Samsung Galaxy S6 release date, news and rumors

Latest update: Samsung has poked fun at itself by creating a website to run down all the latest rumors. It ensures only the realistic and positive ones are included but it makes Samsung seem pretty confident the Galaxy S6 is going to be well received.

The wait is nearly over. The Galaxy S6 is (almost) certain to be launched on 1 March at a special 'Unpacked' event by Samsung in Barcelona at MWC 2015.

It will also be most likely joined by the Galaxy S6 Edge: a curved screen variant of the phone which won't be sold in as great a volume. Think Samsung Galaxy Note Edge to the Galaxy Note 4.

So without further-a-do let's run down everything we know about the handset so far.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The next flagship smartphone from Samsung
• When is it out? Early 2015, possibly the end of March or early April
• What will it cost? A lot, at least as much as the pricey Galaxy S5

Samsung Galaxy S6 release date

The Samsung Galaxy S6 will follow last year's phone and be on show at MWC 2015. It's even sent out an invite to an Unpacked event, teasing a curved frame and asking "what's next."

The Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5 both launched in April, of 2013 and 2014 respectively, so it's probable you'll be able to buy the Samsung Galaxy S6 from April 2015.

On the other hand a recent alleged internal memo pointed to the Samsung Galaxy S6 being launched around March 22. The memo states that Samsung employees cannot take time off between March 22 and March 30, which could indicate something big is going down around those dates, quite possible the launch of Samsung's next flagship device.

The same memo also informs employees that they can't take time off between April 19 and 27, which could be the release of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge or a new Note tablet.

Samsung Galaxy S6 design

Ever since the lacklustre reviews of the Galaxy S5 design we've been seeing rumours of a full blown redesign for the Galaxy S6.

Those rumours have since suggested we'll be looking at a full metal uni-body for the handset and the first few images of the handset make it look like it'll be true.

First up was a teaser of the side of the handset that shows off a metal edge and not much more. It was then followed by a leak of what looks to be the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge but it also shows a metal back panel suggesting it'll be coated in a full metal jacket this time.

A number of sources have also suggested the Galaxy S6 won't be waterproof like the Galaxy S5 was, so don't expect it to be as durable this time around.

Samsung Galaxy S6 screen

Samsung is going to stick with the Super AMOLED displays we've seen from the company for quite a while.

This time though we can expect the Galaxy S6 display to get a resolution knock up though much like the Galaxy Note 4 with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution.

Numerous sources including SamMobile, Cnmo.com and Tech Tastic have all published reports suggesting the Galaxy S6 will come with a QHD 1440 x 2560 display making it look very likely.

As for the size of the display, it may be increased a little much like it has been for the last few iterations meaning it'll likely edge up to 5.2 or 5.3 inches.

It looks like there will also be a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge with a curved edge on the display like the Galaxy Note Edge. A new advert from Samsung suggests it'll be happening with the first image of the handset – it isn't currently clear if this is the normal S6 or the Edge variant though.

Samsung Galaxy S6 rivals

Samsung has a lot of big name competition surrounding it. The HTC One M9 is heavily rumoured to be launching at MWC and is expected to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, a waterproof body and 2GB of RAM.

Sony isn't going to be launching a new phone for a couple of months so it's the Xperia Z3 is its main competition that boasts a Snapdragon 801 chipset as well as a waterproof body and a 1080p display.

Then there is of course the iPhone 6 that has been universally praised. We gave the iPhone 6 4.5 stars out of 5 loving its great new design and much better battery life.

Samsung Galaxy S6 camera & battery

SamMobile has apparently got hold of a prototype Galaxy S6 packing a 20MP snapper with optical image stabilisation, though it's still questioning whether said camera will make it to the final device.

It also dug up some software changes, including a new Pro mode, which has three shooting modes, one of which is manual, while the gallery app will apparently be more intuitive to navigate.