Samsung Galaxy Note 6 release date, rumours and everything you need to know

Samsung has already announced two flagship smartphones this year but chances are that won't be the last we hear from the company and its smartphone arm before 2016 is out.

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge both debuted at Mobile World Congress in March, but rumours began floating around for the company's larger smartphones before the event in Barcelona was even confirmed. Now it's well and truly over and focus has turned towards what Samsung will launch next.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge+ and the Galaxy Note 6 have both been speculated upon but the latter device is what this feature is focusing on. This is everything we know about the Galaxy Note 6 so far, but as usual, we will be adding to this feature as more leaks and rumours appear so keep casting your eyes back for the latest.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 release date

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 launched on 13 August 2015 alongside the Galaxy S6 edge+, but the Note wasn't destined for European waters in a bid to push the S6 edge+ as the phablet to consider instead.

Reports suggest Samsung considers this to be a mistake though and it has since been suggested that the Galaxy Note 6 will bring the Note device back to the UK in favour of the Galaxy S7 edge+.

Sources claim the Galaxy Note 6 will launch in Europe in August 2016, which fits with the company's previous release cycle from last year. Previous to 2015, the Note device used to launch at the beginning of September at IFA.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 design

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 arrived with an all-metal build, moving away from the faux-leather and plastic materials offered by its predecessors. It measures 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6mm, hits the scales at 171g and comes complete with the S Pen.

The rumours are few and far between when it comes to the Note 6's design at the moment but we wouldn't expect a dramatic change compared to the Note 5.

The Samsung S7 and S7 edge both followed the same design lines as the S6 and S6 edge with a few refinements so chances are this will also be the case for the Note 6 too given the Note 5 saw quite a few changes compared to the Note 4. Both the S7 and S7 edge added IP68 water and dust resistance however, which is something that has now been touted for the Galaxy Note 6.

It has also been claimed an iris scanner will be on board, but details were scarce so it isn't clear if it would be infrared like Fujitsu, a light like the Lumia 950, or something more advanced.

The one feature that will almost certainly appear is the S Pen but other than that, it's a guessing game at the moment. Metal build, some kind of security scanner whether fingerprint or iris, and the classic rectangular Note shape would all be very plausible predictions though.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 display

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 arrived with a 5.7-inch display offering a 2560 x 1440 resolution that delivered a pixel density of 515ppi. The Note series has always been praised for its display, with the AMOLED technology delivering vibrant, punchy colours and deep blacks.

Rumours suggest the Note 6 will continue the Super AMOLED trend but it looks like the display size could increase very slightly to 5.8-inches. The resolution is said to be sticking to Quad HD which if all true, would mean a slightly lower pixel density of 506ppi. This however, will not be noticeable to the human eye so you can still expect a great display experience from the Note 6.

Sammobile has also reported a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display with a Quad HD resolution, supporting other rumours but it also suggests a curved display. This could mean the Note 6 takes cues from the S7 edge. 

Things may change in this department over the coming months but for now, these rumours seem more than reasonable.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 camera

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 comes with a 16-megapixel main camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, both of which offer an aperture of f/1.9, which is wider than the Note 4.

According to a Weibo report, the Note 6 will be coming with a 12-megapixel main camera offering "Super OIS Plus". The front-facing camera sensor wasn't detailed. Both the Note 4 and 5 were both praised for their camera capabilities so we'd expect the Note 6 to follow suit.

The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge both have 12-megapixel rear cameras and a 5-megapixel front camera so perhaps the company will use the same sensor for the Note 6. This would make sense given the praise both the S7 and S7 edge have received. Both the front and the rear snappers offer an aperture of f/1.7 to help them excel in low-light conditions so we'd like to see the same capabilities in the Note 6 at the very least.

That said, there have also been claims to suggest Samsung is working on a new 1/2.3-inch sensor that will be accompanied by a lens with an aperture of f/1.4, which is said to offer 17 per cent more light, plus the extra light the bigger sensor will bring. It isn't clear if this new camera will be ready for the Note 6 but fingers crossed.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 hardware

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has an octa-core Exynos chipset, 4GB or RAM and 32GB of 64GB of internal memory. The aluminium body means microSD support was removed as was a removable battery, the capacity of which dropped to 3000mAh from the 3200mAh of its predecessor.

The Galaxy Note 6 is said to be coming with either a Qualcomm Snapdragon or Exynos chipset depending on the region, along with 6GB of RAM, according to Weibo. The same site has suggested it will be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 823 chip, which is capable of supporting up to 8GB of RAM. Samsung's S7 and S7 edge both come in two models, one of which offers the Qualcomm SD820 chip and the other of which uses the in-house Exynos Octa 8 processor so the suggestion of two variants depending on region is plausible, although whether it the support will be 6GB or 8GB of RAM is unclear.

Storage options have been touted as 64GB and 128GB but there was no mention in the Weibo report as to whether microSD support will be reintroduced. It has been on the S7 and S7 edge so here is hoping. Battery capacity has been rumoured to be around 4000mAh, but it isn't clear whether the Note 6 will return to offering a removable battery like previous Note devices before the Note 5.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 software

The Samsung Note 6 will almost certainly launch with Android Marshmallow 6.0 along with Samsung's TouchWiz interface over the top and the various feature extras that complement the S Pen.

We'd suspect a look towards the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge will offer a good indicator as to what we can expect from the Note 6, although no doubt there will be some improvements and refinements.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 conclusion

Whilst the rumours have started to circulate for the Samsung Galaxy Note 6, they are few and far between at the moment so there is currently a lot of guess work happening.

Based on what we have heard so far, we'd expect the Note 6 to arrive in August 2016 with a similar design to the Note 5 including S Pen functionality.

Hardware specs are likely to improve over the Note 5 including a faster processor, possibly more RAM and an improved camera experience. We will update this feature as more leaks appear so hang tight for now.