Korean-based Samsung Electronics Co. will release the Samsung Galaxy S5 devices in 150 countries on April 11, it announced today.
The device will be available in black, white, and copper gold, Samsung president Jong-Kyun Shin revealed in a presentation from Mobile World Congress. The smartphone will also offer a new “Gear Fit” accessory to monitor heart rate and act as a pedometer. It will offer an ultra power-saving mode, a battery that provides 12 hours of video playback, better WiFi support, and biometric security.
Samsung’s Galaxy S series has become the dominant device among Android smartphones and surpassed Apple’s iPhone last year on a global basis, although iPhone remains the most popular device in Canada. Though Samsung’s devices are a close second and closing the gap, so a strong product release with the Galaxy S5 could bring it to the number one spot.
Samsung’s devices are becoming popular among professionals that are bringing them to work as part of the bring your own device (BYOD) trend. Samsung offers Knox, an app that separates personal data from work-related data, pre-installed on its devices to help professionals stay secure and within the bounds of their company IT policies. Samsung has also recently launched a Pro line of tablets targeting the business market.
While the Samsung Unpacked5 event was webcast live today from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, many of the surprises the manufacturer had in store were leaked in photos on a Twitter account called SaudiAndroid, as reported by Darrell Etherington from TechCrunch.
The device styling is quite similar to the previous generation of Galaxy S series smartphones, but different in this model will be a dimpled backing.
https://twitter.com/SaudiAndroid/status/437883705151873024
Compared here by Saudi Android to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy S4, we can see that Samsung is continuing its trend of making its screen size slightly larger with each new phone in the Galaxy S series, while remaining smaller than the ‘phablet’ Note series. It measures five inches across the diagonal.
https://twitter.com/SaudiAndroid/status/437878446794891264
It appears the new camera on the Samsung Galaxy S5 will support up to 16 megapixel still photos and allow recording of ultra high-definition video, according to the settings on display in this screenshot:
https://twitter.com/SaudiAndroid/status/437916256767721472
Taking a cue from Apple’s iPhone 5 design, there will be a fingerprint scanner included on the Galaxy S5, probably to unlock the phone and perhaps authorize purchases made on Google Play and the Samsung app store. Etherington says the scanner will be integrated into the home button:
https://twitter.com/SaudiAndroid/status/437868596669063168
Other features gleaned from the leaked photos include a download booster that allows the user to combine LTE signal with WiFi to download files faster. It’s also made to be more rugged, with water and dust resistance.
