Carriers reportedly love the Galaxy S6, but that doesn’t mean much

Samsung is teasing the Galaxy S6 furiously, with the latest glimpse of the device’s Edge variant finding its way to T-Mobile’s website just a few hours ago. But a good pre-release campaign can also include controlled leaks, bits of info that manufacturers “anonymously” slip to the media to build up hype. We’re not saying that this latest report from Korea Herald is the result of a controlled leak, but its timing is awfully convenient.

“Better than Apple’s iPhone 6 in terms of design”

According to the report, carriers’ officials were smitten by the new Galaxy S6, and especially the Galaxy S6 Edge, which they said was “better than Apple’s iPhone 6 in terms of design.” The info reportedly comes from a source close to the matter, who said Samsung showed its new flagships to representatives of carriers including T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, and Korea’s SK Telecom.

“Some executives said the new phones were the best of the best among Samsung-made phones,” continued the source.

But, as an analyst cited by Korea Herald notes, praise from carriers doesn’t guarantee that users will feel the same. To reverse its slide, Samsung needs to nail the design, but also the functionality, software, and optimization of the Galaxy S6.

Furthermore, Samsung should probably not put that much weight into its partners’ words. After all, the carriers’ inaccurate demand predictions caused Samsung to manufacture 20 percent more units than for the Galaxy S4. Samsung ended up selling 40 percent fewer Galaxy S5 units than it anticipated.

To be clear, all signs suggest the Galaxy S6 will be a major upgrade over its predecessor. A new design, premium materials, innovative functions, and optimized software should turn the Galaxy S6 into the powerhouse that Samsung needs to fight Apple at the top end. It’s just that we all need to practice a little caution when dealing with some of the info floating around.

Do you think Samsung has nailed the design of the Galaxy S6 from what we’ve seen so far?