It is nothing unusual anymore, getting new smartphones to be excited about every other month. And we have certainly had a very busy year in 2014, with amazing phones and tablets coming out to impress us with new processors, state-of-the-art cameras and dazzling displays.
Considering Samsung’s regular annual plan, with the Galaxy Note 4 freshly out since September this year and the Samsung Galaxy Alpha delivering some fixes and apologies for the faults of the Galaxy S5, nobody felt overly surprised when rumors of a Galaxy S6 started travelling around.
Design Concept for Samsung Galaxy S6 (Image Source: galaxys6updates.com/)
Ever since the Galaxy S6 was officially revealed by Samsung, there has been plenty of speculation regarding specs and its ready to impress design. The enthusiastically awaited iPhone 6 rival is not expected to show up until spring of 2015, now known under the name “Project Zero”. The smartphone is believed to be bringing an upgraded screen and recently revealed processors.
Taking into account Samsung’s clockwork-like release schedule, with MWC 2015 to be held between March 2nd and March 5th we have reason to believe there is a good chance the new phone will be released with that occasion. Or alternatively, that we would at least hear a confirmation of the release date during the manufacturer’s press conference.
On another note however, it’s no secret that Samsung’s profits in 2014 have been dwindling and looking at a 60% drop in annual earnings right now, so a timely release that jumps out of the rhythm might be just the thing they need to pull out to the surface.
So the information that we have right now is split in two grand categories: things we know and things that have been rumored. Surely there’s no reason to say that some of the rumors do not hold ground, but it is probably wiser to only take official news for granted. So let us start with what we know.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Facts & Specs
Display
The super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen seems to be a favored technology for most, if not all recent Samsung devices, and one of the best on the market.
For that reason the Samsung Galaxy S6 will be adopting it itself. Following several leaked benchmarking results from the Chinese website cnmo.com we seem to be looking at a 2,560 x 1,440 QHD display with an over 16 million color capacity. QHD – a feature that stands for Quad High Definition – is a display resolution with a 16:9 aspect ratio that has four times as many pixels as the 720p HDTV video standard.
Design Concept for Samsung Galaxy S6 (Image Source: samsungalaxys7.com)
This 1440p technology has been already embraced by the LG G3 released earlier this year and is used in several laptop models, along with the latest Galaxy Note 4. The size of the display seems to have been decided upon and no less than a 5.5” one, set at 534 pixel density.
Hardware & Power
In April this year, Qualcomm processing unit developer revealed its latest Snapdragon 808 and Snapdragon 810 processors, announcing them as being the planned technology for “early 2015 releases”. They are 64-bit processors running on 6 and 8 cores respectively, promising outstanding battery life and performance. According to Qualcomm, the processing units allow UHD 4k ultra video, up to 55-megapixel cameras and a calculated 20 percent boost in graphical performance.
While Qualcomm hardware has been a priority choice when it comes to processors, there is a strongly viable alternative for the Samsung Galaxy S6 – the Exynos 7 that is an octa-core CPU, sporting 4 Cortex-A57 and 4 Cortex-A53 cores. This could be an alternative for different markets, as it has been hinted at by SamMobile and other sources. While there is no actual information on how much RAM will be put in the Samsung Galaxy S6, 64-bit processors are capable to sustain and actually function best with 4 GB of RAM or above. But that is a milestone that that we might be thinking of a little too early.
The Galaxy S6 will be coming with 3 storage variants – 32, 64 and 128GB. While the possibility of a microSD slot has been hinted at and judging by past experience of the company’s products, there is no definite confirmation of it being included in the final device.
Design Concept for Samsung Galaxy S6 (Image Source: samsungsvi.com)
Reports from South Korea however have mentioned a new type of flash memory – commonly known as UFS (Universal Flash Storage) – that might be incorporated in this much expected smartphone. Universal flash storage will be offering the possibility of higher speed, low power drain in comparison to SD cards and integration into embedded applications.
The camera specs that we have heard of up until now are not even close to modest: 20 megapixel camera with a dual shot feature, simultaneous HD video and image recording, touch focus and up to 4,992 x 3,744 resolution images. The secondary, front facing camera does not fall off short of the standards either at 5 MP, 1080p quality video at 30 frames per second, with a dual video call feature.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Rumors & Speculation
Mind you, this is just leaked information which you would normally not have much reason to believe but several sources suggest this information holds ground to actually be real. However, until Samsung makes any official statement or announcement, do take this information with a grain of salt.
Connectivity
There has been a report by South Korean online publication Naver according to which Samsung is developing a tri-band LTE Cat. 10 modem for the Exynos chips (no mention of the Qualcomm ones though). These modems would make your smartphone go as fast as 450Mbps, 150 more Mbps than the current Cat. 6 standard.
Sure, the technology implications behind this are quite costing and wouldn’t just naturally make your phone as fast as your fiber internet connection on your desktop, the speed sadly relying a lot on the carriers and the maximum data transfer speeds they support.
Screen & Phone Design
The design of the phone seems to be the subject most people choose to discuss about, heavily fueled by recent leaks and rumors. Let’s start with the lighter portions of it. It would appear that Samsung has decided to give up the plastic exteriors in exchange for something that inspires more quality.
Seeing metal in the phone’s design would be a welcomed change, even if it would turn out to be a few grams more taxing then the regular mold. Rumors do speak of graphene as one of the materials used in elements of its design – sleek, elegant, clever but expensive.
Design Concept for Samsung Galaxy S6 (Image Source: www.concept-phones.com/)
The largest source of excitement however is the possibility of a curved, “edge” screen. To be more precise in regards to what we mean by “edge”, just take a look at the Galaxy Note 4 Edge. The right hand side of the screen extends to the very edge of the phone, slanting and curbing into a special zone that will display your notifications and whatnot. It is rumored that the Galaxy S6 will be adopting not one, but two of the edges for its display.
There’s enough reason to believe that too: in an interview with the IHD Technology analyst Jerry Kang, it has been revealed that the model was planned for the Galaxy Note 4 Edge was supposed to have dual-edges but that Samsung, at the 11th hour decided to scrap the design idea and supposedly save it for the Galaxy S6.
That, and technological limitations that butted in and would have otherwise delayed the project much longer made the mobile device giant to think it over twice and postpone the innovative idea.
Now, rumors do split in two different directions. One would suggest that the dual-edge screen is a main feature of the new device, while the other one suggests that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will be coming in two different versions, much like the Galaxy Note 4: one with a classic design while the other would incorporate the curved edge shape.
That not only sounds realistic, but easily understandable at the same time. The curved edge of the Galaxy Note 4 is notoriously interesting, but it does come at a hefty price. The Edge version of the phone will burn an extra $150 hole in your pocket.
Not to mention that most users have not felt very compelled by the new design, claiming it was a bit strange to get accustomed to, that holding the phone felt uncomfortable and getting used to navigating a menu off the side of a phone took a considerable amount of time. We can only speculate in what way Samsung would decide to put a dual-edged screen to use.
Design Concept for Samsung Galaxy S6 (Image Source: samsungsvi.com)
But that lets us question what the classic version would entail. It has been stated by the company that the Galaxy S6 is meant to be a breath of fresh air for both consumers and the business itself. The reason the project was named “Project Zero”, instead of the usual “Project J/K/L/etc.” pattern is that Samsung is rethinking everything all over again, starting from scratch with their phone design.
Maybe the curved screen would get a second chance. While the curved, concave screen that we have seen before in other electronics such as television sets does definitely have its advantages such as keeping a larger-sized screen in an easy-to-hold phone, it does not really fit into the complete revamp ideology.
Questions continue to arise and sadly we will have to satisfy our curiosity with speculation until an official statement will clear it up for us.
Battery
If you think of the bold hardware overhaul we are looking at in, however still mostly speculated, Samsung Galaxy S6 it’s understandable to feel worried about the battery life that we will be expecting to get from it. Sure, the new chip and processors are sworn to be optimized into lesser power drainage, but until developers find a reliable way to power up phones using natural sources, high performance will continue to be taxing on power usage.
Design Concept for Samsung Galaxy S6 (Image Source: gadgetmaxim.com/)
Upon hearing news of the phone being water and dust resistant for prolonged amounts of time, users have expressed some fear and resentment towards the possibility of the phone having a completely sealed case, not a very common trait in most Samsung devices but still not out of the question.
Conclusion
Rumors will continue to flow from all directions over the following 3 months for sure. Right now, there’s very little we can be 100% certain of, despite the leaks and the scattered hints that the company is throwing us here and there.
What is certain, nevertheless, is that the Samsung Galaxy S6 is meant to be a revolutionary device, ready to rewrite the series’ history and wipe away the company’s less-than-what-was-promised Galaxy S5 release. We can only hope and make the best of what we know so far. Only time will tell.
Roxanne Briean
Latest posts by Roxanne Briean (see all)
- Former Virginia Tech Freshman Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Stabbing a Girl to Death - June 28, 2018
- San Francisco Woman Threatened to Call Police on Girl Who Sold Ice Water for Disneyland Trip - June 25, 2018
- Epping Woman Sentence to 20 Years of Prison for Mutilating Homeless Woman’s Children - June 12, 2018