Samsung’s new flagship devices will be in the public’s hands by the end of this week.
The new Galaxy S6 and the unique Galaxy S6 Edge will be available for purchase on April 10. It’s currently available for pre-order.
These are Samsung’s top-of-the-line smartphones and they’re definitely for those who can’t live without their device nearby, figuratively speaking of course.
Both the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge feature a 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display. However, the Galaxy S6 Edge gets its name from its dual curved edge design.
JK Shin, the CEO and head of IT and Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics, says in a statement on the new flagship devices:
“With the all new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung is offering what’s next in mobility, along with a new standard to drive the global mobile agenda. By listening to our customers, and learning from both our success and missteps, we continuously push forward new technologies and ideas. With a re-imagined design, robust partner network and novel services, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge offer users the ultimate experience in smartphone options.”
Samsung’s newest offerings come at a considerable price, though. It makes these smartphones really only for those small businesses who are thriving on mobile.
The new Galaxy S6 Edge starts at just under $780 (with 32GB of internal storage) and can top out at just under $1,000 (128GB).
The Galaxy S6, without the dual curved edges, will sell for between $680 and $860, depending on the amount of internal storage.
Both these smartphones will feature a lot of Samsung’s top technology. That includes its Exynos 7420 Octa-core 64-bit processor. It’s also stocked with 3GB of RAM memory.
They also each have impressive cameras, a 16-megapixel auto HDR camera on the back and a 5-megapixel wide angle front facing camera.
Both also are quite sleek, measuring just longer than a quarter-inch in thickness. And they each weigh less than five ounces.
There are two other remarkable features that are new to the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge:
Wireless Charging
Samsung says that its new smartphones will be compatible with most wireless charging mats currently available on the market.
The company has a wireless charging mat of its own, of course. The Qi Wireless charging pad sells for $50 typically.
If you’re a purist and want to go with a wired charging, the Galaxy S6 phones will charge 1.5-times faster than the Galaxy S5. That means just 10 minutes of charge time will net about 4 hours of phone usage time.
Mobile Payments
Later this year, Samsung will introduce its own mobile payments platform known as Samsung Pay. It’ll be exclusive to users in the U.S., first.
This will work a lot like other mobile wallets where payments can be made directly from a smartphone at select retail locations.
The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge feature NFC and a proprietary Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) technology. Both allow for making mobile payments.
Samsung says that its platform will be compatible with more different payment standards than any other app available currently.
To make and authenticate a payment, Samsung utilizes a fingerprint scanner, according to a company release. Users need only enter card information initially and then to make payments, sweep up from the bezel of the phone, select a payment method and verify it with a fingerprint scan.
Image: Samsung
