Samsung Debuts Galaxy Note5 and S6 Edge+ Phones, Preps for Samsung Pay and Gear S2 Watch Launches

At Samsung's big press conference today in New York, the company announced two new flagship smartphones: the Samsung Galaxy Note5 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, both of which include large "phablet" sized screens that poise them to be direct competitors to the iPhone 6 Plus. They each include the same 5.7-inch display with 4GB of RAM, 16-megapixel rear cameras, and 5-megapixel front cameras, and even the ability to record 4K video.

Galaxy-S6-edge+_front_Gold-Platinum

The Galaxy S6 Edge+ (left) with the Galaxy Note5 (right)

The Galaxy S6 Edge+ keeps its predecessor's curved screen design, but increases its screen size from 5.1-inches to 5.7-inches, which is even larger than the iPhone 6 Plus' 5.5-inch screen. Otherwise, the phone's internals are only slight bumps from the last generation, with the same rear and front cameras and only a slight RAM increase from the S6 Edge's 3GB.

The other phone announced today, the Galaxy Note5, is being aimed at a more enterprise-friendly market, with Samsung describing the smartphone as having an "unmatched set of productivity tools" with the traditional stylus removable from the bottom of the device. Samsung notes that today's upgrades confirm its commitment to the emerging larger-screened smartphone market, "which Samsung boldly pioneered in 2011 with the original Galaxy Note."


The company also announced a new accessory for each of the new smartphones unveiled today, a physical keyboard case that snaps over the phone's display, effectively covering the bottom portion of the 5.7-inch screen for the advantage of typing on a physical BlackBerry-like keyboard.

Once snapped on, the phone recognizes the accessory, and the OS shrinks itself accordingly. The case works in tandem with the phone's touch screen underneath it, so it doesn't require any additional battery or Bluetooth connectivity to function as key presses become sensed by the screen underneath the keypad when pressed down. Unfortunately, Samsung didn't provide any definitive release date or price for the accessory at today's event.

note5-22.0.0
In addition to the new line of smartphones, Samsung provided more details on its own mobile payments service, Samsung Pay, which launches in Korea on August 20 and in the United States on September 28. The company noted that Samsung Pay will be pre-loaded on select Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ devices, with a free software update bringing the service to older-model Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge phones starting in mid-August.

The service's biggest difference from Apple Pay is that it will work at any standard checkout terminal with a magnetic stripe reader meant for traditional credit cards, contrasting with Apple Pay's need for a terminal with an NFC reader.

• SIMPLE: To make a payment on Samsung Pay, users can simply swipe up, scan their fingerprint and pay.

• SAFE: Samsung Pay uses tokenization, Samsung KNOX, and fingerprint authentication to provide secure payments and reduce the security risks inherent to plastic cards.

• VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE: With Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) and Near Field Communication (NFC) technologies, Samsung Pay works with most existing point-of-sale (POS) terminals. That means it’s the only mobile payment service that works virtually anywhere you can swipe your credit card or debit card.

Once it's set up, users will be able to initiate Samsung Pay from the lock screen and choose a credit card, authenticating their purchase with a passcode or the fingerprint scanner the company introduced with the original Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Since the service doesn't absolutely require NFC terminals, although it does work with them as well, users will just need to swipe their phone along the traditional slot made for tangible credit cards to see their payments go through with Samsung Pay.

Samsung also unveiled the first glimpse of a new Gear S2 Smartwatch at today's event, opting for a smaller and rounded watch face over the original Gear S' large, rectangular screen. The company didn't provide many more details besides a quick glimpse at the watch's design and basic operating system, which bears some resemblance to the apps seen on Apple Watch's watchOS. The company promised a full reveal for the smartwatch is to come sometime next month.

samwatch-1200_1024
The Samsung Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ are globally launching today, and select United States customers who opt-in for one of the new smartphones -- or have an older-model Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge -- will be able to enter a beta trial of Samsung Pay starting on August 25. Both new phones will be available in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, and, the new option, Silver Titanium.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...

Top Rated Comments

antiretro Avatar
129 months ago
did they just copy the naming scheme aswell.....
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
129 months ago
Lol, their keyboard accessory is HIDEOUS

Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DarkWinter Avatar
129 months ago
They could at least have been a little more original with their naming convention. :rolleyes:
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kcirtap00 Avatar
129 months ago
They had to call it +. They couldn't have possibly thought of any other word (or symbol) to use.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tooloud10 Avatar
129 months ago
When the latest iPhone only has 1GB RAM, in what way is going from 3GB to 4GB "only a slight RAM increase"?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
129 months ago
So they accelerated the announcement of a minor phone upgrade to beat Apple it seems like.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)