The Samsung Galaxy S5 is set to be one of the biggest smartphone launches
of 2014 – even with little known at this point what Samsung even has
planned
Samsung’s current flagship handset, the Samsung Galaxy S4
went on sale in April 2013. It came packed with a huge number of
features and contributed to the opinion that Samsung, rather than Apple, is the main driver of innovation in the smartphone market today.
It also doesn’t hurt that Samsung sold an estimated 20 million Samsung Galaxy S4s within two months of it hitting shelves.This is an article about the Samsung Galaxy S5. We’ll be rounding up all the latest news and rumours about the handset in the run up to its unveiling next year.
For other Samsung news, check out our Samsung News Hub.
Samsung Galaxy S5 release date
Samsung looks set to hold the first of its annual keynote events Samsung Unpacked at Mobile World Congress. The company is unlikely to hold another major event in March, so it looks increasingly like that Samsung will show off the Galaxy S5 for the first time at the show.It looks as though our prediction could well be correct with the Samsung Galaxy S5 release date being set for April after a Samsung executive confirmed that the S5 would launch alongside the Galaxy Gear 2 at the same time it launched the S4 last year.
As for when you’ll be able to get your hands on it? If we were betting people, we’d say the last Friday of April – so Friday, April 25th.
Samsung Galaxy S5 specs
Relatively little is known about the Samsung Galaxy S5’s specs. Speaking to Korea Times, Samsung’s co-CEO Shin Jong-Kyun has promised the company will match the processor found in Apple’s new iPhone 5s.Despite that promise, it appears that Samsung may not be matching it when it comes to it being 64-bit. According to KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will come in two varieties, but neither will have a 64-bit processor. The Prime is said to be coming with a Samsung octa-core Exynos 5430 processor, while the Standard model is said to be coming with a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor.
While it may not match it in terms of the amount of bits, if it turns out the Prime model does come with a octa-core processor, Samsung could out do Apple in sheer brute force. The lack of 64-bit support could also have something to do with both models only coming with 3GB RAM, according to Ming-Chi. The main reason for moving up from 32-bit chips is to break through the 4GB limitiation.
If Samsung is planning on sticking with 3GB of RAM, it makes more sense for it to opt for raw power, rather than add a feature which isn't really going to be used.
Samsung had confirmed that it is working on 64-bit processors for its 2014 handsets - although the company stopped short of actually announcing which handsets they were. If it turns out that Ming-Chi is right – and he has a history of being right – it may mean we have to wait until the Galaxy Note 4 before we see it.
To be honest, it would make more sense for the time being for the Galaxy Note 4 to debut 64-bit chips. Along with giving the company more time to perfect the technology (see below), it would also make more sense to pack its powerhorse phablet with more RAM – and so benefit from a 64-bit chip.
Stephen Woo, president of Systems SI at Samsung electronics told CNET that the company is taking a “two-step approach” to developing 64-bit chips.
According to Woo, the firm is planning on developing a 64-bit chip based on designs from ARM. Once it has mastered that technology, it will design its own chip. It is believed it will be the latter chip that ends up in both of Samsung’s 2014 flagships smartphones.
“We are marching on schedule,” Woo said Wednesday. “We will offer the first 64-bit [processor] based on ARM’s own core. After that, we will offer an even more optimised 64-bit [processor] based on our own optimisations.”
One other snippet of information we have is that the Samsung Galaxy S5 will supposedly feature fast charging capabilities. According to sources speaking with PhoneArena, the next Galaxy will arrive with a new type of lithium ion battery that will hold 20 per cent more energy than the S4 and can be fully charged in just two hours.
Samsung Galaxy S5 looks
The Samsung Galaxy S5 will sport an entirely new design according to Samsung Mobile executive vice president Lee Young Hee. Speaking to Bloomberg she confirmed that the S5 would be a bold departure after consumer feedback suggested that people didn't really see the difference between the S3 and the S4.This would certainly fit with the rumour that claimed Samsung is looking to move away from using polycarbonate back covers for its phones.
According to ET News, the company has sent engineers to Vietnam to investigate the feasibility of making smartphones with aluminium and magnesium backs.
The report claimed that some figures at the Korean manufacturer are concerned that the recent introduction of a plastic-backed ‘budget’ iPhone – the iPhone 5c – could make buyers think all plastic-backed smartphones are budget devices.
Perhaps we can find a clue in the recent Samsung Galaxy Note 3 - on that handset Samsung has replaced the traditional polycarbonate with a new faux-leather, stitched rear cover.