MWC: Samsung Galaxy S6 challenges Apple and HTC with hardware and software overhaul

Smartphone receives a positive reception, but ecosystem challenges remain

Samsung has thrown down the gauntlet for top-end smartphones at 2015's Mobile World Congress (MWC), looking to take on Apple's iPhone and HTC's One M9.

The Galaxy S6 sports an overhauled design that makes liberal use of metal and Gorilla Glass, moving the device away from the plastic-backed chassis of its predecessor.

Complementing the reworked design is a 5.1in Quad HD 2560x1440 577ppi display, which leaves the 1080p screen of the Galaxy S5 trailing in its wake.

Samsung has also unveiled the Galaxy S6 Edge, which takes the new screen and stretches it over one edge of the smartphone's chassis.

Powering the Galaxy S6 is Samsung's Exynos eight-core 64-bit processor, paired with 3GB of RAM. The move to an in-house chip marks Samsung's departure from using Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors in its smartphones.

Samsung has also reworked the native software at the core of the Galaxy S6, and has adopted Android Lollipop's Material Design at its core.

The Touchwiz interface that sits on top of the Android 5.0 operating system has also been tweaked, and Samsung has removed the bloatware that blighted previous Galaxy handsets. Instead, Samsung has opted for a clean and crisp design to make browsing the phone's apps an easier task.

All of this should help Samsung fight back against Apple in the high-end smartphone market, after the disappointment of the S5 in 2014. But the key question is, will it be enough?

Overhaul applauded
Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight, praised Samsung for the refresh by looking to improve the user experience.

"The software has been made into a much more crisp and clear experience, and the design of the product has clean lines and looks very nice," he told the BBC.

Forrester analyst Julie Ask also appeared impressed with the Galaxy S6:

Expansion to enterprise
Software security features such as Knox on the Galaxy S6 show Samsung pushing the phone towards enterprise as well as consumer use.

Francisco Jeronimo, IDC research director, echoed this on Twitter:

Exploring the potential of the enterprise market is a shrewd move for Samsung. Professional services firm Ernst & Young said during the V3 Enterprise Mobility Summit that the corporate sector is an area of growth for Android devices, as the bring you own device trend accelerates despite concerns over security.

Google recently announced the security-focused Android for Work, and it is likely that Android-based mobile devices will curry more favour in the enterprise market.

Ecosystem challenges
However, despite the warm reception for the Galaxy S5, Thomas Husson, principal analyst at Forrester, is not convinced the hardware and software tweaks will be enough for the Galaxy S6 to pull Samsung back into a leading position in the smartphone market.

This is particularly pertinent given the Korean firm's move to scale back its smartphone range owing to pressure from rival Chinese brands entering the market with budget Android phones.

"Despite a new hardware design and some software innovation, there's a risk that Samsung's 2015 flagship devices are insufficient for the company to regain brand leadership among consumers and businesses looking for high-end smartphone experiences," he said.

"For the Galaxy S6 to become successful, Samsung will need to bundle more content, software and services to truly differentiate in the high-end smartphone segment.

"What matters is not whether the S6 has a curved screen, but what types of new services and partnerships Samsung will announce around the device."

Samsung Pay was also announced alongside the Galaxy S6. The feature is a way to make contactless payments with a mobile device, bolstered through Samsung's acquisition of LoopPay, and looks to rival Apple Pay in the contactless payment market.

But Husson believes that Samsung's software will hold it back from challenging Apple's lead in the US market and the upcoming expansion of Apple Pay into Europe.

"Samsung's lack of software DNA will still prevent it delivering truly differentiated service experiences like Apple does with its premium ecosystem," he said.

"This is particularly true when it comes to payments and wallets. Despite broader acceptance among merchants, further to the LoopPay acquisition, Samsung Pay is unlikely to offer the same level of convenience and trust as Apple Pay."

It is hard to imagine Samsung not seeing success with the Galaxy S6, given the popularity of the handset's predecessors.

But with HTC having revealed the One M9, and the iPhone 6 having broken sales records, Samsung faces an ever more competitive market.