Samsung Galaxy S6 To Feature Nexus-Like Clean Android UI According To New Report

According to a new report published on Business Korea website, Samsung is planning some major changes to its TouchWiz user-interface for its next flagship smartphone the Galaxy S6. The new TouchWiz UI will reportedly arrive first with the Galaxy S6 and then roll out for other newer devices eventually as part of a software update.

According to the sources close to Samsung, the company is working to optimize its custom Android UI and aims to cut down on all the bloatware that has made Samsung’s TouchWiz UI one of the most hated custom Android skins out there. What’s more interesting is that Samsung is apparently looking at slimming down its TouchWiz UI down to the level of Google Nexus devices. The company will reportedly get rid of the many features that it includes as part of its custom UI layer and concentrate on only the most essential features with the next TouchWiz version that will debut with the Galaxy S6 this year. Honestly, it does seem a bit too much to digest for us though, as Samsung has so far been heavily marketing its array of additional software tweaks as part of the TouchWiz UI. While we did see some positive improvements with the TouchWiz version used on the Galaxy Note 4, it is still bloated when compared to many of the other OEM Android skins. So to expect such a drastic change in such a short period of time is not very likely. However, we do hope that the report turns out to be accurate as we aren’t great fans of TouchWiz either, just like almost everyone else.

TouchWiz has been one of the main reasons why Samsung flagship devices have been underwhelming when it comes to system performance and smoothness of the UI. The Galaxy S5 for instance, was significantly less smooth than other rival smartphones that used the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset. The Galaxy Note 4 doesn’t suffer as much as the Galaxy S5 thanks to a lighter TouchWiz skin, but it still does exhibit signs of lag and stutter in the UI occasionally. While it is quite impressive how many features Samsung includes in its Galaxy flagship devices, most of them aren’t quite useful in day-to-day usage and are rarely used by most owners.

New Samsung Galaxy S6 Concept Design Emerges

Samsung Galaxy S6 concept images have always been the most interesting ones and that’s not just because of the fact that these concept images often accompany a speculated spec sheet but also because it is amusing to watch just how creative one could be. Today, we’ve brought you a new concept image for the Galaxy S6.

The new Samsung Galaxy S6 concept image shows a double curved display and a strange circular framing on the wallpaper. The buttons also seem extra bulky, so it’s a bit of a disappointment when compared to the other images we’ve seen so far. It looks pretty odd, and very uncomfortable to hold, but we doubt that this is what the final product will look like. We’ve already seen a lot of variation in concept images, and all of the previous ones were pretty elegant and slick. Anyway, putting opinions aside, the new concept image shows a double stereo speaker build, a wider display than initially speculated, a waterproof case, as well as the dual curved edges. Some people may take more of a liking to this design than others, but if opinions are split, then it doesn’t bode well for sales. It wouldn’t be the first time Samsung surprised us with a peculiar new design, and here we remind you of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, which drew a lot of attention upon its announcement.

This isn’t the first concept design of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and won’t be the last one either. Of course, the final product will probably be different than all the concept images so far, but it helps us to get a general idea of what Samsung is planning for this release. The tech giant is most likely aiming at a spring release, so the device should be announced pretty soon. Putting the design aside, their next flagship will almost certainly pack some very impressive tech specs.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Concept Shows Sleek New Design with Razor-Thin Bezels

Samsung Galaxy S6 Concept Shows Sleek New Design with Razor-Thin Bezels

Samsung announced its latest flagship device, the Galaxy Note 4, only a few days back, and now the focus seems to have shifted to Galaxy S6 rumors already. The Galaxy S6 is expected to debut at MWC 2015, so there’s still a lot of time left for the handset to show up.

Samsung Galaxy S6 concept design

A new Galaxy S6 concept has been released by the Concept Phones website, which shows off a completely new and interesting design. The main highlight of the design is definitely the size of the bezels, or should we say the lack of bezels? The side bezels are almost non-existent, and the bezels at the top and bottom are also pretty small. With the massively reduced bezels at the top and bottom, there’s no physical home button on the device anymore - you only have what appears to be a fingerprint scanner. The side appears to have a metallic frame, much like what we have on the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Alpha. It also appears to be super thin and comparable to the iPhone 6 Plus.

At the end of the day though, this is merely a concept and doesn’t bear any resemblance to the actual Galaxy S6 in any way. But if Samsung does come out with a design similar to this, the Galaxy S6 will be a very interesting product. While we obviously have no solid rumors about the Galaxy S6 yet, we do expect it to come with a display size of around 5.3 inches with Quad-HD resolution, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 Octa-Core 64-bit chipset, 4GB RAM, an improved camera with perhaps even a higher resolution, a larger battery, and with Android L 5.0 out of the box. And since it’s a Samsung, you can definitely expect some more new fancy software features and at least a dozen new gimmicks as well.

Metal Nexus 6 Concept Delivers Beautiful Design

Metal Nexus 6 Concept Delivers Beautiful Design

A stunning new metal Nexus 6 concept delivers a beautiful design that isn’t part of the latest Nexus 6 rumors but would certainly be good enough for the real Nexus 6 release.

Every year, Google releases a new Nexus Smartphone, each one better than the last. The current Nexus Smartphone, the Nexus 5, improved on the Nexus 4′s design and brought new software and hardware upgrades to the table. Best of all, Google managed to do that without drastically increasing the price tag of its popular Nexus series.

With the Nexus 5 approaching its first birthday, all eyes are on Google and its plans for the Nexus program. And while Nexus 6 rumors have pointed to a release from Motorola, designers have taken it upon themselves to deliver their own Nexus 6 ideas ahead of its suspected release.

A new Nexus 6 concept unearthed by Concept Phones showcases a gunmetal Nexus 6 made by HTC. HTC is not rumored to be making the Nexus 6 though the company is reportedly developing the next Nexus tablet, currently dubbed Nexus 8 and Nexus 9. The Nexus 9 is, like this concept, expected to feature a premium metal design reminiscent of the company’s HTC One series of Smartphone.

This gunmetal Nexus 6 concept is complimented by HTC’s BoomSound front-facing speakers, another feature that’s rumored to be on board the Nexus 9 tablet, a large edge-to-edge display, two cameras, and virtual buttons for navigation. While it’s not based on any Nexus 6 rumors, this metal HTC Nexus 6 concept is a great looking idea that would be good enough for Google.

Nexus 6 rumors center around a new device from Google and Motorola. Motorola, a company that up until recently was owned by Google, has never made a Nexus product before. Motorola Nexus 6 rumors have been rampant in recent weeks as leaks attempt to out its specs, release date and more ahead of the busy month of September.

The Information and Android Police, both solid sources, agree that Motorola is working on a new Smartphone called “shamu.” Google likes to name its Nexus products after creatures that live in the sea and “Shamu” is a name for a killer whale that became popular back in the 1970′s. While this codename doesn’t confirm it to be a Nexus product, it means that there’s at least a good chance that it is.

Motorola’s version of the Nexus, a device that’s referred to as Nexus 6 and Nexus X, is expected to incorporate a fingerprint sensor into the design. Motorola was one of the first companies to offer a fingerprint sensor with a Smartphone (Atrix 4G). Alleged Nexus 6 benchmarks point to a number of high-end features including:

•      2.6 GHz Snapdragon 805 Quad-core Processor with 3GB of RAM
•      5.2-inch 2560 x 1440 Quad-HD Display
•      32GB storage
•      12-13MP rear-facing camera
•      2.1MP front-facing camera
•      Android L
•      Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and more

Both Android Police and The Information claim that “Shamu” will be a “phablet” with a screen as large as 5.9-inches, something that contradicts these supposed Nexus 6 benchmarks.

Early Nexus 6 release date rumors put the release inside of November. This fits in perfectly with Google’s usual Nexus release window and it mirrors what we’ve heard about the Android L release. Android L, Google’s next Android update, is rumored to be coming out alongside the Nexus 8 tablet in the third or fourth quarter.

If true, it could be that the new Nexus smartphone arrives much later than the iPhone 6 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, both of which are expected to arrive sometime next month. Samsung recently confirmed a Galaxy Note 4 launch date for September 3rd while the iPhone 6 launch date is thought to be taking place on September 9th.

So while we may not see an HTC Nexus 6 with a gunmetal design, we could perhaps see a Motorola Nexus 6 challenge the iPhone 6 and Galaxy Note 4 with a number of other high-end features.