At the Mobile World Congress today, Samsung unveiled two flagship handsets, Galaxy S6 and its the curvy and stylish sibling, the Galaxy S6 Edge. The new S iterations are a complete overhaul and triumph over the bugs and lags of the previous releases. Both the premium gadgets proved to be the showstoppers of the event. At the same event, Samsung also announced the arrival of its new payment system.
Coming back to the stars of the show, both the smartphones sport a new design language with an all glass front and back highlighted with stainless steel. The Galaxy S6 is standard in appearance, while the edgy Galaxy S6 is the one that gathers the extra points for its one-of-a-kind design. Galaxy S6 Edge has appealing displays on either edge.
Talking about the internal specifications of the handsets, then the two bad boys pack a punch. The devices are almost identical and differ only in terms of their processor and battery power. The S6 is equipped with the latest 2.1 GHz Exynos octa-core processor, while a peppier 2.5 GHz Exynos octa-core chipset is embedded on to the edgy Galaxy S6.
The RAM capacity of both the devices stands equal at 3 GB. The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge resemble the iPhone in their storage capacity options. Just like Apple’s flagship, the two phones come in three variants – 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB, all based on UFS 2.0 (Universal Flash Storage).
Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge
Both the phones run on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with TouchWiz UI on top. A 2550mAh battery is fixed to power Galaxy S6 and a slightly higher 2600mAh battery supports the S6 Edge. The handsets sport a new 5.1-inch Super AMOLED QuadHD display that delivers eye burning sharpness.
Considering the camera, then 16MP rear shooter with Optical Image Stabilization sits on the phone, along with a 5MP snapper that grabs a spot at the top the screen. With the new flagships, Samsung introduced quick charging and wireless charging capabilities along with Fingerprint scanner. The connectivity options comprise of LTE Cat 6, Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi.
Finally, the day has arrived which all of us were waiting for. The extravagant smartphone carnival, Mobile World Congress kicked off in Barcelona and we brought the ground report from the show, live.
HTC took the veils off the much-awaited product from their stable, the One M9. It impressed us with its all-metal unibody design that had mirror polished gold sides. Alongside HTC, Samsung too made a big entry with its two high-end, metallic devices, Galaxy S6 Edge and Galaxy S6.
All of these phones pack quite a good set of specs. Let’s have a look at the detailed specs sheet that compares the three of them.
SPECS
HTC One M9
Samsung Galaxy S6
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Display
5-inch Full HD
5.1-inch QuadHD Super AMOLED (577ppi)
5.1-inch QuadHD Super AMOLED (577ppi)
Processor
64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core
2.1 GHz Quad + 1.5 GHz quad Exynos 64-bit
2.1 GHz Quad + 1.5 GHz quad Exynos 64-bit
RAM
3GB
3GB
3GB
Storage
32GB
32GB/64GB/128GB
32GB/64GB/128GB
Expandable Upto
128GB
–
–
Main Camera
20MP with Auto-focus, BSI sensor
16MP with F1.9 + OIS
16MP with F1.9 + OIS
Front Camera
HTC UltraPixel
5MP
5MP
Battery
2840mAh
2550mAh
2600mAh
Operating System
Android 5.0 Lollipop with HTC Sense
Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
Price
Rs.
Rs. 49,900
Rs. 58,900
Samsung’s new bad boys clearly have a winning list of specs on the table. The only disappointment with the S6 siblings is the lack of expandable storage. These gadgets will hit the stores by April and then the consumers will get to decide which metallic marvel gets the podium finish.
Samsung has announced its own version of Apple Pay, titled Samsung Pay at MWC 2015. With S-Pay customers can make secure mobile transactions. Samsung has collaborated with Visa and Mastercard and is planning to further expand the eco-system with the likes of American Express, Bank of America, Citi, JP Morgan and US Bank.
Samsung offers this capability by deploying a technology called Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST). Consumers can use Samsung Pay in merchant locations regardless of whether the terminals support NFC or traditional magstripe, which is the vast majority of existing terminals.
The system essentially relies on the Galaxy S and Note devices fingerprint sensor. Users just need to swipe up from the bottom to launch the Samsung Pay app, choose their credit card and simply authenticate the transaction with their fingerprint. Proper safety measures have been taken, Samsung has integrated the system with its KNOX platform, ARM TrustZone and tokenization.
Samsung claims it has tied up with 90% retailers in the US already. Samsung Pay launches in the United States and Korea in the summer, while other regions (such as Europe and China) will follow later. The first devices to support it will be the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
Samsung finally brought its latest flagships, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge to India. With these two premium devices, Samsung has introduced a new metal and glass based design architecture that is much better that its previous devices. Here we take a look at how these two top-of-the-line devices differ from each other in their spec sheets.
Overall, both Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are exactly identical, and only sections that differ slightly is the processor and battery power. Both of them sport a 5.1-inch QuadHD Super AMOLED (577ppi) and feature 3GB LPDDR4. The former handset is powered by 2.1GHz Exynos octa-core, while the latter embeds a bit powerful 2.5 GHz Exynos octa-core processor. Running on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with 16MP rear and 5MP front snapper, the standard Galaxy S6 gets its juice from the 2550mAh battery. On the other hand, its curvy counterpart boasts a slightly robust 2600mAh battery.
Samsung Galaxy S6 vs S5 Back
New Bumper Case
We have pitted them against each other for a closer look at their specifications:
SPECS
Samsung Galaxy S6
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Display
5.1-inch QuadHD Super AMOLED (577ppi)
5.1-inch QuadHD Super AMOLED (577ppi)
Processor
2.1GHz Exynos octa-core
2.5 GHz Exynos octa-core
RAM
3GB
3GB
Storage
32GB/64GB/128GB
32GB/64GB/128GB
Expandable Upto
–
–
Main Camera
16MP + OIS
16MP + OIS
Front Camera
5MP
5MP
Battery
2550mAh
2600mAh
Operating System
Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
Network
4G LTE
4G LTE
Bluetooth
4.1 + LTE
4.1 + LTE
Price and Availability
Samsung will be bringing the Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge with all their accessories to India and they will be available for purchase from the 10th of April. The Galaxy S6 is priced at Rs. 49,900 for the 32 GB variant, Rs. 55,900 for the 64 GB and Rs. 60,900 for the 128 GB variant.
The curvy S6 Edge is priced at Rs. 58,900 for the 32 GB variant, Rs, 64,900 for the 64 GB and Rs. 70,900 for the 128 GB variant..
The devices will be available in all the colour variants (White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum) that were showcased during their international launch. The Galaxy S6 will have an additional colour option of Blue Topaz while the S6 Edge will be available in Green Emerald.
Samsung has also offered some goodies for folks who pre-order their new phones before the April 10th release date. The company is offering 10,000 points to the customers in case the price of the device falls. It is also offering free screen replacement warranty for twelve months from the date of purchase.
We barely have a day before Samsung officially unveils its flagship smartphone to the world in Barcelona. A lot is at stake here for the Korean manufacturer. The device is supposed to redefine Samsung’s approach to design and features. The Korean electronics giant has really come to struggle in the market in the past couple of years and it is imperative the company comes out with an exceptional device.
The rumors of the upcoming S6 have been encouraging with a continuous onslaught of leaks and teasers, and we’ve gathered it all here in one place.
What can we expect from the new Galaxy S6, here’s a compilation of our calculated prediction as to what can we expect from the next big thing from Samsung.
Rumor mill suggests the upcoming Galaxy S6 will get a Super AMOLED Quad HD display anywhere between 5-5.5 inches with Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The Galaxy S5 sports a 5.1 inch display, and as we’ve seen in the past, large screen sizes are reserved for the Galaxy Note phablet range. Hence we can expect a smaller screen size, something in line with the Galaxy S5.
What about curves, will the Galaxy Edge get a curved edge? Well, going by the most recent leak from T-Mobile, it’s a YES. The picture titled “SIX APPEAL” clearly shows a Note Edge like device. Samsung had hinted before that the S6 will have a curved screen, and the image gives a clear view of the curved display. Some even suggest that Samsung will be extending it to both sides of the device.
The Galaxy Note Edge made quite a stir with its unusual and distinct design, so its a reason good enough for Samsung to bank upon this idea.
NEW DESIGN AND BODY
Plastic or metal, this could be anyone’s guess. Samsung has been flaunting new metal bodied phones, such as the all-metal Samsung Galaxy A5, Galaxy A3 along with the Galaxy A7.
The latest teaser by T-Mobile clearly shows grey metal body visible around the display, hence we can expect the Korean manufacturer to bolster its image with a premium metal clad smartphone.
CAMERA
We saw some awesome camera performance with the Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy Note 4, both of which came with 16 megapixel cameras, though the Galaxy S5 lacked OIS; a significant feature appreciated in the iPhone 6 Plus. So it’s a reason good enough that Samsung would bring this feature in their latest flagships’s camera.
Galaxy S5’s 16-megapixel camera is one of the best smartphone cameras around.
As we’ve seen in the past, Samsung usually increases the megapixel count with their new models. Samsung’s senior VP in a blog post recently stressed upon the fact how they have been constantly working on improving the cameras used in the Galaxy Series. In addition, Jang also stressed on the importance of the selfie cam, and duly noted that it forms an essential part of the whole ecosystem.
A recent report suggested a 20 MP camera sensor along with OIS and a 5 MP front facing shooter on the Galaxy S6 prototype. Both cameras are likely to include sensors from Samsung.
PROCESSOR, MEMORY AND STORAGE
Rumours suggest Samsung may be opting for its in-house Exynos 7420 for the first batch, and probably even make different variants of the phone. The Exynos 7420 is a 64-bit chip with four Cortex-A53 and four Cortex-A57 cores.
The Korean manufacturer plans to ditch Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips with the Galaxy S6 as it reportedly faces overheating issues. As we’ve seen with its earlier flagships, Samsung will make different variants of the Galaxy S6 with different chipsets for different markets.
On the memory front, the phone is rumoured to come in 32, 64 and 128 GB variants. Samsung is likely to equip the Galaxy S6 with 3GB of RAM, along with a microSD slot that is expandable upto 128 GB.
OS and TouchWiz
TouchWiz sitting atop Android 5.0 Lollipop should be the standard norm of the day. A recent report says Samsung will chuck many of its own programs in its forthcoming TouchWiz user interface. Instead Samsung will bundle Microsoft apps including OneNote, OneDrive, Office Mobile, and Skype.
Samsung’s TouchWiz is getting final touches before its anticipated announcement in Barcelona. And Samsung is apparently being sensible as it’s doing away with its own bloatware which included apps like S Health and S Note.
It’s likely be a toned down version of TouchWiz on the new device, in an attempt to improve the overall performance and responsiveness of the device.
FEATURES
The Galaxy S6 will reportedly get a host of new features. It may feature dual front speakers like the HTC Boomsound. Meanwhile, Samsung itself has dropped a lot of hints about its next-gen flagship. For instance, we can expect the Galaxy S6 to get wireless charging and fast charging capabilities. Rumour also has it that it’ll get a fingerprint sensor.
While, recent reports also suggest that the Galaxy S6 will have support for Gear VR, currently compatible only with the Galaxy Note 4.
MULTIPLE VARIANTS
The Korean giant is expected to launch the Samsung Galaxy S6 flagship along with the anticipated curved-display variant, rumoured to be called Galaxy S6 Edge at the Galaxy Unpacked 2015 event.
Hence we can expect multiple variants of its new flagship, with and without curved displays. Which makes sense as the Galaxy S6 might be akin to a more traditional flagship, while curved could be the model that brings a different flavour to the flagship.
Launch, availability and Price
Samsung has already sent out teasers and invitations for its forthcoming Galaxy Unpacked event on 1st March in Barcelona at MWC. Samsung’s earlier flagship model, the Galaxy S5 was unveiled at MWC 2014. The phone went on sale just a few weeks later, hence we can expect the Korean manufacturer to do the same with its upcoming flagship – the Galaxy S6.
Tentative release date for the Galaxy S6 is rumored to be somewhere between March 22 too April 19. A recent report claims that similar to last year, Samsung will release its flagship champion(s) in the Indian market in early-to-mid April. Indian customers can place pre-orders for the Galaxy S6 starting mid-March.
As far as pricing goes, Samsung tends to stick to the same pricing for its Galaxy Range. Initially, it is expected to be priced exorbitantly, easily above Rs. 60,000, which will likely come down to Rs. 50,000 within months (knowing Samsung). In short, it’s going to cost a lot of money, and we hope it’s worth it for prospective buyers.
Samsung will probably be launching its new flagship, the Galaxy S6 sometime in the first or second quarter of 2015. The company has codenamed the Galaxy S6 as Project zero which signifies that the company is building it from zero-base.
Apart from confirming that Project Zero is the real deal, rumours also revealed some more important information about the device.
Along with this, the publication also pointed out that the company usually tests multiple variants of its flagship device before actually releasing them. According to the conversation on Reddit, it seems that Samsung is testing at least three variants of the Galaxy S6, one with a one-sided curved edge display, another with a dual-sided curved edge display, and one more with a normal display.
The new flagship is expected to come with a Snapdragon 810 or Exynos 7420 processor, with octa-core technology. Although internal storage is not expected to be increased beyond 128GB. That said, a AnTuTu leak revealed that the S6 may come with a 64-bit octa-core Exynos 7420 processor and ARM Mali T-760 GPU backed by 3GB of RAM. Samsung, however, has been raving about 4GB RAM developments so we’d expect them to appear in the S6. It also was shown with 32GB storage. It is being rumoured that the Galaxy S6 might feature a 20-megapixel camera with OIS and 4K video recording.
Recent rumours have also revealed that Xiaomi is working on a dual screen device; it will be interesting to see who wins the dual edge screen war!
