galaxys6
Latest
Cricket Wireless gives upgraders three more ways to pay
Cricket Wireless wants you to continue using its prepaid services, even if you can't afford paying up front for the phone you're eyeing. To help, it's offering finance for devices worth $200 or more, including Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S6. There are three plans in total. The first two finance your device (after a standard credit bureau check, that is), with an initial down payment of $20. Tier 1 allows you to pay for your phone within 24 months with zero interest, while tier 2 offers a "six-month deferred interest offer and 29.99% APR for an 18 month term." That means you don't incur interest, but only if you pay within six months
Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge is a royal pain to repair
You're probably aware that you can't easily pry open the Galaxy S6, but what's it like if you do try? It's something of a nightmare, if you ask iFixit. The repair-it-yourself shop has torn down a Galaxy S6 Edge, and it's pretty clear that Samsung didn't design its latest smartphone with fixes in mind. While most of the parts crammed into that thin frame are modular, the glass on both the front and the back makes it hard to get inside without cracking something. And you can probably forget about replacing the battery at home -- it's glued to the back of the display, beneath many of the other components. The S6's design may be sleeker than ever, but you're losing a lot of the accessibility of years past.
Samsung fights fears of Galaxy S6 bending with a video
Sadly, the he-said-she-said disputes over bending smartphones aren't ending any time soon. Samsung has responded to SquareTrade's allegations that the Galaxy S6 Edge is easily bendable by posting a video that shows the official stress tests for both the Edge and the regular S6. As you might expect, both devices hold up in this company-sanctioned clip -- they can withstand up to 79 pounds of force at three different points, which is enough to snap five pencils in half. Supposedly, this is more pressure than you'd put on your phone if it was in your back pocket. The Korean firm also notes that SquareTrade only tested on the front, not the back where tolerance levels are different.
Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge review: Samsung's best phones in years
Samsung found itself in sort of a bind last year: Its flagship Galaxy S5 wasn't the blockbuster the company hoped it would be. That, coupled with the news that Samsung was going to focus on a smaller number of devices in 2015, signaled a pretty dramatic change for a brand that seemed like it was unstoppable. As if to silence the doubters, Samsung has not one, but two flagships on offer -- the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge -- and they're surrounded by questions. Can they restore Samsung to its former glory? Has the company figured out how to build a truly interesting smartphone again? It's too early to make a call on the former, but after a week of testing, the answer to the latter is a clear and definite "yes."
Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge will debut in the US on April 10th
Yes, you can lay claim to an HTC One M9 of your very own at the stroke of midnight on March 27th, but what if your craving for a flagship leads you in another direction? No problem: Samsung has just announced that you'll be able to pre-order the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge also starting on the 27th, with a full nationwide debut to follow on April 10th. Frankly, between these two bitter smartphone rivals and their near-identical announcement times this morning, it's hard to say whose actually managing to steal the other's thunder. It's the thought that counts, right?
The Galaxy S6 lets you remove most apps (including Samsung's)
It's no secret that Samsung scaled back on bloatware with the Galaxy S6, reducing the clutter and hopefully giving you a leaner, meaner smartphone. However, there's one more treat in store: you can cull many of the apps that are included, too. XDA forum member Jeshter2000 has noticed that a pre-release Galaxy S6 edge lets him disable or uninstall many of the preloaded programs, including some of those from Google and Samsung. If you'd rather ditch S Voice entirely and rely solely on Google's (frankly superior) native voice commands, you can. So long as this carries through to the GS6 you buy in stores, it'll represent a big change of heart for Samsung -- the company is notorious for bundling redundant, non-removable apps, but it's now determined to give you much more control.
Where to buy Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 edge in the UK
Another year, another MWC trade show, another flagship model added to Samsung's Galaxy line-up. Actually, make that two, with the new Galaxy S6 joined by a curved-screen doppelgänger, the S6 edge. Aside from the sloping sides of the S6 edge's display, both are cut from the same, premium cloth. Bound in aluminium, powered by identical octa-core chipsets, both hosting 5.1-inch Quad HD displays and 16-megapixel cameras, they are exactly what you expect new flagships to be. That is, the best smartphones Samsung has in its arsenal. And ahead of the global launch of the handsets on April 10th, they are now available to preorder from a variety of outlets in the UK.
Samsung's new Gear VR is smaller, sharper, but still not for everyone
The HTC Vive might've stolen some of Samsung's thunder, but it bears reminding that the latter did announce a new VR headset earlier this week. Sure, the Gear VR for the Galaxy S6 is only slightly different from the original Note 4 edition, but even minor tweaks can spell big improvement. It's smaller, lighter, has a wider focus margin and there's a new strap design that promises to make the headset much more comfortable than before. I had a chance to give it a spin earlier this week and I also talked to Max Cohen, VP of mobile at Oculus, to get his take on the new hardware, possible future updates and, of course, his opinion on the HTC Vive.
The best smartphones from MWC
The 2015 edition of Mobile World Congress is coming to a close today and, as much as we'd like to stay longer in lovely Barcelona, it's time to say goodbye. While this year's event may have seemed a little underwhelming, we did see major announcements from HTC and Samsung -- two companies battling it out for Android smartphone supremacy. But that wasn't it: BlackBerry, Microsoft and Huawei also unveiled new handsets, though perhaps not as exciting as the One M9 or Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. Regardless, let's take a look at the mobile devices that stood out at MWC. Don't miss out on all the latest news, photos and liveblogs from MWC 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Google won't force Android encryption by default (update)
Not too long ago, Mountain View was trumpeting that new gadgets with Lollipop would have encryption turned on by default, but, as Ars Technica reports, that isn't the case. The Nexus 6 handset and Nexus 9 tablet offer it, but third-party devices aren't cropping up with the feature turned on out of the box. Specifically? The new Moto E, with Ars saying that Samsung's Galaxy S6 demo units at Mobile World Congress lack it, as well. Update: Google has issued a statement about the change, confirming to us that it is the result of "performance issues" on some hardware. The full statement is included after the break.
Relive Samsung's Galaxy S6 event right here
Did you sleep in on Sunday, only to realize that you'd missed Samsung's big Galaxy Unpacked event? Relax -- you can still watch the show as if it were fresh. As is its custom, the Korean tech giant has helpfully posted both a replay of the full event and a quick recap. The focus of the presentation is no longer all that surprising (spoiler: It was about the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge), but it's worth checking out if you want to see Samsung explore every nook and cranny of its latest smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with Microsoft apps out of the box
Those rumors that Samsung would reduce the glut of in-house software on the Galaxy S6 and include some of Microsoft's apps? They're at least partly true. Both the S6 and S6 edge will ship with a "Microsoft Apps" folder that currently includes OneDrive, OneNote and Skype. There's no hint of Office -- at least not yet -- but you will get 115GB of free OneDrive cloud storage for two years. You certainly won't be hurting for photo backup space, then. It's hard to say if the bundle is the direct result of Microsoft and Samsung calling a truce in their Android royalty dispute. Either way, the move is going to give Microsoft's services a lot more exposure. While they've been available on Android for some time, their absence in phone bundles has typically made it easier to lean on equivalents from the likes of Google and Dropbox. Don't miss out on all the latest news, photos and liveblogs from MWC 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Meet Samsung's Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge
The last time Samsung put on a show in Barcelona, it came bearing the Galaxy S5 and that love-it-or-hate-it bandage back. Not exactly a high point in the company's design history, you might say. Over the past year, though, the Korean juggernaut has come to the realization that it needs to pare down and push a few more envelopes, a philosophy that begat weird, arguably wonderful experiments like the Note Edge. So, Samsung, it's been a year -- how far have you come? We have our answer. Meet the Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge. try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-450804").style.display="none";}catch(e){}
Official-looking render of Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge leaks out
Samsung's already had its big launch event ruined by those pesky leakers and now, even its official partners are piling on. A Reddit user by the name of iamdenden, apparently a Sprint employee, has posted an image of both the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge standing by side-by-side. The same thread has also revealed Sprint's teaser website where users can pre-register their interest in picking up the latest "Samsung devices," plural. If true, it does appear as if the S6 Edge will have a wrap-around screen on both sides compared to the Note Edge with a shiny metal frame, to boot. At least we've only got a few more days until we know for sure.
Samsung wants to put 128GB of fast storage in your next phone
It's no longer hard to get a hefty 128GB of storage in a smartphone, but that doesn't mean you'll enjoy it. What's the point of all that extra space if your phone chugs handling huge games and 4K videos? Samsung has clearly anticipated this problem, though -- it just outed the first 128GB flash memory chip based on the speedy Universal Flash Storage standard. The part uses tricks like command queuing and a serial interface to give you the kind of breakneck performance you'd expect from a solid-state drive in a PC, not a device that fits in your pocket. It's about 2.7 times faster at random data reads than the flash you see in many high-end phones, while its sequential speeds are "up to SSD levels." And that's while using 50 percent less power -- you won't have to take a hit to battery life.
Samsung Galaxy S6 leak hints at a slim, glass-backed body
HTC isn't the only mobile company having trouble keeping its 2015 flagship phone under wraps. XDA-Developers forum member reefur has posted photos of what's believed to be a prototype Samsung Galaxy S6 for AT&T. The tipster was understandably worried about giving it a spin, but he notes that this handset is "pretty slim" and more upscale than Galaxy S phones of the past. In addition to the expected metal frame, Samsung's usual plastic backing has been replaced with glass à la the iPhone 4 and Nexus 4 -- don't drop this, folks. There also doesn't appear to be either a removable battery or a microSD card slot, which is bound to disappoint some fans if this is what shows up at Samsung's March 1st event. Update: We've added a side-by-side comparison with the Galaxy S6 Edge to the gallery as well.
Here's a sideways glance at Samsung's Galaxy S6
Now we know there's some metal in there, but Samsung's recent video teaser didn't really give us a clear look at its new Galaxy phone. Fortunately, T-Mobile's got you covered, even if it's not quite the whole deal. While promoting a sign-up page for interested parties, the carrier also threw in the above image to whet appetites. So now we're confused: another teaser video suggested a more typically screened device without the curved display of the Galaxy Edge, but maybe Samsung's got two S6 devices. Or maybe it'll only have the one curved side, unlike early reports. Who knows? (Aside from the Samsung execs and, most likely, T-Mobile CEO John Legere.) We've reached peak teaser levels now, so barring an incidental complete leak, you'll have to wait seven more days for all the answers, curved edges and all.
Samsung teases that the 'Next Galaxy' is borderless and metal
Samsung's teasers for the Galaxy S6 (or whatever it might be named) are getting decidedly less cryptic. The company's latest hype video for the new smartphone promises that "borders will disappear" and "metals will flow" -- if there was any doubt that the next Galaxy is ditching the S5's utilitarian plastic design, it's gone. There are further hints of a curved (and reflection-free) display, too. There's a good chance that the phone won't quite live up to this teaser's breathless prose, but one thing's increasingly certain: Samsung doesn't want its upcoming flagship device to suffer the ignominious fate of its predecessor.
Samsung Galaxy S6 reportedly drops bloatware in favor of Microsoft apps
Quite a few smartphone fans will tell you that a Samsung phone's Achilles' heel is its software -- you'll find a ton of (frequently unwanted) apps and features that do little besides chew up space and slow things down. You may get to wave goodbye to that cruft when the Galaxy S6 shows up, however. A SamMobile source claims that Samsung is yanking a lot of its usual pre-installed bloatware, making the GS6 "amazingly fast" compared to a weighed-down phone like the Galaxy Note 4. The titles wouldn't go away forever, but you'd have to download in-house apps if you did want them. Instead, the focus would be on a host of included Microsoft apps: Office, OneDrive, OneNote and Skype would give you some solid productivity out of the box. It's not clear if the Microsoft deal has any connection to a recent truce with Samsung over patent royalties, although it wouldn't be surprising.
Samsung event teaser hints that 'what's next' is a curvy Galaxy
Samsung's pre-announcement clues are sometimes cryptic at best, but it's not being especially subtle this time around. Hours after Tinhte first revealed that something was up, Samsung has posted a "what's next" teaser for a March 1st Galaxy Unpacked event in Barcelona whose centerpiece is the shadowy profile of a curvy-looking device. While it's not perfectly clear what this image represents, it bears an uncanny resemblance to the right-hand side of the Galaxy Note Edge, where the smartphone's signature curved display tapers off. Seeing as how Samsung isn't about to re-unveil a phone, our money's on the teaser alluding to a Galaxy S6 with an Edge-like screen, whether it's optional (as SamMobile rumored earlier) or standard issue. Whatever shows up, it's pretty obvious that March 1st is going to be a very busy day in the Android world -- we'll be sure to attend those events and let you know what Samsung, HTC and others have to offer.
