1Password has pushed out an update for Android devices at last
And it brings huge changes to the app. The password manager will look like a brand new application the moment you upgrade to version 6, thanks to its Material Design makeover. Every section looks cleaner and more spacious. Plus, there are now toolbars everywhere, along with language’s familiar floating button that gives you a way to quickly add new URL-password combinations.
The app’s upgrades aren’t just skin deep
though: if you have an Android device with a fingerprint sensor such as the Nexus 5X or 6P running Android Marshmallow, you can quickly unlock 1Password. Simply launch it and scan a finger to skip typing in your master password. Finally, version 6 comes with the beta version of 1Password for Teams. It’s a useful feature whenever you want to share log-ins with family or co-workers, so you can all access any account needed for the project you’re working on. You can even quickly add a team account by using the built-in QR code reader.
Password managers are a great way to ensure you’re using a unique password for all your online accounts. If you haven’t used one before and would like to give 1Password a try, note that version 6 will only work for Android 4.1 or newer. The app itself is free, but you’d have to pay for premium features, such as being able to add an unlimited number of log-ins and to edit existing ones.
Samsung Electronics America, official mobile sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival, is sparking VR storytelling at the Samsung Studio, the go-to venue for filmmakers, content developers, industry influencers and more to connect, learn and share experiences, all through the lens of the latest Samsung products and services, including the new Samsung Gear VR, powered by Oculus.
“One of the biggest trends and themes for 2016 is virtual reality. At Samsung, we are making VR more accessible by partnering with the best in the industry to deliver a growing library of engaging, rich content for our Gear VR which is all made possible by our latest Galaxy devices,” said Marc Mathieu, chief marketing officer at Samsung Electronics America. “We are excited to engage with the creative community at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival to collaborate and amplify viewpoints, content and new technological advancements as we continue to cultivate development in the VR community.”
There are many opportunities for Festivalgoes to meet and interact at the Samsung Studio. Here is a sampling of what’s in store.
Unique programming at Samsung Studio
The team from Funny Or Die joins Samsung to debut the world premiere of the first-ever virtual reality comedy short, “Interrogation” featuring comedians Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel. Discussions will highlight how Gear VR is empowering comedic storytelling in new, immersive ways.
Samsung Studio will also treat Festivalgoers to interactive filmmaker panels with Deadline, BMI, Broadcast Music, Inc. and Funny Or Die, among other programming to be announced.
GONE Returns from Holiday Hiatus
At the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, Samsung, in collaboration with Skybound Entertainment and Wevr, will unveil the latest cluster of episodes from Samsung’s original thriller “GONE.” During December 2015, “GONE Episode #1: Pilgrim” quickly rose to be the number one most viewed piece of content on the service, with viewers quickly gravitating towards the “exploratory video” technology unique to the series.
Gear Indie Challenge Results
In an effort to nurture emerging and independent VR filmmakers, Samsung recently conducted the Gear Indie “There in 60 Seconds” contest, challenging filmmakers to transport viewers to a place that is special and unique in 60 seconds or less. At the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, details on the winning entries will be unveiled, with the winning content available to enjoy on Samsung Gear VR.
New Frontier Mobile VR Content Coming to Samsung Gear VR
Gear VR will be the way to watch the New Frontier Program’s Mobile VR content stemming from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Attendees will be able to experience the innovative works of ground-breaking artists who work in new media technology and get a glimpse of how the VR medium is used to immerse the viewer and take storytelling to a new dimension.
Living the Galaxy Life to the Fullest at Samsung Studio
At the Samsung Studio, Galaxy owners can enjoy premium services with the Gear S2 Concierge, offering priority restaurant reservations and complimentary Uber rides – all ordered from Samsung’s newest smartwatch, the Gear S2. Festivalgoers will also be able to use Samsung Pay – the official mobile payment of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival – at the Studio’s café, which will feature menu items from Salt Lake City’s own, “The Rose Establishment.”
More Information about Samsung at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival
Visitors to the Samsung Studio will have access to the Sundance Film Festival Selfie, and will experience the brand’s full range of product innovations including the Gear VR, Galaxy View, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy Note5, Galaxy Tab S2, Gear S2, SUHD TVs and home appliances. The Samsung Studio will be located at 638 Park Avenue and will be open from January 22 – January 26, 2016.
For additional information and the full list of panel details, please visit the 2016 Sundance Film Festival schedule at sundance.org/festival.
BlackBerry’s back (you may or may not have heard), and the company’s first Android smartphone, called the “BlackBerry Priv,” features the tried-and-true physical keyboard that made the company famous once upon a time. Yes, before the era of virtual, on-screen keyboards (and even in these days), there are still customers who want a keyboard that doesn’t force them to deal with autocorrect. The Priv has a rather strange name (even “BlackBerry Secret” or “BlackBerry Disguise” would’ve been better name choices; how about “BlackBerry Venice,” the codename for the Priv?), but there’s no denying that the Priv does have a commendable look and a bold entrance into the Android world. BlackBerry’s nostalgic brand name doesn’t hurt it, either.
At the same time, however, there’s one problem I foresee with the BlackBerry Priv: the nature of the physical keyboard. It’s a slide-out one, a keyboard that was designed this way to allow customers to use the keyboard when they need it, “slide it away” (like a PC keyboard) when they don’t. The design seems to have its own appeal: give customers the option to “tuck away the keyboard,” and they’ll gladly thank you for it. This design, however, comes with a risk: what happens if the physical keyboard gets jammed, or slides out but suddenly “decides” it no longer wants to slide back in place? The hardware keyboard is wonderful, but for how long? It all depends on how much you use it, of course, but it’s as sure as the sun will rise one day and the rain will fall the next that you’ll have to eventually visit a repair shop or a retail store near you to fix it at some point.
While we’ve been hearing about the success of the first Android BlackBerry, a second Android BlackBerry is on the way. Codenamed “BlackBerry Vienna” (another codename that I wish didn’t go to the trash bin), this second Android BlackBerry has a physical keyboard that is no longer a slider but part of the design itself. In other words, it’s an always-present keyboard that will force you to either love or hate the design. While the BlackBerry Vienna doesn’t look to have the same problem as the slide-out keyboard on the Priv, it, too, faces a problem: the whim of consumers. There are some nostalgic, BlackBerry faithful who will proudly rock the physical keyboard, but there are many consumers who will pass up BlackBerry’s Android devices because of it. Some people don’t view the physical keyboard as “sexy”; I think productivity is sexy, but that’s me.
In walks Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 Keyboard Cover. It’s the perfect solution to the BlackBerry Priv and the Vienna because it allows you to be productive when you need to be, and stylish and modern when you want to be. First, the Galaxy Note 5 Keyboard Cover provides protection for your device. In a world where some don’t mind walking around with their device freed from a protective case of some kind, the Galaxy Note 5 Keyboard Cover allows you to have protection for your device. Next, the Keyboard Cover allows you to have a keyboard when you need it. While the Priv’s keyboard is something you have to slide out and in, you need only detach the keyboard portion from the cover and place it at the bottom of your Note 5 to get typing. Once you’re done, detach it and slap it on the back of your Note 5 to maintain the sleek and stylish look you want. You don’t need to slide the keyboard in or out and worry about whether or not it’ll last with the Galaxy Note 5 Keyboard Cover, as you do with the BlackBerry Priv. You don’t need to worry about having to showcase a phone with the keyboard permanently attached to the bottom of the phone when you have Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 and the Keyboard Cover.
With Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 Keyboard Cover, you get benefits in three areas: 1) protection for your Note 5; 2) productivity with writing emails, texts, typing memos, etc.; and 3) style. None of these are compromised with the Galaxy Note 5 Keyboard Cover – and you’ll spend a lot more time away from the repair shop, giving you more time with your device (that’s the point of buying it in the first place, right?).
BlackBerry took some small inspiration from Samsung with its dual-curve edges, and Samsung took some small inspiration from BlackBerry with the Keyboard Cover. However, Samsung turned it up a notch: instead of going with a physical keyboard in design that would either 1) annoy some customers or 2) prove to break and be a repair headache later on, the Korean giant decided to bring protection, productivity, and style into a Keyboard Cover alongside of the productivity and style of the Galaxy Note 5. Some customers will settle for the productivity, some want productivity and protection, and some want protection, productivity, and style. I want all three.
Samsung has a plethora of phones and tablets in its lineup, and regularly releases firmware updates for various devices. These can include major updates, which bring a newer version of the OS to a particular device, or minor ones that improve performance and stability and fix bugs. Software updates for Samsung devices roll out in various regions every day, and you can find out which firmware updates were pushed out by the company over the last 24 hours through our firmware list.
As usual, you can download each of these firmware from our firmware section (simply enter your device’s model number to view all firmware for that device) in order to update to a new firmware manually, or as a means to return to your phone or tablet’s stock software.
Samsung has a plethora of phones and tablets in its lineup, and regularly releases firmware updates for various devices. These can include major updates, which bring a newer version of the OS to a particular device, or minor ones that improve performance and stability and fix bugs. Software updates for Samsung devices roll out in various regions every day, and you can find out which firmware updates were pushed out by the company over the last 24 hours through our firmware list.
As usual, you can download each of these firmware from our firmware section (simply enter your device’s model number to view all firmware for that device) in order to update to a new firmware manually, or as a means to return to your phone or tablet’s stock software.
Samsung has a plethora of phones and tablets in its lineup, and regularly releases firmware updates for various devices. These can include major updates, which bring a newer version of the OS to a particular device, or minor ones that improve performance and stability and fix bugs. Software updates for Samsung devices roll out in various regions every day, and you can find out which firmware updates were pushed out by the company over the last 24 hours through our firmware list.
As usual, you can download each of these firmware from our firmware section (simply enter your device’s model number to view all firmware for that device) in order to update to a new firmware manually, or as a means to return to your phone or tablet’s stock software.
At the Samsung Electronics 2015 Investors Forum the company talked about some of the new technology that it has come up with which will eventually make its way to consumer devices by next year. There have been conflicting reports recently regarding the Galaxy S7′s camera but about a week back a new trademark application from Samsung was spotted for BRITECELL, and that was believed to be the sensor which would be introduced with the Galaxy S7. While it didn’t confirm that at the Investors Forum, Samsung did reveal BRITECELL.
Head of the Samsung LSI marketing team Kyushik Hong revealed the BRITECELL technology which promises enhanced light sensitivity in low light conditions with less color artifact. The presentation also made it clear that BRITECELL is not the rumored 1/2-inch sensor with large pixels that has been rumored for the Galaxy S7 because it actually has smaller one micron pixels, and Samsung says that this helps reduce module height by 17% while maintaining low light sensitivity at 1.12µm. The sensor is also aided by Samsung’s Smart WDR technology to provide a more detailed image by using multi-exposure for better spatial resolution and Phase Detection Auto Focus or PDAF for faster and more accurate auto focus.
Samsung has not yet confirmed when the BRITECELL technology will be used in its smartphones but it’s safe to assume that the Galaxy S7 could be the first Samsung handset to get it, this would mean that the next flagship’s camera performance will be significantly better than that of its predecessors, particularly when it comes to low light photography where Samsung flagships have often lost out to their LG counterparts. The company is expected to unveil the Galaxy S7 on February 21.
Modern display and telecommunications technology has been a huge boon to sports fans. Giant, curved screens in Ultra High Definition can bring sporting events to life, immersing people in the action.
But in Portugal this fall, lucky sports fans have enjoyed two new opportunities that have brought sports entertainment to the next level—completely enveloped in the action, in 360 degree virtual reality, thanks to the Samsung Gear VR. In September, a professional football game was broadcast live in virtual reality, and then at the end of October, surf enthusiasts were able to watch a surfing competition, all using the cutting-edge Gear VR. Yes, it’s been a good year for the Gear VR, and now sports fans, too, are getting the chance to see what the next generation of media is all about.
World’s First Live VR Broadcast Thrills Football Fans
The Portuguese are among the most passionate football fans in Europe, especially in the city of Oporto, whose team FC Porto has won the Primeira Liga 27 times and the prestigious Champions League title twice. On September 20, FC Porto squared off against Lisbon’s SL Benfica, another Portuguese powerhouse with 34 Primeira Liga titles, also two-time Champions League titlists. When these two teams play each other, the stakes are always high, but on this occasion, the match was further magnified by the presence of Samsung’s Gear VR and five 360degree cameras.
Together with the Portuguese cable operator NOS, SPORT TV, broadcasting specialists Mediapro and the Portuguese Professional Football League, Samsung helped people watch the game via the Gear VR, just as if they were at the stadium – except they were actually in the Samsung Experience Store in Almada and the NOS movie theater at the Centro Colombo shopping mall in Lisbon.
With one special, six-lens, 360 degree camera located behind each goal-line, another behind each team’s bench and another in the stands, people watching could choose from five different amazing vantage points to watch every minute of the thrilling contest.
As soon as the game started, the lucky football fans put on the Gear VR headsets and had that “wow” moment. “It really works. I really feel like I’m on the pitch. Look, it’s Casillas (FC Porto goalkeeper) just in front of me!” said one impressed viewer.
Surf’s Up in 360 Degrees
Another place where the Gear VR made a big splash in Portugal was at the Moche Rip Curl Pro on Supertubos Beach on October 24. The World Surf League teamed up with Samsung to broadcast the championship tour event worldwide for all Gear VR customers.
Even people thousands of kilometers away from Portugal (or from any beach) were able to see for themselves what it’s like to ride the waves, introducing new fans to the sport. There’s nothing like virtual reality for really giving people a sense of the emotions of surfing, not to mention the power of the oceans and the athleticism it takes to surf.
“We believe this is the future of entertainment,” said Frederico Paiva, Business Director of Samsung Portugal. “With this breakthrough technology and our most recent activation with the WSL, we are able to expose more people to the wonders of the sport of surfing.”
“The virtual reality content is amazing and regardless of your athletic ability, you can catch a wave like the pros,” said Chris Culbertson of the WSL. “The cameras enabled fans to see what it was like to be part of the crowd on the beach, in the VIP area and even in the athletes’ lounge, so they could hang out with their favorite surfers.”
You can get a sense of what the immersive surfing experience was like on the Portuguese beach even if you don’t own a Gear VR, with this exciting video from the World Surf League.
The Best Is Yet to Come
Samsung has shown how technology can bring sports even closer to the fans in a way nobody has ever before done in Portugal. In 2014, in the run-up to the FIFA World Football Championship, Samsung did the first ever live multi-platform broadcast of a football match in Ultra High Definition (UHD). The fans had the opportunity to watch the game between the national teams of Portugal and Greece with an unprecedented level of detail and impressive color richness.
And now, whether on the pitch or in the ocean, the Gear VR allows people to experience the reality and passion of sports more deeply than ever. And as these recent events in Portugal show, virtual reality isn’t just science fiction any more—it’s already facilitating the beginning of an amazing new era of the sports entertainment experience.
Water-resistant phones are not everyone’s cup of tea (or java), but there is a market for them. Samsung’s Galaxy S5 was the result of high demand for its AT&T-exclusive Galaxy S4 Active, and the first Active phone (S4 Active) was an AT&T exclusive. The Galaxy S5 Active was also an AT&T exclusive, and Samsung keeps up its carrier-exclusive trend with the Galaxy S6 Active.
Of course, we’ll remind you here that the Galaxy S6 Active bears many marks of the Galaxy S6, including its 5.1-inch, Super AMOLED display with Quad HD screen resolution, its octa-core, 64-bit, Exynos 7420 processor, 3GB of LPDDR4 RAM, a 5MP front camera, 16MP back camera, and a minimum 32GB of storage, though there are some differences: whereas the Galaxy S6 has a fingerprint scanner embedded in the home button, the Galaxy S6 Active does not. Whereas the Galaxy S6 is made of metal and Gorilla Glass 4, the Galaxy S6 Active is made of a Gorilla Glass display but the body is composed of plastic. And, whereas the Galaxy S6 contains no water resistance, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Active retains the water resistance of its predecessors – making the device one of Samsung’s most unique devices in its lineup.
The goal of this review is to point out the S6 Active’s unique profile among Samsung’s Galaxy S6 arsenal (including S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+). While some services and shared components will be discussed here, we suggest you visit our Galaxy S6 and S6 edge review for large-scale details on similar features.
Now, on to the task before us.
Build Quality and Design
The company known for releasing flip phones with smartphone specs has a trademark habit of taking what is old and transforming it. Samsung does this with its plastic build quality on the Galaxy S6 Active. Galaxy S6 and S6 edge users may disagree or dislike the build quality, but there’s no denying that plastic is fantastic. Since receiving my review unit several weeks ago, I’ve dropped (unintentionally, mind you) the device on the floor (both on its face and back) at least 5 times if not more – and the device doesn’t bear a single scratch or crack on the display or back cover.
The plastic build quality may seem dull to some, but Samsung’s got something going on with the design. The plastic build quality consists of a camouflage print on the back of the device, and is offered in white and gray, black, and blue colors. I have been testing the white and gray version with the camo print, and it has its appeal – even among some iPhone fans that saw me pull the device out of the box for the first time. It has a plastic frame around the device and bolts on the back cover (non-removable, for those who want to know), but it does have water resistance.
The S6 Active’s water resistance means that water won’t kill the device, but it also means that your wet hands won’t kill it, either. The water resistance is made possible by the device’s IP68 water and dust resistance rating, meaning that the device is fully protected against dust and foreign objects (the “6”), and can be submerged in about 5 feet of water (1.5 meters) for up to 30 minutes without damage (the “8). To be brief, the device is both “dustproof” and “water-resistant” (not waterproof; there’s a difference.). The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge are beautiful, but they won’t assuage your liquid fears. The Galaxy S6 Active also has been given an Mil-STD-810G rating for its ability to withstand dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, humidity, and high altitude, among the 18 total environmental categories in which the device was tested. For most consumers, the device is element-resistant as well.
One change that Active users will notice with the Galaxy S6 Active concerns the micro-USB port that no longer features the port flap of its predecessors, the Galaxy S5 Active and the Galaxy S5. Samsung has eliminated the flap, which had its share of complaints from S5 Active users last year. Some sort of invisible coat-protected sealing port is here.
The Galaxy S6 Active is no Galaxy S6 edge, but it will more than hold its own in the durability department. Of course, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 edge is rather durable with the tough Gorilla Glass 4. You no longer have to sacrifice beauty for functionality, but the Galaxy S6 Active is still a welcome player in the smartphone race. There’s more to it than meets the eye.
Display
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Active display stands at 5.1 inches, with a screen resolution of 2,560 x 1,440p (Quad HD) and a pixel density of 577ppi (pixels per inch). The Korean manufacturer decided to trade out the LCD panel found in last year’s Galaxy S5 Active with the very best of its AMOLED panels for the S5 Active’s successor. The end result is that you not only get the punchy, in-your-face, vibrant colors that bring everything to life and makes objects more “living” than ever before, but you also see movies and TV shows in a different light.
For more details on Quad HD displays, cheek out our Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge review.
Bring on the Buttons!
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Active takes the old-school and makes it cool again, not just in the plastic build quality but also in the physical touch buttons. You’ve always thought of the three physical touch buttons beneath the Galaxy S5 and S4 Active displays as buttons that perform three tasks: 1) home button, 2) the back button that allows you to revisit a previous webpage, and 3) the page settings button, but Samsung’s brought some surprise to the physical touch buttons in the Galaxy S6 Active. The page settings button has now been transformed into the task manager, a feature that is now compatible with Google’s decision to unify Android’s task managing capabilities so that users can find all their multitasking apps in one place instead of two. Apart from this slight cosmetic bump, Samsung’s physical buttons will make you clamor for physical hardware buttons once more.
Remember the days of dedicated camera buttons? Well, Samsung’s home button doesn’t have a camera icon over it for emphasis, but the home button, like the home button found on all Samsung’s Galaxy S6 flagships this year (and now the new S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note 5), can double as a dedicated camera button. Press it twice in quick succession, and the camera will open quickly.
There is another dedicated camera button on the Galaxy S6 Active: the volume rocker. You can set the volume rocker as the physical camera shutter button so as to take photos without touching the on-screen camera button each time, something all of Samsung’s regular devices support as well. Of course, the volume rocker snaps photos as quickly as the on-screen camera shutter button does. If you miss dedicated camera buttons, you’ll love the multiple buttons available that produce a similar effect in the Galaxy S6 Active.
The Active Key
The last significant button on the Galaxy S6 Active you need to know about is the Active key. The name of the button is fitting (“Active” key for the S6 Active), but the key will likely become “active” to you for a different reason. It is a blue key, right above the volume rocker on the left side of the smartphone. The Active key can be thought of as a “feature shortcut”: when you want to access an app quickly without finding it or tapping an app icon, simply press the Active key and launch the app or feature you desire.
There are two types of presses to launch the apps or functions you desire: a short press and a long press. You can set the short press and long press to a prescripted set of apps and functions. For example, you can set the short press feature to Samsung’s Milk Music Service, Flipboard, or even the Chrome web browser. You can set the long press to the same functions, or even launch the camera from the Active key if it’ll be easier to remember.
It does take some getting used to, though: not because the Active key is hard to press, or requires any extra steps – but due to the traditional habit of finding and tapping on an app icon to launch it. The Active key is very convenient, though, and fits Samsung’s goal with the Galaxy S6 Active’s physical touch buttons. Once you set the Active key with two functions you want to access at the tap of a button, you’ll grin with delight using the Active key each time. For those who want to access their functions with the Active key, you can enable the Active key to work, even while your screen is off and your phone is locked.
I wish this key was available on all Samsung smartphones, as capacitive touch buttons consume more battery than physical ones (I’ve disabled the capacitive touch buttons on my Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S5 for that very reason). I’m more of an old-school/new-school customer who likes a hybrid blend of both the nostalgic and the new, so the Galaxy S6 Active’s physical touch buttons don’t offend me; I embrace them. If you’re more of a capacitive touch button person, they’ll take some getting used to and you may prefer the more on-screen experience.
Cameras
The Galaxy S6 Active front and back cameras are every bit as good as those on the Galaxy S6, S6 edge, and now the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5, seeing that the front 5MP camera and the 16MP back camera both have f/1.9 apertures. When it comes to up-close details, the Galaxy S6 Active is a winner, with the kind of sharp attention to detail that could almost deceive you into thinking that someone painted it (not captured it on camera). Images were stunning, and even in taking pictures across a campus yard, for example, I could still zoom in and read building names that I couldn’t read at a distance. In one particular instance, I remember being able to zoom in on the water bubbles of a water spring inside of a small gazebo area.
The Galaxy S6 Active’s back camera was able to take pictures of gorgeous scenes while maintaining precise attention to the details of cloud cover. The first picture below consists of cloud cover against a blue sky. Up close, it looks as though you can touch the sky with your bare hands. There are some pictures of leaves on the ground, a sign that Fall is here. The picture of the old, rusty steps has a certain strong yet old-fashioned appeal. Still, I’d say that the cloud cover photos are the most beautiful of nature I’ve ever taken. Simply put, the Galaxy S6 Active makes you a photography expert – even when you’re not.
Battery Life and Performance
The Galaxy S6 Active has a monster of a battery, and when you understand that it houses a 3,500mAh battery inside its thin and light body, it makes sense. To put its battery in perspective, the S6 Active’s battery is larger than that of the Galaxy S5 and S5 Active (2,800mAh battery), the Galaxy Note 4 (3,220mAh), the Galaxy S6 (2,550mAh) and Galaxy S6 edge (2,600mAh), as well as the Galaxy Note 5 (3,000mAh).
Now, numbers aren’t everything, so I can’t compare the Galaxy S6 Active to those phones. What I can tell you, however, is that the Galaxy S6 Active’s battery is superb. I spent most of my days testing the device while trying to exhaust the battery. I got bored with exhausting the battery because the battery was extremely long-lasting. When I turned the brightness up to 100%, the Galaxy S6 Active lasted 14-15 hours. When I turned the brightness down to anywhere between 25%-50%, I got over 20 hours on a single charge, and in many cases, 30 hours.
I didn’t get anything over 31 or 32 hours, but enabling Power Saving and Ultra Power Saving Mode will extend your device for long trips. If I could get somewhere between a day and a day and a half with frequent use, imagine how long the device charge would last for someone who uses it lightly? The highest screen on time (SOT) I got with the Galaxy S6 Active was around 13-14 hours.
Speaking of charging, the Galaxy S6 Active does come with fast charging, and the 3,500mAh battery housed in the device usually takes anywhere from 93-100 minutes to charge. The S6 Active takes only 15-20 minutes more (100 minutes total when going from “0″ to “100″) to charge than my Galaxy Note 3, so users shouldn’t notice long charging all that much. As with all devices, you may notice the device is hot when it’s fast charging. For those who have a tendency to pick it up and use it while it’s on the charger, don’t.
I’ve covered the battery life of the device, but you must also know that the device has recorded stellar on-screen time for the last four weeks I’ve been using the Galaxy S6 Active. I’ve gotten nothing below 8 hours SOT, but I have gotten as high as nearly 14 hours. Below are some examples of specific battery life and SOT stats I’ve received for the Galaxy S6 Active over the last month:
Total battery life: 13h 45m 45s; SOT: 10h 6m 21s
Total battery life: 10 h 53m 22s; SOT: 10h 30m 40s
There are a few charge stats here with battery life that seems to be better than others (the 24 or 29-hour days, for example), but a day or two involved the use of Ultra Power Saving Mode at bedtime. As for the SOT stats, multitasking was at play, checking Facebook online, Google+ by way of the native Google app, reading tech news and apps, using Samsung’s Milk Music radio service, watching videos by way of Milk Video, and so on. Also, my brightness was turned down to 25% or less 98% of the time, so brightness levels will play a role in your battery life. While it’s always been said that battery life “varies with usage,” the SOT stats are rather consistent with 10-hour endurance times, though you can expect more depending on how you conserve your battery life on the handset.
What these results tell us is that there’s nothing the Galaxy S6 Active can’t do, whether on the web browser, YouTube, or even Samsung’s Milk Music and Milk Video services. And for those who are wondering about battery life, Samsung’s put battery life in your hands: the Power Saving and Ultra Power Saving modes are there for you to use at your own time. In other words, the user has some responsibility here, too, with battery conservation and usage.
Final Thoughts
My fellow colleagues have gotten their hands on the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, but I’ve been very fortunate to get my hands on the Galaxy S6 Active. I didn’t have a say in their review on Samsung’s Spring Beauties, but I can speak about Samsung’s Johnny-come-later as well as the company’s pre-installed services (Milk Music, Milk Video, and News Briefing) that have enhanced my experience.
Chief among these is Samsung’s News Briefing app that provides a Flipboard-style connected experience with the latest news in a good range of topics. Samsung’s News Briefing app provides limited topics for users, which is a good thing. Although Flipboard, Appy Geek, and others allow you to customize the experience, some users want a basic news app that provides updated information across a number of topics without having to decide the site or source of their news. The News Briefing app does that.
Samsung’s News Briefing app provides new animations to open articles and close them, what I’d call an “origami” folding-style animation. When you open and close an article, the animations mimic opening an origami-folded sheet of paper. This level of polish was not the case with the Galaxy S5’s News Briefing app, and Samsung’s contemporary graphics and origami-style folding animations make the News Briefing app an excellent place to stop in your smartphone experience.
The Theme Store is another favorite place to hang out within Samsung’s new TouchWiz experience. Themes are a new feature to TouchWiz that makes most other UIs (if not all of them) look bad, really bad. Of course, the company provides some dark and light Material Design themes for the vanilla Android fan, but the Material Design themes look too bare and only slightly attractive when stacked up against the Avengers themes, for example. There are some “kiddy” themes (like the pink-colored ones) that you’ll likely avoid, but, then again, themes are like smartphones: all do not appeal to everyone.
As can be seen above, I have nothing but admiration for the Galaxy S6 Active, and things such as the fixed, 32GB of storage, the non-removable battery, and the lack of a fingerprint scanner are tiny compromises when compared to the device’s durability, stellar cameras, and in-built functionality of the physical buttons. However, there is one drawback (and only one): the Galaxy S6 Active is an AT&T US exclusive.
The Galaxy S6 Active is too good of a smartphone to be available for only AT&T customers, when a number of old-fashioned customers on other US carriers (and worldwide carriers, too) would love to pick up this phone. I say these things as someone expressing her opinion, but I recognize Samsung’s right to make its own decisions about exclusive devices such as the S6 Active. I think that it would be a beloved device worldwide if it were given worldwide availability, but if the device has had much success at AT&T, then it’s a win for both AT&T and Samsung. The company has released a water-resistant Galaxy S5 for Sprint last year (called the Galaxy S5 Sport), so there’s hope that Samsung will release water-resistant devices for non-AT&T carriers in the future.
The Galaxy S6 Active is currently available at only AT&T for $129.99 with a two-year agreement (a price drop from when it was first announced), $23.17 with the AT&T Next 24 plan, $28.96 with the Next 18 plan, $34.75 with the Next 12 plan, or $695.10 off-contract, but it’s worth the price for what can be described as “a life companion.”
Finally, the SamMobile team would like to give a special thanks to Samsung for our Galaxy S6 Active review unit.
The best of Latin American culture will be celebrated in Sydney Park this Saturday during a folk festival supported by the City of Sydney.
The Urban Latin Folk Festival will showcase art and cuisine in exhibitions, cultural displays, workshops and live performances at Sydney Park Pavilion thanks to grants from the City.
The inaugural event will include the launch of an original music single and video clip, Latin foods, wines and accessories presented by renowned Sydney-based suppliers.
“The City is delighted to support the Emigro Festival and help it bring the best of Latin America to Sydneysiders,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.
“The surrounding communities of Erskineville, Alexandria, Newtown and Marrickville are renowned for their unique character, and I’m sure they will enjoy the colour and rhythm of Latin folk.”
Latin American band Libelle, which will release its new single Emigro during the Saturday night event, will get hips swinging with folkloric rhythms, while folk band Pukara will combine guitars, bamboo flutes, Andean pipes and Latin percussion.
Music students from Concord West Public School will also play original Latin songs when their school band performs with professional Sydney-based musicians.
The Latin Store from Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building will exhibit colourful products from Chile, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador and Mexico as painter Tamara Martinez and fellow visual artist Anton Olea display their works.
“We will be showcasing upcoming artists to educate Sydneysiders about the urban Latin folk cultural movement in Sydney and around the world,” event organiser Olga Vega said. “The festival is a great night for people of all ages to come along and get a big taste of Latin America.”
Angove Wines is sponsoring the event and Dubology studios, directed by Ivan Ordenes, is the producer.
The grant is part of the City’s latest $1.2 million funding program, which in 2015 is supporting 57 projects that meet the City’s long-term social, economic, cultural and environmental goals. It is part of a $13 million grants program linked to the 10 directions of the City’s community-supported 2030 program.
Over the past 10 years, the City has supported thousands of projects through the Community Grants program valued at $11 million.
Where and when: Sydney Park Pavilion on Saturday 7 November from 5.30pm to 11pm.
Tickets: $15 on the night or contact Olga Vega olga.vega@live.com or phone 0405 537 173.