Galaxy Note 6 launch date, specs, features, rumors

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The Galaxy Note 6 will be a massively important device release for Samsung later this year, and it is already suggested that the phablet may hit the stores sooner than generally expected. Samsung has significantly reorganised its product range this year, with the Galaxy S7 also released earlier than previous iterations of the series, and it seems that it may very well follow suit with the Galaxy Note 6 as well.

Galaxy Note 6’s August launch

Reports this week have indicated that the Galaxy Note 6 will release in August 2016. This prediction has seemingly been prompted by the fact that the Galaxy Note 4 has been reduced in price. It is believed that Samsung is already considering its strategy for later this year, when the Galaxy Note 6 will replace the existing Galaxy Note 5 as the premium larger smartphone from the Korean manufacturer.

It is still reasonable to assert that the Galaxy S7 is the most important smartphone from Samsung, but the Galaxy Note range has taken on an increasing significance in recent years. Samsung has tended to cram this larger device with extremely impressive specifications, and this is expected to continue when the Galaxy Note 6 is released later this year.

The importance of Samsung producing a particular outstanding Galaxy Note 6 has now intensified with the rumored release of the iPhone Pro. This new dual-camera high-spec device from Apple is expected to launch alongside to standard iPhone 7 units, and it would seem that it will be direct competition for the likes of the Galaxy Note 6.

With Samsung trailing behind Apple at the head of the premium smartphone marketplace, it is obvious that the Korean company must produce something that makes the Galaxy Note 6 stand out from this Apple competitor. It is therefore not surprising that the handset is already being linked some outstanding specifications.

4K display

The first suggestion is that Samsung will ensure that the Galaxy Note 6 is its first 4K-enabled smartphone. It has been rumored for some time that the Korean corporation would indeed produce a smartphone capable of delivering this screen resolution, and the pressure to finally realize this ambition with the Galaxy Note 6 will be intense. Apple is likely to upgrade the screen resolution of the iPhone range this year, and that would mean that the larger versions of the iPhone 7 would carry the Quad HD resolution that was utilized in the Galaxy Note 5.

With Samsung having become particularly associated with high quality screen technology – not least because it has been the world’s largest seller of television since 2008 – there is obvious pressure on the corporation to update the Galaxy Note 6 to 4K resolution if it is to stay ahead of the competition.

Curved screen

It is also likely that Samsung will release both flat and curved screen versions of the Galaxy Note 6, as the latter technology has proved extremely popular since it was introduced a couple of years ago. It is not quite clear how Samsung will choose to brand the two versions of the Galaxy Note 6, but one would seem likely to be given a Galaxy Note Edge moniker.

Design

It has been widely reported in the media that the Galaxy Note 6 will feature an all-metallic build, as Samsung attempts to cement the impression that it is getting design right in its Galaxy Note devices. In the past, the corporation has been criticised for producing handsets with a plasticky feel, but this will not be the case with the Galaxy Note 6 seemingly. Expect a design based around sophisticated aluminum alloys.

Standout features

Samsung will ensure that the Galaxy Note 6 embraces its S-Pen stylus, while it is also expected that a fingerprint sensor will be included with this phablet as well. With Apple now having produced an Apple Pencil, it is widely believed that the iPhone range will benefit from this technology in 2016, and Samsung will possibly deliver new S-Pen functionality to address this. Meanwhile, the fingerprint sensor will deliver improved security to the Galaxy Note range.

New chips

Reports have also indicated that Samsung has already begun the mass manufacturing of 256GB UFS 2.0 memory chips, and that these will ultimately be utilized in the Galaxy Note 6. These chips will be largely used as mobile data storage options, playing a major role in a shift within the mobile data storage market. The Samsung hierarchy has already indicated that it is determined to push its competitive edge in premium storage, and this is likely to be very much reflected in the ethos of the Galaxy Note 6.

RAM memory

The Galaxy Note 6 has also been linked with a monstrous amount of RAM memory. With Samsung needing to ensure that this is an extremely powerful performer, reports have suggested that the Korean corporation will arm the Galaxy Note 6 with 6GB of RAM.

This does seem a little high, considering that no major smartphone manufacturer has ever launched a smartphone with such a massive amount of RAM. By comparison, the iPhone range has to manage on merely 2GB, and even though these units benefit from Apple’s unique combination of proprietary software and hardware, 6GB is certainly a large number for any mobile device.

But with Samsung possibly embracing 4K resolution, it will certainly be necessary for this smartphone to be particularly high-spec, so the 6GB figure cannot be dismissed out of hand, particularly as it keeps cropping up a regular basis in the media.

CPU

Reports have indicated that Samsung will launch two separate processor editions of the Galaxy Note 6, with one intended for the East Asian marketplace featuring an Exynos 8890 chipset, and the Western variant powered by a Snapdragon 820 chip. Should this come to fruition, it would certainly be good news for Qualcomm.

Camera

Finally, the Galaxy Note 6 is expected to follow the lead of the Galaxy S7 and include the dual-pixel camera system. Reports have indicated that this would mean that the megapixel rating of the camera is slimmed down to 12-megapixels, but this will be coupled with Super Optical Image Stabilization Plus, which features include a 5-axis OIS system. Certainly this sounds like an impressively powerful snapper.

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