Galaxy S6 Edge+: release date, news and rumors

Update: Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge+ is now official - it's a supersized Galaxy S6 Edge with a bigger battery on board too.

Samsung is offering a much larger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge in the form of the Galaxy S6 Edge+. It was announced at the Samsung Unpacked event alongside the Galaxy Note 5 that isn't coming to the UK.

If you were impressed by Samsung's dual-curved screen smartphone but wanted something a little larger your prayers may have been answered.

• Read our hands-on review of the Galaxy S6 Edge+.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? Samsung's upscaled Galaxy S6 Edge
• When is it out? Just been announced ready for release later this month.
• What will it cost? Possibly around £560 (AU$1204). It will cost $814.99/$914.99 off contract in the US.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ release date

Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge+ is now official, but there's no official word on a release date. It was announced at a dual New York and London Unpacked event on August 13.

We know the phone is coming to the UK but there's no confirmation on whether it'll be launching in the US or Australia. If you want to get it in the UK, be sure to check out our where to get it guide here.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ design

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ has a very similar design to the Galaxy S6 Edge. In fact, it's just a blown up version of the phone hosting a 5.7-inch display instead of a 5.1-inch.

Once again there's a glass back with a protruding camera, there's a metal frame surrounding it and the screen is bent around both edges.

Obviously the phone is quite a bit bigger coming in at 154 x 76 x 6.9mm and weighing 153g. Luckily it doesn't feel too big in the hand if you're looking for a larger phone.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ screen

It has a pixel resolution of 2560 x 1440 resulting in 518ppi. The side screens are much more useful this time with dedicated apps running along the edges instead of the limited contacts apps and others on the Galaxy S6 Edge.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ rivals

Oddly the biggest rivals to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ have turned out to be other Samsung phones, in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and the less curvy Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

Beyond that there's the Motorola Moto X Style which offers a similarly large screen and the upcomingiPhone 6S Plus, which should also be a premium phone of phablet proportions.

One of the new Nexus handsets is also rumored to be a phablet and could significantly undercut Samsung's offering, though it won't have a curved screen.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ camera and battery

Once again it's the same camera set up as the Galaxy S6 Edge. There's a 16MP sensor and a 5MP front facing sensor for selfies. We think all the same camera modes will also be present as we saw on the Galaxy S6 Edge.

Samsung has gone an odd route on the battery and made it a 3000mAh cell. That's an upgrade on the 2600mAh cell inside the Galaxy S6 Edge but it's not all that much for a phablet device.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ OS and power

The Galaxy S6 Edge+ is running Android 5.1 Lollipop, which is no surprise. Samsung has opted to include its own TouchWiz overlay yet again, but luckly this has seen some major improvements recently and there's a lot less bloatware on Samsung phones.

Under the hood is a octa-core Exynos 7420 processor - the same as we saw on the Galaxy S6 Edge. It's a good little chip and should do great work powering the phone.

There's also 4GB of RAM inside, an upgrade on the Galaxy S6 Edge. Storage wise it's a choice of either 32GB or 64GB but there's no microSD support meaning you won't be able to fill it all the way to 128GB like you can the Galaxy S6 Edge.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ other features

There's no S Pen technology on the Galaxy S6 Edge+ - that's reserved just for the Galaxy Note 5.

There is a fingerprint sensor though and it seems to be the same as the Galaxy S6 Edge, a much better improvement on the sensor featured in the Galaxy S5.

That fingerprint sensor will also come into play when using Samsung's new contactless payments system Samsung Pay. The system using a combination of MST technology and NFC to allow you to purchase items in shops with only your phone.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ cost

In the US, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ price is $299.99 and $399.99 for 32GB and 64GB models, respectively, on a two-year contact. Off contract, the phone will cost $814.99 and $914.99 in those configurations.

Rumours from SamMobile previously suggested the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ might not be as bank-breakingly expensive as we'd thought. The source suggests the 32GB version will come in at €799 (about £560, AU$1204).

That's still pretty pricey, but considering the standard Galaxy S6 Edge launched at €849/£700 (around AU$1320) it's actually not bad at all. The lower price could be because it's possibly going to be a little less powerful and Samsung has lowered the price of the standard Edge anyway in the face of lower than expected sales, but then again the price could just be wrong.

• Read our hands-on review of the Galaxy S6 Edge+.

Galaxy S6 Edge+: what we want to see

If Samsung is to make a larger Galaxy S6 Edge we have a few ideas of our own as to what it should include. Here's our thoughts as to what the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ should have.

1. A massive battery

Perhaps the biggest downfall of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge was its disappointing battery, making it a struggle to even get through a day of moderate use.

So we want to see big improvements in the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and as it's going to be larger there should be plenty of room to stick a meatier juice pack in.

2. More useful edges

The curved edges on the Galaxy S6 Edge sure do look pretty, but they don't really do much. This time around we want Samsung to really give them a reason for existing beyond looking good, whether that's through extra functionality or shortcuts to existing apps and services.

3. A Waterproof build

An ever growing number of smartphones are water resistant, with even affordable handsets like the Moto G 2015 getting in on the act, but the Galaxy S6 Edge isn't. There's been no suggestion that the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be either but we hope it is.

We're writing this from England where it rains 97.4% of the time, everything needs to be water resistant.

4. A MicroSD card slot

The Galaxy S6 Edge is available with up to 128GB of built in storage and we're hopeful that the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus will be just as generous, but it would still be nice to have a microSD card slot too, either so we can get away with buying a smaller, cheaper model or so we can store every last megabyte of our digital content on it.

5. A lower price

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge was and is prohibitively expensive, even compared to the flagship Samsung Galaxy S6, so there's a fear that with its larger dimensions the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be even pricier.

Surprisingly one rumor suggests it could actually be cheaper though and we really hope it is, as it could have far more mainstream appeal if you could buy it without having to give up luxuries like food and housing.

6. A more comfortable design

As stunning as the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge looks it's not the most comfortable phone to hold, with its flat back and sharp-edged frame. A curved back could allow it to sit more comfortably in the hand and may even allow room for a larger battery in the process.

7. A powerful processor

We would have thought a top tier processor was all but guaranteed for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+. After all this is a Samsung flagship we're talking about, but some rumors suggest it will have a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 chip, which while not exactly lacking in power would leave it less powerful than the standard Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.

So at a minimum we really want it to have the same chip as its smaller sibling and since it's newer it doesn't seem like it should be too much to ask for something even better.

8. USB Type-C

The OnePlus 2 has arrived with USB Type-C and now we want to see it in other phones, so we'll never again have to do the dance of the USB cable. It's not looking super likely that we'll see it in the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, but you never know.

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