Samsung Galaxy S6 Release Date Inches Closer for U.S.

U.S. carrier haven’t confirmed a firm Samsung Galaxy S6 release date but thanks to several key filings, we know that a couple of U.S. carriers including Verizon are inching closer to their highly anticipated Galaxy S6 release.

Yesterday, after months and months of rumor, Samsung announced the Galaxy S6, a followup to the Galaxy S5. On stage, Samsung detailed many of the key components including the Galaxy S6 specs, Galaxy S6 design, Galaxy S6 accessories, and the all-important Samsung Galaxy S6 release date. The Galaxy S6 release date will start on April 10th where it, and the Galaxy S6 Edge, will arrive in 20 unnamed countries.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 release is confirmed for several carriers in the United States including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon. While those carriers are teasing the Galaxy S6 release, they haven’t confirmed specific Galaxy S6 release date details. Only U.S. Cellular has confirmed the arrival of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge for April.

Carriers aren’t talking about the Galaxy S6 release date but FCC filings are doing some talking for them. Today the Verizon Galaxy S6 release date, the Verizon Galaxy S6 Edge release date, and the T-Mobile Galaxy S6 Edge release date all moved closer as the three devices gained clearance from the FCC. FCC approval is necessary before a device can be released to the public so these filings mean that all three of these Galaxy S6 variants are getting closer.

The U.S. historically has been one of the first countries to get flagship Galaxy S and Galaxy Note smartphones and with these variants gaining clearance just a day after launch day, it’s possible that the U.S. will once again find it among the first countries to release a flagship Galaxy smartphone.

The AT&T, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge models haven’t crossed through the FCC yet but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to be on a different timeline. We often see devices pass through the FCC’s clutches at different times and get released on the same day. We should see FCC filings continue as we push deeper into the month of March, closer to the April 10th release date from Samsung.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 release date isn’t the only mystery haunting prospective Galaxy S6 buyers in the U.S. Samsung also failed to confirm the Galaxy S6 price and Galaxy S6 Edge price for the U.S. leaving that detail up to individual carriers to announce.

 

Yesterday, we found one clue. On its contest rules page, T-Mobile notes that the Approximate Retail Value of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is $699. The carrier does not list the ARV for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge because it isn’t one of the prizes. This ARV could serve as the off-contract price of the Samsung Galaxy S6 in the United States though that remains unconfirmed.

The new Galaxy S6 comes with an assortment of upgrades including a 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display with 577 ppi, Exynos 7 octo-core processor from Samsung, 32/64/128GB of storage with no microSD card slot, Android 5.0 Lollipop with a new version of Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface, a 16MP camera, a 5MP front-facing camera, Cat.6 LTE, and a 2550 mAh (Galaxy S6) and 2600 mAh battery (S6 Edge).

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge will come with similar specifications though its will feature a unique curved display that bends down over the two sides of the phone. Both the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Edge eschew plastic in favor of a bold new design that features a combination of metal and glass that also features Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4.

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge is only confirmed for top U.S. carriers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon. It’s not expected to arrive for smaller regional and pre-paid operators.