News & Reviews:   Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

Samsung have officially sent out the invites for a Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event dated for 13 August 2015. Like most other invites this one hints at a device with a curved display which could be the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 could also make an appearance as well. While the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus is expected to feature the same Samsung Exynos 7420 processor as the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge but with higher clock speeds and 4GB of RAM. Tech specs for the Note 5 include Samsung Exynos 7422 processor, a 5.7-inch 2K display and a fingerprint sensor. No pricing details or specific Malaysia release dates but we expect it to be near the end of August 2015 as release times in Malaysia have generally been from 2 weeks to a month from the international release date.

Samsung Electronics has been voted the Best Brand in Asia in 2015 for the fourth year in a row from the 'Asia's Top 1000 Brands' annual online survey. Conducted by Campaign Asia-Pacific with Nielsen the survey covers Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam encompassing 14 major categories. Samsung Electronics scored top 5 in all 14 consumer electronics categories which also includes smartphones, mobile phones, refrigerators and TVs. The award goes hand-in-hand with Samsung's continued investments in research and development resulting in the recent curved SUHD TV and dual-curved Samsung Galaxy S6 edge. Here's what Samsung Electronics had to say about it:

“Samsung Electronics is proud to be voted as the best brand in Asia for the fourth consecutive year. Just ten years ago, we were ranked as the 15th brand in Asia. Samsung’s rise to the top in Asia has not come about by chance. Our brand resonates positively with consumers because we understand what consumers in the region want. Our deep consumer insights and relentless drive to innovate allow us to stay ahead of dynamic market demands, technological changes, and localised consumer needs across different countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania.” Irene Ng, Vice President, Marketing, Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia & Oceania.

It seems that the strikingly blue and green coloured Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge colours are now available for Malaysians who don't want to sign up for either Celcom or Maxis to get either colour. Do note that the Blue Topaz colour remains the exclusive colour for the Galaxy S6 while the Green Emerald is only available for the Galaxy S6 edge. Tech specs and pricing are likely to remain the same as before though, with the Galaxy S6 costing RM2599 while the Galaxy S6 edge retails from RM3099, both for the 32GB storage version. Both should be available for purchase at all authorized Samsung resellers and Samsung Experience stores, and if it isn't yet just wait a while longer for stocks to arrive.

Red and gold are already a pretty nice colour combination but this time around we finally get the official announcement for the Iron Man Samsung Galaxy S6 edge in conjunction with the recent Avengers 2: Age of Ultron movie. Featuring the aforementioned colours with the gold accents for the metal parts, this version of the Galaxy S6 Edge certainly looks nice and the bundled wireless charger has also been rebranded to look like an arc reactor (that thing in the center of Iron Man's chest). Tech specs and features should remain the same as the 64GB storage version though, but we expect the price to be a bit higher than the current retail pricing of RM3599. You do get an Iron Man theme, box and extra back casing though. For now, there are still no Malaysia release dates as it will be going Korea first on 27 May 2015, followed by China and Hong Kong in June. Check out the official unboxing video in this article.

After it's initial Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge trade-in program got widely negative criticism for rather low trade-in value, Samsung Malaysia have apparently increased the discount and added a few more trade-in options. While the highest value discount remains the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 at RM1200, now you can trade in any other smartphone not listed in the table below for RM200. The dates to do the trade-in remain the same from 9 May 2015 to 31 May 2015 at Samsung Authorised Stores though. Samsung Malaysia have made the terms and conditions clearer as well in that the trade-in device must have a functional and uncracked screen, it shouldn't be damaged or have missing buttons, it can be unlocked and still works. For more details and a list of participating stores check out the Samsung Site.

Samsung Malaysia have just opened up a trade-in programme for their latest Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge smartphones with 19 smartphone models to trade-in that give discounts off the existing retail price from RM95 to RM1000. Considering that the standard Galaxy S6 is priced at RM2599 while the Galaxy S6 edge retails for RM3099, this is a pretty good offer on the surface, especially as you now have the option to get the Galaxy S6 edge with 64GB storage at RM3599 and the previously unavailable Blue Topaz for the Galaxy S6 and Green Emerald for the Galaxy S6 edge. The offer is valid until 31 May 2015. Take a closer look at the trade-in table in this article.

Usually when smartphones appear on China's TENAA it almost always means that it is confirmed. However, a recent entry for the ZTE Nubia Z9 is one of the few rather dubious posts as it is reported as having 8GB of RAM and a 3.5GHz processor. One of the reasons why we think TENAA could be a bit incorrect this time around is the listed 3.5GHz processor is just a combination of the 2GHz and 1.5GHz set of quad-core processors for the octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor previously listed for the ZTE Nubia Z9. We're still unsure how 3GB RAM became 8GB of RAM but it seems unlikely that ZTE would make the jump from 4GB RAM straight to 8GB. Other rather suspicious tech specs include a dual 8MP rear camera as opposed to the 16MP rear camera previously reported (the pictures also show only a single camera). No Malaysia release dates or pricing details were revealed but ZTE is expected to launch a device on 6 May 2015 so we shouldn't have to wait long to find out for sure.

In response to the overwhelming demand for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, Samsung Malaysia have announced that the 64GB storage version of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge is now available in Malaysia. While the 32GB storage version comes in at RM3099, the 64GB storage version goes for RM3599 (inclusive of 6% GST) and will be available in the middle of May at all Samsung Experience Stores and Samsung authorized dealers. This new version will still be available in Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum and White Pearl with the Jade green version still likely available at just Maxis for now. Here's what Samsung had to say about it:

“With the 64GB storage option now available and our stellar performance in image quality rated by DxOMark, we are fulfilling many of the main requirements in terms of customers’ preference. Learning from both our achievements and missteps, we continuously push forward new technologies and innovations. Today we are proud to say, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge fulfill these qualities to offer users the ultimate experience in smartphone options.” Lee Sang Hoon, President of Samsung Malaysia Electronics.

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge also recently scored 86 on the overall DxOMark Mobile benchmark for smartphone image quality with a score of 86. A Photo sub-score of 88 and Video sub-score of 84 indicates that both smartphones do very well as cameraphones.

The ZTE Nubia Z9 was recently pictured featuring dual curved edges. The only other smartphone in the world to have dual-curved edges is the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, but it appears that the curved screens on the Nubia Z9 are less curved than the Galaxy S6 edge. The Nubia Z9 still looks very nice though with it's metal frame and what looks to be a one-touch fingerprint sensor under the home button. Other tech specs and features may include a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor or a similarly 64-bit hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor. Other notable tech specs could include 3GB or 4GB of RAM and a 5.5-inch display with 2K or 1440 x 2560 pixel resolution. No news on any Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet, but it could well appear via third-party sellers in the near future.

There are many unboxing and tear-down videos but almost no assembling videos for the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, until now of course. Samsung have seen fit to release their own "Inboxing" video for the Galaxy S6 edge highlighting key features of the smartphone including it's curved dual-edge display, built-in wireless charging and solid metal frame set to a sound track. We found it to be rather refreshing after all the drop tests recently so do check out the video for yourself below. The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge currently retails for RM3099 but you can check out it's various other telco deals using our phone plan comparison tool.