NEW YORK - Instead of launching a primary smartphone and a companion device that has a curved screen, Samsung is keeping the branding of its flagship Samsung Galaxy S monicker, by releasing a new Galaxy Note 5 phablet, and calling the curved version of its popular phablet the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+.
The key difference between both 5.7-inch devices is that the Galaxy S6 edge+ will not come with the S Pen stylus, which is a signature accessory of Samsung's Note series of smartphone devices.
Both Galaxy devices, which were announced late Thursday night (Singapore time), will use the same Exynos 7 octa-core processor, and have the same QHD (quad high definition) Super Amoled display. Both will come in 32GB and 64GB versions, and will not have a removable battery, or support expandable memory via a microSD card.
Both devices will have a new, live video broadcasting mode via YouTube, where friends and family can be invited to view the live feed recorded on the phone's camera.
It will also have a new Ultra High Quality Audio, or UHQAudio, function that will let it play high definition audio files and up-convert digital music encoded in 16 bit at 44.1kHz, to 24 bit at 192kHz.
A new side sync mode will allow the new phones to be paired across multiple devices, such as PCs, tablets and Apple's Mac machines. This allows the connected devices to receive notifications such as calls and SMS notifications from their phone. It will also have a two way file-sharing mode that simply requires the user to drag and drop files from one machine to another.
The Black Sapphire and Gold Platinum Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ will go on sale from Aug 22, 2015, with 32GB and 64GB storage options, at $1,188 and $1,288 respectively.
Technical Specifications:
Processor: 64 bit Octa core Exynos 7 14nm (2.1GHz quad core + 1.5GHz quad core)
Display: 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, 518 PPI (pixels per inch)
Operating System: Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
Memory: 32GB/64GB, 4GB RAM
Camera: (Rear) 16MP OIS, f1.9, (Front) 5MP, f1.9
Battery: 3,000 mAh with fast and wireless charging
Dimensions: 154.4 x 75.8 x 6.9mm, 153g
