South African users will be among the first in the world to have access to Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones, with the devices set to go on sale here on 10 April – the same day as in the US and South Korea.

Launching the new phones at Mobile World Congress last night, Samsung CEO JK Shin said the company had to go back to the drawing board to deliver products that are technologically advanced but easy to use and good to look at.

“It is a crowded market,” he says. “Some companies set themselves apart with design, others with practicality. But what people want is both.

“What we are launching is the most beautiful smartphone in Samsung’s history and the most advanced smartphone in the world.”

The new devices are the thinnest and lightest yet and will be available in 32Gb, 64Gb and 128Gb configurations.

Both smartphones equipped with fast front and rear cameras. The F1.9 lenses and high resolution sensors on both front (5MP) and rear (16MP) cameras allow good pictures even in low light conditions. In addition, Auto Real-time
High Dynamic Range (HDR), Smart Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and White Balance Detect through IR provide advanced light sensitivities and crisp camera solutions. A new “Quick Launch” feature give users fast, direct access to the camera from any screen in just 0.7 seconds by double=clicking the home key button.

With fully embedded WPC and PMA certified wireless charging technology, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge work with almost any wireless pad available in the market. They also sport fast wired charging, 1,5 times faster than the Galaxy S5, providing about four hours of usage after only 10 minutes of charging.

The thin (6,8mm/7mm for the Edge) and lightweight (138g /132g for the Edge) devices include the first 14nm mobile processor with 64-bit platform, new LPDDR4 memory system and UFS 2.0 flash memory. The 1440P/VP9 hardware based codec enables users to enjoy high resolution streaming video while also using less power.

The 5,1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screen offers users the highest pixel density of 577ppi. Enhanced outdoor visibility with a brighter display (600cd/mm) lets consumers experience content without compromise – anywhere, at any time.

Samsung Pay, a new, easy-to-use mobile payment service that will be compatible with more locations than any competing offering in a single application, will launch on the new smartphones, initially in the US. Protected by Samsung Knox, fingerprint scanning, and advanced tokenisation, Samsung Pay works with both Near Field Communication (NFC) and Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) technology to make it device, merchant and card issuer agnostic.

Both phones are built on the upgraded Samsung Knox, end-to-end secure mobile platform, offering defence-grade features for real-time protection from potential malicious attacks. In addition, the Find My Mobile feature secures lost devices and protects personal information through a number of services, including the all new remotely controlled “Reactivation lock.” With an enhanced touch-type fingerprint scanner, it also provides quick authentication and saves encrypted data in secure device storage.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge will be available in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Blue Topaz (Galaxy S6 only) and Green Emerald (Galaxy S6 Edge only). The new stainless steel casings appear to change colour as they catch the light.

Ian Fogg, head of mobile analysis at IHS Technology, says that Samsung has been able to leverage its display division capabilities to create the twin curved screen which make the S6 Edge unlike any other smartphone. Importantly, this differentiator is visible to consumers, he says.

“For the first time in a global flagship model, Samsung is switching to its own Exynos app processor. This offers the promise of delivering better overall margins for Samsung and, in time, differentiated performance from rivals.”

Fogg believes that Samsung Pay could be a game-changer for the company. “IT is the new effort to build a Samsung ecosystem. Apple Pay will prove a market and educate partners in 2015, but it leaves room for someone to
become the dominant payments provider for the rest of the Android-powered market.”

With a clearly differentiated form factor for this year’s flagship, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, Samsung will hope to see a similar leap to the iPhone shipment’s 46% year-on-year quarterly jump when Apple offered larger screen models, Fogg says. “But, whether Samsung can realise this sales improvement depends on its ability to manufacture the Edge model at scale and avoid teething problems with the Exynos chipset it is using in a global flagship for the first time.”

Although the curved screen sets the Samsung S6 Edge apart, Fogg believes the degree of intense market competition will limit the upside potential of the S6 on Samsung’s overall smartphone shipment volumes because of Samsung’s exposure to the low and mid-end part of the smartphone market.

IHS forecasts the gap between market leader Samsung’s position and the number three player will narrow: In 2014, the 308-million smartphones Samsung shipped represented 422% of the third-placed smartphone player’s shipment totals. But, in 2015, Samsung will ship just 282% of the total shipments of the third-placed OEM as we see competition increase in this sector.

“To succeed, Samsung must be able to ship sufficient volumes, so it is able to offer a fair price with a modest premium. If Samsung believes its manufacturing is not sufficiently capable, then Samsung will price the Edge version at a premium so as to limit demand.”

Using its own Exynos app processor offers the promise of delivering better overall margins for Samsung and, in time, differentiated performance from rivals, as Apple has achieved with their A series app processor designs. But it’s a high risk, high reward strategy, Fogg points out.

Meanwhile, Samsung Pay is a swift follower strategy built on Loop Pay and new S6 hardware. “Samsung is far from giving up on services: Samsung Pay is the new effort to build a Samsung ecosystem,” says Fogg. “Apple Pay will prove a market and educate partners in 2015, but it leaves room for someone to become the dominant payments provider for the rest of the Android-powered market.

“Samsung Pay leverages the new fingerprint sensor in the S6 which no longer needs to be swiped, the move to tokenised credit cards, and the Loop Pay business. Unlike rivals, Samsung aspires to provide wide compatibility through enabling barcode, MST and NFC support.

However, Fogg warns that if Samsung continues to limit Samsung Pay to only its smartphone hardware, it will fail to dominate all of the opportunity left untouched by Apple. “Plus, Samsung will launch in summer of 2015 and initially only in US and Korea, leaving room for operators, payment providers, and other ecosystem players a window to establish a mobile payments lead in the complete Android smartphone market.”