Galaxy S6 Release Date: 13 Things to Expect (U.S.)

With the Samsung Galaxy S6 launch date inching closer, consumers in the United States are starting to get excited about Samsung’s Next Big Thing. And with a U.S. Galaxy S6 release now confirmed, average consumers are starting to pay attention. With a release in sight, we want to take a look what we expect the U.S. Samsung Galaxy S6 release date.

Earlier this month, Samsung confirmed an Unpacked event at Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. In the weeks since, Samsung Galaxy S6 rumors have exploded onto the scene in a big way with Galaxy S6 specs, Galaxy S6 design and Galaxy S6 release date details emerging for consumers in the United States and around the world.

The Samsung Galaxy S6, on paper, looks like it will be a worthy successor to the Galaxy S5. New hardware, an improved design and software tweaks are rumored to be on tap for March 1st. As we’ve crept closer to March 1st, we’ve started to see many of these Galaxy S6 rumors start to firm up, something that’s lead to increased interest in Samsung’s new flagship device.

In particular, Samsung Galaxy S6 release date rumors have been swirling as of late, painting an early picture for consumers thinking about making the jump to Samsung’s 2015 version of the Galaxy S. While the Samsung Galaxy S6 release date itself remains unconfirmed, rumors have put it just a few weeks out from its March 1st launch event.

In the buildup to the Samsung Galaxy S6 launch date, we’ve been taking a look at its most important details and making some predictions of our own. Recently, we offered up our expectations compared to a few different phones including the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S5. Today, we want to take a look at what we expect from the U.S. Galaxy S6 release date.

U.S. Galaxy S6 Release Date Among the First

We expect the United States, one of Samsung’s key high-end markets, to be among the first to get the Samsung Galaxy S6.

U.S. carriers have already started confirming the Galaxy S6 with one confirming that it will be “Coming Soon.” Their words, not ours. These early teasers tell us that the U.S. should be a major factor in the Galaxy S6 launch which doesn’t come as too much of a surprise. Retailers have also started teasing an imminent Galaxy S6 arrival, a sign that carriers and retailers are prepared for a fast U.S. Galaxy S6 release date.

The United States also has a history of delivering flagship Galaxy smartphones in and around the initial release date. The Galaxy Note 4 arrived soon after it touched down in select international markets and the Galaxy S5 did the same.

The United States is a key battleground in Samsung’s fight against Apple and the iPhone and we don’t expect Samsung or its carrier partners here in the United States to dilly dally. Expect the first Samsung Galaxy S6 release date in the United States to fall somewhere in and around the first Galaxy S6 release date from Samsung.

All Five Major Carriers

Expect all five major U.S. carriers to release the Galaxy S6. AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have all confirmed the Galaxy S6 leaving U.S. Cellular and Verizon in the dust. There’s no need to panic if you’re on U.S. Cellular or Verizon.

Galaxy S6 release rumors point to an arrival on both of these carriers and there’s virtually no way they let their rivals release one of the biggest smartphones of the year unopposed.

Smaller Carriers

If you don’t want to buy the Galaxy S6 on a larger carrier like AT&T or Verizon, you should be fine. We fully expect the Galaxy S6 to arrive for select pre-paid and regional U.S. carriers. MetroPCS, Cricket, C Spire, and Ting all come to mind because they’ve all carried Galaxy S flagships in the past. If Samsung wants to truly battle the iPhone 6 in the U.S., it’s going to need a lot of help because Apple’s flagship is available on an assortment of smaller U.S. carriers.

Galaxy S6 Release Date in March or April

The Samsung Galaxy S6 release date is still missing in action but every single Galaxy S6 release date rumor points to an arrival in March or April. India’s rumored to be getting it the second week of April and we’ve seen vacation blackout dates for Samsung employees point to an arrival in late March and late April. Galaxy S6 rumors have also pointed to an arrival two to three weeks earlier that Samsung’s usual mid-April release.

Where there’s a ton of smoke, there’s typically a ton of fire, and given that March and April fit the usual Galaxy S release window, we’re expecting the United States and a number of other regions to get the regular version of the Galaxy S6 just a few short weeks after its March 1st launch date. If we had to guess, we’d say early-to-mid April for the United States is the safest bet at this point.

Galaxy S6 Release Date Cluster

We expect U.S. Galaxy S6 release dates to cluster around each other. In fact, we could see a couple falling on the same day. Even if that doesn’t happen, we don’t expect U.S. carriers to stretch the regular Galaxy S6 release over the course of several months. Instead, we’d expect AT&T and its rivals to release the device within close proximity of one another so as not to give the others any kind of an edge.

Galaxy S6 Edge Release Later

Speaking of an edge, we expect the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung’s rumored curved Galaxy S6 variant, to arrive after the regular version of the Samsung Galaxy S6.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge release came a few weeks after Samsung pushed the regular, and more popular, Galaxy Note 4 variant out on to U.S. shelves. We wouldn’t be surprised if the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, a device that’s expected to feature two curves instead of one, faced a similar release situation. This is going to be a high-end premium phone that could face tight production in the weeks after its launch on March 1st.

There’s a very good chance that we’ll see it arrive somewhere between March 20th June 21st. AT&T’s promised a Spring 2015 launch for a phone that features a bent display.

Galaxy S6 Pre-Orders

We expect U.S. carriers to take Galaxy S6 pre-orders ahead of the Galaxy S6 release date. We would expect those pre-orders to happen in March and we’d expect them to start around the same time.

U.S. carriers almost always take early orders for flagship Android phones and it would be odd to see that tradition stop with the Galaxy S6, a device that’s shaping up to Samsung’s biggest launch since the Galaxy S3. If U.S. carriers don’t take pre-orders then it will be because of how close the actual Galaxy S6 release date is.

Similar Galaxy S6 Pricing on Release Day

When the U.S. Galaxy S6 release date arrives, we expect carriers to employ similar Galaxy S6 price tags. T-Mobile will of course be the outlier because it doesn’t offer devices on-contract.

What we mean is that we don’t expect to see a carrier like AT&T or Verizon try to gain an advantage with a $50 day one price cut. While we could see some trade-in deals, we’re confident that we’ll see congruent carrier pricing in the United States.

If you’re not looking to pay full price, expect to have to shop through a retailer like Amazon or Best Buy. Retailers have been known to take a few dollars off though again, don’t expect any huge price cuts at launch.

Retailers

Best Buy offered some small price cuts off the off-contract version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and we wouldn’t be surprise if the retailer offered something similar with the Galaxy S6. Amazon and Walmart are also known for knocking $20 or so off the initial cost of popular smartphones and if the Galaxy S6 lands at this those retailers (we expect Amazon at the very least), we could see some immediate discounts.

Expect the Samsung Galaxy S6 for most carriers to be widely available. Best Buy’s already confirmed its plans to stock the Galaxy S6 and the company, like Amazon, always stocks AT&T, Sprint and Verizon models. So if you’re looking to buy one of those variants, you should have some options in and around Galaxy S6 release day.

T-Mobile Galaxy S6 Not Widely Available

Do not expect a massive T-Mobile Galaxy S6 release date. Same goes for U.S. Cellular. In T-Mobile’s case, it doesn’t partner with the likes of Best Buy or Amazon which means that its phones are typically only found in official T-Mobile locations. As for U.S. Cellular, it’s a regional carrier and we typically don’t see its wares appear in national outlets.

If you’re looking to snag one of these variants, be prepared to shop online or in official physical retail locations. It’s probably wise to look up some addresses now so that you’re prepared once the Galaxy S6 release date hits the United States.

Early Hands-on at Best Buy

We recently walked into a Best Buy and discovered that its Samsung Mobile experience shops are already teasing the Galaxy S6’s arrival. We noticed two placards telling customers the Next Big Thing is “Coming Soon” to Best Buy stores. The placard sat to the left of the Galaxy Note Edge demo model. Another placard teasing the Samsung Galaxy S6 release date sat firmly attached to another demo table at Best Buy with the same exact message.

Employees would not offer any additional details about the signs though it’s clear that they are for the Galaxy S6. These signs, to us, hint at a release that mirrors the Galaxy Note 4’s.

Shortly after the Galaxy Note 4 launch, Samsung put it inside select Best Buy stores ahead of launch. This gave interested consumers a chance to get hands-on before its release date. It was an extremely smart decision given the popularity of the iPhone 6. With a new HTC One M9 and others crowding the market, we’d expect Samsung to take a page out of its own book and offer an early look at the Galaxy S6 in these pop up shops.

Anything to bring attention to these stores and the Galaxy S6.

Limited Colors

The Samsung Galaxy S6 is expected to come in four colors. We don’t expect all four of those colors to be available on every U.S. carrier on release day. Samsung’s color options are always limited and often, they are exclusive to a carrier or retailer. While we may not see that with these colors and the Galaxy S6, we’d be shocked if Samsung decides to put its supply chain under that kind of stress.

Galaxy S6 Accessories

Finally, expect every U.S. carrier that releases the Galaxy S6 to have Galaxy S6 accessories available. While we expect the in-store selection to be small at first, we expect the selection at carriers like AT&T and Verizon to grow over time as manufacturers finalize their wares. The Galaxy S6 should have a solid accessory ecosystem but not every major accessory will arrive on the U.S. release date.