What is It? – Up until a few days ago, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ had been the company’s flagship phone. But it’s now being succeeded by the S7 Edge. So you might think this may be a good time to pick up the S6 Edge+ and avoid paying a premium. As you’ll see below, not necessarily. Here, thanks to Android Central, is a look at some of the differences:
| Category | Galaxy S6 edge+ | Galaxy S7 edge |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 5.1.1 | Android 6.0.1 |
| Processor (U.S., China, Japan) | Exynos 7420 Octa-core 4X ARM Cortex-A53, 4X ARM Cortex-A57 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core 2X Qualcomm Kryo + 2X Qualcomm Kryo |
| Processor (Rest of World) | Exynos 7420 Octa-core 4X ARM Cortex-A53, 4X ARM Cortex-A57 |
Exynos 8890 Octa-core 4X ARM Cortex-A53, 4X Samsung Exynos M1 |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 32/64GB | 32GB + microSD |
| Display | 5.7-inch QHD SuperAMOLED | 5.5-inch QHD SuperAMOLED |
| Main Camera | 16-megapixel + OIS, f/1.9 lens 1.12μm pixels |
12-megapixel + OIS, f/1.7 lens 1.4μm pixels |
| Front Camera | 5-megapixel + f/1.9 lens | 5-megapixel + f/1.7 lens |
| Battery | 3,000mAh internal Adaptive Fast Charging, Wireless Charging |
3,600mAh internal Adaptive Fast Charging, Wireless Charging |
| Connectivity | 802.11ac Wifi, 2.4/5GHz, MIMO (2×2), 620Mbps Bluetooth v4.2 LE, ANT+ NFC, Location (GPS, Glonass, Beidou) |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac MIMO, Bluetooth v4.2 LE, ANT+, USB 2.0, NFC |
| Water resistance | None | IP68 rating |
| Dimensions | 154.4 x 75.8 x 6.9mm | 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm |
| Weight | 153 grams | 157 grams |
| Fingerprint security | Yes | Yes |
| Colors | black, white, gold, green (varies by market) | black, white, gold, silver (varies by market) |
The S6 Edge+ was itself an upgrade from the S6 Edge. The big difference between those two was the increase in screen size from 5.1″ to 5.7.” With the S7 Edge, Samsung comes close to splitting the difference with a 5.5″ screen.
The new S7 Edge does have a 20% more powerful battery. It’s also slightly smaller, adds a micro SD card, and is finally water resistant, but the camera has fewer Megapixels.
One of the improvements from the S6 Edge to the S6+ is better speakers. I found the music experience was better than on most smart phones, though not quite as good as some with two speakers such as the latest HTC and the newer Google Nexus 6P. The screen is very sharp and the Netflix experience was quite enjoyable.
Is it 50+ Friendly? – With it’s bigger screen and improved speaker, we found the S6 Edge+ very user friendly. And with each iteration, Samsung has been making it easier to both import your old Android applications as well as share your media with other devices, including big screen televisions.
Frustration Factor? – The advantage of the Edge over the non-edge version of the S6 is that you can get additional information on the edges. For example, a quick swipe at the edge gives you access to your favorite people, your most frequently used apps, a night clock, or an information feed. I found they are all quite useful, though I also found at least the information feed a bit challenging to set up. But, admittedly, this is a really minor frustration.
Is It Worth The Money? – Given that this was an intermediate step between the Galaxy 6 Edge and the Galaxy 7, you might guess that the price point is in between. You’d be only partially correct. With 32GB, here’s how the three phones compare in pricing:
Galaxy S6 Edge Galay S6 Edge + Galaxy S7 Edge
AT&T, 24 months $24 $27 $26.50
AT&T Retail $715 $814 $795
Verizon, 24 months $28 $32 $33
Verizon Retail $672 $768 $792
Sprint, 24 months $30 $30 $31.25
Sprint Retail $719 $720 $750
T-Mobile, 24 months $28 $30 $32.50
T-Mobile Retail $680 $780 $780
If you don’t think all these prices make sense, I won’t argue. But it may have to do with incentive programs. So, are you better off with the S6 Edge, the S6 Edge+, or waiting until you can get your hands on the S7 Edge? The S7 Edge is available for pre-order now, and goes on sale March 11th.
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