The Galaxy S7 edge is an excellent smartphone. It's the culmination of Samsung's experience with making devices with dual edge displays for a year and fixes virtually every shortcoming that plagued the Galaxy S6 edge. But despite being a year old, the Galaxy S6 edge is still a top-notch phone, and if you have been looking for reasons to stick to your S6 edge and not grab the Galaxy S7 edge, we're here to help.
Edge screen still feels unfinished
The curves on the displays of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7 edge are what make them special in terms of design, but when it comes to functionality, the Edge screen is still not a truly helpful feature. You can't exactly do a lot with edges so small, which means the Galaxy Note Edge still reigns supreme when it comes to putting the Edge screen to actual use. The Marshmallow update did bring new functionality though, and that's actually another reason to stick to your S6 edge as Marshmallow puts the S6 and S7 edge on equal footing on the functionality front.
The Galaxy S6 edge feels more premium
Don't be mistaken – the Galaxy S7 edge feels extremely great in the hand, but the Galaxy S6 edge feels more premium. Why? Because the smoother edges and curves on the Galaxy S7 edge make it better for ergonomics but also make the metal on the sides less noticeable. The metal rim on the S6 edge cuts into your hand and offers a sharper feel, which in turn results in it being the more premium of the two when you're actively using either device. Again, ergonomics and handling are better on the S7 edge, but the S6 edge is great if you're one who wants a phone to feel like it's a flagship smartphone worth a flagship price tag.
Galaxy S6 edge is smaller in size, better for VR
The S6 edge isn't just smaller, but its 5.1-inch screen makes it pretty much the perfect phone for those looking for a balance between display size and usability. The Galaxy S7 edge's 5.5-inch screen puts it into the phablet category, and anyone not comfortable with such large displays only has the Galaxy S6 edge as an option in Samsung's Edge smartphone lineup.
Furthermore, the smaller screen means the S6 edge has higher display pixel density, which makes it more suitable for watching things in virtual reality with Samsung's Gear VR. 4K displays are what you need to truly enjoy virtual reality, but at this point the S6 edge and its 5.1-inch screen will get you sharper content when you have the Gear VR around your eyes.
The S6 edge takes higher-resolution 16:9 photos
The camera on the Galaxy S7 edge has been heralded as the best currently on the market, and it is miles better in low-light conditions than any Samsung flagship that has come before (thanks to the larger pixels). But it is only a 12-megapixel unit, and worse, it takes photos in the 4:3 aspect ratio. Lower resolution means anyone upgrading to the Galaxy S7 edge from the S6 edge would find themselves limited in terms of how much they can zoom in on a photo to see the finer details.
With the 4:3 aspect ratio, viewing these photos on a TV or another big screen device will show you black bars on either side, which is also the case on the phone's display. It's never a nice feeling to see your photos like that, but it is exactly what you will get considering how most displays these days use the 16:9 aspect ratio.
Galaxy S6 edge has an IR blaster
Yes, this is one of the biggest reasons some might want to stick with their Galaxy S6 edge. The IR blaster can come in really handy at times, and as our polls have indicated, there is a huge swathe of consumers that regularly uses a smartphone to control remote-enabled appliances. It doesn't look like an IR blaster will ever come back to Samsung's smartphone lineup, so you would be better off sticking with the Galaxy S6 edge for as long as you can.
What do you think? Is there any other reason you can think of that make the Galaxy S6 edge worth holding on to even with the Galaxy S7 edge on the market?
