Samsung has announced its latest flagship Android phone the Samsung Galaxy S5, which as well as packing in much of the latest technology, such as a finger-print reader, is dust and water proof too.
Following in the footsteps of Sony's well received Z1 handset (and it's just announced followup the Z2), the new Galaxy S5 is rated as IP67 water and dust proof, which equates to full dust protection and protection from immersion in up to 1m of water for up to 30mins. We're yet to see exactly how this protection works, given the back of the phone is removable and has a hole for the speaker, but we'll find out soon enough.
The new handset will also feature a fingerprint reader incorporated into the home button on the front, just like the iPhone 5S. Joining this sensor is an in-built heart-rate monitor on the back, which sits alongside the rear camera's LED flash.
The core specs of the phone are as would be expected of Samsung's latest handset with a 5.1in Full HD AMOLED display, a 2.5GHz Quad Core processor, a 16MP rear camera (2MP front), 2GB of RAM, up to 32GB of internal memory and a microSD card supporting up to 128GB of extra storage.
One standout is the inclusion of 4K video recording, and Samsung makes some bold claims about the stills camera, citing its 0.3sec autofocus speed as being the world's fastest.
What will perhaps be a disappointment to many is that Samsung largely hasn't changed the physical design. There had been rumours the new handset would have a more premium finish to more directly rival the iPhone 5S. Such a premium version may still be on the cards for the future though.
The design, then, is a tweak to the Galaxy S4, with a full glass front broken up by the earpiece, a central physical home button and two touch buttons. This means the company has again steered clear of going with the Google-recommended control scheme of having one physical button to unlock the screen and then just on-screen controls.
Around the sides the phone uses a chromed plastic while the back retains a plastic removable cover, though this time it has a dimpled pattern. This will be available at launch in a variety of colours: Charcoal Black, Shimmery White, Electric Blue and Copper Gold.
Introducing the handset, Simon Stanford, Vice President of IT & Mobile division, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland said, “We’ve decided to go back to basics with the Galaxy S5 and focus on the features and things that matter the most to our customers – namely the camera, ability to view and download data and content quickly and their health and wellbeing.”
Given the list of features for this phone, and that it is even larger than its predecessor some might argue the S5 is anything but 'back to basics'. In comparison the upcoming HTC One 2 is expected to be a more modest refinement of the HTC One while the just-announced Sony Z2 is a very minor upgrade over the Z1.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Specs
Following in the footsteps of Sony's well received Z1 handset (and it's just announced followup the Z2), the new Galaxy S5 is rated as IP67 water and dust proof, which equates to full dust protection and protection from immersion in up to 1m of water for up to 30mins. We're yet to see exactly how this protection works, given the back of the phone is removable and has a hole for the speaker, but we'll find out soon enough.
The new handset will also feature a fingerprint reader incorporated into the home button on the front, just like the iPhone 5S. Joining this sensor is an in-built heart-rate monitor on the back, which sits alongside the rear camera's LED flash.
The core specs of the phone are as would be expected of Samsung's latest handset with a 5.1in Full HD AMOLED display, a 2.5GHz Quad Core processor, a 16MP rear camera (2MP front), 2GB of RAM, up to 32GB of internal memory and a microSD card supporting up to 128GB of extra storage.
One standout is the inclusion of 4K video recording, and Samsung makes some bold claims about the stills camera, citing its 0.3sec autofocus speed as being the world's fastest.
What will perhaps be a disappointment to many is that Samsung largely hasn't changed the physical design. There had been rumours the new handset would have a more premium finish to more directly rival the iPhone 5S. Such a premium version may still be on the cards for the future though.
The design, then, is a tweak to the Galaxy S4, with a full glass front broken up by the earpiece, a central physical home button and two touch buttons. This means the company has again steered clear of going with the Google-recommended control scheme of having one physical button to unlock the screen and then just on-screen controls.
Around the sides the phone uses a chromed plastic while the back retains a plastic removable cover, though this time it has a dimpled pattern. This will be available at launch in a variety of colours: Charcoal Black, Shimmery White, Electric Blue and Copper Gold.
Introducing the handset, Simon Stanford, Vice President of IT & Mobile division, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland said, “We’ve decided to go back to basics with the Galaxy S5 and focus on the features and things that matter the most to our customers – namely the camera, ability to view and download data and content quickly and their health and wellbeing.”
Given the list of features for this phone, and that it is even larger than its predecessor some might argue the S5 is anything but 'back to basics'. In comparison the upcoming HTC One 2 is expected to be a more modest refinement of the HTC One while the just-announced Sony Z2 is a very minor upgrade over the Z1.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Specs
- Network: LTE Cat.4 (150/50Mbps)
- Display: 5.1” FHD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080)
- Processor: 2.5GHz Quad core application processor
- OS: Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat)
- Camera: 16MP (rear), 2.0MP (front)
- Video: UHD@30fps, HDR, video stabilization
- WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2x2)
- Bluetooth: 4.0 BLE / ANT+
- USB: USB 3.0
- Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, Hall, RGB ambient light, Gesture(IR), Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor
- RAM: 2GB
- Internal Memory: 16/32GB, microSD slot up to 128G
- Dimension: 142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g
- Battery: 2800mAh
- Standby time: 390 hrs / Talk time: 21 hrs
- Additional Features: IP67 Dust and water Resistant, NFC, IR Remote, Ultra Power Saving Mode, Download Booster, S Health 3.0, Quick Connect, Private Mode, Kids Mode
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