Thanks for re-iterating that.
My concerns which is why I'm tossing up whether I get the S6 or not is the battery life and also supposed inconsistent performance. I'm not interested in going back and forth with posters trying to build a case for or against what has been said/posted about the S6. However I do trust Andrew Martonik as an Android Central staff member. I personally think he's brutally honest about any device he uses and from what I can, has no bias towards any particular device/brand. I appreciate his comments and his views, positive or negative about any device.
Let me state that what I've read from Andrew Martonik's impressions is that it's not constant lagging or constant stutters or even something that he can pin down 100% (such as the gallery lag of the S5), but just occasionally, it seems to slow down and lag here and there, which is troubling to me. I don't like it, and I don't want to see it if I drop hundreds of dollars on a phone.
And also with the battery life, according to Andrew, he's getting around 2.5 hrs screen time on battery life. Now I'm willing to give leeway to 3 hours or so, but again, those are what he's seeing. And from what he can tell, there's no rogue app sucking juice inexplicably or anything like that.
From what I've read in the reviews, the S6 does have less battery life than the flagships of last year. I've been reading that battery life is 'average' which is down from good or great last year, again another concern to me. I might have to invest in a power brick or put it on power saving mode myself when I feel I'll be out and about and won't have access to a charger.
I'm just undecided at the moment. I do like the S6 and feel it's the most compelling handset so far (primarily because of the camera), but I'm not liking what I'm hearing about the somewhat inconsistent performance and average-to-disappointing battery life.
He did however did say something that really got me excited and that was about the camera. Andrew has glowing impressions of the camera, saying along the lines that he has yet to take a 'bad' photo with it. He implies that the camera just works well in pretty much any scenario you throw at it, and I'm really excited about that.
So I'll just have to wait for more reviews (waiting for AC's review of it), and then I'll use it in person and see how it is. I have eyes of a hawk and laugh when people say 'no lag' on phones, because I always see lag. Have yet to see a non-laggy Samsung phone, hoping that the S6 is the first.
You're welcome Hero.
You see, we almost always think alike and I anticipate and predict things that others may not see through all the glam and glitter. I notice lots of small details on reviews that others also never notice.
My point isn't that I'm relying on just Andrew's thoughts. I'm seeing others like Android Authority's review that had 3 3/4 hours of screen on time but instead of Auto brightness (that will be intensely bright outdoors when Andrew took his photos) , he (at AA) used manual and at about 25% brightness. That sounds about right and consistent with what others are getting in "real world use" (not benchmarks).
So while I'm still skeptical of Andrews results, they can't just be dismissed with auto brightness and real world use on more or less release software.
As for stuttering, I'm sure that the new S6 is the smoothest and lag free phone Samsung has made. My S4 was virtually lag free even after 2 years. But it did stutter once in a blue moon. Like once a week. Not the over blown lag fest AC claimed and the staff got called out on such bs and the whole forum got blown up.
With that said, nothing is smoother then my m8. I find it better then my friend's ip6+ and smoother than the nexus 6. Motorola also makes a great ui, and so does Sony, but I think that any issues with stutter/lag at this time is a lollypop issue and not samsung (chrome being a good example). LG, they have a long way to go with lag and stuttering.
I personally like Touchwiz. Maybe not as much as Sence, but close. So the UI is not an issue with me. If it's not an issue with you then it's best to watch as many videos as you can and test it out yourself.
But personally I refuse to carry otg cables and portable chargers with me every day. Other people can adapt and embrace change but I'm not Batman and refuse to where a utility belt. I'm willing to pay extra for the lack of SD cards but If my phone can't last at least a full day when charged then it's not usable for me.
Now while I'm also semi retired and don't work, I live in NYC and see how the vast majority of people in my area commute to work. They do so by public transportation. The avg commute is one hour. So for millions of hard working people who don't sit at a desk all day (and won't have access to a charger) they personally need their phones to last at least 10 hours with them using their phones on a bus, train, or both, and during lunch and breaks. That sounds to me like 2 1/2 hours of use (screen on time) with limited to no access to a charger.
I'll repeat, that's millions of people living in my city that will use their phones while commuting and during lunch with no charger. Should I recommend the S6 to friends and family with results from most of the reviewers who didn't benchmark, but just used the phone and show worse battery life then 2013 flagships? Do you think they will carry a portable charger?
I do hope that Android Authority's review and Andrew are wrong about battery life. Because I just sold my backup phone and my next hope for replacing it is not for 6 months (note5).
The good news is with all the T-Mobile people who pre-ordered. We will find the truth in less than a few days.
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