Some Thoughts On The Samsung Galaxy S6: Design, Display & 64-Bit Chips

The Samsung Galaxy S5 launched in Q1 2014, meaning the next iteration is just around the corner. What can we expect?

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is a weird one, in that it’s not a bad handset by any stretch of the imagination, having all the power and usual attributes (nice display, decent camera, lots of sensors) normally associated with a headline-grabbing handset. It had all these things and yet it still missed something normally associated with BIG, flagship releases –– the all-important WOW factor. 

Just look at the HTC One M8, the LG G3 and the Moto X 2014… and then look at the Galaxy S5. There really is no competition; Samsung dropped the ball with the Galaxy S5, making the handset far too similar-looking to the Galaxy S4, which, again, looked a tad too similar to the Galaxy S3. Thankfully, Samsung is now in the throws of some kind of design renaissance; its two newest handsets, the Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4, are utterly superb (both in terms of design and performance). And this gives us hope for the Galaxy S6, which, if history tells us anything, will be announced inside Q1 of 2015 and likely released shortly thereafter. And while nothing is really known about what the Samsung Galaxy S6 will entail, there is much to discuss about what the handset represents, how it will differ from 2014’s offering and what the Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4 tell us about future releases from the company.

So here goes… a sideways look at what could be. 

Samsung Galaxy S6 Design 

It’s official: Samsung now does premium design, and it only took five years… but, hey, better late than never, right? After years and years of producing great, but decidedly cheap-feeling handsets, Samsung has now shifted gears with the release of the Galaxy Alpha and the Galaxy Note 4, embracing new, higher design standards, attention to detail and vastly improved build materials. This initiative began in Q4 2014 with the adoption of metal frames but is likely to go into overdrive during Q1 of 2015, as Samsung looks to re-establish itself as the number one name in mobile.

In order to do this the company is going to have to pull out all the stops, and that means looking beyond metal frames and into pastures unknown; things like curved displays, metal unibody designs, bezel-less displays, and unbreakable OLED panels. These are all possibilities we’ve seen Samsung debut in the past that could, aboard the Galaxy S6, go from proof-of-concept, tradeshow-talking-point to actual real, in the hand consumer technology. Apple’s upped its game with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, so it stands to reason Samsung will be looking to do the same in a bid to beat Apple at its own game (design). 

If you’re a big Galaxy S fan, as we are, then this is a very exciting time. The next few months will be very telling about the direction Samsung plans on taking its new flagship handset. Never before have we seen Samsung so focused on the overall design and build of its handsets, which makes me think the Galaxy S6 –– unlike the Galaxy S4/S5 –– will be a complete reimagining of what came before.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Display –– 2K or 4K. That IS The Question...

The LG G3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 both pack in super-high resolution 2K panels, so it seems likely we’ll see a similar setup inside the Galaxy S6. And while there are plenty of rumours about 4K displays coming in 2015 –– Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 and 810 will support such technology –– it seems rather superfluous in the grand scheme of things when you consider the affect of 2K panels on battery and what most people use their phones for. 

Still –– this is Samsung we’re talking about here, so there’s no telling what can happen. We know Qualcomm’s next-generation of mobile chipsets support, among other things, 55MP cameras, 64-bit architecture and 4K displays. But we also know that current battery technology isn’t exactly ready for such things –– open an HD video on the LG G3, and you can literally watch the charge drop. Which could mean we see Samsung exercise some restraint, as it did with the Galaxy Alpha, and include a very decent, yet power-efficient panel on the front of the Galaxy S6. Most punters (I’m assuming) would favour improved battery performance and HD visuals over a just-‘cos-we-could-bump to 4K.

Samsung Galaxy S6 CPU

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 and 810 chipsets are now in the hands of handset makers the across the globe, and this means that the next-generation of flagships –– 64-bit flagships –– are being put through their paces ahead of launch in the New Year. Of course, Samsung isn’t most OEMs and has its own chipset division, meaning, as per every other big launch from the company, we’ll likely see the Galaxy S6 running Qualcomm chips in some regions and Exynos in others (both variants will be 64-bit, though).

What’s more interesting about this whole Android 64-bit thing, however, is how Google plans on doing the switch; Android is fragmented as hell and in order to truly benefit from 64-bit you need to get apps and content upgraded to take advantage of it… and that requires developers to re-jig their applications. Consider the width and breadth of handsets running Google’s Android OS and one begins to appreciate the complexity of such a move; Google has remained, understandably quiet on the issue thus far.

Samsung Galaxy S6: Bloatware

We know Samsung loves its bloatware –– things like ChatOn, Samsung Apps and the like –– but we also know that the vast majority of Samsung users either A) do not use these applications, or B) positively despise them. Looked at in this context, the solution seems simple: GET RID OF THEM.

That’s never going to happen, unfortunately. At least, not entirely. But what is possible is a mass-scaling back of Samsung’s proprietary UX and all the guff that comes with it. It would be nice if the company simply drops its long-held belief that Nature UX adds something stock Android does not, and reverts to a configuration similar to what Motorola does with its Moto X, G and E handsets.

And because it is only Motorola and Google that use a stock configuration of Android aboard their handsets (handsets that don’t really sell all that well in the grand scheme of things), then a move like this by Samsung could be seen, in some respects, as a rather large USP for its handsets and tablets. After all, people don’t by Samsung products because they are Android-powered, they buy them because they're a Samsung product. Nature UX needn’t figure in this equation; the Samsung brand, like Apple before it, is well and truly established in the hearts and minds of consumers en masse. 

Samsung Galaxy S6: Camera

Samsung's flagships tend to walk in the middle ground when it comes to imaging capabilities. Seeming to deliberately avoid offering anything too extreme, in the vein of bulky-yet-capable Nokia PureView hardware, or HTC's experimental "Ultrapixel" approach, while also shunning Apple's idea of keeping the sensor setup more-or-less the same, but with thoughtful refinements to optimise performance.

Samsung tends to consistently upgrade the sensor in flagships, going from 8MP, to 13MP, and most recently up to 16MP over several years, meaning there's a visible difference for consumers. Aside from this, however, the company has got into a bit of a bad habit of adding lots of extra (and largely superfluous) shooting modes. Despite this it has managed to maintain a simple, elegant, and easy-to-use camera interface inside TouchWiz.

The most recent sensor upgrade - the Samsung Galaxy S5's 16MP setup - was something of a first for the company though. It has previously developed and is now using its own camera sensor technology, dubbed ISOCELL, and the results are pretty good. What's more, considering the investment involved, we shouldn't expect this tech to go be replaced anytime soon - instead, I think it's very likely we'll see an ISOCELL sensor inside the Galaxy S6.

What about the sensor's specs? Well, we heard tell a while back before the Galaxy S5 launch that Samsung was working on both 16MP and 20MP ISOCELL sensors, but that the 20MP version would come later - we're thinking that probably means aboard the next flagship. In terms of aperture size, a lot of specialist camera phones opt for an f/2.0 setup, but Samsung has consistently used f/2.2 as a safe middle ground for good image quality.

What do you want from the Galaxy S6? How would you change the Galaxy S5? Are you bothered about 4K panels on your next phone… or do you favour battery performance? And lastly, would you like to see Samsung drop its current UX in favour of a plainer stock Android setup? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below. 

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