The new Galaxy S5 has finally revealed at Samsung Unpacked 5 event in Barcelona, revealing a more rugged device with a personalised focus on heath and fitness. Unlike what was speculated, the Galaxy S5 was announced with a single model which comes with a slightly bigger 5.1″ Full HD Super AMOLED display and runs on a faster 2.5GHz Quad-Core processor. Oddly it comes with just 2GB of RAM. There’s a choice of either 16GB or 32GB of on-board storage which is expandable with microSD up to 128GB cards supported.
As phone colours are getting too mainstream with the usual black, white and Gold, the Galaxy S5 strives to stand out with 4 striking colours – Charcoal Black, Shimmery White, Electric Blue and Copper Gold. The phone comes with a dotted pattern on the back cover which adds more texture but it is still a plastic back cover instead of a premium aluminium body which many had hoped for.
In terms of camera, it comes with a larger 16MP camera and boast an ultra fast focusing of just 0.3 seconds, claimed to be the fastest for a smart phone. For dramatic shots, the Galaxy S5 has a selective focus feature which is somewhat similar to Nokia’s Refocus app. The HDR function has been enhanced as well which adjusts exposure in real time as you snap a picture.
Connectivity wise, the Galaxy S5 offers no compromises with a Full 4G LTE Coverage with Cat 4 LTE covering 8 bands used internationally. WiFi is even faster too with 802.11ac support, which is a first of its kind for a Android smart phone. For moments when you urgently need to download files quicky, the Galaxy S5 has a Download Booster feature which will utilise both 4G LTE and WiFi bandwidth simultaneously to speed up the download process.
The Galaxy S5 now is also well prepared for unexpected wet moments as it is now water and dust resistance with a rating of IP67. This allows the water to be submerged under 1 meter of water but Samsung stresses that the Galaxy S5 is water resistant and clarifies that it is not to be mistaken as a fully Waterproof device.
For security, the Galaxy S5 now comes with a built-in finger print scanner on the home button. Unlike iPhone 5S Touch ID, you would need to swipe on the home button to unlock. In addition, the finger print security can be used for Mobile Payment as well. If you got files or content that you wish to keep private, the finger print scanner offers Private mode which lets you store your important stash securely.
Juicing up the device is a 2,800mAh battery, which is a mere 200mAh more than the previous Galaxy S4 model. However Samsung claims to have improved the battery management and should be able to push 10 hours of web surfing on 4G LTE and 12 hours of video playback. When you’re caught in an urgent situation with very little battery life, the Galaxy S5 now comes with Ultra Power Saving Mode. This helps to maximise as much usage from very little remaining battery life and it does take drastic actions like turning the display to Black and White and limiting its functions to essential stuff like calls, SMS and contacts. Samsung claims that Ultra Power Saving mode can deliver a remarkable 24 hours standby time with just 10% of battery life remaining.
2014 appears to be the year of fitness for Samsung. After revealing its Samsung Gear 2 smart watches with an integrated Heart Rate sensor, the Galaxy S5 too has one as well. The black piece element below the 16MP shooter isn’t just a LED flash but it is actually a discreet Heart Rate sensor which works with your finger.
Samsung also had a little surprise tonight when they revealed a Gear Fit wearable device which isn’t like any other fitness bands in the market. Samsung claims to have created a whole new category as the Gear Fit is the World’s First Curved Super AMOLED touch screen display on a wearable device. It is incredibly light at only 27 grams and like the Gear 2, the strap is removable and comes with a Heart Rate sensor. It also supports notifications and interactions with your smart phone but we reckon it isn’t as extensive as a full sized Gear. The Samsung Gear Fit will be compatible with 20 Galaxy models.
In terms of availability, the Galaxy S5 will be available internationally on 11th April and Malaysia will be likely to launch it on the same date. We are getting a hands-on with the Galaxy S5 so watch this space for our first impressions coming soon.
Head after the break for more content from the Samsung Unpacked 5 event.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Photos
Samsung Unpacked 5 Event
