Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ officially announced

A brand new larger variant of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge was announced by the company alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note5. The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ differs from the regular model with a bigger 5.7 inch display, larger 3000mAh battery and a larger overall size.

In terms of hardware, Samsung offers an octa-core Exynos 7420 processor with 4GB of LPDDR2 RAM. Storage capacities vary from 32GB all the way up to 128GB, and with Samsung's recent trend of omitting microSD storage, users will have to choose the storage option which bests suits them when they purchase their new device.

On the software side, you get Android 5.1 Lollipop, customized with the latest version of Samsung's TouchWiz user interface. The Galaxy S6 edge+ uses the dual edges as a shortcut from any screen to users’ top contacts and apps. ‘Apps edge’ allows users to access their favorite apps by just swiping the edge display, while ‘People edge’ helps users quickly find their favorite contacts and send messages, or give a call directly from any screen.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ also features full HD Live Broadcast, which lets users instantly stream video straight from the phone to any individual, group of contacts, or even the public through YouTube Live. Anyone who receives the YouTube link from a Galaxy S6 edge+ or Note5 user is able to enjoy live broadcast from his or her smartphone, tablet, PC or Smart TV.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ also benefits from Samsung’s camera functions, such as including Quick launch, Auto Real-time High Dynamic Range (HDR), Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), and brand-new filters. The device also features Ultra High Quality Audio (UHQA) to upscale audio streams and files for richer, high-quality sound. UHQA is supported over Bluetooth on Samsung’s next generation wireless audio accessories.

SideSync 4.0 support is included as well, offering both wireless and wired PC-smartphone integration for easy connection across devices. Thanks to auto-detection and an ultra-quick setup, users can instantly connect their Samsung device to their PC or tablet to respond to text messages, answer phone calls or access and share files and data.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ will be available in the United States on August 21, with pre-orders beginning today, August 13, at 3pm EDT. The phablet will be sold in two colors, and it will be priced a fair bit more expensively than its predecessor. The unlocked base 32GB model will cost about $800 in the USA, and as much as 800 euro in European countries. Comparably, the regular 32GB Galaxy S6 edge retails for about $660 or 600 EUR unlocked.