One of the highest-caliber debuts at this year’s MWC, the Samsung Galaxy S5
was just unveiled at the Unpacked 5 event. The flagship opens a new
chapter in Samsung's design – the back is still leather-like, but with a
brand new look.
We’re looking at a longer feature list fifth year in a row – IP67 certification is a big one and so are the fingerprint sensor and heart rate monitor, a first for a mobile device.
The core features too were duly updated to put the Galaxy S5 ahead of its S4 predecessor – a 5.1" Super AMOLED screen of 1080p resolution, Snapdragon 800 chipset with 2GB of RAM, 150Mbps LTE and a 16MP camera.
Update: Samsung's original info stated 1080p video recording, but it turns out it's actually UHD - that's 3840 x 2160.
Another thing that didn’t turn out as whispered was TouchWiz – it's new and based on Android 4.4.2 KitKat, but not as flat as some Holo fans would have hoped.
No switch to on-screen buttons either – the Galaxy S5 has three keys below the screen, this time an App Switcher button replacing the Menu key.
The Galaxy S5 will be available in four colors initially - Black, White, Blue and Copper. The US is getting only the Black and White ones though.
The camera does, however, record UHD video - Samsung's initial information was for 1080p, but we can now confirm it's really 4K UHD (2160p).
Samsung does maintain the clockspeed advantage with a rare Snapdragon 800 chipset and while the fingerprint scanner was no surprise, the heart rate monitor certainly is.
TouchWiz was a bit of a surprise too. We got pumped up for a brand new flat version of Samsung's custom UI, but the reality is closer to what we saw on the new Galaxy Pro tablets.
Samsung Galaxy S5
The back of the device is a new iteration of Samsung's leather-like plastic, with what looks like perforated holes. It only looks like it though, the Galaxy S5 is IP67 certified - we don't expect to see a Galaxy S5 Active.
Like we said, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is in part what we expected and a bit of a surprise. What is it though that sets it apart from the Galaxy S4 Advance with the leather back?
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is nearly 6mm taller and 3mm wider than the S4, it's even a tad thicker. It has also put on 15g of weight. Those values seem too high for a mere 0.1" increment in screen size, but we suspect water-proofing the device took its toll on the bezels (think of Xperia Z1's bezels).
In terms of design, the Galaxy S5 looks more rectangular - closer to the Note 3 than the Galaxy S4. Samsung kept the hardware buttons below the screen, only replacing the Menu key with the App Switcher.Note that the Home button now contains a fingerprint scanner, which will be used for securing the phone but apps can also use it to provide secure verification for their services. You need to swipe your finger over the scanner (not just hold it).
It's really the back that has changed the most. The plastic still has a leathery texture, but goes after the perforated leather look and there's no stitching. This makes it look more like a plastic back rather than a leather imitation, but the material still feels good to the touch.
Here is the new 16MP camera with no optical image stabilization and 2160p video capture. Samsung claims the Phase Detection Auto Focus tech is the fastest on a phone, but we'll have to test it for ourselves.
Right under the camera is the flash with two odd looking sensors for heart rate monitor, which is a first on a smartphone. With the S5, Samsung is putting an even stronger emphasis on a fit lifestyle.The screen is a 1080p Super AMOLED unit that has grown a bit since the last generation, but the difference in surface area is less than 5%. Samsung enabled dynamic adjustments to the screen based on ambient light, but the poor lighting at the event masked any difference that could have made.The silvery plastic that encircles the sides of the phone is still in place and here you can see the usual suspects, including an IR blaster at the top. Samsung has moved to microUSB 3.0, just like on the Note 3. The port is covered under a flap to prevent water damage, while the 3.5mm audio jack on top is left uncovered.
The back cover is removable as usual. Below it is a 2,800mAh battery (also removable) and a microSD card slot to supplement the 16/32GB built-in storage. The slots supports the new 128GB microSD cards, so you won't run out of storage any time soon.
Samsung will offer more color options out of the gate - the standard Black and White models, a Blue one (a much brighter blue than the original S4 Arctic Blue) and a Copper version (which we suspect will become better known as "gold"). Note that the color versions are region dependent.
We’re looking at a longer feature list fifth year in a row – IP67 certification is a big one and so are the fingerprint sensor and heart rate monitor, a first for a mobile device.
The core features too were duly updated to put the Galaxy S5 ahead of its S4 predecessor – a 5.1" Super AMOLED screen of 1080p resolution, Snapdragon 800 chipset with 2GB of RAM, 150Mbps LTE and a 16MP camera.
Update: Samsung's original info stated 1080p video recording, but it turns out it's actually UHD - that's 3840 x 2160.
Another thing that didn’t turn out as whispered was TouchWiz – it's new and based on Android 4.4.2 KitKat, but not as flat as some Holo fans would have hoped.
No switch to on-screen buttons either – the Galaxy S5 has three keys below the screen, this time an App Switcher button replacing the Menu key.
The Galaxy S5 will be available in four colors initially - Black, White, Blue and Copper. The US is getting only the Black and White ones though.
Samsung Galaxy S5 at a glance:
- Form factor: Water-resistant bar phone, IP67 certification
- General: 2G, 3G and 4G LTE connectivity
- Dimensions: 142 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145 g
- Display: 5.1" 16M-color Super AMOLED HD capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (431ppi)
- Chipset: Snapdragon 801 MSM8974-AC
- CPU: 2.5GHz Krait 400
- GPU: Adreno 330
- RAM: 2GB
- OS: Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
- Memory: 16/32GB storage, microSD card slot
- Still camera: 16 megapixel auto-focus camera
- Video camera: UHD (2160p) video recording
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 3.0 with MHL, GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC, Infrared port
- Battery: 2800mAh
- Heart rate monitor
- Fingerprint scanner
- Additional sensors: humidity sensor, temperature sensor
The camera does, however, record UHD video - Samsung's initial information was for 1080p, but we can now confirm it's really 4K UHD (2160p).
Samsung does maintain the clockspeed advantage with a rare Snapdragon 800 chipset and while the fingerprint scanner was no surprise, the heart rate monitor certainly is.
TouchWiz was a bit of a surprise too. We got pumped up for a brand new flat version of Samsung's custom UI, but the reality is closer to what we saw on the new Galaxy Pro tablets.
Samsung Galaxy S5
The back of the device is a new iteration of Samsung's leather-like plastic, with what looks like perforated holes. It only looks like it though, the Galaxy S5 is IP67 certified - we don't expect to see a Galaxy S5 Active.
Like we said, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is in part what we expected and a bit of a surprise. What is it though that sets it apart from the Galaxy S4 Advance with the leather back?
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is nearly 6mm taller and 3mm wider than the S4, it's even a tad thicker. It has also put on 15g of weight. Those values seem too high for a mere 0.1" increment in screen size, but we suspect water-proofing the device took its toll on the bezels (think of Xperia Z1's bezels).
In terms of design, the Galaxy S5 looks more rectangular - closer to the Note 3 than the Galaxy S4. Samsung kept the hardware buttons below the screen, only replacing the Menu key with the App Switcher.Note that the Home button now contains a fingerprint scanner, which will be used for securing the phone but apps can also use it to provide secure verification for their services. You need to swipe your finger over the scanner (not just hold it).
It's really the back that has changed the most. The plastic still has a leathery texture, but goes after the perforated leather look and there's no stitching. This makes it look more like a plastic back rather than a leather imitation, but the material still feels good to the touch.
Here is the new 16MP camera with no optical image stabilization and 2160p video capture. Samsung claims the Phase Detection Auto Focus tech is the fastest on a phone, but we'll have to test it for ourselves.
Right under the camera is the flash with two odd looking sensors for heart rate monitor, which is a first on a smartphone. With the S5, Samsung is putting an even stronger emphasis on a fit lifestyle.The screen is a 1080p Super AMOLED unit that has grown a bit since the last generation, but the difference in surface area is less than 5%. Samsung enabled dynamic adjustments to the screen based on ambient light, but the poor lighting at the event masked any difference that could have made.The silvery plastic that encircles the sides of the phone is still in place and here you can see the usual suspects, including an IR blaster at the top. Samsung has moved to microUSB 3.0, just like on the Note 3. The port is covered under a flap to prevent water damage, while the 3.5mm audio jack on top is left uncovered.
The back cover is removable as usual. Below it is a 2,800mAh battery (also removable) and a microSD card slot to supplement the 16/32GB built-in storage. The slots supports the new 128GB microSD cards, so you won't run out of storage any time soon.
Samsung will offer more color options out of the gate - the standard Black and White models, a Blue one (a much brighter blue than the original S4 Arctic Blue) and a Copper version (which we suspect will become better known as "gold"). Note that the color versions are region dependent.
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