Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been dominating the smartphone market for few months since their launch in September last year. But the recently-unveiled Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge could give Apple a run for its money, when they hit the stores on 10 April. In the process, these high-end smartphones will eat into other's revenues.
Morgan Stanley on 15 March estimated the sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus for the first quarter of 2015 at 54 million, which is 24% more than Q1 last year's 43.7 million units and 72% of the all-time high of 74.5 million units sold in Q4 last year, according to a Business Korea (via SamMobile).
UBS put the sales of the iPhones at 58 million.
However, the release of Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in April could affect sales of iPhones drastically in the second quarter, as the devices have received good feedback from reviewers. The iPhone 6 could be affected more as the iPhone 6 Plus belongs to phablet category owing to its big screen.
"At the moment of Samsung Electronics just recovering its confidence through the Galaxy S6, the continued uptrend of iPhones will be a large burden for Samsung. The leader in the market will be decided only when the Galaxy S6 actually comes into the market," a source from Samsung Electronics was quoted as saying by Business Korea.
It may be mentioned that the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge were unveiled at the recently concluded MWC event. Both the models share same features except for the curved edge and more powerful battery seen in S6 Edge.
The Galaxy S6 has features like 5.1-inch super AMOLED QHD display with 2560x1440p screen (557 ppi (pixels per inch) protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4, Exynos 7420 processor, Android 5.0 Lollipop, 32/64/128GB internal memory and 3GB RAM, 16MP main camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer) and 5.0MP front snapper, and 2550 mAh (S6) / 2600 mAh (S6 Edge) battery.
Oh the other hand, the iPhone 6 sports a 4.7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD display and750 x 1334 pixels (326 ppi pixel density) protected by shatter proof glass and oleophobic coating, powered by A8 chip, and run on iOS 8 (upgradable to iOS 8.2). It also comes packed with 6/64/128 GB internal memory and 1 GB RAM, 8 MP main camera and 1.2 MP front camera, and non-removable Li-Po 1810 mAh battery.
