Samsung unpacks Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge at MWC 2015

The Samsung Unpacked event at the MWC 2015 is all about the next generation of Galaxy smartphones - the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge. Samsung seems to be pleased with the limited edition Galaxy Note Edge market success and will be keeping the "edged" devices around.

Samsung Galaxy S6 duo have been in the rumor mill for quite some time and we already knew pretty much everything there is to know. The devices are now official and we can clear up every tiny detail.

The new Galaxy S6 series is a departure from the previous series, switching from an all-plastic shell to a dual-glass design enhanced with a metal frame. The new combination of materials works great indeed and the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are arguably, the most beautiful Galaxy smartphones to date. We’re sure, many will forgive the camera hump on the back for sure. This time around the Galaxy S6 isn't dust and water proof though.

Samsung Galaxy S6 packs a 5.1" Super AMOLED screen with Quad HD resolution resulting into the amazing 577 ppi density. It is protected by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The hardware Home key once again doubles as fingerprint sensor and supports the new Samsung Pay service.

  
Samsung Galaxy S6 in Gold

Samsung Pay relies on NFC and Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) for mobile payments. It has already been certified by Visa, MasterCard, and Samsung is employing key partners worldwide to participate in the service, including American Express, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, and U.S. Bank.

Unlike the Galaxy Note Edge, the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge has the display glass bent on both sides of the phone. While the curve isn't as impressive as on the Note Edge, being bent on both sides makes it feel like an entirely different device. The 5.1" Super AMOLED display also utilizes at Quad HD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. It is protected by a curved Corning Gorilla Glass 4, too.

   
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge

The rumors turned right and Samsung chose not to opt for the Snapdragon 810 chip, probably due to the overhearing issues. So, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are powered by the company's Exynos 7420, built on a 14nm process and thus more energy-efficient and producing less heat compared to 20nm Snapdragon 810.

The Exynos 7420 chip offers much similar processor to the Snapdragon 810 - an octa-core 64-bit CPU with four Cortex-A57 cores ticking at 2.1GHz and four Cortex-A53 clocked at 1.5GHz. The Exynos 7420 chip uses a Mali-T760 GPU and comes bundled with 3GB LPDDR4 of RAM. The new generation of RAM has already premiered on the LG G Flex2 and we expect the 2015 flagships to feature LPDDR4 RAM chips.

Samsung Galaxy S6 duo comes with a new ISOCELL camera sensor with 16MP resolution. The camera is enhanced with optical image stabilization, phase detection autofocus and has a single-LED flash. Quite expectedly, 4K video recording is supported.

The front camera is 5MP, capable of 1080p video capturing.

The new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge feature 32GB / 64GB / 128GB storage, non-expandable though. The storage is of the new UFS 2.0 variety, which uses "Command Queue" tech used in SSDs for accelerating the speed of command execution. The end-result is 19,000 input/output operations (IOPS) per second for random reading – that’s 2.7x faster than the performance of the eMMC 5.0 memory found in the previous crop of flagships.

The all-round connectivity package includes LTE Cat.6, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, GPS with GLONASS and Beidou, IR blaster and FM radio. The Galaxy S6 is powered by a 2,550 mAh battery, while the Galaxy S6 egde has a 2,600 mAh unit.

Finally, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge run on Android 5.0 Lollipop enhanced with the latest TouchWiz UI with Material design and cleaner interface. The TouchWiz on the Galaxy S6 Edge offers various features and apps working on the edges of the display, including a newer and better version of the Quick Glance info for the lockscreen.

This time around Samsung has partnered with Microsoft, instead of Dropbox, and will be offering 115GB OneDrive storage for 2 years to each Galaxy S6 user.

Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge will launch on April 10 in 20 markets, followed soon by even more countries in May. The Galaxy S6 will be available in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Blue Topaz, while you will be abe to get the Galaxy S6 edge in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Green Emerald. The pricing is yet to be detailed.

The past quarter has been difficult for Samsung's mobile division. Its market share and profits declined for the first time in years due to increased pressure from the likes of Apple, LG, HTC, Huawei, and Xiaomi among others.

Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are Samsung's answer to the competitors and, at quick glance, the newcomers are ready for the challenge. Here is a look at their key features and specs.

Key features

• 64-bit Exynos 7420 chipset with 14nm architecture; octa-core CPU (quad 2.1GHz & quad 1.5GHz)
• 3GB of LPDDR4 RAM; 32/64/128GB of UFS 2.0 flash memory; 115GB of Microsoft OneDrive storage for 2 years
• 5.1" QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) Super AMOLED display with 577ppi for both models (dual edge design for Samsung Galaxy S6 edge); 600cd/mm brightness
• 16MP f/1.9 camera with OIS; Auto HDR; 4K video capture; IR white balance detection
• 5MP f/1.9 front-facing camera
• Cat. 6 LTE; WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz); Bluetooth 4.1; NFC; IR Remote; USB 2.0
• NFC and MST mobile payment support
• 2,550mAh battery for Galaxy S6; 2,600mAh for the Galaxy S6
• Qi (WPC) and PMA wireless charging support
• Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with TouchWiz UX
• Metal chassis; Corning Gorilla Glass 4 front and back

Developed under the codename Project Zero, Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are a massive leap forward for the popular flagship smartphone family. As usual, the devices are brimming with high-end tech but this time around they have a mature enough design language to complement them.

The brand new 14nm Exynos chipset with 64-bit architecture could well be the most powerful in its class at the moment. Samsung has paired it with the fastest flash memory available at the moment.

As expected from a new Samsung Galaxy S smartphone, an upgraded 16MP camera with OIS and Super AMOLED displays with eye-popping pixel density are also on board. Both Galaxy S6 components are the best Samsung has utilized to date.

The looks of the two new Galaxy flagships are certainly an improvement Samsung's previous efforts. With glass front and back encased in metal, the ultra-thin Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge look as premium as it gets.

Samsung has also streamlined the TouchWiz UX which runs on top of Android 5.0.2 in a bid to reduce the overwhelming amount of settings from past iterations. At a quick glance, the latest custom UI from the company is a great match for the Material Design of Google's latest Android iteration.

Samsung has skipped the removable battery and the microSD card slot for the first time in the lineup's history. The features have been replaced with ample built-in storage options and wireless charging support out of the box