Two major Android flagship smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the HTC One M9, were unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain on Sunday. Arguably the two handsets that set the tone for the year's premium Android brands, HTC and Samsung's new devices together show a heavier influence from Apple than ever, and a shift away from longstanding features Android users have come to expect.,

Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge: "Premium" Costs Unique Durability

This year's Samsung flagship lineup represents the biggest change for the biggest Apple hardware rival in years, and it's both welcome and concerning.

First, the basics: The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge come with a Samsung-made Exynos Octa 7420 system on a chip with 3GB of RAM, a 2K HD (1440 x 2560p resolution) 5.1-inch screen and a 16-megapixel main camera with a front-facing shooter as well. Storage levels now start from 32GB and go up to 128GB, and wireless charging is now supported out of the box (though without a wireless charger included).

So far, it's just like another iteration of the Samsung Galaxy S lineup, with a curved screen, dual-edged model for those looking for something a little different and flashy. (The Edge variant may be the next big thing, but until developers tinker around and find better uses for the new feature than frequent contacts, news updates and/or a nightlight, so far the Edge feature is still in its gimmicky infancy.)

But the real changes come in the form of omissions, due to Samsung's shift toward premium iPhone-like design.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and its S6 Edge cousin were revealed on Sunday to be almost identically slim as the iPhone 6, give or take a millimeter depending on the model. They also have a similar build quality and design that seems to be a response to critics over the past couple of years complaining about the company's heavily plastic build -- the new models are all glass and metal.

And they're certainly attractive devices, but some Samsung fans will have to think about what a premium feel is worth, because a few long-running features were sacrificed for the sake of beauty: namely, a removable back, which means no more removable battery, microSD expansion, or waterproof build.

That's a lot to give up for an Android phone that looks a lot like an iPhone (and now will be just as vulnerable in its attractiveness). Perhaps Samsung thought the S6 Edge would be eye-catching enough to compensate, but giving up those features means something of an end to what made Samsung's flagship smartphone series unique (plastic pitfalls and all), since when it comes to cloning the look and feel of an iPhone, HTC has been in the game for much longer.

And continues to be...

HTC One M9: Is This An Upgrade?

By all indications, the HTC One M9 is a very attractive smartphone, as its two predecessors were all praised to be as well. HTC intentionally wanted to catch some of that "known-brand, premium build" smartphone magic from Apple when it shifted to the "One" flagship brand, but this year seems to merit another Apple-like naming convention that would label the M9 as the HTC One M8s.

That's because not much is different in the M9, besides a heavier battery and a 20-megapixel (non-Duo) camera. Of course the chipset is now the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core with 3GB of RAM, which underperforms in early benchmarks against the Galaxy S6, according to BGR.

And there's still expandable memory, with a 32GB base storage option, but most everything else is the same, including the 1080p screen, which has not been upgraded to meet the new seeming standard of 2K resolution for Android flagships. Meanwhile, HTC seems to be giving up on its "Ultrapixel" sensor technology, moving it to the front of the camera while going with a more conventional 20-megapixel single sensor in back.

But the M9 still looks amazing, and we can't wait to get our hands on the device to see if there are enough small tweaks that aggregate into an unexpected monster smartphone. But at least at this early stage, on paper, HTC's offering this year doesn't seem very inspiring.

Release Dates, Pricing and Availability

If you can't wait to get your hands on these devices to see what the hype is all about (or if it's not warranted), here's what's known about the release dates so far.

The HTC M9 will be released in the U.S. in March, at Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and U.S. Cellular. Pricing isn't known yet, but expect it to run about the same on contract price as previous years' HTC Ones, meaning a target price of $200.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, meanwhile, are expected on April 10 at the big four wireless carriers. The GS6 will also likely cost about $200 on contract, with the Edge variant costing a little more.