Living with the Samsung Galaxy S6: Day Zero
If you've ever used a high-end smartphone for longer than a few days, and I assume that you almost surely have, then the following picture is all too familiar: You spend weeks raving about how good it is, then confirmation bias kicks in and that hype that you built yourself reaches an all-time high. Such an episode is typically followed by a purchase of the given device. And then, it's a few weeks of honeymoon bliss.
Not everything is as you thought it would be, of course, but what's a spot of bother when looking at the big and glorious picture that is your new gadget? That could be the end of the story for some of us, but not necessarily for others. Whether because of that tiny little thing annoys us to no end, or because significantly larger, more disturbing issues pop up, it's fair to say that only after we've lived with a new smartphone for a while can we tell whether it truly is what we made it up to be in our minds. That is precisely why we've been spending considerable time and effort outlining our own experiences with high profile devices in our 'Living with' series.
Back in 2014, I spent a month living with Samsung's then hottest device – the Galaxy S5. While our objective review of the device was overwhelmingly positive, I, personally, was mostly annoyed by its needlessly complicated, gimmicks-ridden and seriously heavy TouchWiz interface, and unimpressed with its plain looks. While I won't go as far as to suggest that Samsung read the pieces and took the feedback to heart, it is a fact that the company has made significant improvements in exactly those two areas with the Galaxy S6 – its Android Lollipop-based TouchWiz skin is better optimized than ever, and the company has done an excellent job classying up the device. Better yet, I'll be spending the coming month with arguably the best version of the phone – the 'Black Sapphire' model, which masks inevitable smudges best.
You won't agree with everything I'll have to say about the Galaxy S6. Heck, some of you might even disagree completely. But you nodding along the entire time isn't what these columns are for, and that's by design. Instead, they're an opportunity for you to learn about a new hot device by looking through the eyes of someone who spends his every day around other hot devices just like it, and can be every bit as idiosyncratic, subjective, and sometimes even weird, as you are.
May is shaping up to be a pretty fun month. Get pumped!
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: