Samsung Galaxy S6 hype thread

[ultimatebob]

A lot of people are expecting Samsung to announce their new Galaxy S phone at CES next week.

That said, what new features are you hoping for? Personally, I'd like a see a nice high resolution 5" display, better battery life, and the announcement of a Lollipop upgrade for the Galaxy S5 and Note 4 phones.

 

[Platypus]

lollipop for the s5 is going to be any day now supposedly. Poland and one other variant has had it for a while now. They'll likely drop it very soon for the US market.

S6 better be a major upgrade for them, Samsung is sitting on literally thousands of unsold S5s at the moment due to low demand for it compared to the S4.

 

[dawheat]

I don't know if there really is any room for a big surprise these days. Things almost guaranteed to have:

- Semi-metallic build like the Note 4, if not full metallic
- 1440p AMOLED (I'm guessing 5.1-5.2 to keep the size from getting too large)
- Newest SOC
- Lollipop out of the box
- Camera at least as good as the Note 4
- Toned down TW (progression of the Note 4).

Things that may or may not happen:

- Minimal bezels like the G3 (or not if Samsung sticks with IP protection. If so, possibly an improvement over the size increase from the S4 -> S5)
- Slim while increasing battery life (can Samsung improve their packaging any further?). Possibly Z3 level battery life, which should be fine for near everyone. I don't expect a huge step forward like the Z3 compact.
- Stereo speakers, though I'm 100% sure not front-facing
- Improved fingerprint scanner - I'm ok with the Note 4 scanner, but it's not as good as Touch ID. Huawei showed that someone besides Apple can do a great scanner
- 32GB standard storage

Honestly, outside of a dramatically refreshed TW (which the Lollipop builds of the S5 don't reflect) or some miracle of packaging that results in a very svelte, huge battery life device, I don't expect anything "wow", but very good.

 

[benzylic]

The leaks all say 5.5 inch screen. If that's the case I might as well just get the note.

 

[ImDonly1]

Here's the first supposed leak of the back (nothing too interesting)
http://www.nowhereelse.fr/samsung-galaxy-s6-photos-boitier-103703/

If it is metal, then good-bye removable battery?

 

[ChronoReverse]

If it's 5.5 inches I can get a Note or another phablet. They need to start making 5 inches or lower screens again.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Here's the first supposed leak of the back (nothing too interesting)
http://www.nowhereelse.fr/samsung-galaxy-s6-photos-boitier-103703/

If it is metal, then good-bye removable battery?

Why? Couldn't you take the back off and put in another?

 

[dawheat]

I'm skeptical of the 5.5" rumor - unlike LG who had nothing to lose, Samsung has established a clear segmentation between two popular lines (S and Note) - each with their own unique brand recognition. Blurring it would hurt one of the advantages Samsung has over other Android OEMs.

 

[Commodus]

I'm not expecting Samsung to unveil the Galaxy S6 at CES -- not in public, anyway.

These "Samsung is unveiling the new Galaxy S at CES" rumours have popped up every year for the past few years, and it never pans out. The only way I see it happening in 2015 is if Samsung is so freaked out by poor sales that it rushes the GS6 out the door in a desperate bid to stop people from buying iPhones instead.

 

[gorcorps]

While I wouldn't put it past Samsung to make the S6 even bigger, I doubt the rumors of a 5.5" screen. I expect the similar build quality of the Note 4 (which IMO is fantastic) so that should be an improvement over the S5. I also think they keep the screen size the same, which is already too big IMO for the Galaxy S line, and they'll keep the waterproofing (which the note 4 doesn't have).

Samsung could have a good year if they brought out a proper 4-4.5" device with true flagship specs. They always have a Galaxy S mini variant, but it has corners cut to make it a cheaper device. I think the market is there for a true flagship at a reduced size (like Sony made) and if they treated it as well as their other flagships it could do well.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Something smaller.

 

[blankslate]

Samsung could have a good year if they brought out a proper 4-4.5" device with true flagship specs. They always have a Galaxy S mini variant, but it has corners cut to make it a cheaper device. I think the market is there for a true flagship at a reduced size (like Sony made) and if they treated it as well as their other flagships it could do well.

I agree with this.

The Galaxy alpha felt damn nice in the hand when I looked at it in the store. Unfortunately the screen resolution felt low to me. Although it probably helped the battery.

if they increased the battery capacity and moved it to around 400-420 ppi on a possible future version of the Alpha in a 4.7 to 4.8 inch size screen I'd be looking at it for an upgrade in the future.

If I decide on a smaller phone.

I'm also considering a Note 4 for the end of this year as I don't think any killer app will come around to make current flagship specs "too slow"

The note 4 has the pleasant feeling in the hand to me that the Alpha does too.


....

 

[Commodus]

Sure enough, the "Galaxy S6 at CES" rumor was bunk. There's talk that Samsung is showing it behind closed doors to partners, but that wouldn't be surprising if there's a launch due at Mobile World Congress or shortly afterward.

 

[blankslate]

If the GS6 doesn't have a user replaceable battery I'll be looking at an GS5 when the contract is up and an upgrade might warranted, or the Note 4 if I want to go up to a tier in screen size.

I'm open to any brand with a replaceable battery and microSD slot though.


....

 

[ghost recon88]

Not to start a pissing match, but has anyone looked at the rumored specs and dimensions of the S6 against the HTC M9? I think right at or near the 5" screen size is going to be the sweet spot for me.

 

[blankslate]

Not sure but I don't think there's reason for them to make it any larger than the current 5.1 inches for the S5... because they have the Note 4 for a large phone.


....

 

[lopri]

Is it possible we will see 2 variants of the S6's? It may still be called S6 mini but released at the same time as the larger S6, with more or less equal specs. If the larger one is going to be 5.5", then I think there is a chance we might see a smaller one launched at the same time under the same banner.

 

[blankslate]

Is it possible we will see 2 variants of the S6's? It may still be called S6 mini but released at the same time as the larger S6, with more or less equal specs. If the larger one is going to be 5.5", then I think there is a chance we might see a smaller one launched at the same time under the same banner.

imo 5.5 is a bit too close to the Note 4 and may blur product lines a bit.

5.2 or 5.3 would be reasonable in my mind and a 4.6-4.8 mini would not be unwelcome especially if they keep most of the specs the same. CPU, RAM, and storage in particular.

....

 

[ChronoReverse]

Build a 4.8" phone without compromise and I will certainly upgrade from my Galaxy S4. Anything from 4.6" to 5" is the perfect size for me.

 

[lopri]

imo 5.5 is a bit too close to the Note 4 and may blur product lines a bit.

I agree but there is a hint that Samsung is about to cave to the shallow criticism and give up the removable back for a unibody metal design. If that is the case, they may keep the Note line as "made for professionals" line, and take the S6's design to more trendy direction. So there may be more than just sizes to differentiate the two lines.

I have no proof whatsoever for this theory craft.

 

[CakeMonster]

I'm hoping for less bezel and more screen percentage wise of the surface area. The S5 was a step DOWN compared to S4 in this regard.

I also expect 1440p since it's been two years of 1080p.

I expect Snapdragon 810. The clock speed is going to be interesting, which will tell us something about the 20nm yields.

I expect a better camera, and specifically 4K 60fps recording ability. The hardware support for encoding is there, and the flash memory should be fast enough.

 

[lopri]

2560x1600 seems to be a safe bet, whatever the physical size of screen is going to be. It is going to be needed for Gear VR.

 

[lopri]

Samsung Drops Qualcomm Chip From Next Galaxy Smartphone

Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) will use its own microprocessors in the next version of the Galaxy S smartphone, dropping its use of a Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) chip that overheated during the Korean company’s testing, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Overheated? Damn.

Samsung has enough market muscle to force AT&T and Verizon to play nice with Exynos.

 

[CakeMonster]

2560x1600 seems to be a safe bet, whatever the physical size of screen is going to be. It is going to be needed for Gear VR.

I don't see any reason for why Samsung should do something different from every other manufacturer out there? There's not even been the slightest hint than anyone is going 16:10 instead of 16:9.