So many pundits, bloggers and technology journalists focus on telling you what’s best. This is the best phone. These are the best apps. I do it too, though I often try to explain exactly why the device I’m covering is the best for the widest range of users. This time, however, I’m going to forget about what’s best for you and focus instead on what’s best for me. And if your priorities are at least somewhat aligned with mine, it’ll likely be what’s best for you as well.
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I’m not sure there have ever been this many fantastic options at the tippy top of the Android totem pole. In fact, it’s fairly difficult to go wrong right now if you’re on the hunt for a new flagship Android smartphone. From HTC’s One M9 and LG’s G4 to the Galaxy Note 4 and Nexus 6, there really is something outstanding for every type of buyer out there.
I switch phones constantly and typically carry whichever device I happen to be reviewing at any given time, but I was using a Droid Turbo fairly regularly until recently. When the new crop of flagship phones began rolling out, I jumped back and forth several times until I landed on one phone in particular that I just can’t seem to put down.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind: Samsung’s Galaxy S6 edge is my favorite Android phone.
Between the Galaxy S6, HTC One M9, LG G4 and Galaxy S6 edge, more top-notch flagship Android phones have been announced in the past few months than in any recent period before it. These phones are all beautifully designed and fantastically capable, but there is little question in my mind that one shines brighter than the rest.
On the inside, these smartphones are all more than powerful enough to get the job done. But on the outside, they couldn’t be more different.
I love the sleek curved design and optional leather back on the G4, which borrowed one of the nicest design features from the Moto X and spiced it up a bit. Then the HTC carried forward its tradition of class-leading design and materials with the One M9.
Meanwhile, Samsung did a 180 and went from launching cheap-feeling plasticky phones to releasing two of the most solid and sleek smartphones the world has ever seen. And the S6 edge in particular marries cutting-edge components, a shockingly good camera, solid software and a stunning design that includes some elements that are actually unique.
The Galaxy S6 edge is not just another phone.
Rarely do we get the opportunity to enjoy a smartphone that really is the total package. No phone is more powerful, no phone packs as much technology, and for my money, no phone on the market features a more attractive design. Across the entire industry right now, a phone is a phone is a phone. They all look the same and frankly, I’m bored. But the Galaxy S6 edge spices things up with a bold new design that looks and feels fantastic, and it’s unlike any other smartphone out there.
Whereas earlier flagship phones from Samsung were unmistakable for all the wrong reasons, the S6 edge is unmistakable for all the right reasons.
The TouchWiz software on Samsung phones has also been toned down and improved, but to be honest, that doesn’t matter much to me. This is Android… once I’m done reviewing a device, I rarely if ever touch the stock launcher and apps again.
With its smartphone profits plummeting and increased pressure from both Apple and low-end phone makers, Samsung really had a great deal to prove this year. We won’t know if the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge have truly done their job until Samsung reports its second-quarter earnings in July, but early indications suggest that both of these phones have been flying off store shelves.
Apparently, customers have been waiting for a flagship Samsung phone that is more than just a great display stuffed into a bland plastic case. Who knew?
