Samsung Galaxy S6 to feature full metal casing

[Transcendence]

Metal seems to be all the rage in the smartphone industry these days. Apple’s iPhone 5 emerged, then HTC decided to give it a try with the HTC One M7 from last year. LG decided to try its hand at a faux metal design this year with the G3, and now Samsung has thrown its card in the deck with the Galaxy Alpha.

 

Although the Galaxy Alpha only sports an aluminum metal band (not an aluminum body or unibody construction), some Android consumers are excited because their ideal phone has finally arrived (if you disregard the fact that it’s not fully aluminum and that it still bears TouchWiz, which some find to be repulsive for reasons we still don’t understand). “Hey, it’s at least got something metal on it,†some Android consumers have said. In recent days, some have decided to give Samsung a try simply because of an aluminum metal band. It’s amazing what gets people to consider smartphones these days!

 

According to a new report, however, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha is just the tip of the iceberg for thosewho’ve been clamoring for a gorgeous metal smartphone for the last few years in the Android world. The Galaxy S6, due for arrival in Spring 2015, will come with a full aluminum body (just a rumor for now). The Galaxy Alpha has been the first attempt, and the Galaxy Note 4 will still bear a plastic leather cover along with perhaps the same aluminum metal band we’ve seen on the Galaxy Alpha – but the Galaxy S6 will surpass them all if the new report is correct.

 

Now, while we don’t want to discredit rumors, seeing that a number of said rumors have come true in the past, we don’t want to get your hopes up, either. Remember the Galaxy S5’s “full aluminum body†that was only a disappointment to some Samsung fans (because Samsung Group never promised to make the phone aluminum)? Tech writers were responsible for the artificial rumor that didn’t have even a kernel of truth to it, and we won’t play a part in the spread of unsubstantiated rumors. So, with that said, we report on the rumor because we’ve received word from some credible sources of ours in the industry. So, there’s always hope, but the Galaxy S5 customer fiasco has taught us not to “count the chickens before they hatch,†to use a proverbial phrase that’s common in some parts of the world.

 

The metal rumor is one that’s even been spread across the Web about the upcoming Galaxy Note 4, but we’ll have to disappoint here and tell you the truth: the Galaxy Note 4 will come in the same plastic leather design you’ve seen with last year’s Galaxy Note 3. Samsung Group has gone on record as saying that its Galaxy smartphones are easier to mass-produce with plastic, and we don’t think that the Galaxy Note 4 will be any bigger of a surprise than the Galaxy Alpha was. While the Note 4 will certainly have leaps and bounds ahead of the Galaxy Alpha in the specs and features department, the fabled aluminum body won’t be one of them.

 

While we respect that some of our Samsung fans here at Inferse are interested in metal body smartphones and think that they are the icon of perfection, some of us respectfully disagree. While metal body smartphones can look and feel gorgeous if done right, metal can also come heavier (as seen in this year’s HTC One M8) than even Samsung’s current smartphone lineup and may lose some of its shine when you hold it in your hands.

 

Next, the HTC One M8, for all its brilliance, didn’t quite compete with the other Android competition when it comes to Wi-Fi and LTE signals. In fact, in the early weeks of testing after the phone’s release, a number of tech experts said that the aluminum metal design was affecting Wi-Fi and data signals in the One M8 experience. This may not be the case for all users, and a number of users may not notice a difference, but we’d rather have a plastic smartphone than one that affects Internet signals. The HTC One M8 isn’t a laggy phone by any means, but if its Internet experience lags, then this is just as bad (in our opinion) as the same claims that’ve been labeled on Samsung smartphones.

 

What can we expect regarding the Galaxy S6? Although the Galaxy Note 4 won’t be revealed before another 17 days or so, we can tell you that it’ll be Samsung’s first world smartphone to emerge with Android L (whatever Google decides to call it – please, Google, pick a name already!), and it will be the first Galaxy S device with a Quad HD resolution (2,560 x 1440p screen resolution) as well as a 3,000mAh battery.

 

Seeing that the Galaxy S5 has a 16MP camera this year (and the Note 4 will receive the same in a few weeks), the Galaxy S6 will feature a 20MP-21MP back camera, though Samsung may choose to keep the screen size at 5.1 inches (in the same way that the Note 4 will retain the 5.7-inch display of its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 3). Since AnTuTu benchmarks have already revealed the new 3.68MP front camera of the Galaxy Note 4, we can expect to see the same-size “selfie†camera available on the Galaxy S6.

 

In short, the Galaxy S6, with or without a full metal body or aluminum band, will be an absolute beast. Of course, the Galaxy Note 4 and Note 5 have already stolen our hearts – though one device will be announced soon, and the other won’t arrive before 2015.