MWC: Samsung regains edge with S6

Samsung Electronics yesterday regained its leadership in the smartphone wars with two entirely redefined smartphones, the GalaxyS6 and GalaxyS6 edge.

Launched in Barcelona the day before the start of the Mobile World Congress in the city, the devices were designed to prove that Samsung was still capable of “relentless innovation”, said the company’s President and CEO, JK Shin, during the launch.

South African executives echoed his view that the phones set a new benchmark.

Samsung is offering what’s next in mobility, along with a new standard to drive the global mobile agenda,” said Craige Fleischer, Director of Integrated Mobility at Samsung Electronics South Africa. “By listening to our customers and learning from both our success and missteps, we continuously push forward new technologies and ideas.

Crafted from metal and glass, the GalaxyS6 and GalaxyS6 edge blend purposeful design with powerful features. The GalaxyS6 edge, provides a solid grip and an immersive viewing experience with the world’s first curved display on both sides. Its glass body, made from the toughest glass to date, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, is available in an array of colorful jewel tones, including White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Blue Topaz and Green Emerald, which elicit a unique visual texture as it reflects natural light. This design required first-of-its-kind glass crafting technology and quality control, complemented by a totally new and lighter interface that enhances usability and functionality. A refined and fully optimised user experience simplifies applications and offers features and settings in a more intuitive way.

The GalaxyS6 and GalaxyS6 edge are equipped with incredibly vivid, bright and fast front and rear cameras. The F1.9 lenses and high resolution sensors on both front (5MP) and rear (16MP) cameras provide the most superior image quality in a smartphone, even in low light conditions. In addition, Auto Real-time High Dynamic Range (HDR), Smart Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and White Balance Detect through IR provide advanced light sensitivities and crisp camera solutions. Furthermore, a new “Quick Launch” feature give users fast, direct access to the camera from any screen in just 0.7 seconds* by simply double clicking the home key button.

With fully embedded WPC and PMA certified wireless charging technology, the GalaxyS6 and GalaxyS6 edge are setting a new industry standard for universal wireless charging. The devices work with any wireless pad available in the market that supports WPC and PMA standards. They also sport fast wired charging, 1.5 times faster than the GalaxyS5, providing about 4 hours of usage after only 10 minutes of charging.

The thin (6.8 mm/7.0mm edge) and lightweight (138g /132g edge) GalaxyS6 and GalaxyS6 edge integrate the most advanced, cutting-edge, Samsung core technology available today. The world’s first 14nm mobile processor with 64-bit platform, new LPDDR4 memory system and UFS 2.0 flash memory provides higher performance and enhanced memory speed with lower power consumption. Moreover, the world’s first 1440P/VP9 hardware based codec enables users to enjoy high resolution streaming video while also using less power. The 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screen offers users the highest pixel density of 577ppi. Enhanced outdoor visibility with a brighter display (600cd/mm) lets consumers experience content without compromise – anywhere, at any time.

Mobile Payments

Samsung Pay, a new, easy-to-use mobile payment service that will be compatible with more locations than any competing offering in a single application, will launch on GalaxyS6 and GalaxyS6 edge in the United States during the second half of this year. Protected by Samsung KNOX, fingerprint scanning, and advanced tokenisation, Samsung Pay works with both Near Field Communication (NFC) and Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) technology to make it device, merchant and card issuer agnostic.

The GalaxyS6 and GalaxyS6 edge are built on the upgraded Samsung KNOX, end-to-end secure mobile platform, offering defense-grade features for real-time protection from potential malicious attacks. Both of these new devices are also ready for immediate enterprise adoption, with market leading MDMs and KNOX enhancements enabled at launch to simplify and improve mobile device management. Additionally, the Find My Mobile feature secures lost devices and protects personal information through a number of services, including the all new remotely controlled “Reactivation lock.” With an enhanced touch-type fingerprint scanner, it also provides quick authentication and saves encrypted data in secure device storage.

The GalaxyS6 and GalaxyS6 edge will be available globally starting from April 10, 2015 with 32/64/128GB storage options available in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Blue Topaz (GalaxyS6 only) and Green Emerald (GalaxyS6 edge only).

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