Samsung may also be having yield issues with the upcoming curved Galaxy S6
We’re probably just about a week away from the unveiling of the Galaxy S6, and the rumors about what to expect are only intensifying. Apple has been snatching the lion’s share of smartphone profits for years, but now it looks like Samsung is trying to grab a bigger piece of the profit pie away from Apple.
There’s a report that the curved Galaxy S6 models are going to retail for more than $1,000 when they hit the market.
Curved Galaxy S6 to sell for more than $1,000
Sebastian Anthony of Ars Technica reports that a source at one of Samsung’s European mobile carrier partners said the 64-gigabyte curved Galaxy S6 will sell to the carriers for $1,076 (€949) and the 128-gigabyte curved model will be priced at $1,189 (€1,049). If those prices are correct, then both phones will cost about €50 more than the iPhone 6 Plus.
Perhaps one of the reasons Samsung feels confident enough in the Galaxy S6 is because of the yield issues it is having. The source reportedly told Ars Technica that carriers are having problems securing enough of the smartphones, which may indicate that there are some yield issues going on behind the scenes at Samsung.
Two Galaxy S6 versions expected
It’s believed that Samsung will show off the Galaxy S6 next week at the Mobile World Congress. Ars Technica’s source reiterated past rumors that there will be two Galaxy S6 models—a standard straight version and a curved version. The straight one will reportedly look a lot like the Galaxy S5, while the curved one is expected to have curved edges on both sides of the phone.
The prices of the straight Galaxy S6 were also revealed in the report, with pricing in Europe at $849 (€749) for the 32-gigabyte model and $963 (€849) and $1,076 (949) for the 64- and 128-gigabyte models respectively. Those prices, if they’re correct, are significantly higher than what Samsung sold the Galaxy S5 for last year.
Supply of curved Galaxy S6 is low
Apparently Samsung is having yield problems with the curved display for the pricier Galaxy S6 models, which is pretty typical with any company that’s making a product with a new type of technology. According to Ars Technica’s source, approximately one-third of the Galaxy S6 smartphones that are being shipped are the curved models.
This could be an issue because Samsung is expected to focus heavily on the curved models in its marketing campaigns.
