Here it is, folks. That right up there is the Galaxy S5, Samsung's new flagship Android smartphone for 2014. The device was just unveiled in Barcelona at Samsung's Unpacked 2014 Episode 1 event, which was a bit more low-key than last year's debut of the Galaxy S 4 at Radio City Music Hall. But enough about venues; let's get right into the phone.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 features a 5.1-inch 1920x1080 Super AMOLED display on its face, which is just a hair larger than the 5-inch 1080p panel found on the Galaxy S 4. Powering Samsung's new Galaxy smartphone is a 2.5GHz quad-core processor that's paired with 2GB of RAM and a 2800mAh battery. The Galaxy S5 comes with either 16GB or 32GB of storage built-in, but that can be supplemented with a microSD card up to 64GB in size.
Samsung says that one of the most important features of any smartphone today is its camera, and so the company chose to make the shooter on the Galaxy S5 is one of its tentpole features. The S5 sports a 16-megapixel rear camera with an autofocus speed of up to 0.3 seconds, HDR and a Selective Focus feature that allows the user to focus on one part of an image and blur out the rest. Also included is a 2.1-megapixel shooter on the Galaxy S5's face.
But wait, there's more! Samsung has packed its new Galaxy flagship to the gills with hardware features, including Cat 4 LTE for speeds up to 150Mbps, an IP67-rated body for resistance to dust and water and a new S Health 3.0 app with a built-in heart rate monitor and fitness tracking capabilities. The Galaxy S5 also includes a Finger Scanner biometric feature for added security and an Ultra Power Saving Mode that'll turn the display black and white for those times when you need to stretch your battery as far as it'll go.
So now for the most important question: When can you buy one? Samsung says that the Android 4.4.2-powered Galaxy S5 will begin rolling out around the globe in April and that it'll be offered in charcoal Black, copper Gold, shimmery White and electric Blue color options. The company's U.S. arm has confirmed that AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, MetroPCS and U.S. Cellular will all carry its new flagship. Now we just have to wait for each operator to announce its own pricing and availability plans. Good thing that we've got plenty of images to ogle and a hands-on video on the way!
What do you all think of Samsung's new Galaxy S5? Does it have what it takes to be one of the top smartphones of 2014?
Via Samsung
- Log in to post comments