The Galaxy S6 is a massive smartphone release for Samsung in a variety of ways. Firstly, it is an important time for the Korean manufacturer, as its recent financial results have been pretty disappointing. After initially being bullish about its prospects during 2014, Samsung had to make a pretty large climb down, admitting that its sales have been much worse than expected, and even that its recent mobile devices have been lacking in innovation and sufficient response to technological and market evolution.
Secondly, the Galaxy S5 was not exactly a roaring success. It would perhaps be harsh to describe the previous iteration of the Galaxy S series as a flop, but the Wall Street Journal reported in November 2014 that the device had sold roughly 40 percent less units than Samsung had anticipated.
In this context there is a lot of pressure on Samsung to produce something outstanding with the Galaxy S6. Despite rumors that it could debut at least in some form of preview at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it appears that Samsung still has the Mobile World Congress earmarked for the unveiling of this smartphone. But what can we expect to see when the curtains are finally drawn on this product? Here is how the Galaxy S6 may differ from its Galaxy S5 cousin.
Samsung Galaxy S6 versus Galaxy S5
Curved screen
It looks increasingly likely that Samsung will include its trademark curved screen technology in this latest flagship smartphone. This was predicted quite some time ago, particularly after it produced its first mobile device with a curved screen when it released the Galaxy Note 4. However, since then this trend in the marketplace has moved on considerably, and more smartphones featuring curved designs were exhibited at CES 2015. Additionally, there are even rumors that Apple will embrace the technology in the next generation of iPhones, and with this in mind it seems almost certain that Samsung will create a curved screen device for the Galaxy S6.
The design of the Galaxy S5 also didn’t particularly impress, and Samsung may be inclined to produce a fully metallic build this time round. The plastic finish of the galaxy S5 was particularly poorly received, and this may induce Samsung to make radical changes with the Galaxy S6.
In accordance with these expectations, images purported to be picturing the Galaxy S6 featuring a metal chassis have been leaked in recent days.
Display
The Super AMOLED technology included in Samsung’s mobile range is extremely popular and well regarded, but the HD resolution of the Galaxy S5 display is not exactly dated, but something that Samsung will be looking to improve upon. Analysts believe that this will be a QHD device, featuring a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. It is perhaps too much to expect this to be Samsung’s first 4K smartphone, but do expect an increase in display resolution.
Processor
Samsung makes it a huge priority in all of its mobile releases to have an exceptional list of specifications, and the Galaxy S6 will be no exception to this rule. It is always important for Samsung to pack its devices with spec, as it is competing with Apple, which prides itself on producing its own iOS proprietarily software. Therefore, given that the Galaxy S6 will be reliant on Google’s Android operating system, it needs to be an ultra-powerful device.
It probably wouldn’t be wise for Samsung to gamble or experiment too much in this department, so we can expect the Korean consumer electronics giant to follow the current trends with regard to software. It has been a habit of the manufacturer to fit its devices with different processes for differing geographical locations, and this is set to continue again with the Galaxy S6. Exynos chips will probably be at the centre of the Galaxy S6 in Asian marketplaces, while a Snapdragon 810 64-bit octa-core processor will probably drive the model intended for western markets.
Storage
There is also going to be an onus on Samsung to significantly improve the storage capacity of this forthcoming handset. It has already been mooted that Apple will release the first ever 256GB iPhone when the iPhone 7 hits the stores, but given that the Galaxy S6 is the obvious rival to the iPhone series there will be an expectation on Samsung to deliver at least one model of its flagship smartphone with a similar storage spec.
Battery
Samsung has continually impressed with the battery life of its devices, and it is likely that the corporation will once again increase the battery size of the Galaxy S6 in line with this perception. It is interesting to note that a demonstration at the recent CES conference involved a Samsung smartphone, and purported to charge it from scratch to its full capacity within a matter of minutes.
Obviously, this is not likely to impact upon the Galaxy S6, as the amount of time leading up to the release of the device is too small, but it is certainly something to bear in mind for the future. The manufacturers of this technology are already talking to major mobile brands, and it is certain given Samsung’s emphasis on strong battery life that it will be among them.
For the time being, expect new power saving functionality in Android and a stronger battery in the Galaxy S6.
Camera
When the Galaxy S5 was released, Samsung insisted on emphasizing the qualities of the camera included within the device. Thus, the 16-megapixel sensor included in the Galaxy S5 was certainly impressive. But the Korean company will upgrade this for the forthcoming Galaxy S6, particularly as there are already murmurings that Apple will be hugely improving the camera in the iPhone 7.
Samsung has always attempted to produce devices that both produced outstanding image quality but that also deliver user-friendly functionality, and this will doubtless remain a focus of the Galaxy S6. But we could see one of the most powerful camera lenses ever to be included in a smartphone, expected to be around 21-megapixels.
