Rumors are saying that Samsung is set to unveil not just one but two variants of its new flagship device, Galaxy S6, next month.
According to the January 12 report of CNET, the first variant is a Galaxy S6 with a metal design which is somewhat a new to the handset as it has used plastic in its previous units. Note that this is based on a report from Business Insider which said that a leaked image from French website Nowhereelse showed that a unibody designed metal frame Galaxy S6 is officially on the way. Samsung's sudden shift from plastic to metal, says CNET, might be driven by the notion that plastic is "cheap" and by the fact that Apple uses metal for its iPhones.
The second Galaxy S6 variant, says CNET, is one that features a curved edge. If the rumors are true, then this is a follow up to Samsung's Galaxy Note Edge which has a curved border. CNET says the two are expected to be showcased during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month. Yahoo Tech earlier predicted that the device will be out during the Consumer Electronics Show this month but it obviously did not happen. Sam Mobile also seconded this but it noted that the new device was only shown to "selected partners" and "not to consumers."
'Project Zero'
The rumors about Samsung's new flagship device came after it has been reported that the firm is embarking on a new project called "Project Zero." Sam Mobile said that the project is a first in the company as it has used single letters to name secret projects in the past. This new name -- "Project Zero", it said, indicates that Samsung is creating the new device from "scratch" and on "an entirely new vision."
In a separate report, Sam Mobile claimed that it has now proof that the said project is indeed true. It cited as proof the statement of an alleged Samsung employee posted on Reddit. The statement also revealed that Samsung is working on three kinds of its new flagship device.
"Project Zero is indeed a real thing. I've also seen two different GS6 Edge variants, one with the normal Youm display on the Edge, and one with dual curved edges. However, when I went to my orientation, a few weeks before the S5 came out I got to physically see the 5.2 inch version. Samsung prototypes a lot and things change extremely rapidly... As far as performance, benchmarks are noticeably higher but not by earth shattering amounts. Overall device responsiveness is vastly improved, and memory consumption is way down. Some build have freed over a gig of memory consumption from cold boot," the alleged Samsung employee was quoted as saying. The source also said that Samsung is not just focusing on the device's specs this time but also on the design.
What else do we know?
As for the specs, the device is believed to get a Quad HD (2560x1440) display, the new Android 5.0 Lollipop update, an Exynos 7420 SoC or a Snapdragon 810 chipset as processor, 3GB RAM, 32/64/128GB storage, 16/20 megapixel main camera and 5 megapixel front camera, and Broadcom's BCM4773 sensor chip.
Samsung has yet to confirm these rumors.