What can we expect from the Samsung Galaxy S6

Samsung is leading the pack of smartphones powered by Android. Arguably the primary competition for Apple, Samsung has made some great hardware over the years. This time around we’ve been teased with “great vision” and “a unique view” coming in “The Next Galaxy”. What does that mean, and what can we expect from the Samsung Galaxy S6? Let’s gather all our intel and see what we can come up with!

Construction

Not long ago we saw what was reported to be a fairly detailed schematic of the Galaxy S6’s dimensions. If that document holds true we could see a phone that’s 7.19mm thick, though others have implied the thickness may be even slimmer, at only 6.91mm. Either puts the Galaxy S6 right around the same thickness as the iPhone 6.

Will it bend? Not if these leaked pictures are of the Galaxy S6, which seem to show a metal chassis, are correct!

Screen

The screen on the Galaxy S6 is said to be a 5.1-inch panel with a Quad HD resolution with a pixel density of 577 ppi. Rumors are that it will be Super AMOLED, and may come in flat as well as curved configurations, a la the Note Edge, though the pictures we’ve seen indicate the curve will be on the left edge. Will this be an optional configuration of the Galaxy S6 or a separate device? I favor the latter – for now.

Battery

We’ve heard reports claim that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will include a somewhat smaller battery than we might otherwise expect. At first glance a 2600 mAh battery (or 2,550 mAh, depending on your source) is a step back in the wrong direction (compared to the 2800 mAh battery in the Galaxy S5).

The chip in question could be that the new Exynos processor, which promises to be extremely power efficient (more on that later). Also, the battery may be non-removable, as evidenced by the external access ports to the SIM and sdcard slots. The compromises around the battery could be fairly negative for Samsung.

However, considering what the processor could be, and the potential power savings of a more advanced chip, a smaller battery  and thinner phone could result in a similar run time, but with savings in costs, weight, and thickness.

SoC

Speaking of processors, Samsung has released previous generations of the Galaxy S family with different SoCs depending on region. It’s entirely possible that we could see a Snapdragon 810 powered the Galaxy S6 – at least in some parts of the world. What’s more likely is a custom-baked Exynos chip, designed and built by Samsung. What’s more, some sources are claiming that it will be a 64-bit processor featuring eight cores! Whether or not this will be a four-by-four big.LITTLE configuration where only half of the cores are active at any given time, or a true octacore where all eight cores can work simultaneously remains to be seen, but I’d favor the latter.

“Samsung’s advanced 14nm FinFET process technology is undoubtedly the most advanced logic process technology in the industry. We expect the production of our 14nm mobile application processor to positively impact the growth of the mobile industry by enabling further performance improvements for cutting-edge smartphones.” – Gabsoo Han, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing, System LSI Business, Samsung Electronics

Camera

Based on the teaser video and some of the purported cases for the Galaxy S6, the camera module is going to bump out from the back of the phone in a “squircle” configuration.

The sensor in the Galaxy Note 4 is a beefy 16MP, rumors show the Galaxy S6 jumping up to 20MP with optical image stabilization. The front-facing camera will likely include a 5MP f/1.8 sensor.

Release Date

According to another leaked document (reportedly sent to Samsung Experience Shop employees), there will be certain days when no one can take time off: March 22 through March 30, and April 19 through April 27.

Should this memo hold true, we can expect the Galaxy S6 to be released during one of those two windows (when Samsung wants “all hands on deck” to handle the launch). Personally, I favor March 22 over April 19 for the release of the Galaxy S6, which makes me wonder what the other “release date” might be for. A new Galaxy Note perhaps?