Samsung to Show Galaxy S6 at CES Next Month?

While the Mobile World Congress isn’t set to kick off until March, it seems as though we might see Samsung’s latest smartphone efforts a bit sooner. A new report says that the company could unveil the Galaxy S6 handset at the International Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, in Las Vegas in early January.

According to a post on GSM Arena, which cites Korean news site Chosun Biz (which itself cites the Korean analyst firm Mirae Asset Securities), Samsung will have the Galaxy S6 on hand at CES, presumably in an effort to generate buzz about its flagship phone well in advance of the competition. Moreover, the post speculates that Samsung will launch an “Edge” version of the Galaxy S6 as well, apparently having enjoyed some success with the Galaxy Note 4 Edge that was released at the end of 2014. That, too, will also be on display at CES next month.

What are the odds that these reports are accurate? Pretty good, I think. Samsung has been leaking like a sieve for quite a while; if there’s a rumor about a new piece of tech out of Samsung, it winds up being pretty true 9 times out of 10. The Gear VR headset was leaked many months before its reveal this past fall, as was the Gear S smartwatch.

Additionally, Samsung had a huge flop on its hands with the Galaxy S5 this past year, which was unveiled at MWC and launched about a month or so later. If Samsung gets a jump on 2015 with the Galaxy S6 – and the head turning S6 Edge – it may start to turn things around. Sure, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have bene a huge hit for Apple, but the supply on that handset has been on the short side overall. Samsung may find a way to steal some thunder back by releasing a powerful, premium handset that runs the latest version of Android – Lollipop, which was just launched last month.

In short, while it may seem dicey to expect Samsung to have the Galaxy S6 on hand at CES in just a few weeks’ time, the company is desperate to improve its mobile fortunes. While it hasn’t necessarily lost money yet, Samsung’s profits were way down in that division in 2014. An early debut for the Galaxy S6 could help it turn its luck around. Couple that with recent leaks about the Galaxy S6’s specs, and we may see the new phone very shortly.

[Sources: Chosun Biz via GSM Arena]