Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's tech powerhouse, unveiled its latest flagship Galaxy smartphones on its home turf on Thursday, seeking to regain its status as the world's No. 1 smartphone maker amid growing challenges from its archrival, Apple Inc., and its Chinese counterparts.
  

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge will hit shelves in 20 countries Friday, starting in South Korea, the United States, Britain and Germany, and expand gradually to other regions, the company said in a statement released ahead of the media event held in Samsung's Seoul office.
  

But its first mobile payment tool, Samsung Pay, which was initially introduced along with the new Galaxy models, will be available for downloading starting in July, it added.
  

The local release of the Galaxy S6 series marks the last stage of Samsung's rare worldwide tour for new flagship models, which took place in Dubai, Russia, China and Brazil, and a few other countries.
  

Such an aggressive move by the world's top smartphone maker is seen as an effort to recoup its mobile dominance in the global market after posting its first profit decline in three years in 2014.
  

Shin Jong-kyun, the head of Samsung Electronics' mobile division, emphasized such efforts by noting that the Galaxy S6 and its curved-edge variant "went back to the basics."
  

"Making everyday functions more handy and useful for consumers and creating what is needed most at this moment rather than trying to get ahead of rivals, is what we believe was a sincere innovation," Shin said at the media event.  
  

The new Galaxy phones, first showcased at the Mobile World Congress in Spain in early March, have since received positive market responses from around the world for their sleek design and upgraded specs.
  

Their metal-clad casings and unremovable batteries -- a departure from the use of plastic and replaceable batteries in previous models -- led critics to give high marks to Samsung as it ditched some of its signature designs for a product revamp.
  

The new Galaxy models also come with a wireless charging function, for which users need a special mat that recharges the phone without a plug-in cord.
  

Regarding the so-called "Bendgate" dispute over the Galaxy S6 Edge, Shin dismissed such concerns by stressing that the aluminum and Corning's Gorilla glass used in the frame are of an outstanding quality.
  

"(It) resists a considerable fall. (It) can't be bent with human strength."
  

He admitted that the supply of the S6 Edge may be tighter than the S6, given higher demand for the curved-edge phone, and promised to improve the supply channels as soon as possible.
  

Shin, however, declined to give details on the sales target of the new phones, only to let another Samsung official say that the company hopes it will be a record figure.  
  

In Korea, a 32GB Galaxy S6 will be sold for 858,000 won ($785), with a Galaxy S6 Edge with the same capacity priced at 979,900 won. Local mobile carriers began to take preorders for the new Galaxy handsets early last week. (Yonhap)