Samsung’s Unpacked Event to Set the Pace for Mobile World Congress

Hola, and welcome to the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain. MWC is a congregation of nearly 800 operators, with more than 250 companies in the broader mobile industry. Every year, Barcelona offers a forum for the world’s leaders in mobile technology to showcase their newest products in the mobile ecosystem, including handsets, devices, software, internet and equipment.

In 2006, the location of the MWC was moved from Cannes to the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, Europe’s second largest exhibition centers, due to the growing number of participants and attendees. The GSMA, the organization behind MWC, expects that attendance for Mobile World Congress 2015 will exceed the record of nearly 86,000 attendees set at the 2014 event. Mobile World Congress will be held 2-5 March 2015 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, with events also taking place at Fira Montjuïc.

One event in particular has been generating an enormous amount of excitement and buzz, and will take place ahead of official start of MWC on March 1^st, 2015. Samsung’s Unpacked event will reveal to the world the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, the new flagship models to which the smartphone technology leader has dedicated an unprecedented amount of research and development, in hopes of creating the best smartphone available on the market.

The full Unpacked event will soon be available to be viewed.

The Unpacked Event

Samsung’s Unpacked event set sail on a beautiful sunny day in Barcelona, near the Mediterranean Sea. The atmosphere was filled with languages from around the globe, as people from all over the world gathered to witness Samsung’s revealing of the groundbreaking Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. As the event was nearing the time of launch, news and media were invited into the auditorium, and a once empty venue filled with thousands of chairs, was instantaneously occupied as a wave people wearing orange wrist bands flooded in to get the best seat.

When the time finally arrived at 6:30 PM, the auditorium was transformed into an immersive presentation, surrounded by near 360 degrees of screens, displaying futuristic effects accompanied by music with similar themes. Then, a voice began addressing the crowd with the first official images if the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge being brilliantly displayed on the screens.

“What’s next? It’s the question that begins all our exploring. It ignites our imagination. Inspires us to bring in tomorrow, today. Tomorrow, metals will flow. Beauty will be powerful. Walls will disappear, reflections will be free. Colors will live. The future will be the present. Light the way to next. Welcome to Galaxy Unpacked 2015.”

With the audience’s full attention placed on center stage, Young Hee Lee, Executive Vice President opened the presentation and readied the world for the revealing of the next Galaxy. She then introduced JK Shin, CEO and head of the IM division.

Two words appeared on the screens that encapsulate Samsung’s tireless effort to bring the world the best mobile device possible; Relentless Innovation. “No more internet rumors, today we introduce what’s next.” JK Shin delved deeper into Samsung’s mission in not only developing the most beautiful device, but also the most powerful before fading into mesmerizing and detailed displays of the new Galaxy. JK Shin discussed the key elements of the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, focusing on Samsung Pay, Knox Security, the powerful and revolutionary front and rear cameras, and Samsung’s cutting-edge developments in wireless charging.

Then, out from his jacket pocket, came the device everyone was waiting for; the Galaxy S6 edge. Mr. Shin explained that Samsung has an important role to play in advancing technology in our lives. With Samsung’s firsts in smartphone innovation and advancements, the technology leader is setting the bar high, and other companies will soon follow, realizing the need in incorporating similar technology in their products. “The next is now!” Samsung has set up to deliver something better than ever before.

Hyun Yeul Lee, the User Experience leader behind the Galaxy series, went on to describe the new design interface and functionality. Simple and refined, the UX is designed to be beautiful and basic. Text has replaced symbols, color codes group applications together based on their functionality and the edge’s curved screens further enhance user’s interaction with the device, allowing then to know who is contacting them and the urgency needed in response. There will no longer be hard to use and hard to find features and most importantly, “No more scrolling!” Hyun Yeul Lee says with amplitude.

Following Hyun Yeul Lee, Justin Denison, from Samsung America, reiterates how Samsung has set the bar for the rest of the industry in memory, battery life, wireless charging, and smartphone camera technology. The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge will feature eMMC memory cards that will integrate seamlessly with SSD’s, creating a whole new world of Universal Flash Storage.

Justin Denison shortly touches on the new Gear VR 2, and how it and the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge will bring about an out of this world immersive experience. The super AMOLED screen on the next Galaxy displays practically crystal-clear images for Gear VR 2 users, creating the best virtual adventures possible.

When describing the Galaxy battery capabilities, Mr. Denison explains that it only takes 10 minutes of charge time to product enough battery power that will last 4 hours of normal usage.

The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge will come with Samsung Pay, a highly secure and universally accepted mobile payment system that will work with most credit cards, debit cards and NFC. The MST even allows the users to use mobile payments even when mag strips can only be used. For ease of mind, users’ data remains only with their banks, not within the device or with Samsung Pay.

The last presenter, Gregory Wade, described in depth the emphasis Samsung has put into its mobile security with Samsung Knox. “Ready for business, right out of the box!”

After the Unpacked presentation, the audience was invited to have a hands-on interaction with the devices of the future. The moment everyone was waiting for, actually having the opportunity hold and use the devices, had arrived. Crowds quickly surrounded the exhibition stalls where several models of the phone could be held.

One attendee explained that he was very impressed with the S6, particularly the sleek design of the metal frame and that the S6 is the best model he has seen from Samsung, or any other mobile company.

The Galaxy S6 and S6 lived up to the hype and far exceeded expectations, especially when attendees could actually feel the lightweight and impressive metal design in their hands.

The next Galaxy will be available in select markets beginning on April 10th, 2015.

Updated at 11:00 PM CET, following the conclusion of the Unpacked event

Samsung’s Presence at MWC

It is clearly evident that Samsung has a strong presence at this year’s MWC. After yesterday’s Unpacked event and unveiling of Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 and S6 edge flagship models, crowds were in constant flow with attendees wanting a hands-on interaction with the most powerful and innovative smartphone soon to be in the consumer market.

Samsung’s impressive mobile exhibition showcases the key elements of Samsung’s arsenal of products, applications, security, and memory solutions. The obvious excitement was surrounding the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, drawing scores of people and media to the Samsung Mobile stage.

Those with the necessary credentials were allowed access into Samsung’s elegant exhibit, housing the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge and Gear VR Innovator Edition for Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, as well as demonstrations of the S Health app, Samsung KNOX security system, and the highly anticipated Samsung Pay, which is set to revolutionize mobile payment.

In addition to mobile offerings, Samsung has an exhibit dedicated to Networks Solutions and Device Solutions.

Samsung Tomorrow will be covering the entire event with exclusive, onsite interviews, video demonstrations and exciting information and coverage. Follow Samsung Tomorrow for up to date news and announcements from Samsung during the Mobile World Congress 2015.

Updated at 12:00 AM CET, following the official opening of MWC 2015