It’s that time of year again. Most of the main flagship smartphones of 2014 have already launched and everyone’s eyes are on next year’s models. Finally, news of the Samsung Galaxy S6 has arrived. The bar is set high for Samsung in 2015, in light of lower than expected third quarter results, declining smartphone sales, and growing discontent among even its most loyal customers.
A Quad-HD screen with a curved edge on both sides is unlikely.

Next year’s flagship is currently in development under the name “Project Zero,” sources tell SamMobile, and it’s being pitched as the ultimate high-end phone. Although no screen size was listed in the projected spec list, the screen is said to sport a Quad HD resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. It’s no surprise that Samsung’s considering a QHD screen on the Galaxy S6, especially after introducing it on the Galaxy Note 4. The screen will most likely measure between 5.3 and 5.5 inches, but no more, so as to preserve the distinction between the Galaxy S and Note lineups.

A leaked benchmark test result for what is believed to be the Galaxy S6 that was spotted by PhoneArena, pegs the S6’s screen size at a whopping 5.5-inches. The screen resolution is listed as Quad HD, which corroborates earlier rumors. One week later, a second benchmark test on AnTuTu and a leaked screen shot of the test results indicated the screen will sport a Quad HD resolution. Dutch publication Mobifo picked up the leak.

According to an analyst speaking at a display-centric conference in Korea, Samsung may use a version of the curved screen introduced on the Galaxy Note Edge on the Galaxy S6. What’s more, it could cascade down both sides of the display, instead of only the right-hand side. Apparently, this was the original plan for the Note Edge, but it was altered just before announcement for an unspecified reason. Perhaps the technology couldn’t be perfected in time. A Samsung executive has said the company hopes introducing curved screens could help it sell more expensive smartphones in the future, making all Galaxy S devices possible showcases for the technology.

A later report from SamMobile claims that there won’t be an edge-screen variant of the Galaxy S6, but Samsung is planning to make different models. An insider told the publication that Samsung is testing another variant of the S6 with an unknown innovative feature. At this point, Samsung doesn’t appear to have made a firm commitment one way or another.

Faster processor, and more internal storage memory

The report also hints that the Galaxy S6 will come in two variants with different processors, depending on the markets in which the handsets launch. The Korean market and a few others will most likely get the Exynos 7420 octa-core 64-bit processor, while those in North America, Europe, and most of Asia will get S6 handsets powered by Qualcomm’s zippy new Snapdragon 810 64-bit chip.

Leaked benchmark results seemingly confirm the 64-bit Exynos processor will power at least one S6 model. The results hint Android 5.0 Lollipop, 3GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage will be also feature. Meanwhile, another leaked benchmark result published by Dutch website Mobifo shows an octa-core ARMv8 and a Mali-T768 graphics unit, which correspond to the 64-bit Samsung Exynos 7420 chip. The screenshot also shows Android 5.0 Lollipop as the Galaxy S6’s operating system.

Samsung might integrate a Broadcom BCM4773 chip into the Galaxy S6, to help reduce battery drain by putting all the phone’s sensors in one place. The battery size isn’t known yet, but that’s likely to be finalized at a later date to match the finalized specs. Like most phones nowadays, Samsung will probably offer the S6 in 32, 64, and 128GB options. It looks like Samsung may have finally eliminated the hated 16GB version of its next flagship.

Galaxy S6 may have a 20-megapixel camera

Unsurprisingly, it looks like the Galaxy S6 will get a camera upgrade. Reports claim it will come with the same IMX240 sensor as the Note 4, but the resolution could be anything from 16 to 20-megapixels. Back at the end of 2013, a report stated Samsung intended to make 20-megapixel cameras common across its premium smartphone range during 2015, making the latter option sound highly likely. Meanwhile, the front camera is expected to follow the selfie camera trend and be a 5-megapixel shooter.

One set of AnTuTu benchmark results show a 20-megapixel back camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, apparently corroborating earlier rumors. However, another benchmark leak hints at a 16-megapixel back camera instead.

The rest of the specs, along with the launch and release dates for Samsung’s Galaxy S6 remain unknown, but so far it’s shaping up to be an interesting device. We’ll continue to update this post as more information becomes available.

Author: Malarie Gokey
Source: DigitalTrends