The biggest device release for Samsung in the remainder of 2016 will be the Galaxy Note 6 phablet. This large smartphone has proved particularly popular in recent years, and many believe that it has now usurped the Galaxy S range as the pinnacle of Samsung mobile technology. The Galaxy S7 remains the flagship of Samsung, but the Galaxy Note 6 could just be its most impressive device later this year.
So what can we expect from the Galaxy Note 6 when it is released, and indeed when will it hit the stores? Here is everything we know and suspect about this Korean Android-driven device.
Galaxy Note 6 – Release date
Samsung has been moving its device releases forward this year in order to create a gap between its products and the iconic and hugely successful iPhone range. This means that the company is likely to follow suit with the release of the Galaxy Note 6, and this will mean an August release for the phablet at the very latest. It has even been suggested that Samsung could even push the release of the phablet forward to July, so an early August / late July release can be anticipated.
Spec leak
The Chinese social media site Weibo has been a rich source of smartphone leaks in recent years, and 2016 has been no exception with regard to the Galaxy Note 6. A recent post reveals numerous supposed configurations of the Samsung smartphone, and these are applicable across numerous aspects of the device.
Display
It seems increasingly likely that the Galaxy Note 6 will not embrace the 4K resolution that many fans of the series had hoped for. The Chinese social media site suggested that the resolution of the device will remain quad HD, and that the Galaxy Note 6 will also benefit from a 5.8-inch display.
Edge
According to reports from China, Samsung intends to continue with its recent practice of releasing two variants of the Galaxy Note range. This will mean that the Galaxy Note 6 is accompanied by a curved screen variant, possibly entitled the Galaxy Note 6 Edge. Not too much information is available regarding whether the specs of these two devices will differ significantly, if at all, and it is probable that Samsung will ensure that the two handsets have extremely similar capabilities.
Processor
In the United States and Western marketplace, the Galaxy Note 6 will benefit from the current generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 823 processor. This is an upgraded version of the 820 unit which is currently found in Samsung flagships. It is also anticipated that the Galaxy Note 6 will feature the latest Exynos processor in the East Asian marketplace.
RAM
Samsung will be significantly upgrading the quantity of memory included in the Galaxy Note 6, and the latest Weibo leaks suggest that this will mean the phablet includes 6GB RAM. In some quarters, it had been suggested that Apple would upgrade the memory of the Galaxy Note 6 to a massive 8GB, but this had always seemed a little on the large side. 6GB of RAM memory will still ensure that this is an extremely competitive phablet.
Production
Reports from China indicate that the Galaxy Note 6 will be supported by Samsung’s DRAM production line, ensuring that production capacity and supply should not be any problem.
Storage
As has been widely anticipated, the Weibo post suggests that the Galaxy Note 6 will benefit from 256GB of internal memory. It is expected that Apple will upgrade the iPhone 7 to this memory quotient as well, and thus there will be pressure on Apple’s great rival to respond in kind. It is not made clear whether or not there will be expandable memory available as well, and whether micro SD will be reinstated in the Galaxy Note 6 as it was in the Galaxy S7 earlier this year. This does seem likely on balance, though.
Battery
Chinese leaks suggest that the battery life in the Galaxy Note 6 will be particularly impressive, with Samsung apparently ready to fit a 4,200 mAH cell in the smartphone. There will also be fast charging support in the Galaxy Note 6, ensuring that this is a convenient and flexible phablet to utilize, and one that will probably stay ahead of Apple in the lifecycle department.
Waterproofing and dustproofing
The Weibo leak indicates that the award-winning IP68 waterproof and dustproof technology from the Galaxy S7 will migrate to the Galaxy Note 6, ensuring that outstanding underwater operation will be possible. Again, this is another area where Apple is expected to improve the iPhone series in 2016, so it seems that Samsung is getting its retaliation in early.
Other rumors
Aside from the recent Chinese leak, the have been a wide variety of rumors circulating on what we can expect from the next generation phablet. Samsung is known to be an innovator, and the Korean corporation has developed a reputation in recent years for packing its devices with some outstanding specs and functionality. So it wouldn’t be surprising if some of the more outlandish and obscure suggestions actually come to fruition.
Iris scanner
A persistent suggestion regarding the Galaxy Note 6 is that the Korean corporation will include iris scanning technology as a safety feature. This would ensure that simply looking at the phone would automatically unlock it, as the device will be able to scan and confirm the retina and / or iris of a particular user.
This may sound a little unlikely, but there is actually precedent to suggest that this functionality could feature in the Galaxy Note 6. Firstly, there is a logistical and commercial incentive for Samsung to indeed include iris scanning in a Galaxy Note 6, as it would suit the business and corporate marketplace in particular.
And, secondly, leaked images have already emerged, as reported by SamMobile, which demonstrate the iris scanner as part of the makeup of the Galaxy Note 6. Security is becoming increasingly important in mobile technology, and there is an area in which Samsung could really gain an edge over its rivals by implementing this technology in 2016.
Camera
Finally, it is extremely likely that Samsung will migrate to the dual-pixel technology that the Korean manufacturer included in the Galaxy S7 earlier this year. This technology makes it possible for consumers to produce outstanding photography in darker conditions; a traditional bugbear of mobile photography. If this technology is indeed included in the Galaxy Note 6, it would be fair to assert that the Samsung phablet would become the most advanced photographic device in its class.
