Samsung Galaxy S7 buzz is starting to die down, which means one thing: rumors of Samsung’s next big thing are starting to pick up. The 2016 flagship phablet is months away from being unveiled, but there are already a host of rumored specs and features circulating for the device.
Nothing can be confirmed about the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 at this point, but here’s a rundown of what the rumor mill has already churned up for the upcoming flagship.
Water Resistance
Tech blog SamMobile reported Friday that the Galaxy Note 6 may feature the same IP68 water resistance seen on the Galaxy S7. The Ingress Protection rating of IP68 indicates that a device can be submerged in up to 5 feet of water for 30 minutes. But various water tests performed on the Galaxy S7 show the device can survive significantly longer periods of time in much shallower levels of water. If rumors are accurate, the Galaxy Note 6 would be Samsung’s first high-end phablet to feature water resistance and its third high-end smartphone to work well in water.
Iris Scanner
Rumors about biometrics that allow users to unlock their smartphones with their eyes has been circulating for years, but the technology has yet to catch on for mainstream manufacturers. However, tech blog Galaxy Club recently uncovered details suggesting Samsung is doing research and development on a component called “Iris cam.” There are no further details on what this feature could entail, but if it is actually a Galaxy Note 6 feature, there is sure to be more information about the component as more reports surface.
USB Type-C
Many of the latest flagships have released with USB Type-C ports, including the LG G5, the Nexus 6P and the Nexus 5X, but the Samsung Galaxy S7 still features microUSB ports. Samsung has stated that it hasn’t moved forward with development for USB Type-C because its work with VR largely runs on microUSB; however, this may change sooner than than later.
iDigitalTimes recently proposed that the Galaxy Note 6 could feature a USB Type-C port after Samsung introduced the feature on the Galaxy TabPro S tablet. While still unconfirmed, a comment from a Samsung executive has lead us to believe this feature could be included on future Galaxy devices.
“Usually it’s the phones that get the latest and greatest features and then the tablets get them next. This is the one time where we got it backwards,” Samsung director of mobile product marketing, Jennifer Langan, told iDigital Times in March.
5.8-Inch Display
Some of the earliest Galaxy Note 6 rumors suggested the smartphone may feature a 5.8-inch display, which would be a size upgrade after the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy Note 4 both featured 5.7-inch displays. The rumor first surfaced in February, from the Chinese social media website, Weibo .
Many Android manufacturers have begun maintaining or even decreasing the size of their smartphones after the big phone craze peaked in about 2014. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is the same size as the Galaxy S6, and the Galaxy S7 Edge, is phablet, but is smaller than its Galaxy S6 Edge+ predecessor.
If rumors are true, this would be Samsung’s first size increase for a flagship in at least two years.
6GB of RAM
Another early Galaxy Note 6 rumor that originated in Weibo suggested the smartphone may feature 6GB of RAM, a massive upgrade from the current 4GB RAM found in devices like the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy Note 5.
Samsung began mass-producing 6GB RAM modules in September, which was too late to be attached to Galaxy Note 5 rumors, but some outlets did suggest the feature for the Galaxy S7. Now that the Galaxy S7 is on the market with 4GB of RAM, some pundits wonder if the Galaxy Note 6 could see this upgrade.
Samsung has often introduced RAM upgrades to its devices through the Galaxy Note line. The Galaxy Note 3 was the first Samsung smartphone to host 3GB of RAM, while the Galaxy Note 5 was the first to host 4GB of RAM.
So far, many believe this rumor is far-fetched.
Android N
Since the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 hit markets in August 2015, before the launch of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the flagship phablet ran Android 5.1 Lollipop as its native operating system. But now that Google executives have teased the upcoming Android N software will release sometime in the summer, Galaxy Note 6 rumors suggest the device will launch in July running the still unnamed operating system.
This rumor surfaced within a report from Korean publication the Bell in March, but remains unconfirmed. Pundits currently believe July is too early a launch date for both Android N and the Galaxy Note 6. Though the previous Galaxy Note 5 saw an early launch in mid-August instead of early September, pushing up the Galaxy Note 6 launch could take away market time from the Galaxy S7, which by July would have been on the market for only four months.
Google is expected to reveal more about Android N in May during Google I/O; however, the tech giant will likely remain mum about when the software will be available to the public.