Day 1 – it’s weirdly big
Following the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+’s announcement on 13 August, I’ve been looking forward to giving the supersized S6 edge a whirl.
On first grasp, I was a little surprised that my initial thought was ‘it’s quite big’. It’s not the biggest smartphone I’ve ever used, having spent time with the 6-inch Nexus 6 for a bit, but it’s a different kind of big.
Motorola’s Nexus 6 is like a tank. It’s all metal – hardy, thick-shelled – a proper handful. The edge+ is more delicate, with gentle curves and a glass rear. It’s also really slim at just 6.9mm, meaning you can get a decent grip on it if you’ve got quite big hands.
In terms of overall design, there isn’t much to report if you’re familiar with the S6 edge. There’s a heart rate monitor next to the camera bump on the back, a fingerprint sensor embedded in the home button and as the name suggests, both edges of the screen wrap around the front of the phone.
Day 2 – an easy transition
Setting up the phone was an absolute breeze. After signing into my Google account, Android identified the phone I use normally, and asked if I’d like to port over all my apps and contacts. I agreed, and once I was attached to a Wi-Fi network the transfer started automatically.
This service, Samsung Smart Switch, is available across all platforms, not just Android to Android, which takes a lot of the stress out of repopulating your app list.
I was also asked to set my fingerprint during start up, which once again was a pretty seamless procedure. Simply tap your thumb on the home button a few times for the technology to analyse your fingerprint and you’re away.
Day 3 – the edge+’s edge
With the increased size came a few software improvements, allowing more functionality from the new edge’s edge. You can now swipe in from the right hand side and access not only your favourite contacts, but your top apps, too.
To keep up to date with the latest news, you can stroke the edge when the device’s screen is turned off to see news, how many steps you’ve taken, if you’ve missed any notifications, and so on. Thankfully you can tailor what kind of news is fed through, as the first story I was notified of was: ‘Michael Buble thanks fans’ - relieved I didn’t miss that breaking news, Yahoo!
Flipboard is a good way of doing this, which requests you select topics you’re interested in. You can access full stories with this app with a swipe to the right when on the homescreen.
Day 4 – the need for speed
If you take one thing away from this article, you should know the edge+ is quick. It’s speedy all-round. It has fast charging built in, and it’s got a massive processor for doing all your things in a flash. You can even launch the camera in 0.7-seconds from the lock screen by double tapping the home button.
Because there’s such an impressive octa-core processor running the show, there’s no problem running multiple apps at once. And by using split screen you can view both of them at the same time, making use of the large 5.7-inch Quad HD display.
Simply long press on the open apps button (those two overlapping squares, bottom left) and you’ll be given the option to choose two apps to run side-by-side. I thought I’d never use this, but quickly stumbled upon a need to have two apps running at once...
So, there I was – catching up on House M.D. on Netflix, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out where I’d seen David Morse before. To remedy this I launched IMDb on the split screen, and didn’t miss out on any of the action. (It was The Hurt Locker, by the way. He was also in The Green Mile - obviously - and True Detective… basically loads of stuff.)
Day 5 – snap back to reality
The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ is one of the most premium handsets I’ve ever used. The screen quality is amazing, with even the likes of Whatsapp looking noticeably sharper. And, as I said above, its speed is largely unrivalled.
There’s no getting away from the fact that it’s very big, and over the course of the week I did feel like I was going to drop it from time to time. Naturally I go to swipe down from the top of the screen with my thumb, and for a person with quite large hands, it’s even a bit of a stretch for me.
Saying that, if you’re conscious that you might feel the same, there are plenty of cases available to help you avoid the usual bumps and scrapes of every day life.
Sound good? Check out our deals here, and if you want to know anything else about the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, drop us a comment below.