Galaxy S Edge: release date, screen and design
We all know Samsung will shortly be announcing the Galaxy S6, but with various rumors flooding in and even Samsung itself accidentally leaking it, it's looking increasingly likely that it will also unveil the Galaxy S Edge, a variant of its flagship with one or possibly even two curved edges.
Those might not be the only differences either and we've collected together all the latest rumors to get a straight image of Samsung's bendy handset, which rather than being called the Galaxy S6 Edge is likely to be called the Galaxy S Edge, emphasising that it truly is a different beast.
But if you just want the highlights know this: While the Galaxy S6 is likely to be the star of Samsung's show, there's every chance that the Galaxy S Edge will be the more interesting of the two.
Latest updates: The Samsung Galaxy S Edge has been snapped, but are its curves just for show?
Cut to the chase
- What is it? A curvy new flagship from Samsung
- When is it out? It's likely to be announced on March 1
- What will it cost? A lot, probably even more than the Galaxy S6
Samsung Galaxy S Edge release date and price
We don't know for sure when the Samsung Galaxy S Edge will launch, but the smart money is on March 1 at Samsung's press event, where it's also expected to unveil the Galaxy S6. Invitations to the event show a mostly straight line with a bend at the end, suggesting curvy things are coming.
It's unlikely to launch the same day as it's unveiled of course, but we may see it on shelves sometime in March.
There's still a chance the Galaxy S Edge won't emerge, as late last year SamMobile heard from its insiders there wouldn't be one, but that's a relatively old rumor and the number of recent rumors around it (not to mention the curved line on Samsung's invite) suggests there will be.
Hopefully you've been saving if you want one, as AndroidPIT reports that it's received the expected price in Euros and it starts at €849 (roughly £636 / $970 / AU$1241) for a 32GB model, rising to €949 (around £711 / $1085 / AU$1387) for 64GB and €1,049 (approximately £786 / $1199 / AU$1534) for 128GB.
Not only would those prices make it one of the most expensive phones on the market, but it's likely to be more expensive than the Galaxy S6, which had its expected prices outed by the same source and came in at €100 (£75 / $114 / AU$146) cheaper for each size.
Of course direct currency conversions aren't always accurate, but based on these prices we expect the Galaxy S Edge will enter the market at between around $749-$849 unlocked. It's also possible that it will be a limited edition device, so availability could be tricky.
Samsung Galaxy S Edge screen
The screen will of course be the Galaxy S Edge's standout feature and it's also one of the biggest question marks, as while early rumors suggested it would have one curved side like the Galaxy Note Edge, a number of recent rumors point to two curved edges.
The reason for rumors of both could be because apparently Samsung was still testing multiple prototypes of the phone until recently and hadn't decided whether to go with one or two curved edges.
We're inclined to believe the recent rumors of a dual edged display because, well, they're more recent. They include a patent showing a handset with two curved sides and a report from SamMobile which claims its source revealed that the S Edge will have two curved edges.
Better yet, we've even caught a glimpse of a promotional image from a case maker, seemingly showing a dual-edged Galaxy S Edge alongside the Galaxy S6.
Some rumors state that these curved screens will have access to the same features as the Galaxy Note Edge, allowing you to view apps, such as a pedometer and news and sports updates at a glance.
The dual curves also supposedly make it comfortable to use whether you're left or right handed and the curves will supposedly light up when you receive a call or a message.
These lights may be customisable to show different colours for different contacts, and as well as viewing alerts you're also likely be able to add app shortcuts to the edges and use them as tools such as a ruler or a night clock.
On the other hand recent rumors argue that the edges will be smaller than on the Galaxy Note Edge and will therefore have reduced functionality. That's one rumor that we hope doesn't pan out.
Little has been spoken about the size or resolution of the Galaxy S Edge, but we've heard a lot about those things on the Galaxy S6 and they're likely to be the same or similar here.
The most persistent Galaxy S6 rumors are that it will have a 1440 x 2560 QHD display. Surprisingly there's still no consensus on the size, but it's likely to be at least as big as the 5.1-inch Galaxy S5 and indeed 5.1 inches is exactly what some of the latest rumors point to, though there's some talk that it could go as big as 5.5 inches.
The only rumors we've heard specifically talking about the Galaxy S Edge's display size come from a benchmark and again point to a 5.1-inch 1440 x 2560 one.
Whatever size it is you can bet it will be a Super AMOLED screen, like every other Samsung flagship in recent memory.
In more disappointing news a report out of South Korea claims that the Galaxy S Edge won't be waterproof, with Samsung producing a waterproof Galaxy S6 Active instead for those who want that feature.
Samsung Galaxy S Edge design
Curved screen aside the design of the Galaxy S Edge is likely to be similar to that of the Galaxy S6. That could mean a metal frame and glass back or even a full metal body, as there's still some debate as to which of those the S6 will feature.
But there's the niggling worry that the Samsung Galaxy S Edge might actually have a less premium build. For one thing the fact that the Galaxy Note Edge lacked the metal frame of the Galaxy Note 4 doesn't bode well.
On top of that Business Insider reports that Samsung will announce two phones in March, saying that one (the Galaxy S6) will have a metal body, while the other (the Galaxy S Edge) will have a curved screen. The implication being that the S Edge won't also have a metal body.
So while the Samsung Galaxy S6 is likely to be more expensive than its big-name brother it might not actually end up looking quite as high end.
We may have caught a glimpse of the S Edge though, as a new leak appears to show it snapped alongside the Galaxy S6. You can see from the photos that its screen curves at both edges and the rear appears to be made from the same (apparently glass) material as the Galaxy S6.
Galaxy S Edge: Power, camera and more
Samsung Galaxy S Edge power
Following in the footsteps of the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge we're expecting the Galaxy S Edge to have the same amount of power as the Galaxy S6. More specifically it looks like it will come with Samsung's octa-core Exynos 7420 chipset if SamMobile is to be believed, though the octa-core Snapdragon 810 is also a possibility.
RAM has been rumoured at both 3GB and 4GB and either way it should be a real powerhouse when coupled with a high end 64-bit octa-core processor (which both the Snapdragon 810 and Exynos 7420 are).
As for storage, it's expected to ship with a choice of 32, 64 or 128GB and there's also talk from G4Games that it could use Universal Flash Storage, which provides enhanced data speeds and power consumption savings of up to half compared to the previous generation of flash memory.
A device believed to be the Galaxy S Edge recently passed through AnTuTu achieving a score of 60,978 in the process, which suggests it's one of the most powerful phones around. The benchmark revealed a 5.1-inch 1440 x 2560 display, an octa-core Exynos 7420 processor clocked at up to 2.1GHz, 3GB of RAM, a 20MP rear camera, a 5MP front-facing one and 32GB of storage.
It's also likely to be a speedy performer on 4G, as Category 6 LTE support is rumored for the Galaxy S6, allowing for download speeds of up to 300Mbps.
A specs listing sent to BGR from a "trusted source" pegs the Galaxy S6's battery at 2550mAh and with no conflicting Galaxy S Edge rumors we have to assume Samsung's curvy contender will have the same size juice pack. The good news is it should also support fast charging, giving it up to four hours of usage on a 10 minute charge.
Samsung Galaxy S Edge operating system
It's a safe bet that the Samsung Galaxy S Edge will run Android and it will almost certainly be on Android 5.0 Lollipop, since that's the latest version.
That's good news, though the fact that it will probably be overlaid with Samsung's TouchWiz UI may not be met with much enthusiasm. There's good news there too though, as it's rumored that Samsung is simplifying TouchWiz to make it a lot closer to stock Android. Though there will apparently be a theme store, to let you add visual customisations out of the box.
Samsung Galaxy S Edge camera
So far we've mostly only got Galaxy S6 rumors to go on for the camera, but as with many other aspects of the phone the two are likely to have similar or identical snappers.
An early rumor from ETNews states that the Galaxy S6 (and by extension probably the Galaxy S Edge) will have a 20MP camera, while SamMobile reckons that it will have either a 16MP snapper with optical image stabilisation or a 20MP one without.
The front facing camera is likely to be at least 5MP, given that Samsung's more mid-range A series packs 5MP shooters.
Samsung Galaxy S Edge other features
Sources speaking to SamMobile claim that the Galaxy S Edge will be compatible with Gear VR, so that's one feature you can hopefully look forward to.
It will also almost certainly have a fingerprint scanner and rumors point to an improved touch-based one, similar to Apple's Touch ID.
A heart rate monitor is very likely, as is a microSD card slot, while fast-charging functionality and a UV sensor have also been touted for the Galaxy S6, and as such are likely to make their way to the Galaxy S Edge too.
Another Galaxy S6 rumor suggests we might see magnetic resonance charging make its commerical debut and if it makes it to the Galaxy S6 there's a good chance it will find its way into the Galaxy S Edge as well.
from TechRadar
