Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:0059935) knows it has a challenge on its hands with the Galaxy S6. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone 6 has certainly moved off the shelves at the rate of knots, with this flagship device exceeding expectations in terms of the number of units that it has shifted. There will be many Apple fans opting to join the ranks of iPhone 6 owners between now and the critical Christmas season.
However, the more savvy consumers among us may view next year’s release of the Samsung Galaxy S6 as being equally worthy of their attention. This is very much considered to be the iPhone competitor by the Korean manufacturer, and after somewhat disappointing revenue figures, Samsung will be keen to produce something absolutely outstanding with the next iteration of the Galaxy S series.
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This will be an absolutely critical release in the future of Samsung, with some media outlets even recently speculating that the longer term future of the corporation is uncertain. Britain’s Guardian newspaper recently speculated on whether or not Samsung could become the next BlackBerry, and while this seems somewhat premature, there is no doubt that things need to improve for the company in the near future.
So what will Samsung deliver with the new Galaxy S6 device? Here is everything we know about this premium mobile release thus far.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Details
Design
This is going to be an extremely critical area for Samsung with this release, as its devices have often been criticized for the perceived lack of design quality, particularly in comparison to the peerless Apple. Samsung devices have especially had a plasticky feel which has not met every reviewer nor consumer’s approval.
It seems likely in relation to this area then that Samsung will concentrate on a predominantly metallic design for this particular Galaxy S series release. Publications which closely follow the behavior of Samsung have already suggested that the Korean company will completely remove plastic from this Galaxy S6 release, and that this is a direct response to consumer demand. It is not yet known quite how slim the Galaxy S 6 will be, but it is notable that the Galaxy Alpha measures 6.7mm in thickness.
Display
As reported previously by ValueWalk, the Galaxy S6 will almost certainly be an ultra HD device. There is an outside chance that Samsung may push for a 4K screen, given that this embryonic resolution is all the rage at the moment, but in reality this is pretty unlikely as it would represent too big a step up from previous Galaxy handsets in too short a space of time.
It also seems probable that Samsung will increase the size of the Galaxy S6, given that this was previously the case with the Galaxy S5 release. Should this occur then a possible display size for the device could be 5.2-inches, and this larger screen size and potential resolution of around 1,440 x 2,560 would give the smartphone the edge over the iPhone 6.
Camera
Samsung has recently placed a great deal of emphasis on the photo taking qualities of the Galaxy range, and the megapixel rating associated with the S series is certainly extremely impressive. It has already been suggested that the 16-megapixel camera in the Galaxy S5 may be improved further from the 20-megapixel rating in the Galaxy S6.
However, Samsung may also wish to give attention to other elements of the camera’s capabilities. Firstly, the low-light photographs produced by the Galaxy S5 were criticised by some outlets as being of poor quality, and it seems highly likely given the emphasis that Samsung has placed on photo taking that they will address this in the Galaxy S6. Furthermore, the Apple iPhone 6 offers outstanding optical image stabilization functionality, and it seems probable that Samsung will try to match this with the Galaxy S6, and possibly also usurp the Apple device’s video capturing technology.
Battery
The battery life of Samsung devices has been routinely praised by critics, and relished by consumers, and this is one area in which the Galaxy series has a serious edge over its Apple competitor. Apple has to some degree attempted to close the gap in this department with the iPhone 6, but it is debatable whether this device even offers the same battery life as the Galaxy S5. Samsung will certainly upgrade the 2800mAh battery included in the Galaxy S5, and additional power saving functionality built into the recent Android operating system releases will mean that the Galaxy S6 is an outstanding performer in terms of battery life.
Features
In this department, Samsung is competing with the iPhone 6, which Apple has jam packed with new functionality. Instead of focusing on raw specifications, Apple concentrated its efforts with the iPhone 6 on producing a device which possessed exciting new features. Thus, TouchID fingerprint functionality and the new Apple Pay system where central to the iPhone 6 launch, even if the latter wasn’t active from day one.
In accordance with this, Samsung will be looking to give consumers a compelling reason to purchase its flagship smartphone above the iPhone 6. It is already rumored that the Korean manufacturer has a fingerprint scanner in line for the Galaxy S6, but the smartphone may also embrace retina scanning. Other features expected at this early stage for the Galaxy S6 are a heart rate monitor, fast charging feature and UV sensor, as already available in the phablet-sized Galaxy Note 4.
Price
Manufacturers such as Samsung and Apple are not overly keen on releasing the prices of their devices, even when they actually unveil them! But the Galaxy S6 should retail for around the same level as its previous iteration, which would mean a $900 pricetag. Possibly the extra spec could push the price up to $1,000.
Release Date
Samsung is almost certain to release the Galaxy S6 at the Mobile World Congress, in common with previous Galaxy S releases.