Struggling Samsung Lifts Lid On New Galaxy

Samsung has unveiled two new flagship smartphones with a host of features aimed at taking on arch-rival Apple.

The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, revealed at the tech giant's Unpacked event in Barcelona, have ditched the plastic case of previous versions in favour of a premium-look metal body.

The latter device has a screen that curves around both edges that will be used to display notifications and other information, including a contacts shortcut.

The company claims the smartphones are the most advanced and secure on the market.

This includes wireless charging which allows the devices to be powered up without being plugged in.

Battery charging speeds have also been improved, which will see the S6 charge one-and-a-half times faster than the existing S5 using regular plugged-in charging.

The company says it easily trumps the iPhone and can suck up 50% power in just half an hour.

The new devices have a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED screen - claimed to be the highest pixel density of any smartphone, with 577 pixels per inch.

An upgraded camera is also part of the package, with a better f1.9 aperture boosting the quality of low-light photos and a start up time of just 0.7 seconds.

The devices will also have an integrated payment system similar to the iPhone 6's Apple Pay.

The phones are expected to be released next month.

Samsung is under pressure for the latest models to be a commercial success after the disappointing reception to the Galaxy S5.

Tech experts' first reactions to the phone have been largely positive, particularly welcoming the change to a metal design.

The Verge praised Samsung, calling the handsets the "nicest phones it's ever designed".

Rob Kerr, a mobiles expert at comparison site uSwitch, added: "Samsung has finally decided that plastic isn't fantastic, with a welcomed move to a full-metal body flagship phone.

"These waters are already tried and tested routes by the likes of HTC and Apple, where a cheaper-looking handset just doesn't cut it anymore in the premium mobile phone world."

While Apple saw a record quarterly profit of £11.8bn, Samsung's full-year profits fell for the first time in three years when the firm posted its results in January.

Its Galaxy smartphones led the market in 2012 and 2013, pushing past Nokia, Motorola and Apple in terms of sales volume.

But that growth ground to a halt last year as its new models disappointed and it was squeezed on price in the low and mid-end phone markets by Chinese smartphone makers such as Xiaomi, which overtook Samsung in China and India.

Samsung responded by saying it was to reduce the number of models it produces to lower costs and help boost innovation.

The strategy is similar to Apple's which focuses on a handful of products such as phones, tablets and desktop computers.

Apple recently became the most valuable company in the world, with a markep cap of $701.7bn (£455.4bn).

Meanwhile, HTC also debuted its latest smartphone, the One M9, at the Barcelona show. The handset will go on sale at the end of March.

Sony and LG will also unveil new products at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) technology show, which takes place from 2-5 March.