Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ review

One of the best phones out made better

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus review

Quick snaps always come out nicely

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus review

Dark scenes offer decent contrast

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus review

Close up shots are also another strong point

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus review

'Vague' scenes can quickly get washed out though

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus review

The zoom capabilities of the Edge Plus aren't brilliant - but a long way from the horrendous snaps of 2013

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus review

Adding effects can bring out some brilliant pictures

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus review

This picture just took three taps to improve

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus review

Bright light can wash things out, but brightness levels are managed well

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus review

This scene is much, much darker than the result - again, great low light performance

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus review

I just liked this photo

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus review

And this one. I was petrified the owner would come and see me playing on his bike.

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus review

The auto focal length is great too

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ has proved itself in poor lighting here - the reds came out really well.

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

Another colorful close up shot here and I'm impressed with how this came out.

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

This is one of my favorite pictures I've taken with the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, take a look at the high-res version.

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Not certain about the Galaxy S6 Edge+? Maybe you will like one of these phones instead.

Nexus 6P

Nexus 6P

The Nexus 6P is one of the closest competitors to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+. Both phones have 5.7-inch QHD screens, both have high-end specs, both have fingerprint scanners and both have a premium build.

The Galaxy S6 Edge+ wins out in a number of areas though, with a more stylish design, a stunning curved screen, a better camera, wireless charging and an extra gigabyte of RAM.

So is Samsung's phablet better? Not necessarily. While the Nexus 6P doesn't have amazing battery life it will comfortably last a day, which is more than I can say for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+.

The 6P is also cheaper and it runs stock Android, which is both preferable to TouchWiz and guaranteed to get prompt updates. In fact, it's already on Android Marshmallow, while the S6 Edge+ is stuck on Lollipop.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

The brand new, five star Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is a real rival to the S6 Edge+. Its screen is just 0.2 inches smaller, it boasts the same resolution and packs in more power, the same sized battery and Android Marshmallow.

Sure it's a little more expensive, but you're getting a much more accomplished phone with respectable battery life, an excellent camera with superb low light skills, some useful edge screen functions, waterproof body and a handy always-on display.

Unless you're desperate for those extra 0.2 inches, or your budget doesn't stretch to the new Galaxy, the S7 Edge is the Samsung phablet you should get.

iPhone 6S Plus

iPhone 6S Plus

While the iPhone 6S Plus may not exist if not for Samsung making phablets popular, it's arguable that Samsung was inspired by it in the creation of the Galaxy S6 Edge+, as like the 6S Plus it's basically just a larger version of another phone.

There's a lot to choose between Apple and Samsung's latest phablets though. For one thing the iPhone 6S Plus has just a 5.5-inch screen, which would barely even be considered a phablet in Android land.

It's also not as sharp as the Galaxy S6 Edge's display and the two phones are similarly expensive. But overall it's almost as high-end, just as stylish and rocks iOS 9, which, if Apple's OS floats your boat, is all you need to know.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

S6 Edge

An extra gigabyte of RAM, a larger screen and a higher price are all that separate the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ from its smaller sibling. So is it really a better buy? That depends mostly on whether or not you want a phablet.

The battery life on the S6 Edge+ is if anything marginally worse, which combined with a higher price mean it's certainly not a better phone. But the 5.7-inch screen does set it apart and while there's not a huge difference in performance the extra RAM does seem to have been put to good use in ensuring you don't have to wait for the home screen to rebuild when exiting an app.

These are the two most stylish phones Samsung has ever made and while they're both flawed they're also both great buys, you just have to decide how big you want your screen to be.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Note 5

The Note range is Samsung's main line-up of phablets, yet this year Samsung made the bizarre decision not to launch the Galaxy Note 5 in the UK, so if that's where you call home and you want a phablet Galaxy flagship the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is your only option.

There is talk that the Note 5 might be landing in early 2016 though and both phones are available in some regions.

Samsung has done a pretty good job of differentiating these two phablets, which makes it all the more perplexing that one of them wasn't launched in the UK. The Note 5 may not have a curved screen, and as such doesn't look quite as good, but the S Pen stylus gives it a more useful trick up its sleeve, as it actually serves a purpose.

The Note 5 also has better battery life than The S6 Edge+, making it a superior phone overall, though everything else from specs, to camera, to features is much the same.

TOPICS
Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.