Everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S6
The Samsung Galaxy S6 release date could be with us sooner than expected as a raft of Samsung Galaxy S6 rumours start to circulate.Although tradition would suggest the Galaxy S6 will not be unveiled until February next year, latest reports have suggested a huge drop in profits have forced Samsung to push the Galaxy S6 release date forward. The phone could pair this early arrival with an all new look, too.
With the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4 having both been unveiled recently, it is now widely expected that next year's Galaxy S6 release will echo its siblings and adopt a metal design of its own.
Given the Samsung Galaxy S5 was as a strong, albeit slightly iterative update on the Galaxy S4, we expect the Samsung Galaxy S6 to be a more serious refresh which includes a higher resolution, QHD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 or 810 chipset and even, according to some, a flexible body.
With Galaxy S5 sales reportedly falling well short of the Korean manufacturer's expectations, it appears the company is set to put its full force behind the Galaxy S6, bestowing the handset with a bevy of high-end hardware and software features.
Watch our video on what to expect from the Galaxy S6
While some reports are farfetched and others more likely, what is almost certain is that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will launch in early 2015 as a direct rival to the iPhone 6, remaining consistent with previous launches.
Given that the LG G3 has been unveiled with a 2560 x 1440p QHD display, a feature also bestowed on the Note 4, it is a fair prediction that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will also make the jump to a QHD panel.
We will be updating this page with all the latest Samsung Galaxy S6 release date details, leaks, news and rumours as new information emerges. Bookmark it now to ensure you are kept in the loop on all things S6.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Release Date
As you would expect, Samsung has yet to offer any official details on the distant Samsung Galaxy S6 release date. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have an idea as to when the phone will launch.
Like Apple, Samsung has become a creature of habit, with the company’s annual product cycles bringing a level of expectation to certain points in the year. For example, September and the Berlin-based IFA conference means a new Note.
Since the Samsung Galaxy S2, the Korean manufacturer’s flagship phone line has been reserved for unveiling during – or within weeks of – the Barcelona-based Mobile Word Congress conference in February. As such there is no reason to believe this will be different for the S6.
With MWC 2015 to be held between March 2 and 5, we would anticipate that the Samsung Galaxy S6 release date could be confirmed during the manufacturer’s dedicated press conference on either Sunday 1 or Monday 2 March.
This tradition could be thrown off by falling profits, however. With Samsung predicting a 60 per cent fall in annual profits, analysts have suggested the S6 release could be pushed forward in order to stem the rot.
“Samsung’s profits in the mobile division will continue to deteriorate during this period of changing their line of smartphones,” Lee Min-hee, an analyst at IM Investment and Securities, told The New York Times.
Speaking with Bloomberg, Claire Kim, an analyst with Daishin Securities Co in Samsung's native Korea added: “We all know Samsung’s third-quarter earnings will be pretty ugly. The earlier release of its new phones could be reflected in its third-quarter earnings, it could give them a slight boost.”
We will of course update this post as soon as more concrete Samsung Galaxy S6 release date details are available.
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Samsung Galaxy S6 News
Although the company has remained quiet on confirmed details, Samsung has already teased aspects of its future smartphones, a list expected to include the Samsung Galaxy S6.
Making the announcement during its annual Analyst Day in Korea last November, Samsung revealed that in late 2014 its first phones to run a 2560 x 1440 pixel WQHD displays will land. This timeline came to fruition with the Note 4.
Although not the company's first device to feature such a screen, the Samsung Galaxy S6 looks set to make the jump beyond the S5’s 1080p Full HD offering.
Despite being the company’s flagship phone, it appears that the Galaxy S6 will fall between Samsung’s technology cycles.
Although Samsung has confirmed it will bring 3,840 x 2,160 pixel UHD displays to its smartphone offerings during 2015, it is believed the Samsung Galaxy S6 will arrive too early to benefit from this next-gen panel. Instead, however, the S6 looks likely to mimic the rumoured LG G3 with a QHD display.
Offering a further insight into the Samsung Galaxy S6’s screen, Samsung’s promise to continue its push into AMOLED displays leaves little doubt in the technology within the phone’s panel. As such deep blacks and reasonable kindness to the battery can be expected.
Lower than expected S5 sales have reportedly forced Samsung to reassess its smartphone efforts, with the company said to be ready to put more emphasis on high-end design and premium materials.
"They made one mistake, one product that didn't hold up to expectations and they are paying the price," Counterpoint analyst Tom Kang said speaking on the slow S5 sales recently. "They will have to move forward and leave behind what has failed and focus on the next product."
It's not just analysts predicting a renewed smartphone effort from the Apple and HTC rival, Samsung itself has pledged to improve its handsets moving forward.
"We will strengthen our product competitiveness by reinforcing our premium brand reputation, powerful product line-up, and cutting-edge technology," an official Samsung spokesperson stated.
Now, claimed insiders have told Chinese media that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will be bestowed with a premium, metal design, much like the new Samsung Galaxy Alpha. The metal S6 body has been tipped by 'sources within Samsung’s supply chain’.
If moving to a new, metal form, Samsung will hope to avoid to construction issues which have troubled the release of the Galaxy Note 4.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Rumours
As with the S5 before it, there have already been suggestions that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will feature a curved, flexible display. With Samsung having already announced handsets with curved displayed - we're looking at the Samsung Galaxy Round and Samsung Galaxy Note Edge here - we can’t see the manufacturer risking its flagship brand with this novel technology. As such the flexible phone will be a separate handset in its own right and the S6 will be a more traditional offering.
With size being almost as important to Samsung as image quality, it has again been rumoured that the Galaxy S6 will feature a larger display than its predecessors. With the Samsung Galaxy S range having risen from 4-inches to 5.1-inches in just five generations, we can see the S6 topping off somewhere around the 5.2 or 5.3-inches. With the S5 still featuring quite a sizeable bezel, there is certainly room for Samsung to squeeze a larger display into a similar sized frame in 2015.
Another Samsung Galaxy S6 rumour that has already started to rumble – and will likely follow the phone to launch – is claims of Samsung finally ditching its fascination with plastic in favour of a more premium build quality. It has even been suggested that the S6 could utilise graphene in elements of its design as Samsung makes progress with the material.
Following a recent graphene development by Samsung, industry experts praised the potential implications.
"This is one of the most significant breakthroughs in graphene research in history," SAIT Lab leaders said. "We expect this discovery to accelerate the commercialisation of graphene, which could unlock the next era of consumer electronic technology."
Although there has been much talk about the first Tizen phones, Android will remain the OS of choice for the Samsung Galaxy S6, a feature seemingly confirmed by the manufacturer. Yoon Han-kil recently stated that Android "still needs to be out main business," despite the continued push of Tizen.
Depending on Google's plans, it's likely the Galaxy S6 will run either Android 4.5 or Android 5.0.
A selection of Samsung Galaxy S6 concept designs have also surfaced, though they're little more than fan 'visions' that offer little in terms of a reliable insight into the phone. One feature we'd like to see, however, is forward-facing stereo speakers similar to the HTC One M8.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Specs
The Samsung Galaxy S6 specs sheet will feature a number of cross over features from the S5, with a wealth of new offerings thrown into the mix. Given the focus Samsung has heaped on the S5’s water resistant coating, fingerprint scanner incorporating home button and rear-mounted heart rate sensor, you can all but guarantee that both will make another appearance next year and hopefully in improved form as well.
In terms of power, however, things are all change, and the chipset likely to feature within the Samsung Galaxy S5 has already been unveiled. In early April, processing giant Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 808 and Snapdragon 810 CPUs. These chips are set to appear in their first handsets during "early 2015," a window that fits the expected Samsung Galaxy S6 release date.
With the Samsung Galaxy S5 running a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 chipset following the S4’s own Snapdragon 600 internals, the Samsung Galaxy S6 looks set to run either the 808 or 810 units.
Knowing what processor the handset will run has seen a number of further Samsung Galaxy S6 specs teased.
According to Qualcomm, the processing units will allow for everything from UHD 4K displays to be supported to the introduction of Cat 6 LTE connections and the option to run up to 55-megapixel camera sensors.
At present the 64-bit, six-core Snapdragon 808 processor is looking the more likely to feature, with support for display resolutions up to 2560 x 1600 pixels fitting with claims of a WQHD S6 screen. The 808 will also introduce LPDDR3 memory, a range of battery management improvements and an Adreno 418 GPU that will boost graphical performances by a reported 20 per cent.
There is currently no word on the phone's camera, although we would be surprised if the S6 didn't improve on the S5's existing 16-megapixel snapper.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Price
The Samsung Galaxy S6 price is one area where there are currently few details available. Given the flagship nature of the ‘Galaxy S’ range, however, there is no point holding out for a wallet-friendly fee.
At launch the Samsung Galaxy S5 cost £579 on a SIM-free basis. As such, we can’t see the Samsung Galaxy S6 price starting off much lower than the £600 marker.
For all the latest Samsung Galaxy S6 rumours, including details on the phone’s specs and release date, bookmark this page now as it will continue to evolve as new information emerges.
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