Double-edged beauty

Samsung's hit it out of the park with the Galaxy S6 edge+

Aesthetically, I personally believe no other device comes close - everything's been blended excellently. Even for someone who doesn't like phones with protruding cameras, this one is the rare exception.
We have a 5.7" beast that seems to make anything you see on it fly off the screen. The quad-HD Super Amoled screen makes everything a joy to view. The Edge Handle allows you to do a variety of shortcut-y stuff: with it, you can now easily access some of your favourite contacts or most-used apps.
Now on to that protruding camera. As I said, I like it this time around because of the overall design, as well as the great photos it delivers. The main snapper is a 16MP module and delivers good images even in low-light conditions. And I hear that the sound on it is much better than its predecessors in the Galaxy range.
Battery life, however, seems to be an issue. With garden-variety functions - including calling, messaging and e-mailing - it could leave you with about 50 per cent juice at the end of the day. Imagine how that would fare if you'd run roughshod, playing games or watching HD videos; add that in and you're looking at an almost-drained device before bedtime.
On the bright side, wireless charging is supported, and you can fully charge your phone in about 90 minutes, either through wireless or wired means.
You get two storage options - 32GB and 64GB - although this could be better with a 128GB option, since the phone is capable of shooting 4K videos. At least, this time around, there's only about 7GB of storage eaten up by the OS - Android 5.1 Lollipop, by the way - which is down from the ridiculous 12GB-ish size of Samsung's previous devices. And not to disappoint you further - but there's still no micro SD slot in sight.
Samsung Pay has also been introduced here, although it will initially be available only in select markets. 
AND SO...
Of course, you have to be prepared to shell out a premium given the looks and performance of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, but merely having one in your hands will make you stand out.
The South Korean company has done an excellent job with this smartphone and seems to be delivering on its promise of redoing things; Samsung has set the precedents in unique designs, and it will be interesting to see what clever ideas come up next.
alvin@khaleejtimes.com

EXTRA BYTE
Lenovo Phab Plus
Talk about huge things... Lenovo takes things to a whole new level by making anything below 6" look like a grape with the Phab Plus. It's a huge 6.8" monster and the brand says it's a new segment they want to take full advantage of. Mind you, despite its size, one-handed operation is still somehow convenient. And it comes, curiously, at a very attractive price. (Dh999)
Lytro Illum
"Sleek" was the first thing that came to mind when I first saw this. This shooter boasts a new concept called Living Pictures, thanks to its very own Light Field Technology, "pushing shutterbugs to experiment with diverse images, whether it is the rugged beauty of nature or a defining moment at a wedding". (Dh4,999)

Lenovo Phab Plus

Lytro Illum

• Hard Drive