Samsung to launch Galaxy S6 in March

South Korean electronics major Samsung will launch its next flagship smartphone Galaxy S6 by March-end.

Though there is no official confirmation from the company yet, according to industry sources the company will unveil Galaxy S6 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015, scheduled for March 2-6. When contacted, a Samsung India spokesperson refused to comment.

Much-awaited Galaxy S6 will take over from Galaxy S5 as Samsung's top smartphone and is expected to be a huge departure from its predecessor.

Launched last year in March, Galaxy S5 was a big disappointment for Samsung and missed the company's first quarter sales expectations, which is a crucial test to assess any model's sales for the entire year.

In an effort to stem the rot, the company unveiled the Galaxy Alpha, its first Android phone with a metallic body, within six months of Galaxy S5's launch.

Samsung to launch Galaxy S6 in March

Samsung is expected to retain the same metallic design in its Galaxy S6, along with a 2K (1440x2560p) screen. Taking forward the Galaxy Note Edge design, Samsung is said to be working on a Galaxy S6 variant with curved screens on both edges.

There is some uncertainty over the processor to be used in the upcoming smartphone, with reports suggesting Samsung is facing overheating issues due to the top-end Qualcomm chip it is testing. However, there have also been reports junking such speculation.

If the reports of overheating are true, Samsung would likely use its own Exynos chip in the international variant. This chip is said to be designed on 64-bit architecture. Samsung usually sells Exynos-powered smartphones in 3G-dominant markets.

Other likely features of Samsung Galaxy S6 features are 20MP rear camera, faster 4G radios, 32 and 64GB storage options, microSD card support and battery capacity of over 3,000mAh.

Samsung is also said to be working on add-on back panels that provide extra functionality to the smartphone. Among the back panels being developed is one that turns the rear casing into an e-book reader, while another is said to put all the S Health features on the back.

Galaxy S6 is crucial to Samsung's profitability as the company' mobile sales are being squeezed by the likes of Xiaomi at the bottom end and Apple's new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus at the top end. The new iPhones have helped Apple post the biggest profit ever in corporate history recently.

Riding on stupendous iPhone 6 sales, some estimates say Apple may have overtaken Samsung for the numero uno slot though the final numbers are yet to be revealed. Samsung has a lot riding on the S6 launch after the failure of Galaxy S5 and is speculated to have delayed the launch a bit to ensure Galaxy S6 turns out to be a winner.