Samsung is currently running a viral media campaign with the intention of encouraging consumers to purchase its recent Galaxy S7 smartphone. But internal attention has already turned to the release of the Galaxy Note 6 later this year, and this will be an extremely exciting prospect for Android fans all over the world.
Although the Galaxy S series remains effectively the flagship handset of the Korean manufacturer, it would be fair to assert that the Galaxy Note range has actually been a more impressive device over the last couple of years. The Galaxy Note 6 is expected to continue this trend, and it is likely that the phablet will feature outstanding specifications, as this has been a particular facet of Samsung’s operation recently.
Galaxy Note 6’s new and improved features
The first thing to note about the Galaxy Note 6 is that the new smartphone from Samsung will feature improved functionality over previous iterations of the series. Wireless charging will be refined over the Galaxy Note 5, while water and dust resistance is also expected to be significantly improved. Samsung will be eyeing Apple’s approach on this matter, as the iPhone range has also been linked with significant dust and water-resistant features in this forthcoming generation.
Samsung is also expected to reinstate micro SD with the Galaxy Note 6, as fans of the series have been disappointed with its exclusion in previous releases. As Samsung has already restored micro SD with the recent release of the Galaxy S7, it is highly likely that this will be repeated with the launch of its premium phablet.
Internal specifications
Samsung has a habit of surprising people with the specs of its devices, often exceeding what even analysts believe is possible for smartphones in the contemporary climate. And it is perhaps the memory specifications of the Galaxy Note 6 that have opened the most eyes in the buildup to the release of the device.
It is suggested that the Galaxy Note 6 could be packed with 6GB of RAM memory; a pretty staggering figure and a first for the industry. This would indicate an extremely powerful performer, as the amount of memory suggested would only be necessary in order to deal with significantly upgraded specs, particularly with regard to screen size and resolution.
Samsung has previously made a significant effort to boost the battery capacity of the Galaxy S7 range, so it is similarly expected that the Galaxy Note 6 could also boast a substantially larger cell than that which was included in the Note 5. This will also be necessary if the level of specs linked with the device indeed come to fruition. Thus, a capacity of 4,000mAh is possible.
It is also expected that the Galaxy Note 6 will have different versions for the western and East Asian marketplaces. Samsung will select the best available Exynos and Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets and processors for the handset ahead of the manufacturing of the Galaxy Note 6, and the device has already been linked with an extremely powerful upgraded Exynos 8 Octa chip.
Display
The big question with regard to the display in the Galaxy Note 6 is whether Samsung will make it the first 4K resolution device that the corporation has ever released. There is certainly pressure on the company to do so for two reasons.
Firstly, Samsung has become synonymous with high-quality displays, particular since it became the largest manufacturer and seller of television sets back in 2008. Secondly, Sony has already broken the 4K duck of the mobile industry by releasing an Xperia Handset with 4K capabilities.
Considering that Samsung has opted to freeze the resolution of the Galaxy S7 at quad HD, it could be that it will continue to follow this policy with the Galaxy Note 6. But the Korean electronics giant really needs some headline news with the Galaxy Note 6, and with 4K resolution becoming an increasingly mainstream technology, it would be an excellent selling point for the Korean corporation if it could include it in the next generation phablet.
It has also been suggested that a 4K display could be particularly valuable for the Gear VR system that Samsung has been pushing recently. Sony will release the PlayStation VR system before the end of the year, and it could be that 2016 is the year in which virtual reality makes its first big breakthrough. Undoubtedly, delivering 4K resolution would pose technical challenges for Samsung, but it could be that the benefits outweigh the downsides.
What has been suggested as well is that Samsung may increase the screen size of the Galaxy Note 6, possibly making it a six-inch display device. The bezels included in the device could conceivably be slimmed down in order to achieve this, with Samsung having already enacted a similar policy in its high end television sets.
Camera
It is largely expected that Samsung will migrate the dual-pixel technology that it introduced earlier in the Galaxy S7 when the Galaxy Note 6 is released. Samsung has strongly promoted the low-light capabilities of this new technology, and it would be extremely surprising if it did not make the transition to the next generation phablet.
While the megapixel rating of the Galaxy S7 was downgraded to 12-megapixels, some reports have suggested that this will not necessarily be repeated with the Galaxy Note 6. If Samsung can deliver a camera with both outstanding shooting potential in darker conditions, coupled with an impressive megapixel number, this would certainly be a massive boost for the premium phablet.
Micro USB or USB-C?
Finally, there is some debate over whether Samsung will move to USB Type-C technology when of the Galaxy Note 6 is released. This has not been the case with the Galaxy S7, but it is suggested that Samsung could consider this with the premium phablet. However, one major issue for the corporation is that the aforementioned Gear VR device is not compatible with this new USB standard, and thus Samsung may decide to freeze the technology with the existing micro USB.
