As 2014 rolls in, with it, as always, comes a brand new generation of new mobile phones. Sales of phones have started to collect, each year, around the major releases from Samsung and Apple. Samsung’s hero flagship release every year is the Galaxy S series.
Criticized by some for being less innovative than previous Galaxy releases, the 2013 Galaxy S4 still sold well. The S5 is an opportunity for Samsung to out feature, out market and out sell Apple.
The S4 had specifications which were, frankly, beyond what is necessary for a good user experience. That is, they were features for the sake of features. Let’s see what analysts, leaks and rumors are suggesting the S5 will benefit from.
The S5’s release date – likely to announce in February, with S5 phones on shelves in April
Samsung usually release their Galaxy phones three or four months in to the calendar year. Rumors about the launch of the new Galaxy S5 suggest :
- Announcement : There is likely to be an announcement this month ( February ) at the Mobile World Congress, and
- Phones in store: We then expect a March 2014 release to stores
The suggestion is that both New York and London will see huge launch events and some of the usual razzmatazz that multi million dollar marketing campaigns can buy.
It’ll cost around $750 Australian
Expect to pay top dollar for the S5 experience. We’re looking forward to a smartphone filled with new technology. And, as usual, that’ll be reflected in the price tag. In the USA, Samsung is expected to charge $650/US. Over here, it’s likely to retail for $750 to $800. As you know, there’s always an ‘Australia tax’ for bringing the phone all the way over here. Still, at least it’s slightly cheaper than an iPhone.
A new type of plastic body
While there were rumors, in the beginning, about the Korean company deciding to go full on metal with the Galaxy S5, most credible analysts suggest that’s not the case.
Since the release of the Galaxy S4 both Apple and HTC one have out done the S4 in terms of their phones’ design aesthetics. Both the iPhone 5s and HTC One provided a much sleeker look and superior feel. It’s fair to say that we’re all hoping Samsung takes the same route with the S5. Unfortunately industry insiders suggest that it’s simply not going to happen.
Interestingly, however, there is a potential to revisit the body in one useful form. Samsung appear to be readying to release a new plastic coating for their phones which is stronger and more resistant to wear and tear than anything else on the market so far. Let’s hope it true. My Galaxy S3 was pretty dented and marked by the time I upgraded it !
64-bit CPU
As we’ve said, Samsung are never afraid of building phones with completely over the top specifications just for the sake of it. They’re obviously feel slightly shown up by Apple’s impressive 64-bit A7 processor and are looking to get a piece of the action. This year, it looks like the Samsung Galaxy S5 will have a 64 bit architecture, just like the latest iPhone did. Not that there’s any software which will be able to use it. 64 bit chips need to be paired with a breath taking amount of RAM which leads us to guess that the S5 could be blessing Australians with 4GB of RAM to power all of the gadgets and gizmos it has to offer.
2k screen
When it comes to screens Samsung is known for the quality and size of what they produce. Screens are almost an unofficial trademark specification for them – which is quite a reputation to have.
As such, there is no doubt that the S5 will be providing a very sharp display. One of the firmest statements we’ve heard about the Galaxy S5 is that it’s likely to ship with a 2K QHD display, with an out of this world 560ppi. Again, this specs are way, way beyond what’s actually useful for a human being. Apple’s Retina 326 pixels per inch is agreed as the limits of human sight. Still, it’s reassuring to know you’ve got the best screen possible.
Sharpness is not all that this year’s model is rumored to be improving, color and performance are on the list too. There are rumors that with the S5 Samsung may be straying away from their AMOLED technology leaning more in favor of LCD panels in their new generation phone. Common sense suggests that they would only move to the new screen if it was better for users. We’re excited to see what Samsung do with the Galaxy S5’s screen. If it’s better than AMOLED, it’s going to be good.
Better camera – More MP, better sensor
Although the S4 contained a ridiculous 13MP camera on its back there are rumors about the Galaxy S5 taking things a little further with a 16MP snapper. There are phone cameras on the market that far surpass that, such as the 20.7MP filling up the memory cards of the Sony Xperia Z1 or the ‘made a mistake on the requirements’ 41MP Nokia Lumia’s 1020. Part of me wants to point out that it’s possible to print off an A3 image, in great quality, using a 5MP camera and to suggest that we stope this arms race here and now. Part of me wants to say – who are we kidding the more the better!
Recent developments in phone cameras have improved not just the number of megapixels involved but the other camera components involved, too. With this in mind, Samsung have announced a new CMOS image sensor, which should debut in the S5. The new sensor would isolate pixels, minimizing electrical static. Or something. For you and me, it means sharper, more colorful, richer images.
Retina scanner rather than fingerprint recognition
For those excited about the chance that Samsung S5 will adopt the technology Apple graced consumers with last year when they provided a fingerprint scanner, you best settle down. The Korean Times reported that Samsung has not yet developed the technology needed for this option to be provided on handsets.
Why would they ? Some analysts are suggesting that, while Samsung don’t have fingerprint recognition capability yet, they may have retina scanners which will serve the same purpose.
2900 mAh battery
With all of the new technology involved in the S5 you better believe customers are looking for a bit of reassurance around a new, hopefully supercharged, battery. It is rumored that the Galaxy S5 will receive a 2900mAh juice pack, which will charge in as little as 2 hours.
With so many rumors flying around about the Samsung’s S5, the best approach is probably, “we’ll believe it when we see it.”