Galaxy S6 Release Date: 10 Things to Expect Now

Yesterday, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge to the world. On stage, the company outlined many of the important details including specs, design, and the release date. While the Samsung Galaxy S6 release date is now confirmed for April 10th, there are still some major questions that need answers. With that in mind, we want to take a look at what we expect now from the Galaxy S6 release date in the U.S. and elsewhere.

In early February, Samsung sent out invites for an Unpacked event set for Mobile World Congress on March 1st. While the company did not outline what it would be announcing it was clear, based on rumors, that it would be the Samsung Galaxy S6. Samsung made good on all of those rumors yesterday and now the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are both official.

As expected, the two devices come with substantial upgrades including a new iPhone-like design that features glass and metal. While that’s the focal point for many people, it’s worth mentioning that it also comes with an impressive Quad HD display, Exynos 7 Octa processor, tons of storage, a new 16MP camera module, new software based on Android 5.0 Lollipop, and more. Thanks to these features, many consumers now have their eyes on the two new flagships.

Samsung also detailed the Galaxy S6 release date. The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are both confirmed for an April 10th arrival though many details remain murky. For instance, while Samsung’s confirmed the April 10th date for 20 countries around the world, it failed to confirm those 20 countries. We’ve also seen U.S. carriers stay extremely vague about their plans for release.

With prospective buyers searching for answers to their release questions, we want to try and help set expectations moving forward. We’ve been through countless Galaxy smartphone launches and we feel like we have a pretty good read on what should take place in just a few short weeks. Here’s what we expect from the Samsung Galaxy S6 release date.

Major Markets on April 10th

Samsung’s announced an April 10th release date for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. The company says that 20 markets will be getting the two devices that day but it has failed to confirm those 20 markets for some odd reason. While we’re armed with only a few details, we expect that April 10th release to include major, key battlegrounds for Samsung and its Galaxy S smartphone.

We know that Samsung Netherlands expects to ship out the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge by April 10th so that’s one country seemingly down. We’d expect Europe to certainly be a focus for the Galaxy S6 release dates though we expect some other familiar faces to slide into pole position as well.

Samsung’s home base in South Korea is a massive market and one where Samsung is constantly fighting off threats from the likes of LG. Korea is almost always one of the first places to get Galaxy S and Galaxy Note devices and we expect to see Korea, and perhaps Japan (another major market), get the Galaxy S6 on April 10th.

The United States is another major market for Samsung and its smartphones. We expect the U.S. Galaxy S6 release date to fall somewhere around April 10th if it doesn’t fall on April 10th itself. We’ve already seen three devices pass through the FCC on their way to shelves, and these early clearances seem to hint at a fast paced release. Best Buy’s placeholders in its Samsung Experience stores also hint at a fast release.

Global Galaxy S6 Release to Take Weeks

The Galaxy S6 release won’t be limited to 20 markets. Samsung usually releases its Galaxy S smartphones in well over 100 different regions and we expect to see the Galaxy S6 and perhaps the Galaxy S6 Edge reach a 100 or more markets before everything is said and done. This is a massive launch though we expect the company to take some time.

Samsung’s staggered releases usually take place over the course of a month or so as it works to ensure that supply meets demand. Smaller markets typically follow closely behind the major markets and we’d expect the Galaxy S6 release to fall for most people by the end of April.

We would not be surprised if we saw a few stragglers get the devices in May. June seems like a stretch at this point but given what we’ve heard about Galaxy S6 Edge production issues, we wouldn’t be surprised if we saw some places lag behind.

U.S. Galaxy S6 Release Date Cluster

We expect U.S. carrier release dates to cluster around each other. We’ve seen all five major carriers confirm the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge with sign up pages and vague details. U.S. Cellular is the only carrier that’s confirmed their arrival for April though we expect its rivals to fall in line with its plans.

We may not see every single U.S. carrier release the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge on the same day but we would not expect to see carriers lag behind by a mile. Verizon, a carrier that’s known for being slow to major Android releases, already got clearance for both devices at the FCC. It’s ready to roll and we expect it to join the others in April.

Smaller Carriers Come Later

MetroPCS, Cricket, and Boost have also confirmed the Samsung Galaxy S6 for arrival though none of them attached specific release dates to the device. Smaller carriers tend to be a few days or a few weeks late to the party and we expect at least one or all of these carriers to lag behind the releases from major U.S. carriers.

Galaxy S6 Pre-Orders for Most

Samsung Galaxy S6 pre-orders have already started in the Netherlands, more than a month out from the Galaxy S6 release date. While Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge pre-orders are currently limited, we expect them to expand as we get closer and closer to the April 10th release date.

European carriers and retailers almost always offer pre-orders for flagship smartphones. Same goes for U.S. carriers. U.S. carriers aren’t talking about pre-sale dates just yet though U.S. Cellular informed us that it would let us know about pre-sale information available. That’s a sign, at least to us, that it’s expecting to take early orders for the Galaxy S6.

We’d be shocked if U.S. carriers didn’t take early orders for these phones. We always see pre-orders for flagship Android smartphones and these are two high-profile devices that U.S. carriers are going to push in the weeks to come.

Galaxy S6 Edge Harder to Find

Expect the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge to be a little harder to find. First of all, it hasn’t been confirmed for any smaller regional carriers in the United States, a sign that it could see a far more limited release in the U.S. and other regions around the world. It’s an expensive bet for smaller carriers and we may see many shy away from it.

We’ve also heard credible rumors that suggest that Samsung’s already having yield problems with the device’s curved display. We saw similar issues affect the production of the Galaxy Note Edge last year so we wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung has trouble producing its first dual-edge Galaxy “Edge” model. We wouldn’t be surprised if this release was similar to the iPhone 6 Plus release last year where the larger iPhone 6 was far more difficult to find.

Galaxy S6 Edge Price vs. Galaxy S6 Price

U.S. carriers haven’t revealed their Galaxy S6 price yet but we fully expect their pricing to mirror the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge pricing we’ve seen emerge out of Europe.

In Europe, the Samsung Galaxy S6 will be priced at €699 for the 32GB model, €799 for the 64GB version, and €899 for the 128GB model. That’s been confirmed by the early Galaxy S6 pre-orders. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge will be €150 more than the regular version making it one of the more expensive smartphones on the market.

European pricing typically doesn’t matchup directly with U.S. pricing but we expect to see a similar price structure from U.S. carriers. The standard Galaxy S6 price will be more affordable than the Galaxy S6 Edge.

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 price still isn’t confirmed for the United States though 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.

Tons of Galaxy S6 Accessories

We’ve already seen a ton of Samsung Galaxy S6 accessories emerge though the big surprise has been the arrival of Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge accessories. We didn’t think we’d see so many accessories emerge for the device in the early goings. That’s just another sign that Samsung, and its partners, are really going to promote this model.

We’d expect Samsung, and its partners, to have a pretty good selection of Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge accessories available come April. We won’t see them all, some companies like to take their time, but we do expect to see a solid selection. Even Mophie is going to have a Galaxy S6 case available at release.

Galaxy S6 Deals

We expect Samsung Galaxy S6 deals. With the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge heading to a ton of different retailers in the U.S., we should see retailers and perhaps carriers try and one up each other for attention.

In the past, Walmart’s offered release day discounts on flagship smartphones including the iPhone, a device that rarely sees initial price cuts. Amazon also typically offers deals shortly after the release date and we wouldn’t be surprised if it knocked a few bucks off the cost in the days, and weeks, after the Galaxy S6 release in the U.S.

We do not expect carriers to offer day one price cuts. If anything, we’ll see some trade-in offers.

More Galaxy S6 Release Date Details in March

Finally, we expect most if not all of the important Galaxy S6 release details including U.S. release dates and pricing to emerge this month ahead of the April 10th release.

If these carriers are offering pre-orders, and we expect that they will, we could see them taking a path similar to last year’s Galaxy S5 release. That is to say that we could see pre-order announcements come relatively soon, pre-orders start in the middle of the month, and the release come a few weeks later.

We do not expect carriers planning to release the phone in and around April 10th to wait until April to announce all of their details. These devices are far too important to dilly dally.