With Apple's release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last week, all eyes are now on the other industry leader in smartphone hardware, Samsung. And while Samsung won't release its followup to this year's Galaxy S5 until next spring, you can be sure production for the device is already well underway.

Samsung has never had a problem including the latest and greatest hardware and monster specs in their smartphones, but their TouchWiz Android skin has always lagged behind Apple's iOS experience, and their plasticky designs have also left much to be desired. 

Display

Earlier this year Samsung included a 1920 x 1080 pixel display into the Galaxy S5. The Super AMOLED display packed a solid 432 pixels-per-inch and was very well-received. But since the GS5's release back in the spring, several competitors have upped the ante with QHD 2K displays, and anything less than that on the Galaxy S6 next year would be a disappointment. In fact, we wouldn't put it past Samsung to cram a true 4K display into its next flagship phone. The Galaxy Note 4, due out next month, will reportedly pack a 2560 x 1440 QHD resolution display, and given that the GS6 isn't due out for 6 months or so, a 4K display isn't beyond the realm of possibility.

Processor

The Snapdragon 810 is one of the best processors on the mobile device market, and you can be sure that Samsung won't skimp on the CPU in its next flagship device. Qualcomm boasts that the 810, with its 8 cores and 64-bit architecture, will support 4K video streaming, top-flight web interactive experiences and 3D gaming.

Design

Samsung has taken a lot of flack for refusing to make the Galaxy S phones out of anything more than plastic, at least as far as the external frame goes. Well that might be changing. Both the latest phones from Samsung, the Galaxy Alpha and the Galaxy Note 4, feature a metal frame around their edges. This could indicate Samsung might be abandoning the all-plastic design for their high-end devices. As far as thinness, look for Samsung to at least match the iPhone 6's 6.9 mm depth. The GS5 was a respectable 8.1 mm, but Samsung will probably do their best to match or out-do Apple in this department.

Expect Samsung to debut the Galaxy S6 at next year's Mobile World Congress in February. MWC typically showcases the latest in mobile tech coming out that year, so a Galaxy S6 no-show here would be a huge surprise. 

Look for a spring release date for the GS6, perhaps as early as April 2015.