In the run-up to yesterday’s Samsung Galaxy S5 launch at the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, rumors were rampant regarding a potential premium variant of the new flagship phone, a device with a metal body, QHD (2560 x 1440) display resolution, and a faster processor with a whopping 3 GB RAM under the hood. And while the good news is that the Galaxy S5 is official following its arrival at MWC 2014, the bad news is that Samsung didn’t unveil that premium variant of the S5. And for some, the bad news may also be the perception that Samsung’s new flagship phone is not a revolutionary device, but rather an evolutionary one.
In the rapidly-changing world of tech, calling a highly-touted device “evolutionary” is a backhanded compliment at best, and that’s what the Galaxy S5’s fundamentals suggest. The display size has been upped from 5 inches to 5.1 inches, though display resolution is still the same at 1080p Full HD, or 1920 x 1080. Under the hood, the Galaxy S5 is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor mated to 2 GB RAM, and runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat – that, at least, is a decent improvement over the Snapdragon 600 that powers the previous flagship Galaxy S4. The rear camera is now rated at 16 megapixels, but the phone doesn’t come with Optical Image Stabilization; with megapixel count becoming less relevant as a gauge of how powerful a smartphone’s camera is, it’s now becoming imperative to bake in as many camera features as possible. All told, the Galaxy S5’s specifications suggest a solid, though unspectacular improvement over the Galaxy S4.
But those are just the basics, and one can also argue that the Galaxy S5 does have some neat features that could help sell the device and make it distinct from other high-end flagships, such as HTC’s upcoming “All New HTC One” and Apple’s unannounced iPhone 6. The Galaxy S5 comes with a heart rate monitor on the back, while the device also sports a fingerprint reader underneath the home button, much like the iPhone 5s’ Touch ID system. The former feature seems quite interesting, as we’ve yet to see a flagship phone that can actually track one’s heart rate. And while the rear camera doesn’t come with OIS, it does come with a faster shutter, and also supports 4K, or Ultra HD video recording. Also, the phone now comes with IP67 dust- and water-resistant certification. Still, there are many that believe that those features don’t change the fact that the Galaxy S5 is an evolutionary flagship. Also, it bears mentioning that the device’s dimpled back plate design and glossy plastic finish haven’t exactly endeared the Galaxy S5 to consumers and critics who put a premium on a smartphone’s design.
Regardless of what you think about the Samsung Galaxy S5, the phone has arrived, it is now official, and the only thing we don’t quite know yet is the device’s release date and other related details. Rumors suggest a mid-to-late April release date, as well as availability on the top five American mobile carriers, namely AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon. And it still appears fairly likely that we may see the premium Galaxy S5 get launched after all, though it’s not quite clear if or when we can expect it to get revealed.