Pocket-lint Reviews: Samsung is winning the next-gen hype war

Samsung is winning the next-gen hype war

If you hadn't noticed, there's a hype war raging at the moment. On Sunday 1 March, there will be two new flagship smartphones launched. And in the battle of the hype building, Samsung is winning.
There are two big launches scheduled the day before Mobile World Congress opens in Barcelona: HTC and Samsung have both set the date to launch their new smartphones.
Both companies have admitted as much: Samsung is running a "next Galaxy" campaign and HTC has started referring to the "new HTC One". So there is no doubt about what will happen come Sunday.

All about those leaks, 'bout those leaks

The current position is very different, however. HTC has seen a large number of leaks running back a number of months. We feel sure that we're looking at device renders and that some of those device photos are the final design.
However, the Samsung Galaxy S6 hasn't seen the same degree of exposure. Yes, a lot has been written about it, be we don't have the same sense that we know exactly what to expect.
There are rumours about design, but we've not really seen a consistent run of leaks on the scale of the HTC One M9.

Viral hits

Samsung has been really savvy with its marketing for a number of years; there's no doubting that Samsung knows how to put on a show. Yes, the Broadway launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4 was a creative oddball, but it's something that sticks in the mind, almost as much as the Michael Bay gaffe.

It's here that Samsung is now winning the hype war. Samsung is using a well planned and well executed series of teaser videos and images to build the hype. These videos might be short, but they are great quality and they leave an impression. It's Samsung bringing sizzle, tantalising with tidbits, flashing an ankle and leaving you wanting more.

HTC doesn't feel like it has the same impetus. It has said that something huge is coming, it has said "let them stare" (and a wonderful double entendre that pair makes) but look over Samsung's Twitter feed, Facebook page or YouTube, and it has real direction.Â
Ultimately the two new smartphones will be judged on their own merits, but we can't help feeling that Samsung is being the better tease.

Are you not entertained?

Talking of tease, there's one interesting final point. Samsung knows exactly what it's doing and is perfectly happy admit it. On the Samsung Tomorrow blog, there's a post titled: Are You Not Teased? Samsung pulls everything together, in case you missed the cabaret so far.
"Sorry, some of us in the office can't wait for the next Unpacked event either and felt inclined to share some of the Spaniard's words," says Samsung, making a segue into the Barcelona launch. It's a jarring reference that shows Samsung's art isn't always so precise.
"The Spaniard" is the arena name that Russell Crowe's character Maximus is known by in the film Gladiator. After quickly slaughtering the opposition, Maximus turns to the crowd and shouts "Are you not entertained?" which seems to be the source of this ugly malapropism.
But Oliver Reed's words in the scene before are perhaps more fitting: "All you do is kill, kill, kill. The crowd don't want a butcher, they want a hero. We want them to keep coming back. So don't just hack them to pieces, remember you are an entertainer."
Time will tell if Samsung's entertainment will keep fans coming back.