The unveiling date of Samsung’s next generation mobile, the Galaxy S5, is growing ever closer, with the general assumption now being that we will get our first glimpse of the device during at the Mobile World Congress next month. Although this hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, the media has been so ablaze with this rumor that it looks pretty concrete. If the Galaxy S5 does debut at the Mobile World Congress then a release date of April is highly likely.
But aside from the unveiling and release date, what else do we know, suspect and ruminate about the Galaxy S5 at this point in time? Here’s a breakdown of everything we’ve heard so far.
Galaxy S5 Camera
Firstly, in the last 24 hours a brand new rumor has surfaced regarding the camera in the Galaxy S5. It was previously mooted that this would be a 16-megapixel camera, which would have been pretty impressive in itself, but a Flipboard photo which has emerged, posted by the user @123fliptest, suggests that the Galaxy could even sport a 21-megapixel snapper. This would be a pretty big deal, and would really mark the device out as a serious photograph taker. This is yet to be confirmed, but is a detail that will be keenly anticipated when the device is unveiled.
Galaxy S5 Security
Samsung now appears to have completely dropped the notion of having an iris scanning capability in the Galaxy. It is assumed that this was due to problems with needing a dual camera interface, which would be supported by the 21-megapixel murmurings; naturally this could get rather expensive. Instead, recent leaks have suggested that the Galaxy S5 will embrace fingerprint scanning.
Galaxy S5 Screen
Samsung has always placed a particular emphasis on the quality of screens in mobile devices, given the fact that it is a massive manufacturer of televisions. This also goes hand in hand with the quality of cameras contained within Galaxy devices, which of course require a good quality screen as a viewfinder. Thus, the Galaxy S5 is expected to feature a 2K resolution display, which is rumored to be 5.25” in size. This has been revealed by the infamous Tweeter and leaker @evleaks, so it is reckoned to be a pretty solid assumption.
Galaxy S5 Versions
The Galaxy should see be released in two models when it finally comes out. This hasn’t been fully confirmed and can definitely be filed under ‘rumor’, but it would be in line with Apple’s strategy with the iPhone 5, and would thus seem to make sense. The two different models will have differing specifications and build quality and there are even murmurings that they may contain differing processors.
Galaxy S5 Processor
Speaking of which, Samsung has already confirmed that it will fit the Samsung Galaxy S5 with a 64-bit processor. It is thought at this point in time that either an eight-core Samsung Exynos 6 or a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 will be fitted within the device, although another rumor suggests that the premium and budget versions may be fitted with different processors.
Galaxy S5 User interface
Another key element of the Galaxy S5 is that it will feature a completely new tiled interface resembling those used in Windows Phones. This is clearly intended to make the new Galaxy stand out from previous iterations, and is something that has been confirmed by Samsung executive as being an important part of their strategy for the S5, so can pretty much be taken as gospel.
Galaxy S5 Operating System
No too many surprises here. The Samsung Galaxy will definitely run off Android, and will almost certainly run Android 4.4 KitKat. This can be considered 99 percent certain, and will be an absolute certainty if the release date is confirmed as currently presumed.
Galaxy S5 Construction
This is one area where Samsung probably has a little catching up to do on Apple. The iPhone is still recognized to be the sleakest and sexiest smartphone in the world, and Smasung needs to step up the Galaxy’s looks to match its functionality.
Thus, Doon-hoon Chang, Samsung’s vice president of design strategy, has already implied that the Samsung Galaxy S5 will feature an aluminum unibody metal chassis. With indications from Apple’s behavior and strategy pointing to the fact that they will greatly improve both the durability and appearance of the iPhone 6, this is a key area of improvement for Samsung.
Galaxy S5 Price
Given all of the extra spec that Samsung is apparently intending to include in the Galaxy S5, it is reasonable to assert that this device could launch at a higher price than previous editions. It was assumed until recently that the American launch price of the Galaxy S5 could be around $800-900, with the phone retailing for £550-600 in the UK.
At least, this was assumed until recently, but it seems that Apple are currently ruminating over their strategy with the iPhone given the below-par sales figures that the company recently released. It is thought that the iPhone 6 may come in at a lower price point than previous iterations. Thus, this may impact Samsung’s strategy and we may see a cheaper Galaxy S5 than was thought a month ago.
