Samsung on defense against Apple with the Galaxy S6
Samsung on defense against Apple with the Galaxy S6
Samsung’s Galaxy S6, announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona yesterday, looks like a really nice upgrade from the disappointing Galaxy S5 — which apart from a screen and camera resolution bump and some software refinements, was basically a GS4, and missed sales projections by up to 40 percent as a result.
That said, it’s almost impossible to look at the Galaxy S6 and not think “iPhone 6.” The Galaxy S6 takes several big cues from Apple’s recent upgrade — just as the latter company aped some of Samsung’s innovations the last time around. And so the cycle continues.
This has been a tit-for-tat for years. And there’s a reason for Samsung‘s almost brazen copying: iOS is now on top once again in U.S. smartphone share, for the first time in three years.
The most obvious thing Apple did in response to Samsung last September is to increase the size of the iPhone, as well as offer it in two sizes instead of just one. Some pundits have said they doubt Steve Jobs would have ever done this, as he was clearly committed to the 4-inch (or 3.5-inch), one-handed design of all previous iPhones. The iPhone’s expanded notification bar and swipe-up settings also take cues from earlier Samsung phones, and iPhones now let you install third-party keyboards like Swype. (I’m mixing up hardware and software developments here, but with Apple, they’re basically one in the same, as Apple also controls iOS).
This time around, Samsung copied a number of iPhone 6 design elements, starting with the rounded, brushed metal edges. The bottom edge of the GS6 in particular is almost identical to the iPhone 6, from the speaker grille to the charger port and headphone jack. There’s no more removable battery or expandable microSD card slot, moves that are already lighting up the Internet with complaints. The GS6’s upgraded camera sticks out a bit on the back, just like with the two newest iPhones, although the back of the GS6 is made of Gorilla Glass 4 and not aluminum. And Samsung has added support for Samsung Pay, giving the company its own payment solution to compete with Apple Pay. (Neither phone has a sapphire screen.)
The Galaxy S6 Edge is more distinctive, and contains a refined, double-sided version of the previous Galaxy Note Edge. This is certainly an interesting design, and combined with the superlative resolution of the Galaxy S6 display, can result in some real software and UI innovations if Samsung keeps developing for it. I’m intensely curious to see how this variant sells.
That brings us to software. Samsung’s problem, and Android’s problem in general, is getting the app market in line. Developers continue to release for iOS first, for a variety of reasons. Android handsets have great appeal–a much wider variety of hardware configurations, and eminently configurable and hackable software. Samsung’s phones, for example, let you tune voice quality.
As for the other enhancements in the GS6, I’d argue they were mostly necessary. Google is trying to rein in the use of microSD cards; the whole app vs. media storage thing is confusing, and there’s no reason why phones can’t come with enough storage to begin with. The removable battery probably isn’t as big a deal, although Samsung has to make sure its various retail partners know how to replace the battery down the line as it loses capacity for charge.
In the end, I’d argue Samsung had to take some steps closer to the iPhone in order to remain competitive. I really like Samsung’s renewed focus on design, after years of plasticky handsets that looked and felt inferior to HTC and Apple models, even if they were superior in many cases. The move away from Qualcomm to its own Exynos processor is interesting, and should do a lot for Samsung’s bottom line. And it’s hard not to think that this GS6 is what the lukewarm GS5 refresh should have been.
Both the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are drool-worthy Android phones. It remains to be seen if Samsung — and Android in general — can gain back some U.S. market share from Apple as a result.
malikmuddser