The Galaxy S6 Price: Everything We Know So Far

We’re getting closer and closer to the Samsung Galaxy S6 launch date which means that we’re inching closer to the Galaxy S6 release date as well. While launch and release rumors are rampant, we’ve only seen a few details about the Samsung Galaxy S6 price leak out. With that in mind, we want to take a look at everything we know, think we know, about the Galaxy S6 price.

Earlier this month, Samsung sent out invites for an Unpacked event set for March 1st at Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona. The company did not reveal what the event is for but thanks to a series of rumors and leaks, it’s pretty clear that it will serve as the launch pad for the Samsung Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 successor.

Samsung Galaxy S6 rumors have been rampant for a number of months now and as we’ve approached March 1st, they’ve started to firm up. Samsung Galaxy S6 specs are expected to feature a number of upgrades. The Galaxy S6 release date is expected to take place in either March or April on carriers in the United States and around the world. And the Galaxy S6 design is expected to feature a number of changes including the use of premium materials.

One detail that’s been noticeably absent from the proceedings is the Samsung Galaxy S6 price, one of the key ingredients to any smartphone launch. We saw a few early Galaxy S6 price rumors and today some new information popped up but Samsung Galaxy S6 price details have been hard to come by.

Today, we want to take a look at everything that’s leaked so far. Our goal is to help prepare you, and your wallet, for the Galaxy S6 release date and launch, both of which are set to take place in just a few short weeks.

Galaxy S6 Storage

Samsung Galaxy S6 rumors indicate that the company has plans to release six Galaxy S6 variants including 32GB, 64GB and 128GB versions of both the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. We’ve seen those storage options rumored several times in the lead in to the Galaxy S6 launch date and given the frequency, these options are probable.

Now, what this means is that we could, we repeat could, see six price points inside the United States. We say could because Samsung’s Galaxy S releases have been extremely unpredictable. While Samsung’s announced three storage variants in the past, U.S. carriers have been reluctant to carry more than two different storage options.

Take for example the Galaxy S4. While AT&T and Verizon released 32GB versions of the device, the other three major carriers were left with the 16GB model and the 16GB model only. Last year, we saw all five off the 16GB model.

Point is that we’re still not sure which variants will land where. We are, however, starting to learn a little bit about how much they might cost in places outside the United States.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Price

The first Samsung Galaxy S6 price rumor came out of a report from Brazilian site Tecmundo. The rumor, which emerged weeks ago, suggests that the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge will cost R $2,899 and R $3,999 respectively. Last year’s Galaxy S5 commanded a R $2,599 price tag when it arrived. So we could see a bit of an increase in Brazil.

Just days after that, a report from AndroidPIT concluded that the device will come in two different forms (a regular model and an “Edge” model) with, you guessed it, three storage sizes. Here’s how it said pricing would break down in Europe:

• Samsung Galaxy S6 32 GB: 749 euros ($849 USD)
• Samsung Galaxy S6 64GB: 849 euros ($963 USD)
• Samsung Galaxy S6 128 GB: 949 euros ($1,706 USD)

• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge 32 GB: 849 euros ($973 USD)
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge 64 GB : 949 euros ($1073 USD)
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge 128 GB : 1049 euros ($1173 USD)

As we noted at the time, the $100 price increase makes sense. Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge runs $399.99 while the Galaxy Note 4 costs $299.99 on-contract at U.S. carriers.

Since then, silence. That is, until today when ArsTechnica shed some more light on the Galaxy S6 price. Its source claims that the Galaxy S6 will come in two different variants, a regular model and an Edge, and that both will come in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB form. Lo and behold, its information lines up with the information from AndroidPIT.

We put the USD equivalent in parentheses to give you some idea about how the cost could translate but a word of warning. We rarely see international pricing match up perfectly with pricing inside the United States. Samsung’s Galaxy S5, off-contract, started in and around $650. On-contract, the Galaxy S5 was priced at $199.99, same as the iPhone 6.

U.S. pricing tends to be cheaper than international pricing though that doesn’t necessarily guaranteed that the Galaxy S6 in the U.S. will be cheaper than the Galaxy S6 in Europe. If these prices hold up, the Galaxy S6 will become one of the most expensive smartphones on the market. In Europe and perhaps, in the United States as well.

The report also notes that Samsung is going to heavily promote the curved version of the Galaxy S6 as opposed to the regular model. This makes sense given that we’ve already seen several U.S. carriers tease the arrival of the Galaxy S6 Edge on their websites. It would, however, differ from the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge launch where there seemed to be more emphasis on the Galaxy Note 4.

While the focus seems to be on the Galaxy S6 Edge, it appears that stock could be contained at launch. Samsung’s reportedly having yield issues with the curved display, something that could hamper the Galaxy S6 Edge release, and something that could make a cheaper Samsung Galaxy S6 look even more appealing to consumers.

Here are the key takeaways about the Galaxy S6 price ahead of launch:

• Galaxy S6 could be expensive
• Galaxy S6 Edge could be very expensive
• Three storage options and six different price points possible
• Galaxy S6 Edge supply strain could make the choice between the two easy for some buyers

In the past, Samsung’s been coy about Galaxy S pricing on launch day so we may not find out how much both models cost until after Samsung wraps up its Unpacked event. Stay tuned.