Rumors and leaks have been running amuck around the Galaxy S6 for the past two months like there’s no tomorrow, and what we’ve gathered so far is the same thing you can always expect from rumors and leaks regarding a highly anticipated flagship device: (harder?) better, faster, and stronger. To be a little more specific, so far we’ve come to expect that the Galaxy S6 will feature a more lightweight TouchWiz UI, potential edges, different hardware design, and most recently rumor has surfaced that Samsung may be making use of Microsoft’s services right out of the box.

We previously heard that Samsung would be ditching its own spread of Samsung exclusive applications, at least when it comes to being pre-loaded, by sticking them in the Galaxy App Store. This will allow users to decide whether they actually want the application on their phone or not. It’s the best of both worlds, essentially; they’re keeping the applications around for people who like them, but by not making the applications stock (and unable to be uninstalled) they’re no longer forcing these applications on people who never use them. It’s widely regarded as a smart move.

However, it sounds like instead of getting rid of additional bloatware altogether, Samsung may be partnering up with Microsoft to offer some of their apps instead according to SamMobile.

Partnering up with Microsoft, honestly, doesn’t seem like a bad idea for either party. It seemed like people’s biggest issue with Samsung’s bloatware wasn’t that it took up additional space, but rather that these applications aren’t widely used nor easily accessible to begin with. Switching them out to use some of Microsoft’s services instead make more sense because Microsoft services such as Skype, OneNote, OneDrive, and Office are used on a consistent basis - especially in computers.

I initially thought that Microsoft should keep their services for their own mobile platform, Windows Phone; however, given that Windows Phone currently doesn’t hold much mobile market share, Microsoft could really benefit from some added exposure. By being featured in one of Android’s largest manufacturer’s most popular smartphone line, it could really work in Microsoft’s favor.

As of right now, I mostly use Google services. My computer and my current smartphone both utilize Google’s services very well, and it’s convenient to be able to use them from either type of device. With that being said, I would probably consider switching to Microsoft’s services if it had more availability in smartphones.

Yeah, switching to Windows Phone would make that a feasible option right now, but there are still quite a few reasons why I prefer iOS and Android to Windows Phone (currently). However, I (and many others) would probably consider switching to Microsoft services if it was on a platform I did prefer; and assuming this does happen, it could potentially benefit Windows Phone in the sense that once Windows 10 for phones is released, people may be more willing to adopt the platform assuming other problems with the platform have been fixed and improved upon as well.

Which, in turn, may also come back to help Samsung if Samsung ever chooses to dabble in Windows Phone again.

So really the potential of this partnership could be beneficial all around, but I’ve seen a few people remark on how they wish Samsung would have just taken out their own bloatware and not added anything else in. What are your thoughts when it comes to this potential partnership, readers? Do you think that Samsung should feature Microsoft services right out of the box, or do you think that Samsung should just get rid of their own bloatware and make TouchWiz as close to stock Android as possible? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!