Your Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge questions answered: on design, software, cameras, battery life, and more

Each and every high-end smartphone that enters our office is subjected to a thorough review – one meant to gather as much valuable information about it as possible. We cover anything from the phone's look and feel to the character tics of the hardware that goes inside it, from the way phone calls sound to the number of frames its GPU can draw when pushed to its limits. but as exhaustive as our reviews may be, we might still miss bits and details you might find interesting. That's why not long ago, we invited you to ask us anything about the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge that you wanted to know – anything that our reviews and news coverage have not been able to answer. Today is the day we respond to your questions, or at least to those we can provide the answer to. Read on to learn more about the hottest phones around.

Technically, it is possible to buy a phone from AT&T or T-Mobile and then have it unlocked, as long as it has been fully paid and all service commitments have been fulfilled. However, you may have to be an active subscriber for a certain period of time before requesting an unlock. Verizon's phones come with unlocked GSM SIM slots, so that's one more option, but in this case, network coverage and compatibility might be an issue, depending on the carrier you're moving to. Perhaps your best option is to keep an eye on online retailers such as Expansys, where pre-orders for unlocked Galaxy S6 phones should start soon.

Japultra: How did the edge feel in the hand for daily use? Did it seem to be "slipperier" than the s6 due to the thinner edges?

The edge is very slim, which makes the phone feel rather sharp in the hand. We can definitely say that the Galaxy S6 fits better in the palm. The S6 edge isn't terribly uncomfortable to hold by any means, but you may need to be extra careful while handling it.

No, not really. The touchscreen's edge is very close to the user's palm during regular use, but not close enough to be triggered accidentally. Also, there seems to be some palm rejection built into the software. Of course, the way one holds their Galaxy S6 edge and the way their palm is shaped might cause "mis-touches" on rare occasions, but in our case, such didn't exist.

The design of a phone is guided by what users like and what the company assumes they'll like – there are many smart people at Samsung whose job is to figure this out. Besides, the Galaxy S6's physical home button doubles as an excellent fingerprint reader. 

Several days ago, a video on the internet showed a Galaxy S6 edge being submerged in fresh water for over 20 minutes and surviving the dunk. This is just a video on the internet, however; neither the Galaxy S6 nor Galaxy S6 edge are specifically advertised as water-resistant or splash-proof. We've inquired with Samsung on the matter. (By the way, rumor has it that a water-resistant Galaxy S6 Active phone is in the works,)

The camera does stick out quite a bit on both, but if you take good care of your Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge, its camera should be fine. 

Kakarotto: Can you see any pixels when you try to do it from a very small distance?

If a solid red color is displayed, a diagonal grid is kind of visible when you take a really, really, really close look – like when your nose is about to touch the phone's screen. Pixels are never noticeable during regular use. 

If you look at it from a very specific and extreme angle, then yes, you might notice some color shifting. Not a big deal, in our opinion, since you have to tilt the phone a lot to see any color degradation. The Galaxy S6 edge can produce very accurate colors, as our benchmarks demonstrate.

You don't need hacks or apps. As long as the phone's sensor detects that it is being hit by strong light, it enables the mode you mentioned even when the screen brightness is set manually. We tested this by shining a flashlight at the sensor, and in a few seconds, the screen brightness and contrast increased. Understandably, the effect is much more noticeable with automatic brightness enabled.

No, the mode isn't available, but the screen is pretty manageable with a single hand.

Pressing on the volume down button lowers the volume, subsequently getting into silent mode with vibration, and if you press it once more, it'll go into full mute mode with no vibrations. You may also do this from the toggle button in the notifications panel.

It's like upgrading from a Ford Pinto to a Shelby GT. The Galaxy S6 fingerprint scanner is much better.

Encrypted data is stored in "secure device storage". That's all we know.

Hardware, performance, storage

Scorpion: How much free space will the 128 GB version have?

Firstly, we have to take into account that 128GB are equal to about 119.2GB when formatted. From this figure, we subtract the 15.26GB used by the operating system and the TouchWiz interface. What's left are about 104GB of free space.

Symon_Fleece: How fast is the new Touchwiz compared to the previous generations and to stock android?

Performance might vary from one device to another depending on how they're configured and what apps are running on them. In general, the new TouchWiz is smoother than older versions of the UI and probably on par with stock Android.

Camera and image quality

slavytodorov: Without having enabled it beforehand in the camera settings, can you take multiple photos by holding the shutter button (similar to the iPhone)?

Yes, holding down the camera shutter takes a burst. Both the on-screen button and the volume down button shoot bursts when held down.

Z3R091: Camera quality which one is better S6 or S6 Edge?

Both smartphones come with the same 16MP main and 5MP front cameras. They both take equally great photos.

Symon_Fleece: Can the S6 capture photos in RAW format, and can it control the shutter speed?

No and no. At this time, the stock camera does not give you the option to shoot RAW photos. You can't control the shutter speed manually. You may adjust the ISO, exposure compensation, metering mode, and focus, however. 

Battery life and charging

JaneChenLong: Some said it work with Quick Charge 2.0 Could you CHECK IF IT'S work with ANY BRAND (not just samsung) Quick Charge 2.0 charger.

The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge charge rapidly from their stock chargers, but they're not certified Quick Charge 2.0 devices. The technology is available only on certain devices powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC. Still, if connected to a QuickCharge 2.0 charger, both smartphones will charge – not at the best rate the charger can provide, we suppose, but pretty fast nonetheless.

lessthanzero69: Can 10 mins of charge actually get you 4 hours of usage?

No, probably not. 10 minutes of charging will fill up about 15% of a Galaxy S5's battery, and if you plan on watching YouTube videos or playing games, its battery will die much sooner. But if, let's say, you keep your phone mostly on stand-by and use it to make the occasional phone call, then yes, getting 4 hours of usage after 10 minutes of charging seems plausible.

osanilevich: why do you suppose the edge has better battery life, when it technically has more screen real estate?

When testing the battery life of smartphones, we always set their displays at 200 nits of brighness. The Galaxy S6 edge, however, topped at 180 nits, which meant that its display was using less power. That's why it lasted more than the Galaxy S6, as we stated in our review. Its 2% larger battery may have also had a measurable effect.

Sound quality

shy2papa: How loud is the speaker and how is it compared to the iPhone 6 and HTC one m8 or m9

In terms of loudness, they're comparable. The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge produce 73.7 and 75.4 decibels respectively, which is a tad higher than the One M9's 72.8 dB. The iPhone 6 stands between the two galaxies with its 74.5 dB. However, these are just benchmark figures measured with the phones reproducing white noise, not actual music. In other words, we test the loudness of the speakers, not their quality. If you need a phone with great-sounding speakers, the HTC One M8 or M9 would be a better pick.

goodnightjimbob: Does the s6 have a Wolfson DAC and what's the sound quality through headphones?

Yes. The audio codec inside the S6 and S6 edge is the WM1840. Unfortunately, the chip isn't listed on the Cirrus Logic web site so we don't have access to its datasheet or specs. It sounds great when paired with earphones that can be easily driven.