Samsung Galaxy S6 edge vs Samsung Galaxy S5

Introduction

Samsung simultaneously outed two flagships this year – the regular Galaxy S6, and a uniquely designed handset that has its screen sloping on both sides – the Galaxy S6 edge. As customers will be mostly divided between the regular S6 and the S6 edge this year, we find another important decision some consumers will likely face: the Galaxy S6 edge or last year's Galaxy S5, which is still a superb phone, now at a more alluring price point.

There are many things that make the new Galaxy S6 edge highly desirable by tech heads, such as its impressive Quad HD display, or the new, much more premium design language. Still, the Galaxy S5 can in no way be called a slouch, as it too has a trick or two up its sleeve.

Can the unique screen and stellar specs of the S6 edge compensate for ditching the waterproof rating and replaceable battery that the now cheaper Galaxy S5 has? Read on to find out...

Design

Galaxy S6 edge is a uniquely designed handset that will probably stay cool long after the S5 has sunk into oblivion.

The Galaxy S6 edge has one stark design difference with the S5, or with any other handset this side of the Note Edge, for that matter, and it is its “dual edge” display, wrapped around both sides of the phone. While you can argue about the practical applications of such a curved solutions, the cool factor is undoubtedly there.

Furthermore, the S6 edge flaunts an elegant metal chassis with reinforced reflective glass surface, nanocoated in several colors, including an exclusive emerald green. The Galaxy S5, on the other hand, might sport a lowly dimpled soft touch plastic back, but the cover lifts off, letting you swap the battery, even though the phone has an IP67 waterproof rating, allowing you to submerge it in up to three feet of water for half an hour.

The S6 edge is easier to hold and operate with one hand, as it is narrower, thinner and lighter than the S5. When it comes to physical keys, they are conveniently placed around both phones, and with good tactile feedback.

Speaking of buttons, the home key underneath the display of the Galaxy S6 edge still incorporates a fingerprint reader, just like on the S5, but this time it is of the more convenient touch sensor variety that recognizes your prints with a simple tap only, instead of swiping over the whole thing. Samsung also intros a double-tap gesture for launching the camera with the S6's home key directly, without even unlocking the handset, which is a great feat to have.

Looking at the back, we find both handsets donning a 16 MP camera placed right in the upper middle, which is a fine placement, so that your fingers won't try to get into the frame while shooting in landscape mode, for instance, as it so often happens with cornered cameras. In a nutshell, the Galaxy S6 edge is uniquely positioned to become one of the coolest handsets design-wise out there, which can't really be said for the S5.

Displays

The side-sloping S6 edge panel doesn't add some exorbitant value, but looks cool, and sports way more credible colors than the S5.

The phones have the same screen diagonals – 5.1” - but different screen resolutions. The Galaxy S5 dons a 1080 x 1920 resolution, while the S6 edge has the most pixel-dense display on a mobile, with a 1440 x 2560 pixels screen that has a record 577ppi count, so you'd never notice individual pixels with a naked eye, no matter how close you look. The flexible AMOLED display is made with a plastic, instead of a glass substrate, allowing Samsung to bend the screen left and right, wrapping it around both sides, and placing a thermoformed reinforced glass on top for added protection. The Galaxy S5 has a more orthodox flat panel with Gorilla Glass 3 cover.

We've grown accustomed to expecting very cold, oversaturated and incorrect colors from Samsung's AMOLED screens, at least until the Note 4, and the Galaxy S5 is no exception. The S6 edge, on the other hand, carries over the nice trend from Samsung's latest phablet, and exhibits accurate colors in its Basic mode, plus a white point that is very close to the reference 6500K mark, unlike the outlandish, cold tint of the Galaxy S5 display.

Outdoor visibility is excellent on both handsets, given that, in auto light sensor mode, both phones get boosted to a very high peak brightness under direct sunlight, and they have low screen reflectivity ratio, too. The phones offer a super-sensitive touch layer that can be turned on and off at will, allowing you to operate the screen with gloves on, for instance.