Samsung Galaxy S6 review: Security updates come to an end

The Galaxy S6 was a great phone in its day, but has since been buried beneath several iterations from Samsung – the latest being the Galaxy S9. It now looks like the handset’s days are truly numbered, as the Korean manufacturer has removed it from its list of models that receive regular security updates.   

The S6 Edge+ remains on that list for now, but its S6 and S6 Edge siblings have been cut. You can still buy the smartphones from Samsung, but the death knells have begun to sound for the three-year-old devices. 

Jonathan Bray’s original Samsung Galaxy S6 review is below. If you’re interested in the Galaxy S9, we have a review for that. Alternatively, check out our list of 2018’s very best smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy S6: Review

Samsung is no stranger to manufacturing smartphones jam-packed with the very latest in technology, and the Samsung Galaxy S6 is just that. One thing had eluded the Korean giant prior to the launch of its latest handset, however: the ability to design a phone that’s as gorgeous as it is functional.

The arrival of the Samsung Galaxy S6 sees the company finally break free of those shackles; and even halfway through 2016, the Samsung Galaxy S6 remains among the best smartphones you can buy anywhere, at any price, even if it has been eclipsed by the Samsung Galaxy S7

Samsung Galaxy S6: Design

No two ways about it, the Samsung Galaxy S6 is a stunner, framed in cool-to-the-touch aluminium, and with a coloured Gorilla Glass 4 rear and front, it’s a beautiful phone to behold. It’s clad in Gorilla Glass 4 front and back, and the way it gleams and glistens in the light is quite entrancing. The S6 is available in “White Pearl”, “Gold Platinum” and “Blue Topaz”, but we think it looks best in “Black Sapphire”, which you see pictured here.

As you’d expect from a modern smartphone, the S6 is extremely slim (6.8mm) and light (138g), and it feels surprisingly compact in the hand, especially considering there’s a 5.1in display up front.

In our view, the S6 delivers the perfect compromise between screen size and one-handed comfort – in fact, it’s slightly smaller overall than the Samsung Galaxy S5 – and it combines that with impressive build quality and attention to detail. Even the volume, power and home buttons feel like they’ve been upgraded: everything about this phone feels perfectly on point.

There are some downsides to the design, however. First, in order to produce such a gorgeous work of art, the removable rear panel, replaceable battery and microSD slot for storage expansion have been consigned to the dustbin.

Second, neither the S6 nor the S6 Edge has an IP rating, so they’re not not water and dust resistant like last year’s Samsung Galaxy S5 was.

And third, the glass rear of the phones picks up fingerprints like they’re going out of fashion. It’s easy to clean, but if you own one of these phones, you’re going to be spending a lot of your time wiping it on your jeans or the hem of your T-shirt to keep it spotless.