Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge vs flagship S6: Is it worth paying more?

Just like last year when the famous Galaxy Note 4 got accompanied by a special variant, the Note Edge, Samsung has a variant for the flagship Galaxy S6, and this is much more sexier. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is definitely better looking of the two, but does it justify the price tag only with the design appeal?

I’ve used the Galaxy S6, and the S6 Edge for almost the same time and there are a few things that make me go against the S6 Edge. And that is not much to do with the price of the phone. A huge price drop to the flagship S6 doesn’t make the S6 Edge expensive. It might also see a price reduction any time soon, who knows?

What’s different between them?

Check the Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S6 Edge Specs Comparison

Design and display: The beautiful look given by curved screens on both the sides of the S6 Edge, speaks a lot more than how it ends as a 2.5D glass would do, hugging the metal frame on the sides. On the sides of the Edge, there is a thin metal line that acts as a joint for the front curved glass, and the back glass plate. The Galaxy S6 looks more like a standard smartphone with glass body and metal panel, and it is the Galaxy S6 Edge that looks a lot different.

Size and weight: Not a big difference, but the Galaxy S6 with 6.8mm thickness is a little slimmer than the Edge at 7mm, though the Edge is lighter at 132gm, compared to the S6, which weighs about 140gm.

Battery capacity: Samsung managed to squeeze in a little more power, in the Galaxy S6 Edge. While for a flagship, the 2550 mAh non-removable battery doesn’t seem great in Galaxy S6, the Edge variant isn’t huge in any way, with a bump of just 50 mAh, making it a 2600 mAh battery.

Price: On-contract, or off-contract, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is about $100 pricier than the standard S6. Through Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon, the contract price for S6 is $199, and for the S6 Edge is $299. Off-contract prices vary from carrier to carrier, and the difference is at least $100. In India, the price difference is huge, thanks to the price drop of S6, while the Edge has seen just a little change in price since its release in the market. It is about Rs. 10000 extra that you might need to shell out, in case you are looking at the Edge variant.

Personal user experience – What’s better?

The early views of mine had all praise and applause for the S6 Edge, for how it looks and how there is rarely something that matches up to this, for that dual-side curved screen. But after using the phone for a considerable amount of time, it seems logical to invest on the Galaxy S6, if you are deciding to go with a Samsung flagship this year.

Read our Samsung Galaxy S6 review to find out why we feel it is one of the best flagships this year, although battery woes and limited storage. Now, talking of how different they are with the comfort, the S6 Edge is not the easiest to hold, not the easiest to lift from a flat surface, and needs more attention for safety.

Attention for safety? actually yes. I haven’t dropped the Edge accidentally yet, but the curved screen always keeps me reminded about how it can take the impact and get cracked, even though it is a sturdy Gorilla Glass 4 screen protection. The Galaxy S6 is dropped not once but thrice, and luckily it was on the corner of metal frame, and that metallic part got a dent, but that extra metal isn’t on the S6 Edge, thus it could have been the glass on which the device would’ve fallen, if it was the S6 Edge in hand.

Not the easiest to lift and hold? The frame on the side is quite narrow. If the S6 Edge is placed on a hard flat surface, a table for example, you might not be able to lift it up easily as gripping the phone isn’t as easy as it is with the wide edged Galaxy S6.

Usability on the screen: Reaching the corners was quite easy, because Samsung has chosen to keep the screen limited to 5.1-inch. But the edge screen on one side gets accidentally touched commonly. There are drawbacks, and advantages about this at the same time. The advantage is, you don’t see much content on the curved screen, and that same thing is a disadvantage too. Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge was larger but had a lot of functions, shortcuts and tools. All those have been removed, and the curved screen is less with functionality, more with looks.

Does that extra battery matter? If you are choosing to use whatever the edge functionality is, you end up getting almost the same usage time because features like clock and news ticker on the curved screen come at a cost of some battery. If you aren’t using them, you are saving a little battery but were you spending that amount only for the looks?

End point – Which would I choose? S6 or the S6 Edge?

I’m very happy about the design, but so much for the curved screen that I might have to make a compromise with the comfort and safety, to choose a better looking device. Though, if you are someone who still cares mostly about the design because both are almost the same otherwise, you can take the S6 Edge and feel good that there is no competitive device from the other brands with such a design.

How should you choose one? Maybe your choices and use case might differ from mine. Thus, think about these things before making your choice. Is it okay for me to shell out the $100+ for the edge design? Will I be able to handle the S6 Edge properly? if not, I’ll need a case. If I’m using a case, is there a point in buying the S6 Edge?