the reason Samsung ditched SD cards in gs6

[Shanghaichica]

That's not why, it's really a simple reason. Samsung saw all the money Apple was making fleecing its customers on memory upgrades and decided it wanted in on that money train as well.

The question I have is, are most Samsung users willing to pay for it though? If I buy one I would pay for the 128GB version, but I wonder if others would pay for anything more than the base model, especially when they have been used to using SD cards, know that there are other Android OEMs out there who offer SD card expansion.

Apple users have paid for more storage for years so they will carry on. Also many of them are longtime, loyal users who will only use Apple devices so they don't have any choice. Samsung users may simply say, they will buy a HTC M9 instead or buy the G4 if it supports SD cards.

 

[spinedoc77]

"Fleecing" its customers on memory upgrades? Really?

I use the word fleecing a bit sarcastically, really nothing is fleecing if the consumer agrees to pay the money when we are talking about "want" items not "need" items like food and shelter. But when you compare the price of external memory versus what Apple charges for internal memory upgrades there is a marked difference. A 128gb microSD card is what $80 these days? I do agree that internal memory is superior though so there is some offset there.

While Apple offering 16gb to 64gb seems to a better price match than the old 16 to 32, it really isn't because 32gb should be the standard. But even than they are offering 48gb for $100. Samsung makes internal memory, I would assume they would get a much better profit margin off of forcing consumers to upgrade memory. As much as I hate it, it is a sound business decision.

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The question I have is, are most Samsung users willing to pay for it though? If I buy one I would pay for the 128GB version, but I wonder if others would pay for anything more than the base model, especially when they have been used to using SD cards, know that there are other Android OEMs out there who offer SD card expansion.

Apple users have paid for more storage for years so they will carry on. Also many of them are longtime, loyal users who will only use Apple devices so they don't have any choice. Samsung users may simply say, they will buy a HTC M9 instead or buy the G4 if it supports SD cards.

I agree, I don't think consumers will upgrade very much. Add to that the increased cost of the S6 which puts into question if consumers are even going to consider buying it, much less buying it and upgrading the memory. Samsung was better off offering 16gb, microSD, fixing the write to SD issue with Android, and offering it for cheaper. Apple consumers are used to paying for the upgrades and have no choice anyway, there is in iOS phone with external storage.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I use the word fleecing a bit sarcastically, really nothing is fleecing if the consumer agrees to pay the money when we are talking about "want" items not "need" items like food and shelter. But when you compare the price of external memory versus what Apple charges for internal memory upgrades there is a marked difference. A 128gb microSD card is what $80 these days? I do agree that internal memory is superior though so there is some offset there.

While Apple offering 16gb to 64gb seems to a better price match than the old 16 to 32, it really isn't because 32gb should be the standard. But even than they are offering 48gb for $100. Samsung makes internal memory, I would assume they would get a much better profit margin off of forcing consumers to upgrade memory. As much as I hate it, it is a sound business decision.


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I agree, I don't think consumers will upgrade very much. Add to that the increased cost of the S6 which puts into question if consumers are even going to consider buying it, much less buying it and upgrading the memory. Samsung was better off offering 16gb, microSD, fixing the write to SD issue with Android, and offering it for cheaper. Apple consumers are used to paying for the upgrades and have no choice anyway, there is in iOS phone with external storage.

I agree. I don't know what it's like in the US but in the UK, the majority of android phones are free on contract. So I don't know how Samsung are going to price the phone. I can't see a lot of people being willing to pay a subsidy for something which didn't have an upfront cost in the past. The iPhone has always had an upfront cost associated with it, even on contract. If you want a free iPhone on contract you either have to get an older model or wait for about 6 months for the base model (16GB) to become free.

 

[sunking101]

It's sad but Samsung is using brute force with crazy hardware to fix it's software side.

Can you imagine what ios would run like with the gs6 hardware lol

Whether hardware or software gives the end user a fast, responsive phone then it matters not.
Apple skimp on the hardware and the end result isn't anywhere near as pleasing as it could be. iOS users are constantly waiting on a 'software fix' which will cure their performance issues.
So yes, an S6 running iOS would be an amazing phone. Why don't Apple ever want to release an 'amazing phone', that's the question?

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I use the word fleecing a bit sarcastically, really nothing is fleecing if the consumer agrees to pay the money when we are talking about "want" items not "need" items like food and shelter. But when you compare the price of external memory versus what Apple charges for internal memory upgrades there is a marked difference. A 128gb microSD card is what $80 these days? I do agree that internal memory is superior though so there is some offset there.

While Apple offering 16gb to 64gb seems to a better price match than the old 16 to 32, it really isn't because 32gb should be the standard. But even than they are offering 48gb for $100. Samsung makes internal memory, I would assume they would get a much better profit margin off of forcing consumers to upgrade memory. As much as I hate it, it is a sound business decision.

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I agree, I don't think consumers will upgrade very much. Add to that the increased cost of the S6 which puts into question if consumers are even going to consider buying it, much less buying it and upgrading the memory. Samsung was better off offering 16gb, microSD, fixing the write to SD issue with Android, and offering it for cheaper. Apple consumers are used to paying for the upgrades and have no choice anyway, there is in iOS phone with external storage.

The same people who don't mind dropping a wedge on a premium Apple iPhone. Or are people just paying for the logo?

 

[aristobrat]

Samsung users may simply say, they will buy a HTC M9 instead or buy the G4 if it supports SD cards.

True, for this go-round.

I'll be curious to see how many other OEMs follow Samsung's lead and drop the SD on their next update.

 

[MasterRyu2011]

It's probably both. Samsung wants the extra money and I think from speed advantage, internal memory > external memory.

 

[Technarchy]

I think it's a few reasons

1. Cost. No SD parts makes it easier to manufacture with less parts to have to source for the construction. Good for margins

2. User experience. No SD should provide a less complex interface for memory management and more responsive system

3. Money. Want more memory, pony up to get it. Samsung wants to increase margins.

4. Cleaner design and device appearance. Removable batters and SD cards make devices uglier for Samsung it seems.

 

[maflynn]

How many consumers actually used the SD card in their phone. While the hue and cry of the loss of this has been from those who are not considered Samsung's typical customer. I truly believe its not a feature that was being heavily used by the majority of Samsung users

 

[Technarchy]

How many consumers actually used the SD card in their phone. While the hue and cry of the loss of this has been from those who are not considered Samsung's typical customer. I truly believe its not a feature that was being heavily used by the majority of Samsung users

Same for the battery swapping I'm sure. After some market research Samsung probably realized more of their phones were being used like an iPhone.

 

[Shanghaichica]

How many consumers actually used the SD card in their phone. While the hue and cry of the loss of this has been from those who are not considered Samsung's typical customer. I truly believe its not a feature that was being heavily used by the majority of Samsung users

I used them extensively when I was using Samsung devices. I preferred Samsung devices over other android OEMs because they had removable batteries and expandable memory and Touchwiz! However it seems that the majority of the people moaning about them are nexus users who never had those things in their devices in the first place :roll eyes:

As I'm using an iPhone 6 plus I don't think I have the right to moan about it
However I can understand why Samsung did it, they had no choice. As people moaned about their devices being ugly for so long. I personally wasn't bothered about how their phones looked. I was more interested in what they did. I'm currently debating whether to get the 6 edge or the note 4. I'm not interested in the other android OEM's, never have been. However the standard 6 doesn't seem all that different from the iPhone to me now, apart from the fact that it runs android and that it has a higher resolution screen. i see the note 4 more as a different experience to what I have. The 6 edge looks amazing, but apart from the flashing colours for contacts it doesn't do anything more than the note edge does. I watched the presentation and I wasn't as excited as I have been in previous years. Samsung seem to be toning things down a lot. I liked the old Samsung that put everything but the kitchen sink in their devices. but hey that's just me. I might just have to pick up an older device like the note 4 .

 

[spinedoc77]

The same people who don't mind dropping a wedge on a premium Apple iPhone. Or are people just paying for the logo?

Sadly, that is a resounding yes, many people just pay for the logo.

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How many consumers actually used the SD card in their phone. While the hue and cry of the loss of this has been from those who are not considered Samsung's typical customer. I truly believe its not a feature that was being heavily used by the majority of Samsung users

You are probably right. Personally I use mine a LOT, mainly because video on the Note 4 takes up a crap ton of space and I can't upload it over data when I'm out and about. I wouldn't be surprised if consumers needed it for video, they are already familiar with external storage when cameras were a big thing before smartphones.

I just don't buy the aesthetics argument at all. They could have built a 2nd tray next to the sim tray for a microSD, some Chinese android phones have exactly that.

 

[gotluck]

I'm pretty shocked at the absence of the sd card. To me it is a 'why not' feature. There are really no negative consequences other than cost. Too hard for the user to figure it out? - just dont use it. Samsung has gone against the grain with google by including the sd card for so long that I thought it would never end.

Same with the IR blaster, seems like that got dropped too
EDIT:seems like they kept ir blaster, cool

I'm also sore about the removable battery, but I know people have been complaining about Samsung aesthetics for ages. I wonder how difficult it will be to replace an aging battery in the S6. An aging battery is one of the heavy reasons people give me when they end up upgrading their iphones. Have to weight $70 battery replacement (official) versus just investing in a new phone, most of the time on contract people just go for the new phone. Maybe samsung is thinking this too?

For me, some of the reasons I dropped iPhone was for these hardware bells and whistles, but I know I'm no joe blow user

 

[DanGoh]

That's not why, it's really a simple reason. Samsung saw all the money Apple was making fleecing its customers on memory upgrades and decided it wanted in on that money train as well.

Yup yup yup! I feel like I got suckered paying an extra $200 for 128GB on my iPhone 6, but got dam it's nice to have all that space. I've only used like 40GB.

 

[Savor]

Yeah it is a good reason. But is it a good enough reason to omit it?

My guess is Samsung will have a different variant of the S6/S6E. If recall, HTC One M7 didn't have the microsd slot except the Japanese variant which was called HTC J One.

Trust me if there is one thing with Samsung, they will milk the design for what its worth. HTC is doing it right now. Rehashing designs. There will be versions with water-resist, sd slot, removable battery, different SoC, Tizen, etc. Perhaps tone down a few things. Just wait it out because Samsung isn't known to release a limited variant of the S-line.

 

[Sensamic]

The internal memory might be super fast, but the S6 has USB 2.0, so moving movies, music and stuff from the computer to it will still be slow.

 

[Palladium SG]

I fail to see how will how the SD card is a liability when:

-You can simply the put files in the uber fast internal flash if you want more speed for any reason.
-You can't install apps anymore on the SD card.
-The sort of media (video and music) almost everyone is using on a SD card isn't even remotely bottlenecked by SD transfer rates.

 

[Fernandez21]

SD cards have always been a liability, that's why google removed the ability to puts apps on there as they would slow the system down and why apple has always been against them. That being said, I see no reason why music, movie, and pictures couldn't be stored there, as you really won't notice a hit in performance with those files.

 

[Savor]

S5 even with its plastic quality is the most underappreciated Galaxy S ever.

One step forward (design), three steps back (removable battery/sd slot/water & dust resist taken away).

www.zdnet.com/pictures/how-samsung-broke-the-galaxy-s6-in-order-to-compete-with-the-iphone/

S5 - no dealbreakers. Lots of features iPhone didn't have.
S6 - dealbreakers, elimination of features iPhone didn't have.

S6 Edge is the most BEAUTIFUL Samsung phone/product ever. The more I think about the S6 Edge, the more I would like the edges to be non-touch responsive (or disabled) and have the sides flow as a news and sports ticker. Check the stocks too. Makes the phone look really busy like an aquarium full of info flowing on the sides. Oh, the possibilities!

It has FAST & WIRELESS CHARGING but fast charging is quite dangerous at generating heat. I wanted fast charging awhile back but now realize that it is quite dangerous and faster at depleting it... I guess that WALL HUGGER commercial with that removable battery statement is now a moot point.

Perhaps Samsung will return to their senses next year like what LG did last year by bringing back the sd slot and removable batt for the G3. No worries. If there is one thing Samsung is known for is reproducing different products and variants very quickly. This is why Apple uses them as the SoC supplier. Samsung's reliability and speed of production.

Skip the S6 gen if you may... Wait for the S7 Edge or when Samsung finally returns to their senses instead of chasing the loyal and myopic Apple crowd. At least Samsung silenced most of their critics and can truly hang with the Apple, HTC, and Sony of the world when it comes to style. Beautiful S6 Edge... Best-looking ever from Samsung.

 

[epicrayban]

S5 even with its plastic quality is the most underappreciated Galaxy S ever.

One step forward (design), three steps back (removable battery/sd slot/water & dust resist taken away).

www.zdnet.com/pictures/how-samsung-broke-the-galaxy-s6-in-order-to-compete-with-the-iphone/


S6 Edge is the most BEAUTIFUL Samsung phone/product ever. The more I think about the S6 Edge, the more I would like the edges to be non-touch responsive (or disabled) and have the sides flow as a news and sports ticker. Check the stocks too. Makes the phone look really busy like an aquarium full of info flowing on the sides. Oh, the possibilities!

It has FAST & WIRELESS CHARGING but fast charging is quite dangerous at generating heat. I wanted fast charging awhile back but now realize that it is quite dangerous and faster at depleting it... I guess that WALL HUGGER commercial with that removable battery statement is now a moot point.

Perhaps Samsung will return to their senses next year like what LG did last year by bringing back the sd slot and removable batt for the G3. No worries. If there is one thing Samsung is known for is reproducing different products and variants very quickly. This is why Apple uses them as the SoC supplier. Samsung's reliability and speed of production.

Skip the S6 gen if you may... Wait for the S7 Edge or when Samsung finally returns to their senses instead of chasing the loyal and myopic Apple crowd. At least Samsung silenced most of their critics and can truly hang with the Apple, HTC, and Sony of the world when it comes to style. Beautiful S6 Edge... Best-looking ever from Samsung.

I could see Samsung releasing another Active variant again this year with water proofing and user replaceable battery. In fact, that'd make a lot of sense.

Variants for different people with different needs. I love it. Hope it happens.

 

[skratch77]

I fail to see how will how the SD card is a liability when:

-You can simply the put files in the uber fast internal flash if you want more speed for any reason.
-You can't install apps anymore on the SD card.
-The sort of media (video and music) almost everyone is using on a SD card isn't even remotely bottlenecked by SD transfer rates.

I can move and run APS from my SD card on my gs5

 

[skratch77]

SD cards have always been a liability, that's why google removed the ability to puts apps on there as they would slow the system down and why apple has always been against them. That being said, I see no reason why music, movie, and pictures couldn't be stored there, as you really won't notice a hit in performance with those files.

Not true

 

[Fernandez21]

Not true

That's touchwiz, Samsung added it back, but google removed that from stock android with jelly bean I think.

 

[skratch77]

That's touchwiz, Samsung added it back, but google removed that from stock android with jelly bean I think.

This thread is about the gs6 and SD cards and debating on SD cards slowing down system when apps and data are stored on them vs ufs 2.0 internal storage on the device.

 

[Technarchy]

I could see Samsung releasing another Active variant again this year with water proofing and user replaceable battery. In fact, that'd make a lot of sense.

Variants for different people with different needs. I love it. Hope it happens.

The "variants" have also been costing samsung time, resources and money, leading to massive profit declines the past few quarters.

In addition, they have already proven they can't support their massive phone portfolio so it's not really in their interest to have 80,000 phones like they've done previous years.

Focus on a handful of amazing products, with great support and quality marketing. It's just smarter than trying to shotgun blast the market and failing miserably in the process.

 

[epicrayban]

The "variants" have also been costing samsung time, resources and money, leading to massive profit declines the past few quarters.

In addition, they have already proven they can't support their massive phone portfolio so it's not really in their interest to have 80,000 phones like they've done previous years.

Focus on a handful of amazing products, with great support and quality marketing. It's just smarter than trying to shotgun blast the market and failing miserably in the process.

An active variant would make sense though. The same specs as the s6 but for those who don't mind trading off a bit of weight and thinness for water proofing and user replaceable battery.

I suppose they could stop there with their galaxy s line.