Samsung Galaxy S6 edge versus Nokia Lumia 930: first look

With the announcement of the Galaxy S6 during Mobile World Congress 2015, one can admit that it’s sporting an edgier look than ever before. Quite literally, though, that’s exactly what its variant in the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge is donning – where it flaunts curved edges on both sides of its display, to give it one unique look. Of course, the Nokia Lumia 930 has long established its reputation in the smartphone space for quite some time. Not only is it a great Windows Phone, but it’s an amazingly good smartphone in general. And hey, it helps that it caters to the needs of hardcore shutterbugs too!

Design

It’s really tough saying which of these two smartphones offer the superior design, since each are distinct and offer their own specific qualities. For the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, folks might be drawn to its drastically updated design – one that’s a stark departure from what we’ve seen previously. From its change in materials, like its metal trim border and glass covers, to the reflective qualities of its casing, the Galaxy S6 edge shines brilliantly and evokes a design that’s undeniably premium. Oh yeah, we can’t neglect to talk about its dual curved display, especially when it adds a neat and cool look to the phone. Honestly, it’s meant to be more of an aesthetic thing, as opposed to being more functional.

Conversely, rather than exhibiting a premium look and feel, the Nokia Lumia 930 has a stylish edge thanks to its distinctively Lumia design language. Better yet, its availability in bright and fun colors has enough appeal, as well as that standout factor, to catch the eyes of bystanders. However, when it comes to the in-the-hand feel, we find the Galaxy S6 to be more comfortable because it’s thinner, lighter, and rounded on its sides to better ergonomically fit our hand.

Display

This one is going to be a tough battle earned for the Nokia Lumia 930, partly because the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge pushes the threshold by dishing up one compelling display – a 5.1-inch quad-HD 1440 x 2560 Super AMOLED display. By default, it earns the mark in the pixel density department with its staggering 577 ppi tally, which beats out the 441 ppi figure put out by the Lumia 930’s 5.0-inch 1080 x 1920 AMOLED display. In all fairness, though, we’d be surprised if you can notice its superiority when looking at the two from a normal distance, seeing that it’s nearly indistinguishable to the eye for us to visualize.

Both employ AMOLED technology, so they exhibit the common characteristics of it – like their wide viewing angles, deep black color, and rich color reproduction. Intently staring at the two with their brightness set to the maximum, we can make out that the Galaxy S6 edge sports the brighter screen, so that will more than likely benefit it when it’s viewed outdoors. Adding to its features set, the dual curve display of the Galaxy S6 edge offers us a peek at some notifications and various other things – all without turning on the screen entirely. As much as the Lumia 930’s screen is an effective one for any flagship smartphone, the incremental improvements made to the Galaxy S6 edge’s display makes it tough to beat.

Interface

Oh yeah, this is once again that common comparison between Android and Windows Phone. Frankly, the two have their own unique attributes – like how Windows Phone, despite sporting the same superficial design language since its inception, is consistently stylish looking. Sure, we’ll agree that Windows Phone looks better than TouchWiz as a whole, but considering that the Galaxy S6 edge has its TouchWiz UI running on top of Android 5.0 Lollipop, it has a greater degree of functionality than anything that Windows has to offer.

We’ll certainly agree that the Nokia Lumia 930 is a productivity workhorse, thanks in part to its rich suite of Office apps and the various Nokia branded apps it lays claim to, but Android as a whole is deeper, more functional, and is home to an expansive ecosystem of apps. In addition, the multi-tasking element is more profound with the Galaxy S6 edge’s experience.

Processor and Memory

Clearly, there’s an advantage for the newcomer in this comparison, seeing that the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge is exposed to a brand new 64-bit based Samsung Exynos octa-core processor – whereas with the Lumia 930, it’s powered by a significantly older Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. Most definitely, Sammy has improved the performance of its TouchWiz interface, which allows it to move swiftly and without lag with most operations. However, the Lumia 930 is just as fast and just as swift with similar operations. It goes to show that specs don’t matter sometimes.

Call it coincidence, the two smartphones in this comparisons feature closed designs. In being that, they don’t get treated to expandable storage via microSD card slot. Rather, they have to rely on their internal storage. The breakdown favors the Galaxy S6 edge because it’s available in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB models – whereas the Lumia 930 is only offered in 32GB capacity.

Camera

This one is a heated competition, most likely because both dish up some enticing cameras. Over on the Lumia 930, it’s armed with a formidable 20-megapixel PureView camera, which features an f/2.4 aperture lens, BSI, optical image stabilization, and 4K video recording. As we’ve seen, it captures some incredible looking shots that are filled with life. In contrast, the quality from the Galaxy S6’s 16-megapixel camera is unknown, especially when we’re dealing with a pre-production unit here, but if it’s going to be anything like Sammy’s recent, high-end devices, we can expect top-notch results.

Expectations

One of the biggest questions that keeps on lingering is what price will grace the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge. Certainly, if it follows the same approach as the Galaxy Note EDGE, it’ll surely be more expensive than the standard model of the Galaxy S6. Well, if that truly does become the case, the Nokia Lumia 930 will have a better time persuading people into its grasp – mainly because it offers plenty of value for its outright cost. No doubt, pricing will play a crucial role in determining which of the two smartphones will outduel the other in the market.