Everything you need to know about the Galaxy Note 6
More big numbers for the Galaxy Note 6, as rumors of 8GB of RAM gather
The Note 5 landed as Samsung’s latest phablet flagship back in mid-2015, and over the last few months the rumor mill has starting to spin up new ideas about what we may see in the Note 6. Here’s what we’ve heard so far about what the next-generation Samsung phablet will offer.
Galaxy Note 6 specs
Samsung always makes its Note hardware special, and ensures there’s plenty of power inside too. While the Snapdragon 820 is used in the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, there are rumors the Note 6 may use a revised version of the chip known as the Snapdragon 823. Apparently it will run at speeds up to 3GHz, and be accompanied by a massive 8GB of RAM. That’s beyond earlier rumors saying the Note 6 may have an also unsurpassed 6GB of RAM.
However, while the new chip and masses of RAM sounds exciting, there’s no evidence Qualcomm is working on such a processor, and there has been no official announcements yet.
Before this, the hints regarding the Note 6 would use 6GB of RAM came from a Chinese blog. It’s more credible than the possibility of 8GB of RAM, given it came a few months after Samsung announced being able to produce smartphones that feature 6GB of RAM on a single chip.
Waterproofing likely for Note 6
Rumors continue about the next Samsung phablet, and these latest reports suggest a new set of interesting features for the Note 6. We may very well see water resistance come to the Note 6, reports SamMobile.
Since IP68 water resistance come to the Galaxy S7 this past fall, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Samsung bring the same protection to its larger phablet. It was already surprising that the Note 5 didn’t offer any water resistance, after Samsung opted for a sealed battery and removed the MicroSD card slot from the phablet last September. If the Note 6 gets IP68 water resistance, the device would be able to withstand 30 minutes under up to 3 feet of water — just like the Galaxy S7.
It may have an iris scanner
SamMobile also reported rumors that an iris scanner may add more security to the Note 6. An iris scanner recently appeared on a list of materials purchased for research and development, the publication reports. Of course, even if Samsung is researching iris scanners, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Note 6 will feature an iris scanner. However, the addition of the eye-scanning tech wouldn’t be surprising, either. Samsung likes to differentiate itself from the crowd with new tech, as we’ve seen with Samsung Pay and other novel features on its flagship phones. It’s still speculation at best, though, so don’t hold your breath for a Windows Hello-like unlocking experience just yet.
Another early launch possible
Last year, we saw the Note 5 launch in August, several weeks earlier than the typical September Unpacked event that coincides with the annual IFA tech convention in Berlin. This year, we may see an even earlier unveil date, if the latest rumors prove true.
The reason Samsung may opt for an earlier Note 6 launch may lie in the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge’s apparent success, with Samsung revising its earnings forecasts due to “better than expected operating profit” from the Galaxy S7, according to an analyst speaking to Bloomberg in April. In the same piece, Strategy Analytics Neil Mawston said, “We expect Samsung to release the Note 6 a month or two before the Apple iPhone 7.”
Traditionally, new iPhone models arrive between September and November each year, which puts the potential Note 6 launch between July and October, depending on Samsung’s level or preparation. Previously, unnamed sources familiar with the matter told The Bell, a Korean website, that Samsung could launch the Galaxy Note 6 in the middle of July.
Again, this is a rumor that we can’t verify, so take it with a grain of salt. What’s especially interesting is that the Note 6, codenamed Grace, may run Android N out of the box, according to The Bell. It’s quite possible, considering Google surprised everyone when it released the Developer Preview for the upcoming Android version early. Google said it hopes to finish and hand off Android N to manufacturers in the summer — which means it’s easily in the realm of possibility that the Galaxy Note 6 could be one of the first phones to come equipped with Android’s latest operating system.
Read more: Soft Tech
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