Samsung Galaxy S6 Active
| Industry | Consumer electronics |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 13, 1969 in Suwon, South Korea |
| Headquarters | Suwon , South Korea |
| Products | Smartphones, consumer electronics, semiconductors |
| Website | www |
The Samsung Galaxy S6, produced by Samsung Electronics, represents a collection of Android-powered smartphones that followed the release of the Samsung Galaxy S5. Instead of launching a single device model, Samsung introduced two variants simultaneously — the standard Galaxy S6, alongside the Galaxy S6 Edge, which is primarily set apart by its display curving around the edges of the handset.
Compared to its predecessor, the series features an internal battery that charges faster but has reduced capacity, an optically stabilized rear camera system, enhanced audio capture during slow-motion video recording, and a glass rear panel design. Notably absent are a removable battery option, expandable storage through memory cards, water resistance capabilities, and support for MHL-to-HDMI connections for external displays.
These initial two models were revealed on March1,2015 during Samsung’s Unpacked event held at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and became available from April10 that year—signifying a shift toward a more fashion-conscious design philosophy within the Samsung Galaxy S series. Later on August13,2015—at another Unpacked event coinciding with the launch of the Galaxy Note 5—the company introduced the Galaxy S6 Edge+. This larger phablet-sized model boasted a bigger screen measuring five-point-seven inches rather than five-point-one inches and increased RAM capacity to four gigabytes instead of three but omitted an infrared transmitter previously used for remote control functions.
Although maintaining some design cues from earlier iterations, the Galaxy S series' construction was overhauled with a metal unibody frame combined with glass on the back panel instead of plastic materials used before. Samsung also emphasized enhancements such as an upgraded camera system, a refined user interface experience, compatibility with leading wireless charging standards, and integration with mobile payment services capable of emulating credit card magnetic stripes.
Critical reception largely favored the Galaxy S series’ improved build quality over previous models alongside advancements in display technology, processing speed, camera performance, and other refinements overall. However, Samsung faced criticism for eliminating expandable storage options via microSD cards as well as removing user-replaceable batteries and water resistance features—choices viewed as potentially alienating to advanced users seeking those functionalities. Additionally, reviewers noted that the curved display on the S Edge model did not sufficiently justify its premium price relative to the standard version upon launch.
The line was ultimately succeeded by the release of the Galaxy S7 series in March 201۶.
Rumors
Speculation about the successor to the Galaxy S5 began emerging in January 2015, with reports indicating that Samsung planned to utilize its own Exynos system-on-chip instead of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 for the S6, primarily due to overheating concerns. Later that month, Qualcomm confirmed in a financial statement that one of its major clients would exclude its products from their flagship device. Meanwhile, competitor LG Electronics challenged the claims regarding the Snapdragon 810; although early demonstration units of the 810-powered LG G Flex 2 at the Consumer Electronics Show showed potential overheating issues, LG stressed these were pre-production models.
In early February 2015, Bloomberg News revealed that the S6 would feature a metal chassis and be available in two variants: a standard model and another with a display curved along both the left and right edges, reminiscent of the Galaxy Note Edge. On 22 February 2015, T-Mobile US officially hinted at the S6's design through a promotional webpage showcasing a curved form factor accompanied by the slogan "Six Appeal".
Keynote
Samsung introduced the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge at the inaugural Samsung Unpacked 2015 event held during Mobile World Congress on 1 March 2015, with availability commencing on 10 April 2015 across 20 nations. In the Japanese market, these models are promoted exclusively under the Galaxy brand, omitting most Samsung branding. This strategy responds to the impact of historical tensions between Japan and South Korea on Samsung's phone sales. A Samsung representative noted that the Galaxy brand enjoys strong recognition within Japan.
Design changes
The Galaxy S6 lineup was developed to respond to critiques and user input from earlier iterations, aiming to appeal to a broad consumer base. At the launch, Samsung emphasized improvements in design, camera technology, and wireless charging capabilities. To achieve these objectives, several features present in the Galaxy S5 were eliminated, including waterproofing, the USB 3.0 interface, expandable storage via MicroSD, and Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) support.
Furthermore, the Galaxy S6 abandons a user-removable battery—a significant shift as Samsung had previously resisted this industry trend. The company justified this choice by highlighting the device’s rapid AC charging and compatibility with leading wireless charging standards, which they believe reduces the necessity for battery replacement by users.
The removal of a replaceable battery was postponed through earlier models in the Samsung Galaxy S series until users could "feel confident about charging their phones," explained Justin Denison, then vice president of product strategy at Samsung during the Unpacked 2015 Episode 1 keynote. This marked a notable change from prior marketing approaches; for example, a previous advertisement for the Galaxy S5 mocked competitors like iPhone for their non-removable batteries by labeling users as "wall huggers," referencing their frequent reliance on wall chargers.
On the software front, Samsung streamlined its user interface significantly. A company spokesperson revealed that approximately 40% of features in TouchWiz were either removed or simplified compared to what was offered on the S5.
Galaxy S6 Active
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Active (presented as SΛMSUNG Galaxy S6 active) is a ruggedized edition of the Galaxy S6. It shares much of the same hardware, but distinguishes itself with IP68-rated waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof capabilities. This model also features a sturdier build and replaces capacitive touch navigation buttons with physical ones. It launched on 12 June 2015 and was exclusively available through the AT&T network in the United States.
AT&T introduced the S6 Active to the U.S. market on 12 June 2015, offering it in gray, camo-blue, and camo-white color schemes. The device carries the model identifier SM–G890A.
Design
The Galaxy S6 series maintains design elements reminiscent of earlier models but introduces a unibody chassis crafted from aluminium alloy 6013, paired with a glass rear panel. The device incorporates a gently curved bezel with beveled edges to enhance grip comfort. Notably, the speaker grille and the 3.5mm headphone jack have been repositioned to the bottom edge alongside a MicroUSB 2.0 Type B charging port—the first time this layout has been used in the Samsung Galaxy S series.
Color options for this lineup include "White Pearl," "Black Sapphire," and "Gold Platinum," while "Blue Topaz" and "Emerald Green" are exclusive to the S6 and S6 Edge models respectively.
Additionally, Samsung released a limited-edition Iron Man-themed variant of the Galaxy S6 to coincide with the Avengers: Age of Ultron film, featuring six unique color choices.
Compared to its predecessor, the S5, the Galaxy S6 exhibits some design compromises: it omits support for MicroSD expansion cards and replaces the previous USB 3.0 port with a MicroUSB 2.0 interface. Furthermore, neither device offers water resistance nor removable batteries, with battery capacities reduced in size.
Battery
The Galaxy S6 is equipped with a 2550 mAh battery, whereas the S6 Edge comes with a slightly larger 2600 mAh battery; both batteries are integrated and cannot be replaced by the user.
These models represent the first in the Samsung Galaxy S lineup to incorporate Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 technology, enabling charging speeds up to 15 Watts when paired with a compatible charger. It is important to note that fast charging is disabled during active device use.[lower-alpha 1]
Hardware
The Galaxy S6 series is driven by a 64-bit ARMv8 Exynos 7 Octa 7420 processor, which includes four Cortex-A57 cores clocked at 2.1 GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores running at 1.5 GHz. The S6 and S6 Edge models come with 3 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, while the S6 Edge+ features 4 GB of the same memory type. These devices mark Samsung’s initial foray into 64-bit processing within its flagship phones. This chipset is also Samsung’s first to utilize a 14 nm FinFET fabrication process, which the company claims enhances power efficiency.[1][2] Storage options include 32, 64, or 128 GB of non-expandable memory based on Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 2.0 technology, making it the first in its series to adopt UFS over eMMC.[1][2]
The display on both the S6 and S6 Edge measures 5.1 inches with a 1440p resolution using Super AMOLED technology, similar to the design approach seen in the Galaxy Note Edge. The S6 Edge+ features a larger 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display at the same resolution. The screens of the S6 Edge and S6 Edge+ curve subtly along their two longer edges, though less pronounced than on the Note Edge.[3][4] Additionally, these displays have a reflectance rate of 4.6% and can reach peak brightness levels of up to 784 nits.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Wireless charging capabilities are supported through both the Qi and Power Matters Alliance standards.[1]
Notably, the Galaxy S6 series has discontinued support for Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL), a feature that had been part of the series since its introduction with the Galaxy S2 in 2011.
Certain versions of the Galaxy S6 include an additional Qualcomm MDM9635M modem to provide CDMA network compatibility, such as those distributed by Verizon.
Cameras
The Galaxy S6 employs the identical rear camera sensor found in the Galaxy Note 4, utilizing the Sony Exmor RS IMX240 or Samsung ISOCELL S5K2P2 image sensor, complete with optical image stabilization. Notably, this model introduces a built-in slow-motion video editor for the first time in a Samsung flagship, enabling users to select specific segments of footage to view at varied speeds and export them for sharing.
The front camera received a significant upgrade, increasing from 2.1 megapixels to 5 megapixels and adding support for 1440p video recording—an industry first for the Galaxy S series. It also features an f/1.9 aperture and includes an HDR viewfinder, marking the debut of HDR capabilities in a front-facing camera on Samsung devices. The fingerprint sensor integrated into the home button transitioned from a swipe-based system to a touch-based scanner. Additionally, double-pressing the Home button now launches the camera application, replacing the previous function of activating S Voice, Samsung's digital assistant used in flagship models from 2012 through 2014.
Both cameras support burst shooting at approximately eight frames per second, with a maximum of 30 photos captured per burst sequence.
The camera application's interface underwent redesigns, introducing swipe gestures to navigate between camera modes and access the gallery. The mode selector now displays as a flat, two-row grid combining icons and labels. Users can download extra camera modes to expand functionality. Following the Android Marshmallow update, manual control options were added to the camera.
The settings menu shifted away from a floating four-column icon-and-label grid overlaying the viewfinder, instead presenting options as a list on a separate screen. Customization of shortcut settings was removed in this iteration.
Operating system
At launch, the S6 and S6 Edge operated on Android 5.0.2 "Lollipop", whereas the S6 Edge+ debuted with Android 5.1.1 "Lollipop". All models featured Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz interface, which was refined on the S6 to adopt a more minimalistic aesthetic and reduce the number of pre-installed apps. Users gained the ability to apply custom themes through Samsung’s new theming options. The devices came preloaded with several Microsoft applications, such as OneDrive, OneNote, and Skype. Samsung committed to providing two major Android updates (up to Android 7.0) along with four years of security patches, extending support through 2019.
Curved edge
For the S6 Edge and S6 Edge+, users could assign up to five contacts for swift access by swiping from the screen’s curved edges. Each contact was assigned a unique color; when the phone was placed face down, these colors illuminated on the curved sides to indicate incoming calls from those contacts. The Night Clock feature, originally introduced on the Galaxy Note Edge, was also incorporated into these Edge models. Additionally, the heart rate sensor doubled as a control button to reject calls and send predefined text responses. Carrier-specific versions from Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile omitted certain features found on the unlocked variants, including Smart Manager, Simple Sharing (exclusive to AT&T), and Download Booster (limited to Sprint and AT&T).
Accessibility
The one-handed operation mode, an accessibility enhancement first introduced with the 2013 Galaxy Note 3 and later available on the Galaxy S5 and Note 4, is included on the S6 Edge Plus but omitted from the S6 and S6 Edge models. When activated through the settings menu, it can be triggered by pressing the home button three times, replacing the earlier swipe gesture, and reduces the screen's display area to aid use with a single hand.
In contrast to earlier versions, the viewport size is now fixed and cannot be resized. Additionally, it is limited to two preset positions located in either bottom corner, rather than allowing free placement. The feature no longer includes on-screen navigation and volume controls or certain app and contact shortcuts that were present in the S5 model.
Samsung Pay
Samsung Pay made its debut on the S6, marking Samsung’s initial implementation of this mobile payment service. The technology stems from LoopPay, a crowdfunded startup company acquired by Samsung in February 2015. Samsung Pay utilizes LoopPay’s proprietary "magnetic secure transmission" (MST) technology, which sends card information to payment terminals via an electromagnetic field, enabling the terminal to detect it as if a physical card had been swiped. According to LoopPay’s developers, their system bypasses many limitations of other mobile payment methods and is compatible with nearly 90% of all point-of-sale terminals across the United States. Alongside MST, Samsung Pay also supports payments via NFC. Credit card details are securely stored as tokens, and all transactions require fingerprint authentication for security. Although Samsung Pay was not available at launch, it was activated mid-2015 on the S6.
Multi-window
Although flagship models starting with the Galaxy S III have allowed users to divide the display to run two apps side by side, the Galaxy S6 marks the initial instance within the Galaxy S series to introduce floating pop-up multi windows. Its multi-window interface closely resembles that found on the Galaxy Note 4, but differs by launching apps from a dedicated split-screen app drawer—accessible either by long-pressing the task key or tapping an icon within the recent apps panel—instead of using a floating sidebar. This design means that while floating pop-up windows can overlay applications that do not support multi-window, accessing the split-screen app launcher requires minimizing any unsupported app first to enable launching a compatible multi-window application.
Additionally, users can initiate multi-window apps by pressing and holding an app listed in the recently accessed apps view, which is opened via the task key situated to the left of the home button.[5]
Software updates
In February 2016, Samsung commenced rolling out Android 6.0.1 "Marshmallow" for the Galaxy S6. This update introduced features such as "Google Now on Tap", enabling contextual searches based on on-screen content, and "Doze", which enhances battery efficiency when the device remains unused.[6] For S6 Edge variants, the Edge Display functionality was expanded to include broader panels and increased capabilities akin to those later featured on the S7 Edge.[7][8][9]
By March 2017, Samsung began distributing Android 7.0 "Nougat" for the S6 lineup. This upgrade brought a redesigned user interface similar to that of the Galaxy S7, but it excluded certain features such as Video Enhancer, Screen Resolution Adjuster, Performance Mode, and simultaneous photo capture during video recording.
The most recent update available for the Galaxy S6 series is based on Android 7.0 "Nougat", incorporating security patches up to January 2019.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad nameCite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Through unofficial channels, it is possible to run Android 9.0 "Pie" with One UI on Galaxy S6 devices by utilizing custom ROMs.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Additional Features
The Galaxy S6 marks Samsung's first flagship to integrate a torch toggle directly within the pull-down quick settings panel, replacing the traditional home screen widget. This change allows users to activate the torch more swiftly without exiting an active application.
Critical Response
Initial reviews of the Galaxy S6 were predominantly favorable, highlighting its superior build quality compared to earlier Samsung models, enhancements in camera capabilities, a high-resolution display, and a notable reduction in pre-installed software often labeled as "bloat." Anandtech assessed the updated fingerprint sensor as being on par with Apple's Touch ID technology. The Verge remarked that the S6 and S6 Edge represented "the first time I've felt like Samsung might finally be grappling with the idea of what a smartphone ought to be on an ontological level."
However, some critics expressed dissatisfaction regarding certain functional compromises relative to the Galaxy S5. These included a smaller, non-removable battery, absence of a microSD expansion slot, and lack of water resistance—features that had previously attracted power users to the Galaxy S series.
Wired commented that although the dual-curved screen on the S6 Edge was better executed than the Galaxy Note Edge, its implementation was a "dramatic step backwards." The limited edge-specific functionalities, constrained by the curved display bending into existing screen space rather than extending by 160 pixels as on the Note Edge, led to criticism. Samsung was faulted for failing to provide compelling reasons to choose the S6 Edge over the standard S6 beyond aesthetic appeal and perceived exclusivity. Echoing this view, The Verge described these additional features as "very forgettable." Regarding performance, The Verge praised the S6 as "the fastest Android phone I've ever used," attributing its smooth operation to Samsung addressing Android slowdowns through sheer processing power.
Some users reported persistent issues with the camera flash remaining dimly illuminated even when not in use or when the device was powered off. Samsung acknowledged this problem affecting both S6 and S6 Edge models but had not announced a timeline for resolution.
According to iFixit, repairing the Galaxy S6 is challenging due to strong adhesives securing both the rear glass panel and battery.
In its evaluation of the S6 Active, The Verge outlined six advantages over the standard S6:
- Enhanced water resistance and shock durability.
- A battery capacity increased by 37%.
- A customizable button located above the volume controls on the left side.
- Cooler operating temperatures compared to occasional heat issues in the standard S6.
- A price point only $10 higher than the regular model.
- Equivalent camera and performance specifications.
Conversely, five reasons were given favoring the standard S6 over the Active model:
- The Active features a plastic casing rather than metal.
- It lacks a fingerprint sensor.
- Storage options are limited to 32 GB and 64 GB, whereas the standard S6 includes a 128 GB variant.
- Availability of the Active is restricted to AT&T in the United States.
- Firmware and security updates for the Active are expected less frequently than those for the regular S6.
Security concerns
In November 2015, Google's Project Zero team revealed eleven significant security flaws identified in Samsung's Android version for the Galaxy S6. Several of these vulnerabilities had already been addressed by the time the findings were made public.[10][11]
Sales performance
During the initial month after launch, Samsung sold 6 million units of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge combined, surpassing the sales volume of the Galaxy S5 within a comparable period. However, this figure did not surpass the 10 million units record established by the Galaxy S4. Despite this strong performance, Samsung faced intensified competition from other manufacturers, which contributed to a decline in market share and reduced net profit. Anticipating challenging market conditions in the latter half of the year, Samsung announced in its Q2 2015 earnings release that it would be "adjusting" pricing for both the S6 and S6 Edge models. The company noted that sales from these devices only had a "marginal" impact on overall profitability.[12][13][14] The sales trajectory of the S6 Edge+ was similarly modest and trailed behind that of the Note 5.
See also
- Samsung Galaxy S smartphone comparison
- Smartphone comparisons
- Samsung Galaxy S lineup
- Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 model
- Samsung Rugby Smart device
Notes
- ↑ Fast charging functionality operates only when the device is either in standby mode or powered off.
References
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External links
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