Consumer Reports puts Samsung's new smartphone to the test

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Samsung's ad campaign touts the all-new design of the Galaxy S6.

Consumer Reports has put the smartphone through a battery of tests - for everything from ease of use, to camera quality, to sound quality.

The tests results are in and the S6 landed below the older, S5, in Consumer Reports' ratings.

It's rare to have a new phone score lower than the phone it's replacing.

"Samsung gave the S6 an all-new design of metal and glass instead of plastic," said Glenn Derene of Consumer Reports. They also got rid of the removable battery and the card slot for extra storage. Loss of these features and its shorter battery life are some of the

reasons the S6 fell behind its predecessor in our ratings."

The new design also isn't water resistant like the S5, although it does offer wireless charging that works with both major standards: Qi and Powermat.

Samsung's Galaxy phones have typically beaten out iPhones in Consumer Reports' ratings. But not this time.

"The S6 and iPhone 6 are essentially tied in our ratings when it comes to ease of use, messaging, web browsing," said Derene.

The S5 remains Consumer Reports top-rated phone. And its base price is less - $500 without a contract, compared to $600 for the S6 and $650 for the iPhone 6.