Samsung Galaxy S6 aka Project Zero Roundup: Expected Release Date, Specifications Details

Many technology enthusiasts and Samsung fans already know that the South Korean company is working hard to develop the new Galaxy S6, which is said to be the biggest upgrade over its previous models.

To provide some perspective on the new phone, we sifted through numerous reports and have pieced together the list of probable specifications that are likely to make the cut in Samsung's upcoming 2015 marquee phone.

Samsung Galaxy S6-Display and Build:

This year, Samsung witnessed a steep decline in its revenues. The 2014 flagship model - Galaxy S5 - reportedly failed to live up to its reputation.

Adding to its woes, Apple released bigger iPhone 6 (4.7-inch) and iPhone 6 Plus (5.5-inch), taking away some market share from Samsung in niche, high-end smartphone segment, while emerging Chinese firm Xiaomi with its dirt-cheap, feature-rich Mi-series devices has pushed Samsung to the wall in the mid-range and budget smartphone sector.

Squeezed from both sides by Apple Inc. and Xiaomi, Samsung's recent Q3 earning saw a staggering 60% plus drop in the profit margin.

Early this month, the South Korean company, as a part of restructuring, crowned a young, 33 year- old Pranav Mistry, as Vice president (Global operation) of Samsung Electronics.

[Read more: India-Born Pranav Mistry Named Samsung Electronics Vice-President; Key Facts of New Company Chief]

With young innovator Pranav Mistry at the helm of affairs, Samsung Electronics hopes the infusion of young blood will drive the innovation process to tackle the current predicament in its mobile division.

Even the Galaxy S6 work is tentatively named Project Zero, an initiation to re-invigorate the fading Galaxy S series brand.

It is learnt that Galaxy S6 will flaunt uni-metal body, a feature technology that market analysts and fans alike have long been asking Samsung to come up with as a true flagship phone, since the company has been accused of producing good phone with low-quality plastic cover.

Technology website HDBlog.it has published a series of metal-based Samsung phone-cover snapshots, reportedly to be of Galaxy S6. It says that the phone's internal body as well as the shell on the rear-side will be made of aluminum and when finally assembled, is expected to have uni-body design similar to the awarding-winning HTC One series.

Other screen specifications include 5.5-inch QHD (aka 2K: 2560x1440p) display.

Besides the normal model, it is learnt that Samsung is also working on limited edition Edge model with curved display, similar to Galaxy Note Edge.

It is said that the Galaxy S6 Edge will have dual-edge display; where-in phone's screen will be curved on both right and left side.

[Note: Galaxy Note Edge has curved screen only on one side]

Samsung Galaxy S6-Processor, RAM and storage:

2014 flagship phone Galaxy S5 was released with two chipset variants based on network availability in select regions.

Similarly Galaxy S6 and the Edge edition is said to come with same sales model.

It is learnt that one model would house the company's in-house built Exynos Octa-core processor and another will come packed with Snapdragon 810 series chipset.

Even the leaked internal document available with SamMobile says the upcoming Galaxy S6 is said to come in two chipset variants.

In terms of storage, one can expect the new Samsung smartphone to come with 3GB or 4GB RAM and 32GB inbuilt memory having expandable options via microSD card.

Samsung Galaxy S6- Value-added Features:

Fingerprint Sensor or Iris Scanner?

Early this year, Samsung Galaxy S5 came with finger-print sensor; though it was a well-intentioned feature to make the device more secure, some tech critics and fans panned Samsung for aping Apple.

[Also read: "Apple iPhone 5S Fingerprint 'Touch ID' Security Feature Breached, Says German Hackers"]

They wanted Samsung to up the ante by using more advanced bio-metric technology. So one might expect Galaxy S6 to house the Retina scanner.

A cryptic tweet from the company's chipset arm – Samsung Exynos – in July had hinted that future smartphones may feature Retina scanner, inciting speculation of the possibility of incorporation of the biometric technology in the upcoming Galaxy Note 4, but soon after the official announcement of the flagship phablet, this rumour met a quick death.

Security can be improved using features unique to us. That's what we envision. What would you use? #ExynosTomorrow pic.twitter.com/KLgQ1q9GkP

— SamsungExynos (@SamsungExynos) July 12, 2014

However, the rumour has once again risen from ashes. Samsung's Project Zero, an initiation for re-invigorating Galaxy S series in the industry, has led to the belief that Iris Scanner might make its way to Galaxy S6.

If Samsung does become successful in incorporating this advanced bio-metric technology, the company will certainly increase the benchmark for rivals.

Samsung Galaxy S6-Water-proof certifications:

2014 flagship model Galaxy S5 boasted IP67 water-and-dust repellant certifications, so one could also expect the S6 to have either same or higher certifications.

However there is a slight chance we might not see this feature in the upcoming Galaxy S6, as it is rumoured to come with full metal-body. So, it will be difficult to incorporate technology to make phone's aluminum body less prone to corrosion. If Samsung uses stainless steel, then this might lead to increase in production costs.

Heart-rate sensor and UV (Ultra-Violet) sensor:

Samsung has already incorporated heart-rate and UV sensors in the Galaxy Note 4 series, so one can also expect these value-added features in the upcoming Galaxy S6 as well.

Samsung Galaxy S6-Mobile Operating Systems:

Samsung has already begun rolling out Android 5.0 Lollipop update to the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4, so one can expect Galaxy S6 to run on the Google's latest mobile OS out-of-the-box.

Samsung Galaxy S6-Camera details:

Samsung Galaxy S6 is expected to come packed with 20.0-megpaixel camera on the rear-side and a 5.0-megapixel snapper on the front.

Samsung Galaxy S6-Release details:

Early this month, a report hinted the Samsung might launch the new Galaxy S6 in early January.

Media house Naver has claimed that Samsung's new flagship smartphone Galaxy S6 will make its debut at the upcoming international trade-show CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2015, Los Angeles, not at MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2015 in February has previously reported.

[Read more: Samsung Galaxy S5 Successor Pegged for Early Release with Limited Edition Galaxy S6 Edge at CES 2015]

Though early Galaxy S6 launch may help Samsung to get headstart over its rival, we believe Samsung will not go ahead with the new smartphone unveiling at CES 2015 simply for two reasons:

One, by now the company would have sent press invites if it had any intention of unveiling Galaxy S6 at CES 2015, which is just two weeks away. The second reason is a logical one. Samsung is a big consumer electronics giant and has been hosting private events to launch flagship smartphones past few years, so in all probability we might see the Galaxy S5 sequel around late February or early March at a flashy event like Samsung Unpacked 2015 Episode 1.

In a related topic, we heard that Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 chipset, which is expected to come in Galaxy S6, is having performance issues.

It is facing problems like over-heating and Adreno GPU driver errors, reported Business Korea, citing industry sources.

This flaw is also reported to have affected other major Tier-1 firms like LG, Sony and HTC, which are also slated to launch flagship devices as well.

As of now, there is no official word from the companies, so we advise our readers to take this report with the proverbial pinch of salt.

Leaked specifications of Samsung Galaxy S6: