HTC One M9 and Samsung Galaxy S6 prices spotted in contest rules
MWC has brought us two outstanding flagships in the HTC One M9 and Samsung Galaxy S6. We’ve had a good early look at them both, but one last unanswered question remains – “how much will they cost?”
Fortunately, likely retail prices of both smartphones have been let slip in a couple of contest terms and conditions. HTC has given the game away through its US contest and T-Mobile has done the same for the Galaxy S6. In the US, companies have to list the approximate retail value of any contest prizes. HTC gives the One M9 a rough price of $599, while the Galaxy S6 will be priced around $699. However, these are by no means official figures.
While the One M9 comes with a fixed 32GB internal storage capacity, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 will be available in 32, 64 and 128 GB options. The listing doesn’t state which version of the Galaxy S6 is being given away, but it probably isn’t one of the larger memory variants. Overall, these prices are pretty much what we would expect, given the hardware on offer.
If you want to be in with a chance to win these two smartphones, providing that you live in the US, here’s the entry form for the HTC One M9 contest and T-Mobile is giving you a chance to win a load of Samsung goodies if you pre-register for the Galaxy S6. Not forgetting that we have our own international Galaxy S6 giveaway running this week too.
Best of luck.
Samsung explains how they made the Galaxy S6 and Edge so ‘perfect’
As is usually the case around flagship Android device launches, the manufacturers make sure we know all about the new phone, how it was built and why it is so special. Today, we are hearing from Samsung, they want us to know that the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge have been designed and built to perfection, at least as far as materials go.
In a fair amount of detail, Samsung explains two factors to their device build, the glass and the metal. After all, that is what we see, feel and have asked for, right?
Starting with the glass, Samsung has gone with a new glass and technique, called 3D Thermoforming, to rise above the other boring old 2.5D glass on other phones today. Basically, 2.5D glass has fairly strict tolerances to bending, reducing the amount of bend available in design.
The process of 3D Thermoforming, in short, brings a couple layers of glass to the verge of melting, about 800 degree Celsius, then gently presses them into a mold. The result gives what we see in the upcoming Galaxy S6 Edge, that being, glass that bends in more ways than one. Take that LG G Flex 2.
After taking care of the front glass, Samsung again went a step beyond previous techniques with their metal choices. In short, they went with aircraft/automobile grade aluminum, called 6013 aluminum. The result, they say, is metal that is one and a half times stronger and 1.2 times more scratch resistant than the 6063 aluminum used for most current metal built Android phones.
All that metal, will it have an impact on the antenna? Why yes, so Samsung used ultrasonic welding to, in a way, incorporate the antenna into the metal frame. They say this gives more durability, a better signal and saves space inside the device, so they don’t have to put a big black bar on the front of the phone with their logo, take that HTC. OK, Samsung didn’t exactly say all that.
To give the ‘premium’ metal that luxurious look and feel, Samsung put special coatings on it, the result, if nothing else, gives that gleam you see in all the Galaxy S6 images out there.
In the end, Samsung has indeed stepped up their game, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are most certainly a step above the Galaxy S5. To answer just how much better may have to wait for the devices to actually ship to consumers, in April? May? Maybe even June?
Head over to Samsung Tomorrow to see all the details of The Art of Craftsmanship in the Galaxy S6.
Are you overly concerned with the process Samsung used to build the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, or, like me, do you plan to judge the build quality for yourself when the phones land in your hand?
Official Samsung videos highlight what to expect from Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge
Over the last few days we’ve certainly brought our fans a fair share of Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge videos, comparisons and plenty of other posts that dive into what to expect from the phone. Still craving more? You’ll want to check out Samsung’s new trio of videos.
Starting with design, the first video goes hands-on with Samsung’s latest flagship offerings, starting with the Galaxy S6 Edge and following with the standard GS6. The video not only gives us a brief look at the official packing for the two phones but also takes us through the new design changes and some of the base features found on the phones. This video is the perfect lead-in to the next one.
Samsung’s seocond video gives us a deeper look at the hardware underneath the S6 and S6 Edge. While we’ve certainly talked about the specs before, Samsung’s official video is still a great run down and worth the watch.
Finally, Samsung’s last video talks up the new camera experience. It not only breaks down the hardware aspects of the camera, it also talks about features like improved autofocus, and many of the software features as well.
What do you think of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge? Impressed with what Samsung has brought to the table?
Samsung Galaxy S6 Color Comparison
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The Samsung Galaxy S6 arrived with a bang, with there finally being a change up in terms of build quality and material choices. The latest Samsung flagship features a beautiful unibody metal and glass construction, and while this move was not without its compromises, at least with regards to a removable battery and expandable memory, there’s no denying that it looks great. The Galaxy S6 is going to available in a variety of colors, and to help you make your decision on which to choose easier, here is a quick look at the Samsung Galaxy S6 color comparison!
For starters, the glass panels result in a certain amount of translucency to the backings, that allow it to have a little more character, as opposed just a plain color being shown on a plastic back cover. Of course, the back cover is not can’t be removed anymore, so you don’t have the option to replace the back cover with something different or flashier, but the variety in color options should make up for that.
Beginning with the more standard white and black versions, while the white version retains its classic looks and the tone that you’d expect from this iteration, the black version does tend to have a bluish tinge to it, likely because of the aforementioned translucency. It’s not the deep black that some may like, but it doesn’t look bad by any stretch of the imagination.
When it comes to the gold version, the color leans towards a rose gold feel, and the metallic look fits right in with the metal and glass construction of the device. It is more vivid of a color than you might be used to, but if you’re looking for a change from the traditional black or white, the gold version is definitely a good way to go.
Finally, we get to the flashiest of the lot, the blue version, which is also exclusive to the Galaxy S6, while the black, white, and gold are options available with its Edge sibling as well. The blue version is very flashy, maybe a little too much, and is sure to turn heads, but for those who want something very different, this may be the one for you.
So that’s it for a quick look at the various color options available with the Samsung Galaxy S6! Vote in the poll or let us know in the comments section below which is your favorite Samsung Galaxy S6 color, and stay tuned with Android Authority as we continue to bring you more great coverage from MWC 2015!
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Samsung Galaxy S6 Themes and Fingerprint Scanner quick look
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Samsung made a splash with its latest flagship, the Galaxy S6, not only in terms of the design and build quality, with its metal and glass unibody construction, but also with the lack of previously staple features like a removable battery and microSD expansion, caused by this shift in design. The changes aren’t limited to just its physical appearance either, with the software experience being more refined, and as a result snappier, albeit with a few new features in tow. We’ll be taking a look at two of these software and hardware features now, in this feature focus of the Samsung Galaxy S6 themes and fingerprint scanner!
It is definitely worth mentioning, and very noticeable, how fluid this version of the TouchWiz UI is. The general aesthetic mostly remains the same though, with a few elements of Android 5.0 Lollipop, such as the overhauled Recent Apps screen, making their way over. The transitions while opening, closing, and switching between applications are as smooth as ever, and scrolling through the various apps in the Overview screen is stutter-free. In fact, there have been very few, if any, noticeable instances of lag, which is certainly an improvement over previous iterations, and we can’t wait to put it through its paces in a full review.
One new addition on the software side of things is the Theme store, that allows you to change the look and feel of the user interface while keeping the general features of TouchWiz available. There are already a few themes pre-installed which can be accessed via the “My Themes” area, while more can be purchased from the store. Applying the theme, as you will see in the video above, is a quick and simple process, and once done, you’ll see that all of the different UI elements, such as the colors, icons, folders, and more, are now changed to reflect the theme you’ve selected. Theming hasn’t been a very big aspect of previous versions of TouchWiz, and it is a very pleasant surprise to see it included and featured this time around.
Another feature available with the Galaxy S6 isn’t necessarily new, but comes in a far better implementation this time, and that is the fingerprint scanner. The finger scanner is integrated into the tactile home button up front once again, but the type has been changed from the swipe version found with the Galaxy S5, to a much better touch iteration with the Galaxy S6. Currently, uses of the fingerprint scanner are limited to verifying your Samsung account, easy web sign-ins for sites that allow it, as well as to make payments via Paypal, with a future update allowing for use with the upcoming Samsung Pay as well.
To set up the scanner, all you have to do is place your finger on top of the button, lift it up, and place it on the button once again, repeatedly until the setup process is complete. The advantage with the touch type scanner, as opposed to the previous implementation, is that you can set it up with your finger placed at any angle, and depending on how you handle the device, there might a particular angle that is best suited for you to reach the scanner comfortably. This is marked improvement over the swipe type scanner of the Galaxy S5, which basically required you to use two hands every time you needed to unlock the device.
Now to unlock the device, all you have to do is press and hold the power button to get into the user interface. We’ve seen this touch type fingerprint scanner with a few other smartphones, and definitely prefer this version over the previous implementation that Samsung used.
So that’s it for a quick look at the Themes feature and the fingerprint scanner of the Samsung Galaxy S6, which we’ll be exploring in more detail in an upcoming comprehensive review. Until then, stay tuned with Android Authority as we continue to bring you more great coverage from MWC 2015!
What the tech world thinks about the Samsung Galaxy S6 and HTC One M9
HTC has longed been heralded as a leader in smartphone design, the company that pushes the envelope forward and gives us a premium experience paired with solid specs. On the other hand, Samsung has been lambasted for rehasing the same design year and after year with little new to set itself apart from Galaxies of the past. Now at MWC 2015, it seems that, in some ways, Samsung and HTC may have just swapped places in an instant.
While the One M9 is mostly a refresh of the M8’ design, the Galaxy S6 sees a much more noticeable push forward in aesthetic. Of course, design is only one part of the picture here. There’s also the specs and features both phones are packing, and the list goes on. So what exactly are tech publications, and web users in general, saying about the two phones?
HTC One M9: what we’re hearing so far
HTC is falling under some pretty harsh criticism for sticking to the overall design of the M8 with its new One M9, both from everyday folks on the web and from some tech publications as well. While some of this criticism might be a bit unfair, considering HTC has at least somewhat polished the design, it’s a pretty minor step forward, and the kind we’d typically expect from one generation of the Galaxy S family to the next.
Turning to Android Authority’s own comment section from the M9 announcement page, we find responses like:
No optical stabilization, 1080 screen, pictures look terrible.. New HTC flagship? just a new processor.. don’t know, doesn’t look attractive to me as a 2015 flagship phone, it’s not too ahead and in some cases behind the 2014 flagship phones.
So basically the only thing new is the camera and the ill performing SD810? Nice.
You all can not talk about Samsung anymore. They barely improved anything on this phone. It looks just like the m8, m7, the desire, pretty much every phone they make. And their specs are average. Smh!
As you can see, it isn’t pretty. To be fair, the responses of the tech community don’t necessarily represent how the general public will receive the device, though with the M8 and M9 looking so similar, we suspect consumer confusion to ensue to at least some degree.
For all the negative comments, we are hearing, not everyone is responding to the One M9 in such a light. Not only did Engadget have a few nice things to say, we were pretty happy with the device as well when we got some time with in during our hands on.
Here’s a few of the responses from our user comments that further show not everyone is turned off by the M9:
I could care less if it doesn’t have a 2k display. 1080p and a Snapdragon 810 will make this phone FLY.
I’m still an owner of my M7 (with the crappy violet-cam-bug) and all i know is: i’m gonna buy this phone anyway. it’s the perfect replacement for M7 users… M8 users should stop hating and wait for 2016… or switch to appl…eeh samsung.
What are your thoughts, are you more than willing to overlook the One M9’s design changes (or arguable lack thereof), in favor of the many hardware and software improvements it brings to the table?
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Samsung Galaxy S6 (and S6 Edge): what we’re hearing so far
Turning to the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, several tech publications have been lauding Samsung for its efforts with their latest flagship, including Android Authority, as we thoroughly enjoyed our time with the device ahead of MWC. Even The Verge had some nice things to say about the device. While far from perfect, melding glass and metal has given the Galaxy S6 a much needed infusion of premium materials. And yet, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
The media – and I suspect many general phone buyers once the device hits store shelves – may be somewhat enamored with the Galaxy S6, but this sentiment doesn’t apply to quite a few Samsung users and general tech enthusiasts that are very upset with Samsung’s decision to ditch microSD and removable batteries. And I can’t say I blame these folks.
While I personally like the look of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, I’m a Nexus user that has long gotten used to the idea of non-removable batteries and a lack of expandable storage. For Samsung fans, this has always been one of the areas that Samsung had going for it and taking it away certainly could rub many folks the wrong way. Here’s just a sampling of the comments found in our Galaxy S6 announcement page:
No removable battery !? no Sd card slot ?? Com’on Samsung are you kidding me !!!
No removable battery? NO SD CARD???? ok no more samsung for me!!! switching to htc…
There’s many more comments like this, in fact, that’s the majority of the comments found. That said, there are some folks that say they feel the change isn’t that big of a deal, and is more in-line with the moves many other OEMs have taken:
No support for MicroSD sucks (I don’t care for the battery though, gotten used to it) but I believe the internal memory is going to make S6 a lot faster than any MicroSD card. (UFS 2.0 memory modules, remember?) SD Cards act as a bottleneck. Maybe, that’s why Samsung ditched it. TouchWiz doesn’t seem to lag anymore. Smooth Sailing from now on.
Duuude its 2015 cloud storage and streaming are a way better option then SD cards. Cards were great when high speed data wasn’t plentifull and cloud storage was weak. Swapping batteries is so 1990 we have way better battery tech now…
What are your thoughts, is the microSD and lack of a removable battery a deal breaker? Or are you excited that Samsung finally made a much needed change in design?
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One M9 vs the Galaxy S6
It’s obvious that both devices are drumming up some mixed reactions from our readers at AA, as well as from tech publications and readers all over the web. Whether it is the One M9 for not changing enough, or the Galaxy S6 for making a change so big that it moved away from two previous Samsung staples (microSD and removable battery) — neither device seems to have gotten everything just right. Whether that will matter when it comes to sales? Only time will tell.
If you had to choose between the One M9 or the Galaxy S6 (and/or Edge), which would you choose? What device do you find more impressive, putting aside any potential downsides to either device?
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These are the 22 digital gifts for Galaxy S6 users
The list of premium apps and services that Samsung is going to offer to Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge users includes 22 entries, from games, to productivity apps, to various subscriptions.
We’ve already learned that Fleksy will be one of the perks offered in the digital gift bags coming with the Galaxy S6, but now we have the full list, and there’s a little something for everyone in there. For now, we only know the names of the apps and services that Samsung is bundling, with more details about the actual value of these freebies to come closer to the actual release date.
- VSCO
- Magisto
- Pac-Man Friends
- The Hobbit: Kingdoms
- Dragons of Atlantis: Heirs
- NYTimes
- The Economist
- Kindle for Samsung
- Audible
- Workout Trainer
- Endomondo
- Uber
- Keepy
- PayPal
- Life360
- LastPass
- Shazam
- Fleksy
- Evernote
- Parallels Access
- Hancom Office
To make a rough idea of what you can expect, check out the breakdown of the Galaxy gifts coming with the Note 4.
Samsung has greatly reduced the number of apps that are pre-installed on the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge. It’s telling that there are only two screens of apps in the app launcher, although that’s partially due to Samsung grouping Google apps in one folder.
It’s good to see Samsung giving up on its obsession with bundling apps and services with its devices – though generally regarded as bloatware, these apps are still useful for some users; making them optional seems like the best compromise.
In case you somehow missed it, check out our coverage of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge from MWC 2015 – more videos and posts are coming today, so stay tuned.
Samsung Galaxy S6 gallery
Samsung refreshed its flagship smartphone line with the introduction of the Galaxy S6 at Mobile World Congress. Here’s a look at the device from a variety of angles and in a number of colors.
The post Samsung Galaxy S6 gallery appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Report: Galaxy S6 Edge could start from 64GB in the UK
Despite the fact that the Galaxy S6 Edge doesn’t make quite as efficient use of the curved display as its big brother the Galaxy Note Edge, it has still managed to turn a lot of heads thanks to its sleek, stylish design and dual curved sides. When coupled with the rear/front Gorilla Glass 4 panels and a metal frame, it’s by far the most premium and precious product Samsung has ever produced.
Pricing has yet to be set in stone with respect to either the S6 or S6 Edge, however given the fact that the Note Edge retails for around $800-900 (off-contract) and is made with lesser materials and older hardware components, it’s best to brace yourself for a similar figure. One thing that will definitely come into play however, is the storage option: as the new devices lack a removable back cover and microSD card slot, what you buy is what you get. The phones are available in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB variants…or are they? Take a look at this screen capture:
Assuming that nothing changes, this would indicate the Galaxy S6 Edge will lack a 32GB base model. This will, in turn, obviously drive up the price considerably.
Samsung is probably wanting to create the most premium image possible for the product. Though this screen capture allegedly comes from a UK-based Samsung page, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the same storage standard used in other markets.
Suffice to say, it’s best to start saving up your money now if you intend to get an S6 Edge in the UK.
Samsung is confident Galaxy S6 will be a sales hit
Financially speaking, 2014 was a rough year for Samsung Mobile given its poor sales performance and the subsequent aftermath that included everything from internal staff changes to terminating services to a supposed “fresh start” with the Galaxy S6. Given what we have seen at MWC 2015 so far, it looks like the company took some major initiative in seeking to fix what ails it: the S6 (and S6 Edge) has no plastic on its body, has a cleaner, leaner TouchWiz, and will even come in a 128GB variant.
It’s so good that Andy Tu, General Manager of Mobile Communication at Samsung Taiwan, has gone on record to state that he expects the S6 to surpass all of its previous incarnations. Specifically, the Galaxy S4 is the phone to beat as last year’s Galaxy S5 was found to have sold 40% less than expected.
While this is a very big claim indeed, the company’s revised game plan will aid it well given that Mr. Tu indicated Samsung will focus on the S6 and Note 4 during Q2 2015, with supporting focus on the lower-end Galaxy A and Galaxy E products. Of interest is the fact that neither the Note Edge nor the S6 Edge were mentioned, perhaps a given when considering the higher price points and more niche-oriented appeal the pair of devices have.
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Take a quick look at our hands on impressions here, and be sure to check out all of our coverage on the Galaxy S6 to see just what everyone is so hyped up.
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