Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus Orange

Apparently we in the United kingdom don't like the S Pen enough, and for that Samsung has punished united states by taking away the all-singing Galaxy Note five. In its identify is the Galaxy Note Edge+, which is both a handful to write and another nod towards the South Korean brand's main competitor - surely it could take named it something original?

Moniker aside, Samsung has basically supersized its much-loved Milky way S6 Border and tweaked a few tiny settings before releasing a whole new phone.

The differences are minimal: the screen on the edge of the telephone has been imbued with new powers, there's a larger bombardment within and another dollop of RAM to take things upwards to a huge 4GB - we're getting to the bespeak now where these things tin make utilize of the powerful chips inside and are massively out-powering some PCs.

Pattern

Simply information technology doesn't affair how skillful a phone is if it looks ugly though, and Samsung has done its best to keep the decent lines and potent looks from the smaller telephone and not lose annihilation during the scaling up.

That ways the curved five.7-inch screen is folded delicately into the metal and glass frame and the smooth dorsum (with slightly protruding camera) makes a welcome render. Brand no mistake: this is a two-handed phone, as otherwise it will easily slip from your manus into your pint / onto the hard concrete beneath (although irritatingly stays locked in your palm during that trip to the bouncy castle factory).

The battle for phablet supremacy: the Edge+ takes on the manufacture's best Androids

Information technology'southward certainly not a thick phone though - virtually to the bespeak where Samsung has wasted space information technology could accept used to increase the battery size, rather than making the phone and so thin.

The interface is also the same used by Samsung for years, just at to the lowest degree now the Touchwiz overlay looks a little more than palatable, with flatter icons and uncomplicated graphics every bit you lot flick around the phone. You can also easily download themes to alter the wait of the phone - but everything works superbly quickly and doesn't have whatsoever of the irritating slowdown plant on the 'normal' Galaxy S6 Border.

Border screen

One of the big things that Samsung's been touting almost this telephone is the new Border screen, which offers more things to do with the curved edges of the phone other than simply looking overnice.

The original Border has the ability to ready your favourite people on there, with a light glowing subtly along the side of the phone when the handset is placed face down when you're in a meeting or something.

In that location's not really a lot of betoken to this across aesthetics though - it'southward a very niche use and we get the feeling that most people won't even prepare their favourite people, let alone make sure they're assigned a colour and call back which is it is.

The Edge screen also has new fancy features that, well, y'all simply won't employ. For instance, you can at present prepare your favourite apps forth the side of the brandish, with a swipe bringing out the selection to select these or your summit people.

The idea seems audio: being able to access the programs that matter to yous wherever you are in the telephone - simply we ready these upwardly and kept forgetting that the option was there, as the Border screen just doesn't experience like an intuitive shortcut.

And the less said about existence able to contact your favourite Edge friends, the meliorate. You can poke, send sketches or weird leaf flutterings to your chums.

Every bit long every bit they besides have an Edge+… which isn't likely to be a lot of people. The function volition come to the smaller Edge in the time to come, which is enjoying college sales, but non whatsoever fourth dimension shortly. So the idea that you can poke your friends, send them piffling sketches or pictures (which you can then apply effects to that practice things similar scatter leaves over the prototype… for some reason) seems novel only ultimately pointless.

It'south a lot similar the options yous've got between Apple Sentinel users - you tin can push over novelty phallic images, only it'due south simply whatsoever proficient if you've got a recipient. Otherwise you'll go into a situation where you start at the beginning and text every number in the globe in the vain hope of finding another Border user.

Trust united states, some people don't like that.

Camera

Samsung'due south non messed with a winning formula here, and for skillful reason. The Galaxy S6 Border+ has the same 16MP snapper seen on the original S6 pairing, and information technology takes articulate and sharp images that really prove off what you're trying to capture to a digital memory.

That means you lot've got a stunningly fast car manner, with a superbly quick autofocus (although non in the same league as the Xperia Z5 which, bluntly, must employ the dark arts to get that speed). The Super AMOLED screen is a great place to see the pics, thank you to the increased resolution and sharpness, so whipping through your snaps with friends will elicit impressive sounds (or bored ones, depending on what you're showing off).

There are loads of mode to play with here, with the add-on of RAW back up pregnant you lot tin can accept whoppingly large files with the complete range of prototype info contained within. While this might irritate those that don't know what to do with such snaps, it's more at that place for pro users looking to have a first-class smartphone camera as a backup.

Combine that with a potent 4K video performance (although lookout man out how quickly you fill up that storage) this is a brilliant cameraphone, and possibly the best on the market.

Battery

The bombardment life of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ should, in theory, be excellent - or at least better than that of the original S6 Edge. That's due to having almost no difference internally apart from a bigger battery pack and a lick more RAM to play with - basically, the phone's working no harder and has more than juice to pull from.

Which makes information technology odd that there's very little difference betwixt the two in terms of ability to last the full 24-hour interval. You're more likely to practice it with the S6 Edge+, but Google'due south Android Lollipop is nonetheless munching every bit difficult as it can at the power you've got available.

We're actually looking forward to getting Android half dozen.0 Marshmallow on here, as the new Doze mode could actually supercharge the battery life of this phablet.

T3 verdict

The Galaxy S6 Edge+ has a really articulate user: someone who wants a stunning-looking phone but with a picayune more power and larger screen. It'southward oddly ergonomic in the paw, which nosotros weren't expecting, and while it clearly is an oversized phone, you won't be embarrassed to use it.

The battery life withal irks - we're perplexed every bit to why Samsung can't brand its phones last much longer than a gnat'south breakfast - just that'south pretty much the only thing that's really bothersome, unless you lot don't become on with Samsung'southward Touchwiz overlay, which has been dialled down with the S6 range.

This is easily Samsung'due south best always phablet, and fifty-fifty without the raw power and Southward Pen of the Galaxy Annotation v being available to us Brits, information technology's a tremendous choice if yous're looking for a decent phone with a beautifully large and precipitous screen.