Galaxy A6 firmware now available, official launch should be imminent

Samsung's new Galaxy A series phones look set to be officially unveiled in the near future, as the first firmware for at least the Galaxy A6 is now available online. A few third-party retailers in the Netherlands are also listing accessories for the Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6+, although they all say stock for these accessories will arrive in early May. That might be because the European launch of these phones would be a bit late compared to markets in the Middle East, supported by the fact that the first firmware for the A6 is for the United Arab Emirates. That's just a guess, however, and until the A6 or A6+ are official, it's best not to take any signs of an impending launch at face value, especially since we've been seeing these signs for nearly a month now.

Galaxy A6 and A6+ won't stay unofficial for long

Retailers do seem to be stocking up on Galaxy A6 and A6+ related accessories, as renders of both devices in an official Samsung case were leaked earlier today. These renders showcase the Infinity displays on the phones, the single and dual rear cameras on the A6 and A6+ respectively, and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. The design looks similar to the Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+, although the presence of a microUSB port and the known specs of these handsets paint the picture of mid-range phones similar to last year's Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017). Only the Infinity display and the A6+' dual rear cameras are expected to be the upgrades on offer; the microUSB port, meanwhile, will be a downgrade, considering the A5 and A7 from last year had USB Type-C ports.

The Galaxy A6 firmware can be downloaded from our firmware database. As expected, the OS version is Android 8.0 Oreo, and it includes the April 2018 security patch. The build number is A600FJXU1ARD7.