First Australian review: Can the Samsung Galaxy S6 win back fans and infuriate Apple?

THIS is not the story of a minor makeover.

Samsung is not just giving its flagship Galaxy smartphone a new hat, removing its spectacles, letting down its hair, and adding make-up.

The technology giant has thoroughly overhauled what was once the world’s best-selling handset, swapping plastic for metal and glass, utility for sophistication, and upgrading some of its biggest features, including its camera, fingerprint sensor, screen, and power.

Samsung has evidently thrown everything at this phone in an attempt to keep users, win back Apple iPhone swappers, and convince others to upgrade.

The result is slick enough to work ... if you can just overlook some compromises made in the transition.

Below is an early review of the phones Samsung wants you to call upon when they launch in Australia on April 10.

NEW LOOK

There’s no getting around it. Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have had serious surgery.

Toughened glass replaces plastic on the front and back of the devices, framed by curved aluminium.

Its finishes are flawless, with no sharp edge or gap.

To emphasise its new appearance, Samsung has added metallic colouring behind the glass that changes colour in the light.

The result is striking and far more sophisticated than past efforts. Put this handset beside a Galaxy S5 and at least five years appear to have passed between them.

The S6 and S6 Edge are clearly their own phones that stay true to Samsung styling despite the overhaul. The Edge offers a unique 5.1-inch screen that curves over both sides, and somehow makes the phone feel significantly thinner and lighter than the 6g weight difference.

Screens on both phones offer an unprecedented resolution of 577 pixels per inch that looks sharp even under the closest inspection.

Despite this, there’s no mistaking the Apple influence in these phones. The bottom edge of both S6 models share more than a passing resemblance to the base of the iPhone 6. The curved metal border appears to have snuck out of the iPhone factory when heads were turned.

This will not disadvantage users, of course, but might add urgency to its purchase, lest lawsuits start flying.

SHARP SHOOTER

On paper, this phone’s main camera isn’t remarkably different.

It retains a 16-megapixel resolution, sits in the same location, and is accompanied by an LED flash.

Why, then, are its photos so much better?

First, its lens is new. The GS6 now has an f1.9 lens that lets more light on to its image sensor and delivers greater image depth.

Second, Samsung has added a new Quick Launch shortcut for the camera. Double-click the Home button and the camera starts in 0.7 seconds, stopping the swipe-up fumble from the previous model.

Third, it steals more features from dedicated cameras. Optical image stabilisation features in this phone camera, as does object tracking, live High Dynamic Range (HDR) previews, and more manual settings that let users choose a focal range, a white balance, an ISO rating, and more.

These three additions deliver significantly better photos, even when compared to the Galaxy Note 4 released just months ago.

Low-light photos in particular benefit from the new lens, but even photos taken in bright light appear crisper, and corporate users will appreciate that its double-tap shortcut can be used even from a locked screen.

This camera also captures 4K video which, while it might seem like overkill now, helps future-proof the device.

The camera lens does protrude from the rear of the phone’s body, and it doesn’t quite match the megapixel count of its HTC One M9 rival, but this phone camera is more reliable and quicker on the draw.

HIDDEN UPGRADES

If you can look past the shiny exterior and improved camera, the S6 phones offer less obvious hardware upgrades and additions that may prove just as significant.

The fingerprint scanner that asked users to drag a fingertip over the home button — often repeatedly — is suddenly smarter. Now it requires just a touch to unlock the phone. It’s a pleasant change that could save frustration (and stop Facebook jacking).

Wireless charging also debuts as a feature in this phone without the addition of a separate case. Users will need to buy an accessory to use it, unfortunately, but that could take the form of an Ikea table in future.

And, of course, there’s the speed of this phone. Samsung has added its own octa-core chip to the S6 and S6 Edge, plus 3GB RAM. They combine to deliver record-setting benchmark results and, in the hand, responsive actions.

In our tests, the phones only slowed when processing 4K videos, as a laptop might do.

MORE AND LESS SOFTWARE

As Samsung often does, it’s added handy shortcuts to Google Android Lollipop.

You can mute a phone call by covering its screen, or call the subject of a text message you’re reading by raising the phone to your ear.

The Galaxy S6 Edge can also glow one of five different colours to indicate which of your five favourite contacts are calling.

Themes have also been added to this phone for the first time that change everything from the phone’s background to the appearance of its icons. It’s an idea ripped from Sony’s playbook but one that can give your phone a quick, basic makeover (even though more options are needed).

A cheeky but useful Smart Switch app will also let iPhone users transfer iCloud data to their new Samsung phone.

But perhaps the best software change of all is the removal of some of its famous bloatware.

Many of Samsung’s homemade apps are not automatically loaded to the device but are available for users to make their own choice.

The persistent icons in the dock can also be swapped as you wish, and you no longer have to press Edit every time you redesign your homescreen.

These may sound like small improvements, but lifting the iron fist of TouchWiz will ease frustration.

CONTROVERSIAL COMPROMISES

You can forget about that memory card. Samsung’s new phones will no longer accept them.

In changing its materials and creating a slender 6.8mm or 7mm profile, Samsung has omitted space for additional memory.

It’s a contentious decision that could prove a sticking point for some potential buyers, and it will force buyers into a $300 decision upfront.

The batteries in these phones are also locked in place — something Samsung once decried in its rivals.

These phones’ flashy new bodies also fail to resist water like their predecessor, and the glass front and back, while sturdy and highly scratch-resistant, are fingerprint magnets that require regular wipe-downs.

Despite inarguable appeal, the curved borders of the S6 Edge are also under-utilised and deserve a greater showcase.

GALAXY S6 VERDICT

Samsung needed to produce something special in 2015, and something genuinely different.

With a full metal and glass jacket, enviable camera, wireless charging, speed boost, and less software bloating, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge fulfil both briefs.

Improvements to fingerprint sensors, simplified icons, transfer tools, and bigger batteries also prove the company is paying attention to its users.

Both phones have shortcomings, of course. They lack the water-resistant bodies, memory card slots, and removable batteries appreciated in past models.

Priced between $999 and $1449, Samsung’s top model phones are also far from cheap, albeit not a dollar more than Apple’s current iPhones.

If you can see past the storage swap, and afford the premium that goes with a premium phone, Samsung’s overhauled handset is unlikely to disappoint. It’s more revolutionary than evolutionary, and it deserves and audience.

Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 Edge

5 / 5 stars

$999 — $1449