22 December 2014

Samsung Galaxy S6 'Project Zero' release date, features and specs rumours: Metal frame pictures leak

Samsung Galaxy S6 concept image

The flagship Samsung Galaxy S5 has been on sale for a while now and the firm has seen disappointing sales so it's time to look forward to the Galaxy S6 which is codenamed Project Zero. Here's everything we can tell you about the Galaxy S6 release date and specs based on rumours and speculation. Also see: Best smartphones 2014 and Best Android phones 2014.

Every major flagship smartphones for 2014 has now launched including the iPhone 6, Google Nexus 6 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Many of you will be interested in when Samsung will launch a follow-up smartphone to the Galaxy S5 and you've come to the right place.

Read: HTC One M9 release date, price, specs rumours.

Samsung Galaxy S6: Release date

Although there is nothing official from Samsung yet (don't expect anything for a while), there is plenty to say about the release date of the Galaxy S6. For starters it's extremely unlikely to arrive this year. Read: iPhone 6 release date, price, specs and new features.

Samsung, like other hardware manufacturers has got into a rhythm of launching a new flagship smartphone once per year. Just as the Galaxy Note 4 and iPhone 6 were expected to launch in September and did so, we (along with many others) expect the Galaxy S6 to launch close to MWC.

The Korean tech giant has launched previous Galaxy S phones near to the Barcelona show; in fact, the Galaxy S5 was announced in the Spanish city earlier this year. MWC 2015 is scheduled for 2 March so we fully expect the Galaxy S6 to be unveiled close to this date at an Unpacked event.

There is the odd murmur that Samsung will bring it forward due to disappointing Galaxy S5 sales. If we hear more, we'll let you know.

Samsung Galaxy S6 specs

Samsung Galaxy S6: Specs

Plenty of whispers are circulating the rumour mill on what specs and features the Samsung Galaxy S6 will offer. Some sound farfetched; others are more likely. Now a detailed leak by SamMobile reveals what Samsung is planning for the Galaxy S6 so read on. The specs revealed by the site are backed up by a screenshot from the AnTuTu benchmark app. Read: LG G4 release date, price and specs rumours.

Galaxy S6 AnTuTu benchmark

Screen

It seems perfectly plausible that the Galaxy S6 will use a SuperAMOLED screen, Samsung's favoured display technology. As for size, the trend is for new models to have bigger displays so with the Galaxy S5 at 5.1in, the Galaxy S6 could be as large as 5.5in, matching the LG G3 or somewhere in-between.

Speaking of the LG G3, there are two main contenders for the Galaxy S6 screen resolution: Quad HD (1440 x 2560) matching LG's flagship smartphone or 4K (2160 x 3840). The former seems more likely to us, now that Samsung has introduced it in the Galaxy Note 4 but it's certainly not out of the question. SamMobile touts it will be Quad HD but doesn't know what size.

There are rumours of a flexible or curved display which Samsung has been developing and we've seen on the Galaxy Round. Whether the firm utilises this on the flagship Galaxy S6 is unclear. It's possible but from our point of view, unlikely.

Design and build

The Samsung Galaxy S5 got slammed in reviews (including ours) for its plastic build quality and this is something which should be improved when it comes to the Galaxy S6. Rumours suggest the firm could be using graphene as a material. More likely, however, is that Samsung will continue the metal design used by its Galaxy Alpha in the Galaxy S6.

The following images alleged to be a metal Samsung Galaxy S6 frame have been leaked by NoWhereElse.

Samsung Galaxy S6 metal frame

Samsung Galaxy S6 metal frame

Samsung Galaxy S6 metal frame

3G.co.uk has released the concept image at the top of this page, plus the following Samsung Galaxy S6 teaser video:

A new concept image comes from vouchercodespro.co.uk, shown below:

Samsung Galaxy S6 concept

Software

Samsung is making Tizen products but it's almost certain that the Galaxy S6 will stick with Android. Google has announced Android 5.0 Lollipop so Samsung has plenty of time to get this version pre-installed and we expect a new version of Samsung's TouchWiz interface.

Processor, memory and storage

Under the bonnet we think the Galaxy S6 will be powered by one of Qualcomm's 64-bit processors (Android Lollipop will support 64-bit) which have already been announced and scheduled to arrive inside devices in the first half of 2015 – how convenient. Android L vs Android 4.4 KitKat comparison review: What's the difference?

The Snapdragon 808 and Snapdragon 810 are the two options here and Samsung could launch each in different markets. The former supports up to 1600 x 2560 displays and the latter allows for full 4K.

SamMobile claims the Galaxy S6 will come with its own new Exynos 7420, a 64-bit chip with four Cortex-A53 and four Cortex-A57 cores. However, there will also be a Snapdragon 810 version which is the one we could end up getting in the UK.

On the storage front, the phone is rumoured to come in 32-, 64- and 128 GB models to choose from. Samsung is likely to equip the Galaxy S6 with 3 GB of RAM.

Cameras

There's no word on the Galaxy S6 camera yet but we expect it to either be the same 16Mp resolution with some improvements or an even higher resolution, perhaps 20Mp. SamMobile says the firm is currently deciding between the two but says it is likely the firm will stick with 16Mp with optical image stabilisation like the Note 4.

Front cameras are increasingly important and the Galaxy S6 looks set to get a 5Mp shooter to match the freshly announced Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5.

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