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Samsung has suggested that we might not see the upcoming Galaxy S6 until nearer May or June, it revealed this morning in its latest Q4 financial report. The company said that during the first quarter of 2015, it will "focus on increasing sales and improving business performance through new product line-ups, such as the Galaxy A series."
These are Samsung's new budget metal phones, and the Galaxy A3 and A5 have already been confirmed for a February launch in the UK. There's also the Galaxy A7 to come as well, Samsung's mid-range 5.5in phablet, but this hasn't been confirmed for the UK just yet. With no mention of its S series at all in its financial report, it's possible that the S6 may miss MWC this March in favour of Samsung holding a dedicated event later in the year.
Samsung also confirmed that it will be moving away from plastic smartphones this year, further indicating that the Galaxy S6 will either be made from metal or glass as previous rumours have been suggesting. Samsung revealed that its mobile business had had "weak earnings" in 2014, but it hoped to "focus on recovery by differentiating its mobile devices using new materials and designs".
The report went on to say that, "Through new materials, innovative design and differentiated features, competitive products will be introduced to drive smartphone sales, while efficiency will be enhanced across R&D and marketing to increase profitability."
We've already seen Samsung begin to introduce metallic frames to its top-end smartphones, such as the Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4, but both phones still had plastic backs so users could remove the batteries - a feature which has always made Samsung's phones stand out against the competition and something that's been much loved by fans of its handsets. While it's entirely possible that the forthcoming Galaxy S6 could also come with a plastic back, it certainly suggests that the current Galaxy S5 will be the last S series Galaxy phone to have a completely plastic exterior.
So far, rumours have suggested the Galaxy S6 will either have an all-metal design or a glass back, which would give it a similar look and feel to Sony's Xperia Z3. However, we currently think it's more likely that the S6 will follow in the Note 4 and Alpha's footsteps rather than opting for a glass back. That said, given that the new A series will have all-metal chassis and no removable battery, the S6 could also follow after this line, making it the first S series phone to not have a removable battery. Until Samsung officially reveal the phone, though, there's no way to know for sure.
