The latest word on the street claims that Samsung will be unveiling the Galaxy Note 6 in the month of July, a month earlier than the release date of last year’s Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
This year’s Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge also saw an early release, beating last year’s date by a full month. The same is also expected to happen as far as the larger Samsung Galaxy Note 6 is concerned, but is still just a mere rumor. While Samsung is still mum on the details of the upcoming phablet, rumors that have been doing rounds have given us some ideas of what this device might look like when it is released.
There are some reports also suggesting that the Galaxy Note 6 might come in two variants – one with a flat screen and another with a curved screen. However, it is also believed that Samsung might be working on design changes for the upcoming phone, which means we may see a device featuring a curved screen. With Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge joining the phablet party, it is thought that Samsung Galaxy Note 6 will spot an even larger display size than its predecessors.
To cut the long story short, here are the 10 most possible things to expect to see on Samsung Galaxy Note 6 when it is announced later this year.
Water and dust resistance
Samsung went back to its old ways by re-introducing water and dust resistance on this year’s Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The Korean tech giant had dropped the idea of this feature on last year’s Galaxy S6 series and the Galaxy Note 5. Now that it is back on the flagship devices, expect to see the same IP68 rating on Samsung Galaxy Note 6.
Two variants – Exynos and Snapdragon
Samsung dropped the use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 SoC and later on it emerged that the chipset had some overheating issues. Instead, the company sold all of its flagships packed with its in-house Exynos 7 chipset. This year saw Qualcomm make serious improvements with the Snapdragon 820 and as a result, Samsung went back to its tradition of unveiling two variants – one powered by an Exynos chipset and the other using a Snapdragon chipset.
With having already happened with Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, expect the same with the Note 6 – a variant based on Exynos 8 and another based on Snapdragon 820. However, there are emerging reports claiming that the phablet might pack a Snapdragon 823 SoC, but this cannot be confirmed in any way.
6GB RAM
The smartphone market has already started seeing devices packed with 6GB RAM. China’s Vivo, Meizu and Lenovo-backed Zuk have already made their mark in the market with smartphones that pack 6GB of RAM. Samsung is expected to follow suit with its Galaxy Note 6’s RAM. The Note 5 was the first to pack the 4GB RAM, so don’t be surprised to see the same step up on this year’s Note 6.
Expandable storage
In addition to water and dust resistance, Samsung also scrapped the idea of expandable storage with respect to last year’s flagship releases. However, the microSD card has made its way back to the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, so, Samsung might find it hard explaining why it couldn’t include the feature on the Galaxy Note 6.
Improved stylus
Samsung Galaxy Note series is made unique by its S Pen stylus feature. With every release of the Note, Samsung usually adds interesting features and capabilities to this device. The release of Samsung Galaxy Note 6 is expected to follow the same trend and bring an even better S Pen stylus. There have been reports of a possible innovative pen that could also double as the phone’s stand. Only time will tell.
Android N
Google is working faster than usual with respect to this year’s Android N. The OS is already in the second stage of the developer preview, something that hints at a Galaxy Note 6 that is powered by Android N out of the box.
A better camera
Photography is crucial when it comes to flagship smartphones. We’ve seen what Samsung is capable of as far as the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are concerned. With competition getting tougher with the likes of HTC 10 coming in with an equally compelling camera setup, Samsung might step up its game with respect to the Galaxy Note 6 and this time introduce a dual-camera setup. Still, sticking with what it used on the flagship S7 and S7 Edge will be a huge step up from last year’s 16MP sensor on the Note 5.
A bigger battery
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge both received improvements in their battery capacity. With Samsung Galaxy Note 6 being a larger device than these two, word has it that Samsung will pack a 4000mAh unit in the phone, which will be a huge welcome.
Glass and metal design
Samsung saw the light when it switched from plastic bodies to glass and metal. This has been perfected this year, with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge sitting at the top of the table as far as the best smartphone designs of 2016 are concerned. With the release of Samsung Galaxy Note 6, we expect the company to take things to the next level with this combination of glass and metal.
You can also expect the phone to include a fingerprint scanner, just like other 2016 flagships.
Micro-USB port
Last on our list is the USB connectivity port. With Samsung already dropping the use of the latest USB Type-C connectors, we expect to see the same maintained with the Galaxy Note 6. Just like the S7 and S7 Edge, Samsung Galaxy Note 6 is expected to feature a micro-USB port. Other features to expect here include wireless and fast charging technologies.