Andrew Grush 1/14/15: The original version of this roundup went live on December 29th, though we have now edited the post to reflect the most current rumors regarding the Samsung Galaxy S6. The year 2015 is here, CES is behind us and we are now turning towards the new year and are beginning to eagerly await the next generation of Android flagships. One of the first major devices to hit in 2015 will likely be the Samsung Galaxy S6, given that the Galaxy S5 launched in February of this year and the Galaxy S4 launched in March of 2013. As it’s still fairly early days, we know very little concrete information about the GS6, but rumors are starting to surface in greater number and we imagine that they will only increase in frequency in the weeks and months to come. With that in mind, we have gathered up all the best-known current rumors relating to the Samsung Galaxy S6 and will continually update this post as we hear more. Keep in mind that these are rumors and thus we wouldn’t take this post too seriously until we get a bit closer to the arrival of the GS6. In other words, read this post only if you enjoy speculating as much as we do! DESIGN In the past Samsung has promised on more than one occasion that it would go back to the drawing board with its next Galaxy phone, and each time we’ve ended up with a phone that largely sticks to the same ole’ Samsung formula with minor tweaks (leather stitching, dimpled backs, etc). For the Galaxy S6, Samsung is again promising its biggest changes to the brand yet. But this time, there’s actually some evidence that they may be more than just talking big. More than one rumor floating around claims that the GS6 will have a metallic body, perhaps a full unibody design. We’d imagine we’ll see a metal framed Galaxy S6 at the very least, though it’s certainly possible a fully metallic design could be in the works. How believable is this though? Actually, it could happen. Samsung has been actively experimenting with full-metal designs on some of its lower and mid-range devices and even the Note 4 had a metallic frame. The problem here is that we’ve also heard reports that Samsung has had QA issues with the production of unibody cases, which makes us question whether or not Samsung could really pull off a full unibody case for one of its core flagship devices. We’d imagine we’ll see a metal framed Galaxy S6 at the very least, though it’s certainly possible a fully metallic design could be in the works. Beyond the use of new material, there’s at least one report claiming that Samsung will introduce vibrant colors to its metallic GS6, such as the yellow hue seen above. It’s hard to say how accurate this particular claim is, though it’s at least possible. Another rumored change to the Galaxy S6 is that it could feature a design with a dual Edge-like display. While some publications suggest this rumor has no real basis, others claim that the phone will not only feature dual edges that are less dramatic in angle and easier to grip than the Galaxy Note Edge — but that this design will apply to all Galaxy S6 devices and will not be a special variant. Completely countering that last claim, one of the most recent rumors from Phone Arena suggests that the Galaxy S6 will ship in a dual-edge metallic model with higher end specs and a lower-end-spec’d all-metal version. GS6 will allegedly offer a curved edges that are much more subtle than what’s found on the Note Edge. So how likely is the idea of a dual-edge display? Given the existence of the Galaxy Note Edge, we’d say it’s possible that such a variant could exist. As for the Galaxy S6 featuring an edge display by default and not as a special variant? We find it hard to believe that Samsung would be able to produce that many curved displays without running into serious production issues, though it’s possible Samsung has made big changes to help prevent this from being an issue in 2015. If we had to take make a bet, we’d say that the idea of two models, one with edged display and one without, is probably more likely than Samsung bringing its curved display to all GS6 units. Regardless of what alterations Samsung makes to build material, colors and display, right now the rumor mill suggests that Samsung won’t be changing much when it comes to the front layout. This means we’ll see the return of Samsung’s physical key layout, though we can’t say we are particularly surprised by this. Just for kicks, here’s a concept video showing off what one fan envisions for the future of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge: DISPLAY We still don’t know much about the display for the Galaxy S6, but at least one rumor claims that the ‘standard’ Samsung Galaxy S5 will have a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display, and will not make the jump to QHD. That means this display won’t be nearly as impressive as what’s found on the Note 4, but it should still provide a more than “good enough” viewing experience. Think that’s too big for a non-phablet flagship or angry about the lack of QHD? The same rumor claims that the Note Edge-like Galaxy S6 will offer a 5.3-inch QHD AMOLED display — though that model will have dual-edges which may either be a turn on or turn off, depending on your personal taste. So how likely is it that Samsung won’t ship with a QHD display inside of the GS6? With all other flagships likely considering adopting QHD displays, we’d say that the idea of Samsung leaving the tech out of the GS6 isn’t very likely, but perhaps they want to push more folks to the Edge variant this time around. GALAXY S6 SPECS Most rumors suggest the phone will ship with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 and 3GB RAM, and given the existence of the Note 4 variant with a Snapdragon 810 and the LG G Flex 2, we’d say that’s a pretty safe bet at this point. One publication does dispute this idea, and that’s Phone Arena. According to PA, the Snapdragon 810 will in fact ship inside the Galaxy S6 Edge-like model, but a lower-end base version will offer up a 1080p display and just a Snapdragon 801. Unless Samsung is calling this the Galaxy S6 Neo (or something similar), we find this hard to believe considering even the Note 4 offered up a Snapdragon 805. As far as other specs? We imagine you’ll see staples like fingerprint readers, HRM, NFC and so forth — at least judging by their past actions. PA also claims the Edge-like GS6 will feature 4GB RAM and an Iris Scanner, the latter of which is something Samsung has been talking about since long before even the Galaxy Note 4’s arrival. CAMERA A sample image taken with the Note 4. We haven’t heard much about the Galaxy S6’s camera as of late, though back in November it was suggested that the phone wouldn’t see Samsung’s ISOCELL technology and would instead offer the IMX240 sensor (like the Note 4) at either 16 or 20MB, with the likely inclusion of OIS technology. At the time, it was also said that we would see a 5MP front camera. SOFTWARE FEATURES Probably the two biggest complaints we hear about Samsung phones is the lack “of premium design” and “over cluttered software”. We already know the rumor mill suggests Samsung is introducing a unibody design that should help fight some of the design criticism, but now we also have started to hear rumors that Samsung is also making some massive changes to software. According to Business Korea, Samsung aims to simplify the software features of the Galaxy S6, creating a lighter weight custom UI that puts less stress on the Galaxy S6’s hardware. The end result would that the much complained about “lag” from TouchWiz would become a thing of the past. How far Samsung plans to take this makeover remains unseen, and it’s worth noting we heard similar rumors about such a drastic change with the GS5, only to never see them come to light. In other words, we wouldn’t get our hopes up to much until we hear more concrete details. Beyond making Touchwiz a bit faster, there’s also talk about Samsung bringing custom themes over to the phone, something we’ve already seen, to some degree, with the Samsung A3 and A5. The stock themes will apparently be similar to those included with the current Galaxy A series, but may also extend to include the changing of system fonts, sounds, and something else called Events. Events seem to allow for sysSamsung Theme Store logotem customization based on specific dates, such as birthdays or national holidays. RELEASE DATE Unless falling sales force Samsung’s hand, it’s likely we won’t see the Galaxy S6 until sometime around the Mobile World Congress timeframe — whether that’s a few weeks before, after or right during that window. WRAP UP As you can tell, there’s a lot of uncertainty about the Samsung Galaxy S6 right now. Will it have a QHD display on all models? What size will it be? Snapdragon 801 on a base version, or Snapdragon 810 all around? Regardless, a few consistencies between all rumors we have heard include the push towards a metal design and a “change in vision” from past Galaxy S handsets. This hopefully means the end of dimpled backs and faux leather, and the push towards something newer and exciting. Only time will tell for sure. What do you hope to see from the Samsung Galaxy S6? Let us know in the comments. Also be sure to participate in our poll! ift.tt/eA8V8J
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 18:15:28 +0000
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