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AT&T Galaxy S6 Release: 5 Things to Know Right Now

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Earlier this week, AT&T confirmed both the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge for release. Like its rivals, AT&T confirmed some release details but it failed to confirm them all. In the hours since that confirmation, we’ve seen some new details emerge and today we want to take an in-depth look at what we know currently about the upcoming AT&T Galaxy S6 release.

In the months leading up to Sunday’s Samsung Galaxy S6 launch date, we heard that AT&T was among the U.S. carriers planning a Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge release. Several Galaxy S6 rumors hinted at a widespread arrival in the United States and sure enough, U.S. carriers were quick to confirm their releases shortly after the conclusion of Samsung’s Unpacked event.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge are both official and they will be heading to all five major U.S. carriers which includes AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon. The regular version of the Samsung Galaxy S6 will also be heading to Cricket Wireless, Boost Mobile, and MetroPCS, three smaller U.S. carriers.

Galaxy S6 Display

Shortly after Samsung’s announcements, we took an in-depth look at the Galaxy S6 release situation for the U.S. and for regions around the world. And while Samsung and its partners made a ton of details available immediately, there are still some Samsung Galaxy S6 release details missing for buyers here in the United States.

Over the past couple of days, we’ve seen new details emerge including new release information for the AT&T Galaxy S6. With those details in mind, we want to detail everything we currently know about the AT&T Galaxy S6 release and release date. This will help those of you thinking about buying the AT&T Galaxy S6 prepare ahead of its arrival.

AT&T Galaxy S6 Release Date “Coming Soon”

Prior to this week’s Unpacked event, AT&T teased a Galaxy S6 release date for Spring 2015. Spring 2015 starts on March 20th and it’s clear now that the company wasn’t bluffing.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 release date and the Galaxy S6 Edge release date are both confirmed for April 10th. Samsung says that 20 countries will get the devices on April 10th though it’s not clear which countries will be included so we don’t know if AT&T and its fellow U.S. carrier will be involved in the initial Galaxy S6 release. We have our suspicions but nothing is confirmed yet.

What we do have are bits and pieces of information. Some of it comes from AT&T, some from other carriers. U.S. Cellular, the nation’s fifth largest carrier, says that it will be releasing both devices in April. If the nation’s fifth largest carrier is releasing the devices in April then we’d expect the number two carrier to release its new devices in April as well. AT&T is a close Samsung partner and we sincerely doubt that it will get the short end of the stick.

You'll pay a premium for the Galaxy S6 Edge and it won't be on as many carriers.

You’ll pay a premium for the Galaxy S6 Edge and it won’t be on as many carriers.

Verizon, AT&T’s top rival, says that it will release the device in early Q2. Q2 spans from April to June. That could mean April. At the very least, we’d expect AT&T to match Verizon.

AT&T itself hasn’t said much though it recently put the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge up on its website with the words “Coming Soon” displayed next to them. The two devices currently sit next to the HTC One M9, HTC’s new flagship, which has gotten the same treatment. The fact that the two devices have appeared in AT&T’s current device listing is a sign that the company is getting close, both to a release date and perhaps, to early pre-orders as well.

AT&T Galaxy S6 Edge Release Date Gains Ground

The AT&T Galaxy S6 and AT&T Galaxy S6 Edge haven’t passed through the FCC just yet but that doesn’t mean that they’re lagging behind the Verizon models that recently emerged from the FCC’s clutches. In fact, we’ve seen one Galaxy S6 model get an important certification ahead of its release, a sign that AT&T is moving in the right direction behind the scenes.

AT&T’s Galaxy S6 Edge has reportedly gained its Bluetooth certification ahead of release. This is an important, and necessary certification, and it means that the Galaxy S6 Edge release is now one step closer.

Contest

If you head over to AT&T’s website and you click to see more details about the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, it doesn’t take you to a pre-order page nor does it give you any information about its release. What it does take you to is a sign up page where interested customers can input their email address so that AT&T can send official details once they arrive. The page also reveals AT&T’s contest.

Galaxy-S6-8

Those who sign up for more information about the AT&T Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge releases will enter a contest for the Galaxy S Gear smartwatch. Users will have to enter between now and March 26th to qualify. The carrier says that its “giving away a Samsung Gear S connected wearable every day to one lucky winner.”

It’s worth noting that this contest doesn’t extend to far into the future, a sign that AT&T’s Galaxy S6 release date hype should give way to an actual release date very soon. We typically don’t see carriers offer these kinds of promotions months out from the official release date.

Galaxy S6 Deal

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are heading to a number of different retailers. Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Sam’s Club, Target and Walmart. Best Buy is already busy promoting the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.

Best Buy always carries AT&T, Sprint and Verizon phones and there’s a very good chance that it will stock the AT&T Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Best Buy is promoting AT&T, Sprint and Verizon phones on its latest mailer so we should see the AT&T Galaxy S6 models emerge there in the future. Especially if Best Buy is taking pre-orders.

Galaxy-S6

It’s also worth noting that Amazon, a retailer that always stocks AT&T smartphones, is currently offering a deal ahead of the Galaxy S6 release. Amazon says that those who sign up for more information about its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge release will receive a promo code for 10% off a “single item from select Samsung Galaxy S6 companion accessory items sold and shipped by Amazon.com.”

The company says that the deal will last until March 31st and that promo codes will be sent out on or by May 1st. It’s worth keeping in mind if you’re already planning to buy one or the other from AT&T.

AT&T Galaxy S6 Price & Storage

Finally, we still have no idea how much the AT&T Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge will cost or how much storage AT&T will offer on the two variants. We’ve seen a few details emerge in the past 48 hours that are worth pointing out though.

A T-Mobile Galaxy S6 contest reveals the device’s ARV or its Approximate Retail Value. According to T-Mobile, the Galaxy S6’s ARV is $699. That doesn’t mean that carriers will charge $699 off-contract for the Galaxy S6 but it does give us a possible range for it and other carriers like AT&T.

The Galaxy S5 arrived with an ARV of $700. AT&T charges $650 off-contract for it. So we’re expecting a Galaxy S6 price that’s in the range of $600-700. And thanks to pricing in Europe, we know that the Galaxy S6 Edge is probably going to be a lot more than the regular model. So if you’re leaning towards the AT&T Galaxy S6 Edge, you’re probably looking at a very expensive phone.

As for storage, we know that Samsung’s going to offer three models for both. A 32GB base model, a 64GB model and a 128GB model. We still don’t know what U.S. carriers will have though we’re already seeing some confusing details emerge out of the UK.

Galaxy-S6-6

At Samsung UK, the Samsung Galaxy S6 is listed with 32GB, 64GB and 128GB storage options while the Galaxy S6 Edge is listed with 64GB and 128GB storage options. The 32GB model is nowhere to be found. This doesn’t confirm the lack of a 32GB Galaxy S6 Edge storage option in the United Kingdom but it does leave the door open ahead of its release.

If you recall, storage has been a pain point for U.S. carriers in the past. The Galaxy S4 for example was announced in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB form. AT&T and Verizon carried the 16GB and 32GB models (Verizon released the 32GB weeks late) while the other carriers opted for the 16GB model and the 16GB model alone.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 does not come with a microSD card slot which puts greater importance on the higher-end 64GB and 128GB models. Problem is, those are both going to be expensive. Galaxy S6 price details put the device at €799 for the 64GB version, and €899 for the 128GB model in Europe. If the Galaxy S6 Edge pricing holds, we could see the larger storage sizes arrive at €949 for 64GB and €1049 for 128GB respectively.

It will be interesting to see what AT&T and its fellow U.S. carriers do. We point this out because you shouldn’t just assume that AT&T is going to carry all six variants. It might but there’s no guarantee at this point, especially with this information from Samsung UK now live.

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