When is the Samsung Galaxy S6 coming out? We round up everything there is to know about the Samsung Galaxy S6 'Project Zero' smartphone, including UK release date, price and specs rumours, concept images and leaked case details. Scroll down to design and build to see the most convincing leak yet. Also see: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge UK release date, price and specs, Samsung Galaxy S6 Active UK release date price and specs, and Samsung Galaxy S6 mini UK release date, price and specs predictions
Samsung Galaxy S6 UK release date: When is the Samsung Galaxy S6 coming out?
Samsung, like other hardware manufacturers, has got into a rhythm of launching a new flagship smartphone once per year. As with previous Samsung Galaxy S-series smartphones, we expected the Samsung Galaxy S6 to be unveiled the day before MWC 2015. This has since been confirmed with invites (shown at the top of this page) sent out for a 1 March 2015 Samsung Unpacked event at 18:30 CET. Also see: What to expect from MWC 2015.
PhoneArena has a memo from Samsung suggesting a release date (on sale) of 22 March for the Galaxy S6. Another date, 19 April, looks a likely release date for the Galaxy S6 Edge.
Samsung Galaxy S6 UK price: How much will the Samsung Galaxy S6 cost?
Samsung tends to stick to the same pricing for its Galaxy smartphones, which means we expect the S6 to come in at £549 SIM-free. This price will drop below £500 within months, and this time next year will be closer to £400. According to Android Pit, the Galaxy S6 will start at 749 Euro which is around £565. See below for all the rumoured prices. Also see: Best smartphones 2015 and Best Android phones 2015.
Samsung Galaxy S6 32GB: 749 Euro
Samsung Galaxy S6 64GB: 849 Euro
Samsung Galaxy S6 128GB: 949 Euro
Samsung Galaxy S6: Specs
Plenty of whispers are circulating the rumour mill on what specs and features the Samsung Galaxy S6 will offer. We've listed these below.
Samsung Galaxy S6 screen
The Samsung Galaxy S6 will, in common with all other GalaxyS-series smartphones before it, feature a Super AMOLED screen. This is expected to get a size and resolution bump to 5.5in and Quad-HD (1440x2560, 534ppi), and the latter is all the more likely since Samsung introduced Quad-HD in its Note 4. Expect it to come protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 4.
A variant of the Samsung Galaxy S6, known as the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, is tipped to arrive with a curved-edge screen. This will be similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, but both left and right edges will have the curved edge. The imagery used on the invitation for Unpacked 2015 seems to back up this curved-screen theory. Read more about the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge here.
Samsung Galaxy S6 design and build
The Samsung Galaxy S5 was slammed by critics with its plastic build, but it appears Samsung is taking steps to rectify this. Both Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Samsung Galaxy Alpha have featured a metal chassis with removable rear covers, and it's likely this is something we'll see continued in the Samsung Galaxy S6 - especially if the image below leaked from CNET picturing the S6 and S6 Edge is anything to go by.
This wasn't the first image we've seen to back up the metal design theory, either. NoWhereElse has been a particularly prolific poster of metal-design Samsung Galaxy S6 photos, some of which are shown below.
Yet another leak gives us the best look at the Galaxy S6 yet with press renders at the same angles which Samsung always uses. The leak comes via underkg which also touts dimensions of 71 x 143 x 6.9 mm. The third image shows how similar the Galaxy S6 looks to the iPhone 6 with rounded sides, drilled speaker holes, a central microUSB port and headphone jack.
A mystery device with slim bezels and a half-metal frame shown in Samsung's own How to set-up Samsung My KNOX video could also be the Samsung Galaxy S6 (source).
AndroidPit claims two Samsung Galaxy S6 designs are in the works - one the aforementioned half-metal, half-plastic device, and the other a metal unibody device similar to the iPhone. If Samsung goes down the unibody road it risks angering fans by making the battery non-removable. And that is a distinct possibility, given that Sammobile says the rear of the S6 and S6 Edge is the same colour as the phone itself.
At the rear expect to find the same heart-rate sensor as on the S5, while the fingerprint scanner at the front will be replaced with a new touch- rather than swipe-style scanner (source). The S6 will, like the Note 4, also feature a UV scanner.
According to GSMArena, the Samsung Galaxy S6 will be available in Charcoal Black, Copper Gold, Electric Blue and Shimmery White.
Samsung Galaxy S6 leaked case designs and what they tell us
Several Samsung Galaxy S6 case designs have been leaked and are already available to buy, some of which are shown below. All seem to reveal that the Samsung Galaxy S6's dual-LED flash has been moved to the other side of the camera, and that the phone will feature separate volume up/down buttons. The headphone port placement also differs, and there are no longer cut-outs at the back of the case for the speakers - have these been moved to the Samsung Galaxy S6's front?
Assuming the speaker has moved to the front of the phone, this adds weight to the theory that Samsung is targetting audiophiles with its Galaxy S6. The smartphone is also expected to be bundled with Sennheiser earbuds.
Samsung Galaxy S6 concept images and video
Various concept images depicting artists' impressions of how the Samsung Galaxy S6 will look have circulated around the web. We show some of those from 3G.co.uk and vouchercodespro.co.uk below.
Samsung Galaxy S6 processor, memory and storage
The Samsung Galaxy S6 was originally expected to be sold in the UK with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, but overheating issues with the Snapdragon 810 has allegedly led Samsung to shun Qualcomm in favour of its own Exynos 7420 chip in 90 percent of Samsung Galaxy S6 handsets at launch. Once Qualcomm has ironed out problems with the 810 it will gradually replace the Exynos in newer batches of the Samsung Galaxy S6. In its latest earnings call Qualcomm suggested it had lost a big client, which could well be Samsung.
The Exynos 7420 is a 64-bit chip with four Cortex-A53 and four Cortex-A57 cores.
On the storage front, the phone is rumoured to come in 32-, 64- and 128 GB models. Samsung is likely to equip the Galaxy S6 with 3GB of RAM, plus a microSD slot that accepts up to 128GB.
Samsung Galaxy S6 performance
A new leak from Antutu suggests the Samsung Galaxy S6 with a 2.1GHz Exynos 7420, 3GB of RAM and Mali-T760 GPU has scored a staggering 60,978 points in Antutu, which is way higher than anything we've seen from the Snapdragon 810 (source).
Samsung Galaxy S6 cameras
The majority of the rumours suggest the Samsung Galaxy S6 will feature a 20Mp rear camera. Indeed, a Sammobile insider claims to have seen a prototype of the device with a 20Mp rear camera and 5Mp front camera.
Samsung Galaxy S6 other specifications
According to GSMArena, the Samsung Galaxy S6 will also feature dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS and an IR blaster.
Samsung Galaxy S6 software
Samsung is making Tizen products but it's almost certain that the Galaxy S6 will stick with Android. Samsung has now had plenty of time to ready Android Lollipop for the Galaxy S6, and we also expect to find a newly slimmed-down TouchWiz UI.
Business Korea says the Samsung Galaxy S6's TouchWiz interface will be stripped right back, removing unnecessary features to offer a stock Android-like experience as found on the Nexus 6. SamMobile seconds this idea, claiming Samsung will make many of its add-on apps available as downloads rather than pre-installing them - such as S Note, S Health and S Voice.
The site's 'insider' even goes as far as to say it will be "near-stock" and could include Microsoft apps like OneNote, OneDrive, Office Mobile and Skype.
Samsung Galaxy S6 new payment system
According to GSMArena, the Korean media is reporting that Samsung has lined up Visa to work alongside it in creating a new payments system for the Galaxy S6. It will be similar to Apple Pay, but use LoopPay technology. This payments system will also be available on the Galaxy S5 and Note 4.
Samsung Galaxy S6 software: enhanced themes
According to Sammobile, Samsung is prioritising enhanced themes customisation with future devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S6. A Themes Center will let you change system sounds, fonts and Events (such as Christmas or Valentine's Day).
There will also be a Themes Store, which has the following icon:
Samsung Galaxy S6 accessories
Sammobile has leaked the following list of accessories for the Samsung Galaxy S6.
- • EF-CG920B — Zero-F S View Cover Case
- • EP-PG920I — Zero-Flat S Charger Pad Power
- • EF-WG920B — Zero-F Flip Wallet Case
- • ET-FG920C — Zero-F Screen protector ETC
- • EF-YG920B — Zero-F Protective Cover [PULeather] Case
- • EF-QG920B — Zero-F Protective Cover [Clear] Case
- • EF-YG925BMEBUS — Zero Protective Cover [PULeather] Case
- • EF-WG925BSEBUS — Zero Flip Wallet Case PVR
- • EF-QG925BGEGWW — Zero Protective Cover [Clear]Case
The Samsung Galaxy S6 will also be sold with Sennheiser earbuds, according to Sammobile, in a bid to appease audiophiles. The earbuds reportedly look similar to those supplied with the Amazon Fire Phone and the Apple EarPods. They will also feature apt-X, which may mean they work wirelessly.
Furthermore, Sammobile says accessories will be the S6's strongest suit. You'll be able to purchase add-ons that let you monitor your blood sugar and upload that data to the cloud for a doctor to view, get a secondary E Ink display for reading books, and there will be detachable lenses that turn the Galaxy S6 into the Galaxy S6 K Zoom. Other accessories in the works are said to include sports equipment such as bicycles and steppers.
Sammobile also claims the S6 and S6 Edge will support Samsung's Gear VR.
Samsung Galaxy S6 model names
Upleaks has published the following list of model numbers for the Galaxy S6:
SM-G9200 – China
SM-G9208 – China
SM-G9209 – China
SM-G920A – AT&T
SM-G920D – NTT DOCOMO
SM-G920F – A lot of countries/regions
SM-G920I – A lot of countries/regions
SM-G920K – KT
SM-G920L – LG Telecom
SM-G920M – Brazil
SM-G920P – Sprint
SM-G920R – US Cellular
SM-G920S – SK Telecom
SM-G920T – T-Mobile US
SM-G920V – Verizon
SM-G920W – Canada etc
SM-G920X – Demo Only, not for public
SM-G9250 – China
SM-G925A – AT&T
SM-G925D – NTT DOCOMO
SM-G925F – A lot of countries/regions
SM-G925I – A lot of countries/regions
SM-G925J – KDDI
SM-G925K – KT
SM-G925L – LG Telecom
SM-G925P – Sprint
SM-G925R – US Cellular
SM-G925S – SK Telecom
SM-G925T – T-Mobile US
SM-G925V – Verizon
SM-G925W – Canada etc
SM-G925X – Demo Only, not for public
Samsung Galaxy S6 support
According to Sammobile, support pages for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have now appeared on Samsung's Swedish and Finnish websites, confirming their existence.
Samsung Galaxy S6 to come with StoreDot super-fast-charging technology?
That'll be a no, but it would be cool if it did.
StoreDot's FlashBattery, which is able to fully charge your phone in one minute, is much thicker than same-capacity lithium batteries used in smartphones. Right now it wouldn't be able to get you through the day without several recharges, although StoreDot has given itself a 2017 goal to match the size and capacity of lithium-ion.
Sure, it's interesting to note that the FlashBattery was on show by appointment only at the same tradeshow that the Samsung Galaxy S6 was rumoured to be available for private viewings: CES 2015. StoreDot also used a Samsung Galaxy S5 on which to demonstrate its tech. And it said it was in talks with all the big players at CES 2015. But, let's use some common sense here: it probably just used the S5 because, unlike many of its rivals, its battery is removable.
So while you will likely see this super-fast charging tech in future Galaxy devices, it certainly won't be in the S6. Check out the video below to see how it works.
Samsung Galaxy S5 is one of the best smartphones. And if we describe buy Samsung Galaxy S5 in one word, then the word would be “evolution”.
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