All information about Samsung Galaxy S6 points to aggressive iPhone 6-beating campaign
With just days to go until the official unveiling of the Galaxy S6, it’s clear that Samsung is keen to attack the Apple iPhone 6 head-on. Marketing produced by the Korean corporation this week takes a clear swipe at the iconic Apple device. And as the marketing hype related to this forthcoming flagship smartphone intensifies, there are good signs for Samsung coming out of the Korean media.
Firstly, the Korea Herald has reported that there is extremely positive news for Samsung emanating from several of the world’s major carriers. T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone and Korea’s SK Telecom reportedly met with major executives from Samsung, and gave a hearty recommendation to both the Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge variant, which will be making its first appearance in 2015.
According to the Korean newspaper, this executive phalanx considers the Galaxy S6 to be possibly the best designed Samsung smartphone yet to hit the market. The newspaper reports a source which suggests that the Galaxy S6 Edge is superior in design terms to its Apple iPhone 6 rival.
Of course, carriers may be important, and do carry credibility, but ultimately the success or otherwise of the Galaxy S6 will be completely decided by everyday consumers. It will therefore be essential for Samsung to deliver features which make the Galaxy S6 actually look like an iPhone-beater. This is especially important considering the Galaxy S6 is the most obvious direct rival to the iPhone series, and more so now that Samsung has taken this aggressive and brave decision to target and compete with the iPhone 6 in particular.
As the release of this smartphone is now imminent, we have a pretty good idea what to expect from the Galaxy S6 when it is finally unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We need only wait a few days for Samsung to officially confirm its features, but here are some likely ways in which the Korean electronics powerhouse will attempt to usurp Apple and the iPhone 6.
Metallic design
It seems that the design of the Galaxy S6 has already been well received by major mobile-related companies. This is probably due to the fact that Samsung will be placing a huge amount of emphasis in this Galaxy S generation on delivering a physically attractive device. For quite some time, it has been presumed by analysts that the Galaxy S6 will be built around a largely metallic design, thus neutralizing criticism which the device has received previously for its plasticky build.
Although reports are positive from Korea, it must be emphasised that the Korean media has something of a vested interest in this subject. While one it wouldn’t wish to dismiss the neutrality and objectivity of the Korean press, whether the Galaxy S6 truly turns out to be superior to the iPhone 6 in aesthetic terms certainly remains to be seen. What is certain is that Samsung is taking this subject seriously, and probably not before time.
Screen size
Reports seem to indicate that the Galaxy S6 will have a screen size of 5.1-inches. This positions the smartphone absolutely equidistant between the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. This would seem to suggest that Samsung is attempting to attract consumers who were previously attracted to both the smartphone-sized iPhone, and also the larger phablet variant. Whether this will be successful remains to be seen, but effectively this is a populist policy intended to appeal to a large demographic of consumers.
Curved display
As discussed previously, the Galaxy S6 series will see the introduction of the Galaxy S6 Edge. Curved screen technology has become very much a trademark of Samsung, having been introduced in its range of high-end television sets recently. This innovation has certainly been received critically, and it is already becoming an important part of Samsung’s vision for many of its products, after the Korean Corporation introduced curved screen technology to mobiles with the Galaxy Note Dge last year.
Indeed, this technology has been so successful for Samsung in terms of public perception that it is rumored that Apple may release a curved display version of the iPhone in the next generation. It has already been revealed that Apple has patented its own curved screen technology recently.
Processor power
With rumors prominent that the Galaxy S6 will be powered by an octa-core Exynos processor built by the company’s processor division, Samsung will be as haughty as possible in this department. The Korean company will be attempting to push its Galaxy S6 device as being significantly more powerful in processing terms than anything produced by Apple. At this point in time, it seems unlikely that Apple will deliver an octa-core processor this time round with the iPhone 7, and one can expect Samsung to make plenty of noise about this when the Galaxy S6 is released.
New TouchWiz
Samsung is reportedly currently working on a new version of this TouchWiz Android skin. This will be pared down in order to improve the performance of the technology. Previous versions of the software have been criticised to some degree by reviewers for failing to deliver the sort of subtle functionality that its iOS equivalent manages with ease. In particular, the Android-driven software fails to adapt speedily to user inputs.
Reports indicate that Samsung is attempting to change this, and it may have achieved it with the Galaxy S6.
Knockout camera
Previous versions of the Galaxy S series have been praised for the quality of cameras contained within them. But this is said to be taken to a new level with the Galaxy S6. It is already reported that a 21-megapixel camera could be possible with this generation, while a 5-megapixel front-facing lens will provide excellent selfie-taking capability.
Certainly these numbers dwarf the iPhone 6, but Samsung may very well be thinking more about the iPhone 7 with its Galaxy S6 camera. Murmurings have suggested that this forthcoming flagship Apple smartphone may feature a dual-lends device capable of producing professional standard photographs.
Wireless charging
Although this may be a feature included in the iPhone 7, the existing iPhone range does not feature wireless charging. So Samsung is attempting to beat Apple to the punch by including the technology in the Galaxy S6 series.
This is certainly not a gimmick, as the prospect of recharging a smartphone wirelessly has been an attractive concept to consumers for quite some time. It seems that the Galaxy range will be the first of the two major smartphone series to deliver this technology, and this will give the Galaxy S6 a significant edge over the existing iPhone devices.
The mobile pay war
Finally, mobile payment is expected to become a huge marketplace in the coming years, and Samsung is clearly intending to compete directly with Apple in this sphere. Apple Pay has not taken off yet, but it is already assumed by most analysts that it will become a major player in the mobile payment marketplace. Thus, Samsung’s announcement of Samsung Pay makes perfect sense for the company, as it attempts to gain a slice of this valuable niche. Expect a big battle in this theater in the next few years as the two mobile leviathans struggle for dominance.
