Although the iPhone 7 will be the biggest smartphone release in the remainder of 2016, the Galaxy Note 6 will certainly rival it. The Galaxy Note series has been extremely successful for Samsung over the last couple of years, both in terms of critical response and also commercial performance. So big things will be expected from this phablet later this year, and thus it is interesting to examine what the rumor mill has to say about this major Samsung product.
Galaxy Note 6 Specs
The Galaxy Note 6 has already been linked with some outstanding specs, with the Korean manufacturer expected to produce two variants of the central unit. One of these two models will be a flatscreen smartphone, with the trademark Samsung curved display also resident in another variant.
It seems that there will be a slight difference in size between the two models this time out, with analysts linking the flatscreen version with a 5.8-inch display, compared to the 5.9-inch screen in the curved edge mobile. Not all analysts are in agreement with this verdict, but it certainly seems that both versions of the phablet will be nearly 6-inches in size.
There is still some disagreement over the resolution to be included in the Galaxy Note 6, but It is possible that Samsung will finally produce a 4K resolution smartphone when this device releases. However, others suggest that this remains too ambitious for the Korean corporation, and that the consumer electronics giant will instead opt to retain the quad HD resolution from the last generation phablet.
However, Samsung will see major upgrades elsewhere in the armory of the Galaxy Note 6, and the quantity of memory included in the device is one area in which major gains will be made. Some reports have suggested that the Galaxy Note 6 will include as much as 8GB of RAM memory, but at least 6GB is an absolute certainty. This would be a 50 percent increase over the last generation Galaxy Note release, and would lead to the smartphone being significantly more powerful.
In addition, Samsung will attempt to build on the advantage that it already has over Apple by including a larger battery pack in the Galaxy Note 6. Reports suggest that a massive 4,000 mAh cell will be resident in the Galaxy Note 6 when it is released, and this would certainly put the ball in Apple’s court with regard to the lifecycle of its major smartphones. Apple has been criticized in this department for delivering mobiles with rather paltry battery lives, and thus Samsung seems determined to widen the gap over its great rival in this area.
Micro SD and dual-pixel
Another spec linked with the Galaxy Note 6 is the return of the micro SD card slot, which had already been reinstated earlier this year in the Galaxy S7. This will enable Samsung to deliver improved storage with the Galaxy Note 6, and there have also been suggestions that the phablet will offer improved native storage as well. Apple is expected to introduce a 256GB variant of the iPhone range in 2016, and thus Samsung must attempt to deliver something similar, or possibly even superior.
The dual-pixel technology that was introduced in the Galaxy S7 earlier this year is also expected to migrate to the Galaxy Note 6, although it is possible that the phablet will have a more powerful main camera in terms of its megapixel rating. Elsewhere, Samsung will produce Exynos and Snapdragon versions of the Galaxy Note 6 for the Western and East Asian marketplaces, and it is also expected that this phablet will feature an IP68 dustproof and waterproof rating.
Financial turnaround
The specs linked with the Galaxy Note 6 may seem like a relatively mild improvement over the Galaxy Note 5, but this is perhaps reflected in the fiscal position of the company. Samsung has had to endure a rather challenging couple of years, but this has turned round significantly over the last few months, ironically at a time when Apple is facing its first slump for quite some time.
While Apple has had to cope with its first annual diminution in the sales of the iPhone since the smartphone was first released, Samsung has been able to deliver an increase in revenue. Both income and profit grew during the first quarter of 2016 on a year-on-year basis, and this has contributed to a Samsung stock price that has increased appreciably.
Samsung has been doing extremely well in consumer electronics, but its semiconductor business also achieved efficient sales during the last fiscal period. Samsung’s revenue for the quarter was KRW 49.78 trillion ($43.5 billion), an increase of 5.7 percent year-on-year, while operating profit for the quarter was KRW 6.68 trillion ($5.8 billion); an increase of 12 percent year-on-year.
The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have significantly recovered for Samsung, with the flagship smartphones playing a major role in the encouraging revenue information for the company. This means that Samsung can afford to be relatively conservative with the Galaxy Note 6, and perhaps delay a major revolution in this product range for 2017.
Challenges ahead
Nonetheless, Samsung faces challenges ahead regardless of its recent success. The Galaxy Note 6 will be launched into an increasingly diverse marketplace, in which Samsung is being threatened by affordable Android variants. In addition to this more challenging market climate, there have been rumors that Apple is about to cut Samsung out of the chip loop for the iPhone series, which will be a major blow to the Korean manufacturer. To some extent, though, this could be balanced out by Samsung being involved in the manufacturing of OLED technology for future iPhone releases.
Ultimately, Samsung cannot afford to stand still with the Galaxy Note 6, and this may encourage the Korean electronics giant to aim for the higher end of the spectrum of spec suggestions for this smartphone. Samsung essentially established the phablet marketplace as a viable niche with the popularity of some of its earlier releases, and considering the Galaxy Note range has been extremely acclaimed in recent years, the Galaxy Note 6 must surely continue this perception.
