Samsung Galaxy S6: 5 Things We Learned in July

The month of July was a busy one for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and today we want to take a close look at a few things prospective Galaxy S6 buyers and current Galaxy S6 owners need to know as we make our way into the month of August.

In February, after weeks and weeks of rumor and speculation, Samsung arrived at Mobile World Congress to announce two brand new flagship Galaxy S smartphones. One, the Galaxy S6. The other a curved version of the device known as the Galaxy S6 Edge.

The two devices ushered in Samsung’s new design language and they immediately climbed the charts to become two of the best Android smartphones around. And there they’ll remain until Samsung takes the curtain down from around its Galaxy S7.

In the months since the release in April, Samsung and its Galaxy S6 variants have been extremely busy. We’ve seen Galaxy S6 deals emerge and we’ve seen several new Android updates hit both the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the company’s Galaxy S6 Edge.

As we’ve pushed towards the fall, we’ve begun to see new and important details emerge for Galaxy S6 owners and those who are maybe thinking about making it their next phone.

This month in particular has been eye-opening and today we want to take a look at some things that current owners and future owners need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S6. Keep these details in mind as we make our way from the month of July to the month of August.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Price Cut

When the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge first arrived, they were priced at $199.99 and $299.99 in the United States. Those prices could drop soon.

Samsung has announced that it will drop the price of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Its announcement doesn’t say when this price adjustment will happen or where it will happen only that it’s happening.

With new premium smartphones on the way and Samsung losing marketshare, we expect the change to take place in the near future, perhaps in August.

In July we also discovered several new Galaxy S6 deals that buyers in the United States should be aware of. We haven’t seen the Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge drop to free on contract yet but we have seen Samsung and its retailers cut the price of the Galaxy S6 flagship to make it more attractive ahead of what should be a busy fall.

While the price drop might be static many of these deals are temporary so you’ll want to be on the look out for bargains as we make our way through August. There’s no reason to pay $199.99 or $299.99 now.

AT&T Galaxy S6 Price Hike

Samsung’s planning price cuts, AT&T is planning to increase fees it seems.

Starting on August 1st, AT&T will reportedly bump the cost of buying a smartphone on a two-year contract or on its AT&T Next payment plans.

AT&T hasn’t confirmed its plans yet but it’s looking like it will increase activation fees for two-year contracts to $45 and AT&T Next upgrade fees to $15. These are small changes, yes, but they mean that you’ll likely be paying more for a Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge come August.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Android 5.1.1 Update

The month of July provided a number of new details regarding the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge Android 5.1.1 Lollipop release.

Android 5.1.1 Lollipop is Google’s current version of Lollipop and it’s an update that enhances the two devices while fixing lingering TouchWiz and Lollipop problems. In other words, it’s a key update.

While the Galaxy S6 Android 5.1.1 update is limited, it’s expected to continue rolling out in the days, weeks and perhaps months ahead. Several carriers have confirmed upcoming Android 5.1.1 releases though it does look like there will be some delays. The Android 5.1.1 updates were reportedly causing battery life problems for some Galaxy S6 variants.

We’ve also seen several non-Android 5.1.1 bug fixers roll out to the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge and it’s unclear if those models will be bumped to Android 5.1.1 or if they’ll stay put.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

If you’re looking into buying the Galaxy S6, you’ll want to know that a Galaxy S6 competitor is on the way and will be announced on August 13th in New York City.

Samsung hasn’t confirmed the Galaxy Note 5 flagship just yet but it looks like it will touch down next month with a Galaxy S6 inspired design and several other powerful features.

The Samsung Galaxy Note series always compliments the Galaxy S series ahead of the holidays and it looks like the Galaxy Note release date will land much earlier this year.

With a Galaxy Note 5 launch this close, we recommend holding off on buying a Galaxy S6 until the company has a chance to outline its fall flagship.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

If you’re thinking about buying a Galaxy S6 Edge, know that it will also have some new competition come August 13th.

Samsung’s expected to debut a Galaxy S6 Edge+ alongside the Galaxy Note 5. The device is rumored to be a larger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge with a few differences. It will apparently go on sale on August 21st with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. And like the Galaxy Note 5, it’s expected to land for American carriers.

The Galaxy S6 Edge+ will reportedly come with a premium price tag and Samsung’s made that clear in today’s announcement regarding the Galaxy S6 price cuts.

The Mobile Business plans to firmly maintain its sale of premium smartphones by flexibly adjusting the price of the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, and launching a new model with a larger screen.

In other words, expect both the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge to be cheaper than the 5.7-inch version of the Galaxy S6 Edge.

Android 5.1.1 & Galaxy S6 Problems

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Smartphones are never perfect at the start. They always endure some growing pains after they're thrust into the world millions of times over. Fortunately, Samsung provides solid software support for its top tier Galaxy smartphones and recently things have improved for the Galaxy S6. While early adopters had to endure a number of issues with the Galaxy S6, we've seen carrier updates and a recent Android 5.1.1 Lollipop upgrade wipe out many of the more frustrating issues plaguing Samsung's flagship device.  There are still Galaxy S6 problems (there always will be) but right now things are stable for most Galaxy S6 owners. And with an Android M update promising better code and performance boosts, the Galaxy S6 only stands to improve. It's like a fine wine. Samsung doesn't update its phones for four years like Apple but the Galaxy S6 should get two years of quality updates. And that makes it a solid investment for those that don't want to replace their phone every single year.

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