Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge To Launch In UAE In April

The latest smartphones unveiled by Samsung on Sunday, the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge, will be rolled out in the UAE by the second week of April, retailers have confirmed.

The much-anticipated devices were launched by the Korean manufacturer ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

While the prices are not confirmed, the S6 is expected to be priced between Dhs2,700 and Dhs2,800, and the S6 Edge can range from Dhs3,000 to Dhs3,200 in the UAE, said Nadeem Khanzadah, head-OmniChannel Retail at Jumbo Group.

The devices are anticipated to receive a mixed reaction in the UAE, according to him.

“The new Samsung phones do feature good upgrades on the existing models, but are missing the “wow” factor witnessed at the time of the iPhone launch last year,” he said.

“Consumers expecting some noticeable changes in the S6 compared to the S5 will be happy to see the upgrades in terms of design, display, processor and camera, and some key features like the fingerprint sensor. Those who are expecting a revolutionary difference will be disappointed,” he added.

Ashish Panjabi, COO of Jacky’s Retail, said that he expected the phones, especially the Edge, to be well-received in the local market.

“I would expect the phones to do well in the UAE, in particular the S6 Edge as the UAE has always had a fancy for high-end flagship devices. I have been using the Galaxy Note Edge for several months now and really like the curved screen. The gold colour introduced this time should also be popular in my opinion,” he stated.

The S6 utilises a flat display, metal frame and glass front and back panels, while the S6 Edge is similarly constructed only with curved edges on the left and right of the display, identical to the one seen on last year’s Note Edge.

Specs include a 5.1 inch quad HD display, 3GB of RAM, 32, 64 or 128GB of storage and octacore Samsung Exynos processors. Both also feature 16MP rear cameras, 5MP front cameras and a new fingerprint sensor in the home button, similarly to recent iPhones.

The success of the new devices is crucial for Samsung, which has been struggling to compete for its spot as the market-leader in the smartphone segment due to increasing competition from Apple and smaller Android rivals.

So do the S6 and S6 Edge have what it takes to help the Korean manufacturer beat its main competitor?

“Samsung’s strategy has been to have phones at multiple price-points and multiple requirements instead of limiting themselves to three or four models like Apple does,” said Panjabi.

“For that reason, the addressable market that Samsung attracts is far larger globally and should mean they are ahead of Apple overall.”

Khanzadah added that Samsung excels in terms of raw specifications (battery size / screen resolution / megapixels), with the display probably the biggest disparity between the two. “The Apple iPhone is better in terms of stability, app choice and photo capturing features,” he said.

“While the new Samsung smartphone will help the brand expand its presence among consumers here, it is unlikely that it would eat in to Apple’s popularity in this market.”

Samsung devices account for five of the top 10 most popular smartphones in the UAE, according to the latest report released by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).

The report, which released data for the fourth quarter of 2014, found that Apple’s iPhone 5s, iPhone 5 and Samsung S III topped the list.

It also found that although Android was the most popular operating system in the country, Apple iTunes was the most commonly visited applications website, followed by Samsung Apps.