This is it, this is Samsung’s big chance to regain some strength and market share when it comes to the top end “flagship” phones.  The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge – both announced at Mobile World Congress earlier this month are coming to Australia – we’ve got the pricing and can tell you what date it’s available.

Samsung GS6 Front-dynamic_Black_SapphireBoth phones will be available for pre-order online from 5:00pm today (30th march) and in-store from 31st March 2015 and through selected Telcos.

They will officially go on sale in Australia from 10th April with three storage options (32/64/128GB) and in two colours – White Pearl and Black Sapphire – though with a range of other colours being release globally, we can expect some “carrier exclusives” from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone on other colours.

Model Memory RRP
Galaxy S6 32GB $999
Galaxy S6 64GB $1,149
Galaxy S6 128GB $1,299
Galaxy S6 edge 32GB $1,149
Galaxy S6 edge 64GB $1,299
Galaxy S6 edge 128GB $1,449

Ouch! Not cheap huh, fortunately most people will opt for a plan, so be careful how much that “handset” payment is going to be each month.

Of course, while these seem expensive, lets remember that the base model iPhone 6 (16GB onboard storage) is $999 with the 32GB at $1149 making the Samsung at a glance $150 cheaper.

Samsung GS6 edge-Front-dynamic_White_Pearl

The quality is certainly a massive leap ahead, the question is how likely it is for Galaxy S4 or S5 owners to upgrade.  Every one of them will prefer the device, but can they afford to stump up for it.

At 6.8mm thin it’s a great looking device, with glass front and back to really enhance the overall quality feel.

Both Westpac and Commomwealth Bank’s have been named at the launch as supporting the tap-and-pay functionality of the phone via their own apps, while you’ll find a bunch of “Milk” branding when you first power it on. (Milk being the new name for the streaming music service for Samsung)

Full reviews in the days ahead.