Reported Galaxy Note 5, S6 Edge Plus design choices could hurt sales
Design choices similar to the Galaxy S6 could put Samsung in a bind with some consumers waiting for the new Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus phones. Neither of the unannounced handsets is expected to have a removable battery or a microSD card slot for storage expansion.
Sam Mobile, which typically offers solid information about Samsung's handset plans, shared details of both upcoming phones on Wednesday, noting each is likely to have a glass back similar to the currently available Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. That greatly reduces the chances of a removable battery.
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When Samsung showed off the S6 and S6 Edge earlier this year, one of the resoundingly common criticisms was over the removal of both a memory card slot and swappable battery found in prior models.
These two features have been staples of Galaxy phones for several years and are unique when compared to iPhones. Some people simply have to have one or both of these options and chose Galaxy handsets partially because they offer them.
How much so? Several commenters here at ZDNet recently noted that they bypassed the latest Samsung phones because the company opted not to include the options; some even chose last year's Galaxy S5 over the newer handsets.
Here's just one of many examples:
"The two reasons that keep me away from the Samsung Galaxy S6: First, it does not have memory card slot so I will not be able to add memory to this device and second, the battery is not removable so it will be probably very expensive to replace it in case it is needed. With those two setback and the high price, I will go for the Samsung Galaxy S5 which has those to features: memory card slot (up to 128GB!) and removable battery."
Although the design process for Samsung's next phones is surely over, the company has had ample time to take such customer feedback into consideration. Both handsets are expected to make their debut at the IFA 2015 event in September, so at this point, production has likely begun or will soon start as well.
Assuming Samsung has kept the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge Plus in line with its current phone design, will you buy one even if you have to live without a removable battery and microSD slot?