Samsung Galaxy S6 phones unveiled

Samsung has unveiled two versions of its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6, with a second device that comes with a screen that curves around both edges of the device.

The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge were unveiled at the Korean firm’s Unpacked event in Barcelona, ahead of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) technology show, which begins on Monday.

Samsung said the new devices are the most advanced and secure smartphones on the market because of the new technologies built in to the new phones. Both devices also have a full metal body for the first time.

Among the announcements at Unpacked was the introduction of wireless charging, meaning users will be able to recharge their battery without having to plug in the S6 or S6 edge.

Samsung confirmed the technology supported both conductive and inductive charging methods, meaning that charging pads and covers will both be usable with the new phones. Samsung has also improved charging speeds due to their adaptive fast-charging technology – the S6 will charge one-and-a-half times faster than the current generation S5.

The S6 has a 5.1-inch screen and Samsung says it has the highest pixel density of any smartphone on the market, at 577 pixels per inch.

The new S6 edge has a screen on the front that curves over both edges of the device, and this extra space will be used to display notifications and other information.

One such feature is called People edge, where a user’s top five contacts can be accessed via a shortcut on the edge screen. The edge also has an information stream feature that will scroll along the curves, offering news and weather information.

Back in September, Samsung first introduced a curved display smartphone in the shape of the Note Edge, part of their phablet range of larger phones. The Note Edge only had one curved edge however, and received only a lukewarm reception, but the tech giant is pushing ahead with the technology with the launch of its latest flagship devices.

Samsung did not disclose a price or release date for the two new devices.

Earlier this month, the Korean technology giant confirmed the acquisition of mobile payment service LoopPay, fuelling speculation that the S6 would contain a payment system similar to the iPhone 6’s Apple Pay, which was introduced in September.

This proved to be the case as Samsung Pay was announced as an integrated feature in the new releases, alongside Samsung’s Knox security software.

New anti-theft features have also been announced which will enable users to locate their phone should it be lost or stolen, as well as remotely lock it, or display a personal message on screen.

There is pressure on Samsung for the two new phones to perform well after 2014 saw perennial rivals Apple gain ground thanks to the autumn launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

While Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S5 reported disappointing results, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus broke Apple sales records and led the California-based company to announce the biggest quarterly profit in history – £11.8 billion – earlier this year.

Samsung meanwhile saw full-year profits drop for the first time in three years when they announced their figures at the end of January.

Earlier today, HTC revealed their own new flagship smartphone, the One M9, which will go on sale at the end of March.

Sony and LG are among the other brands set to debut new products at MWC, which officially begins on Monday. PA