to usability, and multitasking abilities, the S6 Edge left me confused. Being accustomed to the neat iOS interface without many opportunities for customization, its TouchWiz interface was overwhelming, partially due to my innate handicap from having used iPhones since its advent. It really took awhile to grow on me.
Final Verdict: If you’re one who enjoys making technology your slave instead of the other way around, and loves tinkering with interfaces, go for the Galaxy S6 Edge. Also, take lots of selfies. Your self-image will thank you.
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