Samsung Galaxy S6 New MirrorLink Flagship Smartphone

The new Galaxy S6 from the Samsung Group supports the MirrorLink car connectivity standard.

The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) today announced that the new Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones are supporting the MirrorLink standard. Samsung has already supported MirrorLink in the previous Galaxy generation. MirrorLink is bringing the smartphone screen to the car dash and is similar to Apple’s CarPlay. The difference is that MirrorLink is vendor-neutral standard where no single entity has a controlling stake. 

The first car makers like GM are supporting MirrorLink and CarPlay as there is are no signs that Apple is going to join the CCC.

“Distribution on the world’s most popular Samsung devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S5, Note 4, Note Edge, and now the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, reaffirm that MirrorLink is real and in the hands of millions of consumers today,” said Alan Ewing, President and Executive Director of the CCC. “For consumers, the variety of MirrorLink-enabled handsets and vehicles has turned the promise of the connected car into a reality. And with deployments taking place on such a large scale, developers can focus on what they do best – creating innovative apps to redefine the connected driving experience.”

MirrorLink can work in tandem and/or alongside car makers proprietary infotainment systems. The solution is based on a set of well established, non-proprietary technologies. It uses standard Internet technologies (such as Internet Protocol) for compatibility with a wide range of devices. It also uses technologies already common in the car, such as Bluetooth and USB, and newly-introduced car technologies such as Wi-Fi as well.  Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) facilitates controlled access to applications. Virtual Network Computing (VNC) replicates the phone’s display on the navigation screen and communicates user prompts back to the phone. In addition to Bluetooth™, MirrorLink streams audio with Real-Time Protocol (RTP).

The CCC (site) has more than 100 members represent more than 80 percent of the world’s auto market, more than 70 percent of the global smartphone market and many aftermarket consumer electronics vendors. 

Car brands in the CCC include BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes, GM, Toyota and PSA Peugeot Citroen. The smartphone vendor members include BlackBerry, HTC, Huawei, LG, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung and Sony.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge go on sale on April 10. Samsung is confident that the Galaxy S6 is a winner and will outsell the Galaxy S4, a feat that the Galaxy S5 did not achive.