Samsung’s Galaxy S5 ranks higher than the Galaxy S6 in Consumer Reports’ ratings

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 is a stark departure from last year’s Galaxy S5, when talking of both build quality and software. The move to include more premium materials this time around has been nothing short of controversial among Samsung fans, seeing as how the company ditched the removable battery and microSD card slot that’s been present on most other Samsung devices. Because of these changes, Consumer Reports has given the Galaxy S6 a lower rating than the Galaxy S5, which currently sits at the top of the publication’s smartphone ratings.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S5 quick look

Consumer Reports has long been known as a significantly unbiased publication, so how could it choose last year’s more cluttered, plastic model over the shiny newness that was just launched a few weeks ago? In terms of being practical, the Galaxy S6 definitely doesn’t offer as many features as the S5 did. The new model has done away with the microSD card slot and removable battery, as well as the IP 67 dust and water resistance rating. What’s more, the Galaxy S6 offers up an overall smaller battery capacity than its predecessor, despite having a more power-hungry Quad HD display. 

From the report:

Also missing: memory-expansion slots. That means Galaxy S6 owners will have to bring their phone to a service center to replace the battery, or buy a more expensive version of the phone if more onboard storage is needed—just as you do with an iPhone.

The majority of the report wasn’t all negative for the GS6, though. Maria Rerecich, head of electronics testing at C.R., noted that the addition of rapid charging technology and support for both wireless charging standards were a welcome change this time around.

Most of the report was focused on hardware-only features, and barely touched on the software of the devices. Samsung toned down the software features in the Galaxy S6, making the overall experience much more pleasant for the end user. But unfortunately, the publication barely touched on that aspect, allowing the overly feature-filled plastic Galaxy S5 to score higher than the more reserved, sleek Galaxy S6. Be sure to take a look at the video below to see the full report.

What are your thoughts on the report? Do you think you’d recommend the Galaxy S5 over the Galaxy S6? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Android 5.1 update coming in June?

Samsung did a pretty good job updating its flagship devices to Lollipop, but with Google moving the goal posts by releasing Android 5.1, the Korean giant found itself playing OTA catch-up once again.

The good news is the update to Android 5.1 could be coming as early as next month, at least for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. We know that thanks to Canadian carrier Rogers, which listed the two Samsung devices with a June release for the Android 5.1 update.

Now, to be clear, carriers can only offer estimates and, fairly often, these estimates don’t pan out. However, this is still a good sign for Galaxy S6 users in Canada, but also from around the world: there’s no reason for Rogers to get the update ahead of other large carriers, meaning it’s likely Android 5.1 will roll out in other markets around the same timeframe.

If the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are indeed going to get Android 5.1 in June, some HTC users may have a (new) reason to envy their Samsung brethren. Rumor has it HTC will only release Android 5.1 for the One M8 in August.

Back to Samsung, we’ve heard talk about camera improvements coming with the jump to Android 5.1, as well as the addition of a guest mode. We can also speculate that Samsung could patch up the bug causing poor RAM management, which is currently vexing more than a few Galaxy S6 users, despite the rollout of performance improvement updates.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active is spotted for the first time on candid camera

Samsung has been quite consistent over the years with releasing multiple variants of its flagship devices for people with different lifestyle needs. The Active is a good example of this, and we’re actually pretty interested to know what the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active is going to look like after the Galaxy S6 was unveiled as a precision manufactured handset made of glass and metal. As it turns out, we’re getting our first (leaked) look at the Galaxy S6 Active, and unsurprisingly, it looks like it could be run over by a tank. Check out the leaked images below:

But the leak isn’t done. The originator of the leak says that the Galaxy S6 Active will carry the model number SM-G890A and will come with a 3,500mAh battery, a far cry from the 2,600mAh battery offered in the Galaxy S6. The remaining specifications are unknown, but if past experience is anything, they’ll likely be very similar to the Galaxy S6’s, which will make the Galaxy S6 Active a very attractive device indeed.

What do you think about our first look at the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: GSM Arena via The Verge

The post Samsung Galaxy S6 Active is spotted for the first time on candid camera appeared first on AndroidSPIN.

Samsung strikes out in Japan… again

The Galaxy is everywhere.

By all accounts, especially financial ones, the two Samsung flagships released last month are certified hits. The Galaxy S6, and its colleague the Galaxy S6 Edge, saw the Korean OEM reach a new level of build quality when it announced the pair of products, complete with a metal frame and glass back panel. They are, arguably, the best smartphones Samsung has produced to date, and by far the most costly.

Over in the land of Japan however, the tide hasn’t turned, at least judging by the poor sales the devices have rung up. A new report by Japanese marketing firm BCN has some rather somber news for Samsung: the Galaxy S6, upon its first week of release, ranked 17th among all devices sold, but would drop to 30th place just a week later. The Galaxy S6 Edge, viewed by many as the more desirable device thanks to its unique form factor, launched at the 10th place spot in its first week of sales, and then dropped to 26th place during the second week.

According to BCN on May 11, the Galaxy S6 Edge ranked 26th in the Japanese smartphone weekly sales rankings from April 27 to May 3. The sale of the model appeared to be smooth at first, ranking 10th the first week of its launch. However, its ranking went down by 16 notches in just one week. The Galaxy S6 also suffered from a drop in the rankings from 17th in the first week of its release to 30th place in the following week.

Counterpoint

Samsung, whose market share has been hovering around 5% for some time now in Japan, is no doubt quite displeased with this news, especially after it has made some major sacrifices in order to try and better appeal to the Japanese market, namely removing its logo from everything under-the-sun and a total re-branding of all things to simply “Galaxy”. According to this report, Apple’s iPhone products are currently occupying 6 of the top 10 spots in Japan’s current sales ranking data, which would certainly go a long way to explaining part of the problem at hand.

Still, this situation is quite curious indeed, as the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge released with literally no competition whatsoever. It is being sold on two carriers, NTT docomo and au by KDDI, neither of which had any other product released in the month of April, or in the recent past for that matter. This would mean that not only has Samsung failed to break into the top 10 at launch, but it couldn’t even outsell existing handsets that have already been released.

There have been rumors floating around this year indicating the company might be intending to pull out of Japan soon. While nothing has been confirmed, this kind of performance problem is definitely not going to please anyone involved.

Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge receive fingerprint and other improvements in a new update

Last week, a performance improving update began making its way out to Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge owners in Europe, addressing an issue with memory management. Samsung UK also announced that more “micro-updates” are in the works, and it seems that another one is now on the way.

A new update with the build number XXU1AOE3 (the previous version was XXU1AODG) has appeared, with a more detailed change-log this time. The 159MB update aims to improve the fingerprint scanner’s recognition process, implements a new unnamed feature in the Photo Editor, tweaks the interface in a few of Samsung’s own apps, and also improves compatibility with a number of accessories. Oddly, there’s no mention of directly addresses the memory management issue that some users are experiencing, but this version does boast general performance improvements.

Last week’s update seems to have only had a limited roll-out, leaving us to wonder if Samsung plans to bring the memory issue update to other users. It seems that the previous update was just for one or two select carriers in the UK and this latest update is intended for a general roll-out.

Version XXU1AOE3 is landing in Asia and Europe as we speak, so be sure to click that Software Update button in the settings to see if it has arrived for you yet. Let us know if you notice any improvements.

This is probably Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S2

Several months ago rumors began to mention the next generation Galaxy Tab S products. In particular, the talk of the town was teaching us that Samsung would be utilizing a 4:3 aspect ratio, premium materials (a metal frame essentially) and the latest and greatest specs. As the weeks have passed, information has slowly leaked out, and now we find ourselves with what might be a first look at the finished product. Albeit it a press render.

OnLeaks

This leaks comes to us via @onleaks, and as you can see, the tablet looks… A lot like the Galaxy Tab A series which has already been announced and released in several key markets around the world. Assuming this is the final product, it raises a somewhat odd question coming from Samsung: why does this premier premium product look like a baseline-budget one? Last year’s Galaxy Tab S series featured an exclusive design (reminiscent of the Galaxy S5) that looked night-and-day different from the Galaxy Tab 4, Galaxy Tab Pro, and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014/Pro 12.2 devices which came before it.

When last we heard, it is expected that in addition to a QHD SuperAMOLED screen, the Tab S2 series will come with an Exynos 5433 32-Bit CPU, but it may be replaced with the 7420 given the latter’s 64-bit processing — something that will come in handy with the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop build that they will be running on. Category 6 LTE will be supported on cellular models. The device will include 3GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage with microSD support up to 128GB. The 8-inch model will have a 3,580 mAh battery, the 9.7 inch, a 5,870 mAh unit. Both models will have an 8 megapixel rear camera and 2.1 front camera, according to the leaks.

Assuming this leak is genuine, could Samsung be standardizing its tablet offerings? Might we be missing something (like the possibility of a glass back)? Moreover, what would this mean for Samsung products released later this year? Will they look similar to the S6?

Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition for Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge now available for $200

If you’re an early adopter of the Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge and want to get your hands on Samsung’s next generation virtual reality headset, now’s your chance. The Gear VR Innovator Edition headset, built specifically for Samsung’s two newest flagships, can now be ordered online from either Best Buy or Samsung for $199.99. The headset will also be available in-store at select Best Buy stores beginning Friday, May 15th, if you’d rather purchase it that way.

Samsung announced the updated version of the headset back at MWC 2015, bringing with it a few notable improvements over the Galaxy Note 4-specific model. The version built for the Galaxy S6 is 15% smaller overall, and is significantly lighter and more comfortable, as well. The touchpad on the side of the device has been recessed, making it easier to locate, and the back button is now more tactile than before.

We went hands-on with the headset at the big trade show, and we’d suggest checking out our first impressions video if you’re considering purchasing one. If you’re interested, follow the links below.

• Buy now from Samsung
• Buy now from Best Buy