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Samsung Galaxy S6 rumour roundup

Bonnie Tubbs
By Bonnie Tubbs, ITWeb telecoms editor.
Johannesburg, 27 Feb 2015
Samsung has poked fun at the customary rumour mill, posting this hypothetical picture of an all-glass phone on its Web site.
Samsung has poked fun at the customary rumour mill, posting this hypothetical picture of an all-glass phone on its Web site.

The countdown to the public unpacking of one of the year's most anticipated devices - the Samsung Galaxy S6 - is nearing its end and, as usual, the Web is teeming with hype and rumours ahead of the big reveal.

Here are some of the Web whispers that have been doing the rounds leading up to Samsung's unveil event on Sunday night, ahead of Mobile World Congress:

1. The new Samsung will, for the first time, sport a full metal jacket - as opposed to the plastic skin users have become accustomed to.
2. The display size will be slightly bigger, in keeping with Samsung's track record. From the Samsung S, to the S5, the flagship phone's display size has increased from four inches to 4.3-inches (Galaxy S2), 4.8-inches (Galaxy S3), five-inches (Galaxy S4) and, last year, to the Galaxy S5's 5.1-inch screen.
3. There will be two iterations of the S6 - the standard successor and the Galaxy S6 Edge, a curved-screen variant.
4. Samsung will not overdo its default apps, possibly including only two in the new Galaxy.
5. Unlike previous flagships, the battery will not be removable.
6. The camera will be bumped from the S6's predecessor's 16MP - probably to about 20MP - and this time optical image stabilisation will feature too.
7. Samsung might opt for its own Exynos 7420 Octa-Core processor.
8. Samsung may jump in the mobile payments ring with Google and Apple, by including LoopPay's technology in its next Galaxy. Samsung acquired the mobile wallet start-up earlier this month.

Even Samsung has gotten in on the pre-launch hype action this time around, creating a kind of spoof page on its Web site, listing some "rumours" of its own, from the outlandish to typical. This is what the smartphone maker had to say:

1. One feature that we might see is forward-facing stereo speakers.
2. The new Galaxy is expected to be durable.
3. The Samsung Galaxy display is expected to reach onto three sides.
4. It has been rumoured the new Galaxy will feature a larger display.
5. Rumours point to an all-glass Samsung Galaxy.
6. Samsung is expected to release a flexible and foldable phone.
7. The whole device will give a curved screen impression.
8. It's an airborne camera phone.

Samsung on Sunday posted a teaser video for "the next Galaxy" on YouTube. Samsung's "unpacked" event will stream live from Barcelona on Sunday evening from 7pm.

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