13 August is the date where we’ll see all of the leaks come to life, when Samsung takes the wraps off the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. We’ve been expecting these for a while, with leaks happening all over the place, but it seems that Samsung also has something we haven’t heard about yet on the way – unless they’re launching the Galaxy Tab S2 at Unpacked 2015, a move that wouldn’t make much sense. Our money’s on something new.
But that might be the only really new thing coming to Samsung’s August event. Whatever it is.
That’s because we’re pretty sure that we know everything that there is to know about the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. And here it all is.
1 The Galaxy Note 5 Looks Like A Galaxy S6
Yeah, that smartphone that Samsung’s going to be revealing? We’ve seen it. And some have most of the rest of the interested world and it looks like a massively oversized Galaxy S6 with a stylus attached. A possibly-magnetic/automatic, possibly-not stylus. The metal edges, the rounded corners and curves… this looks like a direction that Samsung’s going to be sticking with in future. But that might not be a good thing…
2 Too Much Like A Galaxy S6
But before the very visual leak to Droid Life, we were already worried about the Note 5’s resemblance to the S6. That’s because it was said to be too close to the S6 – so no microSD options and no removable battery. For the stylus-toting phablet this is a step down and could result in a few users opting to skip over this release. The Note was always a favourite of power users but that’s not going to be possible this time around.
3 The Galaxy S6 Plus Edge Will Be Big (As Expected)
The Galaxy S6 Edge Plus (or +) has also been seen, though not in the same working condition that we’ve spotted the Note 5 in. A store dummy showing the approximate size of the handset, which compares favourably to the Galaxy Note 4’s 5.7-inch screen size, has been sighted floating around the internet via Germany. Not much of the design has changed, it’s as though Samsung have just hit magnify the button on the Edge’s upgraded model.
4 The Specs (If True) Are Pleasingly Beefy
We’re all but certain of the design, particularly in the case of the Galaxy Note 5, but the specs are a little cloudier. The lack of a microSD slot seen in the recent leak also came with confirmation that the Note 5 will sport 32GB, 64GB and 128GB models and there’s no reason to expect anything different from the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus in terms of storage.
Less certain are the other specs. The Note 6 and S6 Edge Plus are thought to be packing similar hardware, with an Exynos processor, 4GB of RAM and either a 2K or a 3,840 x 2,160 display incoming for at least one of the handsets. Our money’s on the Galaxy Note 5 featuring this particular configuration, with perhaps a slight drop for the S6 Edge Plus.
5 There’s Less Than A Week Left To Go
We’ll know all there is to know about Samsung’s new devices by this time next week, at least on the hardware front. Samsung appears to be opting for an August reveal over their more traditional IFA unveiling in order to pre-empt the iPhone announcement that is happening in September this year. The concern is that Samsung will launch their new handsets in specific locations, like the US and UK, before spreading to the rest of the world rather than going with a global launch. Which is cool, it’s their phone after all, but we won’t be able to help feeling slighted if we have to wait longer than everyone else. Just sayin’.
