The Samsung Galaxy S5 has been officially unveiled at MWC 2014, with the eagerly awaited handset playing host to an integrated fingerprint scanner and IP67 water and dust resistant certification.
Having been the subject of countless leaks and endless rumours in recent months, the Galaxy S5 has been showcased as a direct follow-on to the market leading Samsung Galaxy S4. Although boasting an inbuilt fingerprint scanner, the phone has missed out on the widely rumoured 2K display.
“We’ve decided to go back to basics with the Galaxy S5 and focus on the features and things that matter the most to our consumers,” Simon Stanford, Vice President of IT and Mobile at Samsung UK said. “People want a smartphone than enhances and enables their mobile life.”
He added: “The Samsung Galaxy S5 represents just that, and we’re excited to see the response of our latest flagship smartphone device.”
Samsung Galaxy S5 Features
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is certainly more of a case of evolution that revolution. On paper though, this evolution looks a marked step up on the S4 in a number of areas.
Like the iPhone 5S and its TouchID sensor, the Galaxy S5’s fingerprint scanner has been built within the handset’s physical home button. The biometric security measure will require users to swipe their finger down over the sensor to unlock the device.
With three separate fingers able to be stored at any one time, the sensor can also be used to make PayPal payments. It is expected that the sensor will gain compatibility with further apps moving forward.
The integrated fingerprint scanner is not the S5’s only new sensor either. On the rear of the device a heart rate monitor features to offer fitness details on the fly. This sensor collaborates with the phone’s improved S Health 3.0 app, working with the integrated pedometer and calorie tracking credentials to offer a broader view on your general well-being.
Viewing your data will be done on the phone’s 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display. Just like the S4, the Galaxy S5 screen features a 1920 x 1080p Full HD resolution.
As expected, the rear camera is a 16-megapixel offering, with the Korean manufacturer pairing it with a secondary, 2-megapixel camera around front. The company has claimed that the new camera will be able to fully focus and capture and image all within less than 0.3 seconds.
Like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 before it, the S5's camera is capable of capturing 4K video at a resolution of 3840 x 2160.
Although the IP76 dust and water resistant coating is sure to keep the phone safe from accidental spills and light drops, charging is going to be a little trickier with a removable flap used to cover the phone’s USB 3.0 connector.
Although a metal bodied design had been tipped, the Galaxy S5 has maintained a plastic form, with the LTE enabled handset powered by the new 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor.
With 2GB of RAM and the option of 16GB or 32GB of internal storage – expandable via microSD to 64GB, the S5 features a 2800mAh Lithium-Ion battery.
The phone lines up at 8.1mm thick and 145g in weight.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Release Date and Price
Despite the Galaxy S5 having been formally unveiled, the phone’s release date and price are still shrouded in much mystery.
So far Samsung has said only that the Samsung Galaxy S5 release date will be held in April.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy S4
