Samsung Galaxy S6 sacrificed what it does best in its war with Apple

Pursuit of premium design and slender profile have come at the cost of losing what made the company's smartphones interesting and different

The announcement of Samsung's new flagship Galaxy S6 smartphones has caused quite a stir, with a new design, interesting features, and a stripped back approach - but the company has lost what made its phones different in its war with Apple.

Samsung has been the dominant player in the smartphone market since it took the top spot in global smartphone shipments from Apple in 2011. The phone to help it do that was the Galaxy S2, Samsung's first hit, which succeeded because it was both different and capable.

Samsung's use of metal and glass addresses shortcomings of last year's all-plastic Galaxy S5 - good move. pic.twitter.com/PjKPHayM0k

No removable battery, no external sd slot no thank you.

Without the ability to change the battery, the Galaxy loses the main point of having it. As to the astonished people who can't conceive of someone carrying a spare battery that always respond to this, just accept that some people have a bit of foresight.

Samsung seem to have been influenced by the reviewers who keep harping on about its phones being made of plastic, so they've gone down the "style over substance" route and put the phone in a shiny package while at the same time introducing two major downgrades (replaceable battery and Micro SD slot).

As someone who uses a phone because of its functionality, rather than as a fashion accessory or status symbol, this is a disappointment. I think I'll stick with my S4, which still works perfectly and hasn't been "dumbed down" like this new one.

Ha! Just as I was considering switching from an iphone to a Samsung because of the SD card memory capability. Maybe I'll end up with a HTC or LG after all...