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[jamesinclair]

I still love my Galaxy S4 (running Google Developer Edition Lollypop). I honestly have no need or desire to upgrade my phone. I think we're reaching a point where technology isn't moving forward at such a rate that makes upgrading every 2 years essential.

If you've had it for over 18 months, don't forget to buy yourself a new battery.

It's like night and day, makes the phone feel brand new.

I was itching to upgrade, but with my new battery there's no reason too. I went from 8 hours of use back to 15!

 

[TemplaerDude]

It's 2015.

Put a fucking SD slot in your god damn phone.

 

[Averon]

When even budget smartphones are rocketing up in terms of quality, and Apple's dominance on the high end, it is no wonder why Samsung is getting squeezed hard.

Why pay that extra money for a Galaxy when I can get a $200-$300 budget phone with similar quality and specs? If I do want to go high-end, Apple finally now offers phones of similar size.

 

[Majine]

It's 2015.

Put a fucking SD slot in your god damn phone.

Funny, the "It's 2015" line could be used against the addition of an SD card slot as well.

 

[zedge]

When even budget smartphone are rocketing up in terms of quality, and Apple's dominance on the high end, it is no wonder why Samsung is getting squeezed hard.

Why pay that extra money for a Galaxy when I can get a $200-$300 budget phone with similar quality and specs? If I do want to go high-end, Apple finally now offers phones of similar size.

Pretty much. Not that the s6 is a bad phone. Probably the nicest one they have made so far.

 

[FZZ]

I am personally waiting for the Note 5 Edge.

Also they NEED to nuke touchwiz, the operating system is literally so off-putting most consumers do not want to pick up the phone. The layout is plain ugly.

 

[AstroNut325]

Funny, the "It's 2015" line could be used against the addition of an SD card slot as well.

Yup. Since only low budget phones have SD cards, the inclusion of an SD card in a premium device creates a "cheap" stigma. Kind of like everyone saying HFR in movies looks like soap operas.

Edit:

Completely anecdotally...

I work in a lot of high schools and see a lot of student cell phones.

A TON of iPhone 5S, a lot of iPhone 4S/6/6+, a lot of Galaxy S4/5 and a smattering of Xperias/HTC.

I've yet to see any Galaxy S6.

Sounds like hand-me-downs from the parents.

 

[sikkinixx]

Completely anecdotally...

I work in a lot of high schools and see a lot of student cell phones.

A TON of iPhone 5S, a lot of iPhone 4S/6/6+, a lot of Galaxy S4/5 and a smattering of Xperias/HTC.

I've yet to see any Galaxy S6.

 

[Shake Appeal]

I can probably hang onto my HTC One for another year, but I have no idea what I'm going to get after that. Hmm.

 

[Funky Papa]

Yep. Apple lost out on a lot of money not making the phones reasonably sized sooner.

First time they've had to compete with a similarly-sized iPhone, that was the one obvious differentiator to the casual buyer.

This is more of a case of former owners being burned pretty badly by TouchWiz (the newest version is fine, mind you) AND the average public being seduced by €/$300 phones with nigh high end features.

Fewer and fewer consumers are willing to pay a premium when the newest crop of Android mid-rangers are offering tip-top performance and some interesting niceties for half the money. I believe the space for high end Android phones is decreasing, or at very least its grow is seriously stagnating. Apple doesn't have this problem since their own the iOS market, but most Android manufacturers not called Motorola or Xiaomi are feeling the heat. Newer brands like Wiko and bq are tearing them apart with incredibly competitive devices at a fraction of the cost.

There's also the problem of high end phones from the past couple of years being able to run most apps without a hiccup. There's very little reason to upgrade from a Galaxy S4 or a LG G2/G3 unless you demand the craziest display or the very latest in camera technology. Shit, my Nokia Lumia 920 still runs like a champ. It's three years old yet it has a still decent display, (nearly) flawless performance wireless charging, a more than passable camera with OIS, excellent video recording capabilities and the sturdiest build I've ever seen since the advent of the smartphone. I'm only contemplating switching because of the lack of apps over Windows Phone, but other than that I see no reason to upgrade.

 

[VoxPop]

How long till Samsung puts out an advert insulting Apple and saying they shipped 20m phones its first month to non hipsters.

 

[Tripon]

I am personally waiting for the Note 5 Edge.

Also they NEED to nuke touchwiz, the operating system is literally so off-putting most consumers do not want to pick up the phone. The layout is plain ugly.

Touchwiz is just a Tizen overlay. Samsung isn't going to nuke that because they want to get people to move on to Tizen... eventually.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

They lost me as a customer with how shoddily built the S4 was.

Yeah, the S4 is my last Samsung phone. When I upgrade again I'll be going with the Xperia because RemotePlay.

 

[JCX]

My brother switched from galaxy to iPhone once they got bigger screens. Seems that was a big thing holding some android people back from iphones

 

[Prozel]

Lmao. The percentage of people who care about this is likely single digit.

I think the bigger issue here is For android phones there are many other good options now. Especially off contract affordable close to high end phones. The landscape has changed.

Yeah. I mean I can understand why it may piss some people off but no way thats the primary cause. Come on.

 

[Night Angel]

I like my S6. Probably the best galaxy yet.

Touchwiz still sucks.

 

[zedge]

Yeah. I mean I can understand why it may piss some people off but no way thats the primary cause. Come on.

It's such a niche thing. Just like touch wiz. Average joe does not care about touch wiz or even knows what it is. They have no idea what stock android is nor do they care. Neither has any meaning full impact on sales. Most galaxy users think touch wiz is android.

 

[Fezan]

And I think galaxy s6 edge is one of the best looking smartphone today. First time I want to buy galaxy

 

[Xyphie]

I see no reason to pay more than $300 for a phone in the age of Idol 3, Zenphone 2, Mi4i and similar devices.

 

[gcubed]

It's such a niche thing. Just like touch wiz. Average joe does not care about touch wiz or even knows what it is. They have no idea what stock android is nor do they care. Neither has any meaning full impact on sales.

dont underestimate the power of a terrible skin killing the chances of someone buying that phone again. Touchwiz was never an easy to understand skin and looked dated next to any other phone

 

[GhostWriter24]

They lost me as a customer with how shoddily built the S4 was.

Wait, what? So you deliberately skipped the S5 because a previous iteration didn't meet your standards? That phone was and still is a magnificent piece of tech...

 

[zedge]

dont underestimate the power of a terrible skin killing the chances of someone buying that phone again. Touchwiz was never an easy to understand skin and looked dated next to any other phone

Perhaps, but considering how well their phones sell and completely dominate android oems I don't think it's much.

 

[Tripon]

Wait, what? So you deliberately skipped the S5 because a previous iteration didn't meet your standards? That phone was and still is a magnificent piece of tech...

My phone lost its cellular wireless capabilities within 16 months, you know the thing that allows it to be a phone. When you are living in an ERS of 2 year contracts and Samsung only covers the first year, you are fucked.

 

[Haint]

Touchwiz has got to go. I went to Xperia after my S3 and I love this thing. If Galaxy ran stock google I would have bought an S6.

Can never happen, ever. The average idiot who makes up 98% of these sells has had these phones for years and would be lost without touchwiz and too likely to jump ship at such a radical change.

 

[Funky Papa]

Perhaps, but considering how well their phones sell and completely dominate android oems I don't think it's much.

Samsung is getting a proper buttfuck below the $/€500 these days. They are losing China and India, and both Wiko and bq are making huge inroads in Europe.

Samsung's low and mid-range offerings has been historically awful. AWFUL. They've been caught with their pants down.

 

[Jeff-DSA]

When even budget smartphones are rocketing up in terms of quality, and Apple's dominance on the high end, it is no wonder why Samsung is getting squeezed hard.

Why pay that extra money for a Galaxy when I can get a $200-$300 budget phone with similar quality and specs? If I do want to go high-end, Apple finally now offers phones of similar size.

Uh, what? Who is out there matching specs with Samsung at such a reduced cost? I don't mean on paper, I mean in performance. That screen, that camera...it's top notch stuff on the S6.

 

[blame space]

the phone, frankly, owns.

 

[Katana_Strikes]

It was a backward step by taking out features that were present in the other Galaxy models. Sales of the S5 have probably gone up since the S6 launched. Making it look nicer wasn't going to cut it.

If people wanted a phone that looks like an iPhone, they'll buy an iPhone.

 

[WillyFive]

They should have just made the Edge be the S6; Samsung makes way too many variants that dilutes it's product line.

It's 2015.

Put a fucking SD slot in your god damn phone.

It being 2015 is the reason SD slots are gone. It's not the 2000's anymore.

 

[CharminUltra]

Woah, that's pretty insane.

I've never used a Galaxy S<insert number here>, but the GS6 looked pretty cool in the commercials and the specs sound nice. Dunno if the curved screen would be useful for me, though.

 

[zedge]

Samsung is getting a proper buttfuck below the $/€500 these days. They are losing China and India, and both Wiko and bq are making huge inroads in Europe.

Samsung's low and mid-range offerings have been historically awful. AWFUL. They've been caught with their pants down.

Totally agree. This is why their sales are slowing not because of touch wiz, removable batteries, or sd card slots.

 

[Machine]

Everything that differentiated it Android from iOS, Samsung conveniently ripped away.

1. SD Card slot
2. Removable battery

On top of that, Sammy has started to lock down their bootloader. It's so many steps backwards, I can't begin to fathom what the hell they are doing any more. It's great that Touchwiz is lighter, but that's not what the conversation should be in 2015. Touchwiz should be completely gone.

Those were the two features that made me get an S4. I guess I know one phone to avoid when it's time for an upgrade.

 

[VariantX]

It's 2015.

Put a fucking SD slot in your god damn phone.

I don't even understand why they think people don't want this feature in their phones. Having that SD card slot means I don't have to worry about whether or not I can fit this app or this song or this game on my phone. I just buy a 32 gig card and just not give a shit. I dont feel like having to empty the fridge every time I want to download something, especially when games are starting getting bigger and bigger.

 

[Spinluck]

I still love my Galaxy S4 (running Google Developer Edition Lollypop). I honestly have no need or desire to upgrade my phone. I think we're reaching a point where technology isn't moving forward at such a rate that makes upgrading every 2 years essential.

Yup.

My next upgrade will be years from now, and it'll probably be a phone from this year lol.

 

[Majine]

I don't even understand why they think people don't want this feature in their phones. Having that SD card slot means I don't have to worry about whether or not I can fit this app or this song or this game on my phone. I just buy a 32 gig card and just not give a shit. I dont feel like having to empty the fridge every time I want to download something, especially when games are starting getting bigger and bigger.

They want people like you to get a 32 / 64 GB phone.

 

[Jedi2016]

Projections aside, what kind of world do we live in where 10M units sold in one month is considered "disastrous".

The only people bitching about the SD card are a very small, but vocal, handful of power users. I would wager that 99% of previous-gen Galaxy owners never knew they could even take the back off their phone, much less why they would bother. And really, what do you use it for? Do you really need 128GB of storage, or is it just to say you have it? I have the 32GB Edge, and it's more than enough. And yes, that's including a huge chunk of my music library. It's called compression.

 

[Veritigo_X]

They want people like you to get a 32 / 64 GB phone.

Good thing storage upgrades are reasonably priced!

 

[massoluk]

People keep saying S6 is the best Samsung ever, but without SD card support, swappable battery, or water-resistant like S5, I didn't even consider it an upgrade.

They made it a direct competition to iPhone instead of having differentiating features like other Android, how could they possibly win.

Do you really need 128GB of storage, or is it just to say you have it? I have the 32GB Edge, and it's more than enough. And yes, that's including a huge chunk of my music library. It's called compression.

Yes. I take a lot of pictures and videos on my trip and I prefer to not fiddle around with swapping out tv series/movies. Having it on SD Card makes it easy to swap when I really do have to. And I have shit tons of apps that's like 30 GB by themselves.

 

[Machine]

And really, what do you use it for? Do you really need 128GB of storage, or is it just to say you have it? I have the 32GB Edge, and it's more than enough. And yes, that's including a huge chunk of my music library. It's called compression.

I have over 64GB of music and I've only ripped about a third of my CD collection so far. I don't "need" to have it all with me at any one time but it's a pain in the ass having to transfer stuff back and forth if you want to listen to something different.

 

[Majine]

Good thing storage upgrades are reasonably priced!

It's the airplane shopping principle. When choice is eliminated...

 

[GSG Flash]

Just wanna point out that the author, Gordon Kelly, is pretty well known S6 hater. He's bitter that the S6/Edge was a departure from the old Galaxy S phones.

I wouldn't put much stock into any sales numbers at this point. For example, the 32GB S6 Edge is still on backorder here where I live, despite it being more than a month since release.

 

[Pifje]

The phone looks and feels absolutely incredible in person (especially the gold one), but it is also 100 € more expensive than previous S5, at least here in Finland.

They have made the UI much more elegant compared to the ye olde TouchWiz, but Samsung hasn't marketed this aspect at all. People probably still have got the impression that the UI looks the same, cartoonish and ugly. Advertisements and other marketing material has been only about glass glass glass, metal metal metal, and of course edge display times three. You need to demonstrate other things as well, and not only the aesthetics. The camera also is probably the best out there right now, but I haven't seen any ads demonstrating this.

 

[Kabuki Quantum Lover]

Projections aside, what kind of world do we live in where 10M units sold in one month is considered "disastrous".

It's the world Samsung set up. The S6 was their chance at 'redemption' after the S5 and it's not setting the world ablaze.

 

[antisoulless]

If they kept waterproofing and micro sd card slots, I'd have been on board.

 

[nib95]

That surprises me. Me and many others I know had to wait weeks to get ours, due to the phone simply being out of stock at many carriers. I personally got mine 3 weeks after the release date. I wonder if they under stocked in certain regions (UK) and over stocked elsewhere. I think a big drawback to the phone is simply the price. It is far too expensive, and the contracts some are asking are ridiculous. The whole market needs a re-shift in pricing, especially with devices like the One Plus One and inevitable One Plus Two on the horizon.

 

[terrisus]

We just upgraded my wife's phone from an S4 yesterday.

She could have gotten an S6.
We got her an S5.

I have an S5 Active.
I have no plans to change to a different phone unless they come out with a waterproof version of the S6.

I still can't believe they took out the Waterproof features of the S5 when making the S6.
Such an absurd move.

And that's without even getting into the MicroSD and removable battery issues.
No waterproof automatically meant not getting.

 

[Veritigo_X]

We just upgraded my wife's phone from an S4 yesterday.

She could have gotten an S6.
We got her an S5.

I have an S5 Active.
I have no plans to change to a different phone unless they come out with a waterproof version of the S6.

I still can't believe they took out the Waterproof features of the S5.
Such an absurd move.

And that's without even getting into the MicroSD and removable battery issues.
No waterproof automatically meant not getting.

Removing waterproofing and removable batteries is especially puzzling considering those commercials making fun of Apple for NOT having these features.

 

[Laekon]

Its sad because we really need some competition as Apple is a pretty shitty company in a lot of ways. Kill off the 32gb but not the 16gb? Wow thanks Apple! The vast majority of younger kids I see all have iPhones and it's just because its Apple.

I love people that bitch about Samsung using plastic when they first thing they do is place their iPhone in a cheap rubber case.

 

[Goldrush]

I'm a bit surprised that it failed to surpass the S5. The last time Samsung was in such a dominant position compared to its Android competitor was the S2. The problem with Snapdragon pretty much forced all its rivals to concede the high end crown this year. The build quality improvements nullified the biggest complaint levied against the line. Even the feature removals doesn't matter much since it's standard practice for the other high end phones as well.

 

[jamesinclair]

The only people bitching about the SD card are a very small, but vocal, handful of power users. I would wager that 99% of previous-gen Galaxy owners never knew they could even take the back off their phone,

Do you have a citation?

Of course not.

People love to repeat this with NO FACTS to back it up.

Here are some facts:

Samsung was the market leader. They had SD and removable battery.

HTC was "the next big thing". They were on fire. They had SD and removable battery.

Then HTC removed them. Now they're a distant 5th place and youre more likely to see a Windows phone in the wild than an HTC.

Nexus was the "next big thing". Amazing specs. INCREDIBLE price. No SD card and no removable battery? It bombed, hard.

Samsung kept the SD card and removable battery, and their sales wouldnt stop growing.

Then they removed it, and now their new phone is bombing.

But no, nobody cares.

How about some anecdotal information? I (sadly) worked for Verizon Wireless for 9 months. Every day people would ask for phone recommendations. "Whats the difference between x and y? Why should I pay for z?"

99.9% of the time, after explaining what the phones had, they'd go with the one that offered removable battery and SD card.

But please, I am sure you have a citation that "nobody cares" right?

Right?

People HATE being nickel and dimed. When given the choice between paying $100 for an additional 16GB internal, or paying $40 for an additional 32GB via SD card, guess which one people pick?

You know what people actually don't care about, but the tech website throw a fit about? Plastic. Most casual users buy a case.

Just read this thread. Every other post is someone saying theyll pass on the S6 because it has no SD card. Minority of users, amirite?