
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many things that have happened around Android in the last week.
As you’ll read later in this week’s ‘Android Circuit’, Samsung’s flagship pairing of the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge has proven to be a strong factor in Android’s US market share numbers for the last quarter. But with two handsets so closely matched on specifications and capability, is there a clear answer as to which of the two South Korean handsets you should pick?
Gordon Kelly and I sat down with both devices to work out the answer – and we’ve managed to respectfully disagree. I argued that the Galaxy S6 delivers everything you expect a modern smartphone to deliver, and is the complete competent package:
There’s no doubt that the Galaxy S6 Edge looks to be the more advanced of the two handsets. The curved edges on both sides of the screen are unique in the smartphone world (with only the Galaxy Note Edge’s single curved edge in late 2014 coming close). The idea of a second display on the edge of the device is an attractive one.
But the phone as a whole needs to be practical, and it needs to be useable in the real world. This is where the Galaxy S6 Edge falls down for me.
But it’s the strength and promise of the screen that Kelly prefers:
Both are stunningly bright, vivid and with jaw dropping colours that aren’t overly exaggerated as has been Samsung’s want in the past. Which wins out? This divides opinion, but I found myself preferring the Galaxy S6 Edge.
While purists argue the curved edges slightly distort video and notifications in the corner bar (and they do), I love the ‘infinity pool’ bezel-less effect they bring to photos and video which makes them appear to be floating in air. The curve also fits perfectly in with the side swipe in gesture of Google’s Material Design apps which feels great.
And let’s be blunt: physically the Edge display looks amazing, everyone asks you about it and there’s nothing else which looks like it. These factors seal it for me.
Which would you choose? Which did you choose? Your comments are welcome.
Galaxy Note 5 Leaks And Disappoints The Fan Base
Samsung is expected to announce the next Galaxy Note in September, and French site Nowhereelse.fr has some early pictures of the hardware. It’s clear that Samsung is going for a uniform look across the portfolio, as the Note 5 looks much like a larger Galaxy S6 than an iteration on the Note 4. Many of the features that made the Note range stand out have been sacrificed to bring the styling of the next Note closer to the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge:
The images show a handset which mimics almost all the major design changes introduced with the Galaxy S6: aluminium frame, glass back, upgraded fingerprint sensor, bottom edge speakers and the more angular lines of the S6’s superb camera.
In theory this should be good news (the Note range has needed more premium build materials while the other added features are welcome) but this overlooks one huge fact: Galaxy Notes are primarily productivity devices
The stylus remains, but will Samsung sell enough handsets to new customers looking for fashion to make up for the fans who prized the functionality of the device over looks?
Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge
Moto G Leak Shows No Changes Made By Motorola
Motorola’s Moto G was a revelation when it was first launched in 2013. It coupled the style and power of the Moto X flagship but on a low- to mid- range budget. The following year saw the handset’s second generation and while it retained the same broad specifications the software tweaks saw the Moto Go (2014) outperform the first generation handset.
Details on the third generation handset have leaked, and the Moto G (2015) looks… remarkably like the 2013 and 2014 handsets. While it jumps to a 64-bit architecture, everything else is remarkably similar.
Like any sequel to a sequel to a good film, there is a law of diminishing returns at play. The third edition of the Moto G mimics the hardware profile of the first model in 2013, which is great for keeping the cost down, but not great at providing a similar experience in software. The Moto G was within touching distance of the competition’s flagships when it arrived. While last year’s second generation model raised eyebrows by running with the same specifications, improvements in software glossed over the changes and kept the Moto G in contention as one of the best handsets of the year.
Consumers expect a new model to have more power and flexibility, not the same specifications as two years ago. The Moto G (2015) now feels more like the Moto E (2013) did… underpowered and not able to support cutting edge Android apps for the two-year life of a typical mobile contract.
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