Samsung Galaxy S6 Rumors: Multiple Prototypes Reportedly Being Tested, Some With Curved Edge Screens

An anonymous Samsung employee has reportedly confirmed previous rumors that the South Korean technology giant is planning a massive overhaul of its next-generation flagship smartphone, dubbed the Galaxy S6, which is being developed under the codename, “Project Zero.” The purported official source also revealed more information about the Galaxy S6, adding that the company is testing several prototypes of the upcoming handset.

Confirming that “Project Zero” is the real deal, the Samsung employee -- who goes by the username SamsungRep2015 on Reddit -- claimed that Samsung is working on at least three variants of the Galaxy S6, SamMobile reported. According to the employee, one of the variants features a normal display, while the other two are being tested with a one-sided curved edge screen and dual-sided curved edge displays.

“Project Zero is indeed a real thing. I’ve also seen two different GS6 Edge variants, one with the normal Youm display on the Edge, and one with dual curved edges,” the Samsung employee reportedly wrote on Reddit. “However, when I went to my orientation, a few weeks before the S5 came out I got to physically see the 5.2 inch version. Samsung prototypes a lot and things change extremely rapidly.”

Samsung's mobile business has suffered over the past few quarters, with growing competition from main rival Apple, and several low-cost producers in fast-growing markets like China and India.

Initial details about “Project Zero” appeared in November with media reports claiming that the plan is part of Samsung’s broader overhaul strategy, as the company was rumored to be developing the Galaxy S6 from scratch. The codename for the Galaxy S6 is also different from ones used in earlier versions of Galaxy-branded smartphones, such as Galaxy S5 (Project K), Galaxy S4 (Project J), Galaxy Note 3 (Project H) and Galaxy Note 4 (Project T).

Here are more details from SamsungRep2015, first reported by BGR:

As far as performance, benchmarks are noticeably higher but not by earth shattering amounts. Overall device responsiveness is vastly improved, and memory consumption is way down. Some build have freed over a gig of memory consumption from cold boot… [It’s] not just specs Samsung is focusing on this time around. I’ve heard lots of rumblings about crazy new designs (and I’m not just talking Galaxy Alpha ‘redesigns’ either.) Spec wise though, that all lines up with what I’ve seen/heard, but again there’s quite a good chunk of time between now and April.

Rumors have it that the Galaxy S6 could feature a larger, 5.5-inch QHD display with a screen resolution of 2560x1440 pixels, a 20-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera. The device could be powered by a 64-bit octa-core Exynos 7420 processor and 3GB RAM, and the phone could run on the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system.