Samsung unveils Galaxy S6 edge plus: Same phone, bigger screen (and that’s just fine)

So how do you get excited about a ‘new’ phone that’s just the same as the old one, but with a bigger screen?

Well, that’s what Samsung expected of us today as it unveiled the widely leaked Samsung Galaxy S6 edge plus – and left us Brits without the Note 5. Apparently, nobody uses the S Pen in the UK, so there’s no point selling a phone that’s so close to the S6 edge plus so as to just cause confusion and a dilution of sales.

But, even if the S6 edge plus is nothing more than a S6 edge with a bigger screen, there are a few new features – although most people will be queuing up to buy just on the larger screen alone, so any other changes are almost unnecessary.

But, in addition to the 5.7-inch Super AM-OLED QHD-resolution display, the phone has a larger capacity battery (3,000mAh) which is very welcome, 4GB of RAM, and it also comes with six months of free Google Now Music access.

The other feature of note is even faster quick charging, such that the phone can now charge from 0% to 100% in just 90 minutes. Wireless charging is faster too.

Storage is still limited to what comes with the phone (still no memory card slot – boo!) and initially the phone will come in black or gold (pictured) and with 32GB or 64GB of storage.

A 128GB model, along with other colours, may follow but likely in early 2016. Indeed, a phone trainer at the London event hinted that there was still an outside chance that the Note 5 could make an appearance at the start of the new year, if any individual operator showed enough of an interest – or perhaps if people campaigned for its release.

The S6 edge plus, which measures 154.4×75.8×6.9mm over its now smaller sibling, goes on sale September 4th, with pre-ordering open from August 18th. Thus far, Vodafone, Three and EE are all onboard and no doubt O2 won’t be far behind.

There’s really not that much more to say – which is probably why Samsung itself announced the phone in under ten minutes.

But other than this, think of this as the original S6 edge plus with a larger display. And when you stop to think about it, is there actually anything wrong with just doing that?

Hands-on photo gallery

Press Release

SAMSUNG STAYS AHEAD OF THE CURVE WITH THE NEW GALAXY S6 EDGE+

5.7” smartphone features dual-edge display, delivering the ultimate combination of power and performance in an unrivalled large-screen design

LONDON, UK – August 13, 2015 – Samsung Electronics today announced the global launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, a new 5.7” smartphone that builds on the unique and innovative design of the ground-breaking Galaxy S6 edge. Featuring a combination of metal and glass in one seamless design, the Galaxy S6 edge+ further reinforces Samsung’s commitment to the large screen smartphone market, which Samsung boldly pioneered in 2011.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ blends form and function with industry-leading features, including the best screen technology featuring Samsung’s unique dual-edge design; the most advanced camera for high-quality photos and videos; the latest fast wireless and wired charging; and an incredibly powerful processor. With increased 4GB RAM, this new smartphone offers the most powerful capacity and processing power on the market, enabling people to enjoy more seamless multi-tasking, keep up with messages, post updates to social networks faster and play graphic-heavy games without suffering lag time. 

Samsung also announced the launch of Samsung Pay, a simple, safe and virtually everywhere mobile payment service, with a UK launch date to be announced in due course. Protected by Samsung KNOX, fingerprint verification and digital tokenisation, Samsung Pay works with both MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) and NFC (Near Field Communication) technologies, bringing consumers closer than ever to a world without wallets.

“At Samsung, we’re committed to offering our customers a best in class technology experience, providing the ultimate on-the-go immersive multimedia viewing experience,” said Andy Griffiths, President, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland. “The launch of the Galaxy S6 edge+ delivers on this promise. Combining the world’s first dual edge display with a range of intuitive features and an incredibly vivid, large screen, we’re re-emphasising our ongoing commitment to bold, fearless innovation that meets the needs of today’s consumers.”

Galaxy S6 edge+ best for multimedia experience

The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ builds upon the unique and distinctive design of the Galaxy S6 edge, becoming even more elegant, understated, and finely crafted. It features the new ‘Apps edge’, providing instant access to your favourite apps with a simple swipe of the edge display. Meanwhile, the enhanced ‘People edge’ delivers quick communications, helping you to easily connect to your close contacts. From the edge screen, people can quickly find their pre-set contacts and send them a message or call them directly.

Customers who purchase the Galaxy S6 Edge+ in the UK before the end of September can have a free six months subscription for Google Play Music. A Google Play Music subscription gives music fans unlimited, ad-free streaming with more than 30 million songs as well as curated radio stations and a huge range of playlists created for different moods, occasions and activities.

Powerful Core Galaxy Features

The Galaxy S6 edge+ features unprecedented multimedia capabilities with deeper screen contrast and details through Samsung’s industry-leading 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display.

As social networking becomes more and more part of day to day life, people expect to be able to share life moments through photos and video and Samsung is enabling that desire with improved video capabilities. These include Steady Video, which provides Video Digital Image Stabilisation on both the front and rear camera for sharp, crisp video on-the-go, and Video Collage Mode, which allows people to record and edit short videos easily in various frames and effects. The Galaxy S6 edge+ also features 4K Video filming and Live Broadcast, which lets people instantly live stream Full HD video straight from the phone to any individual, group of contacts, or even the public through YouTube Live. Anyone who receives the YouTube link from a fellow Galaxy S6 edge+ user is able to enjoy live-streamed video from his or her smartphone, tablet, PC or Smart TV with YouTube connectivity.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ features Samsung’s fast wired and wireless charging technology and the embedded wireless charging technology is compatible with virtually any wireless pad available today. With wired charging, the device can be fully charged in approximately 90 minutes, and through

Samsung’s latest wireless charger, it can be fully charged in around 120 minutes. The device is also further upgraded to support SideSync, which offers both wireless and wired PC-smartphone integration for seamless connections across devices. Thanks to auto-detection and an ultra-quick setup, people can instantly connect their Samsung device to their PC or tablet for easy access to files and data across all platforms and operating systems.

Galaxy S6 edge+ users will also benefit from Samsung’s advanced camera system, including Quick launch (via a double click of the home button, the camera launches in less than one second*), Auto Real-time High Dynamic Range (HDR) Smart Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and brand-new filters.

In addition, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 edge+ features enhanced security features with KNOX Active Protection (built into devices / out of the box) and My KNOX (app with simple/fast setup) to further protect sensitive personal and work data.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ will be available globally starting from August 2015, with specific launch timing varying by market and mobile carrier. The device will be available with a storage option of either 32GB or 64GB storage in a range of colours, including Gold Platinum and Black Sapphire.