Samsung Galaxy Note 6 deals & rumours: specs & release date
Grab your stylus and your pad. It's time to take notes.
What do you want to read about?
- What's the latest rumour?Blueprints from @OnLeaks reveal Note 6's design. And much more besides.
- What is the release date?The Galaxy Note 6 is due to land in August.
- How much will it cost?Expect to pay around £40-45 per month for the Note 6 from launch.
- Previous rumoursWant more about the Samsung Galaxy Note 6? Head here for a round-up of all the speculation doing the rounds.
Samsung Galaxy Note 6 / Note 7 blueprints and video give us first look at next-generation handset
Leaked blueprints of the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 / Note 7 have given us our first-ever look at the phone and confirmed some key features, ahead of its anticipated debut in August or September.
Sourced exclusively for uSwitch by @Onleaks, AKA Steve Hemmerstoffer ofNowhereelse.fr, the blueprints reveal that the handset will feature a design that’s almost identical to the Galaxy S7 Edge, albeit with an aperture for the stylus pen that defines the Note range.
However in a major break from past form a USB-C port is evidence, making this the first-ever Samsung handset to upgrade from standard USB. USB-C technology, which tech sites have widely tipped to feature on the next-generation Note, enables faster data transfers and means faster charging too.
Interestingly, our source tells us that above the screen, which comes in somewhere between 5.7-inches and 5.8-inches, there’s a concentration of sensors (two large ones and three smaller ones).
Their presence adds real weight to rumours that the Note 6 / Note 7 will feature an iris scanner that 'reads' unique biometric information and enables you to unlock your handset just by looking at it.
The phone's dimensions are purportedly around 153.5mm x 73.9mm x 7.9mm. That puts it broadly in line with the Galaxy Note 5, which comes in at 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6mm, and the Galaxy S7 Edge, which measures 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7mm.
What we can’t tell you with any certainty is whether the phone in the blueprints is the standard Galaxy Note 6 / Note 7 or the as-yet-unconfirmed, curved-screen Edge-branded model that’s rumoured to be landing alongside it.
The case for the latter is lent some heft by the fact that the phone our source presented us with features a curved screen. But we wouldn't bet the ranch on it.
We're also unsure exactly what the next-generation Note smartphone will be called.
According to some industry insiders, Samsung could brand the standard model as the 'Galaxy Note 6' and opt to call the variant, curved screen edition the 'Galaxy Note 7'.
We won't know for sure until Samsung shows its hand later this year, most likely the IFA technology expo in early September.
The good news, though, is that rumours suggest that, unlike the Note 5, the 2016 Note phone will be granted a UK release.
When is the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 on sale?
Last time around the Note 5 wasn't deemed worthy of a UK release, much to the disappointment of fans of the Galaxy Note range at uSwitch as well as in the tech world at large.
However, rumours now suggest that Samsung considers that decision to be a major mistake and will be bringing the Note 6 to these shores. So that's good news, for starters.
The other news is that we haven't got too long to wait for it, amid talk that the Note 6 will be unveiled in mid August or early September.
Mooted dates include August 15th, which is the word from the ever-reliable @evleaks. But we've also heard that Samsung will debut the device on the eve of the IFA festival, which takes place between September 2nd-7th.
As for the on-sale date, this is anyone's guess right now. But past form suggests pre-orders will start a couple of days after the phone debuts. Then it'll land on shop shelves within a week to ten days.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 cost?
Samsung Galaxy Note phones are top-end handsets with prices to match.
Want the Note 6? If so, you should expect to pay between £40-45 on a monthly contract. Or between £600-£650 if you want to buy it outright and off-contract.
Samsung Galaxy Note 6 rumours round-up
What's new about the 2016 version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 6? Here's what we think we know.
Screen upgrade
The Note 5 sports a 5.5-inch screen with none-more-Samsung SuperAMOLED display tech.
For the Note 6, we've been told to expect a slightly larger display of around 5.8-inches, most likely with lush Quad-HD or even 2K resolution.
There has been talk of a 4K screen too, but we're not sold. Not least because you need a huge TV screen to really notice the sharper pictures that 4K technology offers.
Tech rumour-mongers also think we'll likely get an always-on screen, so you don't need to wake up the Galaxy Note 6 just to check the time. We'd be amazed if that doesn't happen. It's now standard across all high-end and mid-range phones.
Bigger battery
Ask any tech fan at any time what their major bugbear is with current-gen smartphnes and they'll surely tell you that that it's disappointing battery life.
With that in mind, according to a source cited by PhoneArena, Samsung is reportedly replacing the Note 5's 3000mAh battery with a larger, more powerful 3,700mAh battery. Chinese social networking site Weibo even goes so far as to claim it'll be upgraded to 4000mAh.
What sounds less plausible is talk that Samsung will opt for a removable battery. While other rival phone-makers have opted for that in recent months (CF: the LG with the modular G5), we just can't see it on the Note 6.
Camera boost one way or another
Whispers from China suggest that Samsung will equip the Note 6 with the same 12-megapixel camera as the well reviewed Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.
Assuming that's so, it'll also have super Optical Image Stabilisation technology to help you get good shots in challenging conditions. All of which is a not insignificant step up from the Note 5.
Elsewhere on the web, we've heard that the phone will pack a lush 20-megapixel camera. That sounds ace. But a 12-megapixel snapper sounds more plausible to us.
Superior software, but perhaps not Android N
Although some claim the Note 6 will run the as-yet-unreleased N version of Android out of the box, it's much, much more probable that it'll be powered by the existing Marshmallow edition of Google's software.
As for Samsung-specific additions, there will likely be new features to take advantage of the S-Pen stylus too. We just don't know what these are yet.
It'll be waterproof. Or more accurately water-resistant
According to rumours doing the rounds, the phone will be certified with an IP 68 rating.
What does that mean? Well it means that at the very least it'll be "protected from immersion in water with a depth of more than 1 metre".
In practice the Note 6 may be significantly more resistant to breaches from liquid, but we'll have to wait until the phone is announced to be certain.
USB-C support
Instead of a standard USB port for charger and downloads, the Note 6 is rumoured to feature the newer USB-C connector. This would mean faster data transfers. And quicker charging too.
More interested in the Samsung Galaxy S7 or the Edge? Click here to find deals for the flagship phones
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