TRUE: Samsung Unpacked event Feb. 24, hints at Galaxy S5 launch
The annual release schedule for smartphone flagships has become pretty standard in recent years. The Galaxy S2 was unveiled in February and released in May 2011. The Galaxy S3 was revealed and released in May 2012. The Galaxy S4 was shown off in March and released in April 2013. However, it looks like Samsung is pushing its next phone forward after disappointing S4 sales.
Following speculation the Galaxy S5 would debut at, or just before, Mobile World Congress at the end of February, Samsung has sent out invitations to the first official Unpacked media event of the year. It'll take place in Barcelona on February 24, which is also the first day of MWC 2014. Although it hasn't been confirmed the S5 will be the star of the show, the use of the number 5 at the end of the invite's title drops a substantial hint of what's to come.
If the earlier leak is correct, and it wasn't far off with the date and time, then we should expect the S5 to go on sale in April, which is more or less in-line with the Galaxy S4. It could be slightly earlier though, as according to this Korean news source, production of the phone was rumored to start at least a month earlier than the Galaxy S4.
HALF TRUE: Samsung may add Magazine UX, and redesigned interface to the Galaxy S5
Clarification by Jeffrey VC on 3-5-2014: The GS5 has a new interface, but Samsung didn't add its Magazine UX to the phone. The new interface actually looks closer to Google's vision for Android and has less bloatware than previous Samsung phones. We were impressed with it at MWC.
At CES 2014, Samsung launched a new range of tablets under the Galaxy Note Pro name, and one of the headline features was the introduction of the Magazine UX software. It's a major alteration, and could be designed to usher in a new Samsung-backed operating system underneath in the future – like the aforementioned Tizen – all with limited disruption for the user. There's a good chance we'll see something similar on the Galaxy S5.
At the time, Magazine UX was viewed as evidence Samsung wanted to get rid of Android, but since then, bridges have been rebuilt between the two firms, thanks to the sale of Motorola to Lenovo, and the signing of a 10-year patent sharing deal.
All this may be too late to alter much on the Galaxy S5 though, particularly if a series of leaked images from the @evleaks Twitter account turn out to be accurate. One of the screenshots shows an icon labelled, "Magazine," hinting the Note Pro tablet's Magazine UX will be included. The swish new version of TouchWiz, Samsung's much-maligned Android UI, appears to use elements familiar to Windows Phone users, and even those who've experienced HTC's BlinkFeed home screen. Here, it looks colorful, visually interesting, and less cluttered than the current version.
To go along with this, a second event invitation may have included our first look at Samsung's redesigned TouchWiz icons. Flatter and more minimalist than before, similar examples then turned up on a leaked screenshot, supposedly taken from a new Samsung device.
FALSE: High-end Prime and basic Standard versions of the S5
Clarification by Jeffrey VC on 3-5-2014: There is only one version of the Galaxy S5 announced so far.
KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has speculated we'll see a pair of Galaxy S5 smartphones announced, and like Samsung has done in the past, the two models will have key differences. He calls one the S5 Standard, but says this isn't the final name, and lists the spec as a 5.2-inch 1080p screen, a Snapdragon 800/Exynos 5 Octa processor, and 2GB of RAM.
The relatively ordinary Standard could be joined by the S5 Prime, which could share a 5.2-inch screen but up the resolution to 2560 x 1440 pixels, boost the RAM to 3GB, and the processor could be swapped for the latest Exynos 5 Octa. Kuo also adds the S5 will have a plastic body, a 16-megapixel camera, and a 2850mAh battery.
The good news is, KGI expects both the Prime and the Standard to be sold internationally, with the worldwide version of the Prime still using the Exynos 5430 octa-core chip. Rumors surrounding this chip suggest it'll be an iPhone 5S rivaling 64-bit chip.
As the phone's release gets ever closer, the leaks keep on coming. A picture, supposedly taken of the S5′s packaging, seems to confirm many of the above specs again. A 5.25-inch AMOLED screen with a QHD, that's 2560 x 1440, resolution is top of the list, along with a 2.5GHz quad-core processor and 3GB of RAM. A 3000mAh battery, GPS, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, and HD Voice support are also mentioned. The one difference is the camera, which will apparently have 20-megapixels, rather than the 16-megapixels we were expecting.
Not long after the iPhone 5S was revealed Samsung's mobile head, JK Shin told the Korea Times, "our next smartphones will have 64-bit processing functionality." According to Digital Daily in Korea, the new Exynos processor is a 14nm chip with 64-bit support and ARM's Cortex A53/A57 Big.Little octa-core configuration. However, KGI doesn't agree with all of this, and its report says the chip will be built using a 20nm process, and will be a 32-bit chip. We would expect at least 3GB of RAM to back that up, as does KGI, but Samsung is already producing 4GB LPDDR3 mobile DRAM, so that's always a possibility.
Mobile industry watcher Eldar Murtazin has sent out a tweet containing the S5′s possible spec list. It's stated the phone will have a 5.24-inch display with a 1440p resolution, adding up to a pixel density of 560ppi, and come with either a Snapdragon 805 or Exynos 6 chip. A 16-megapixel rear camera, a 3.2-megapixel front camera, a 3200mAh battery, and a choice of 32GB or 64GB internal memory are also mentioned.
TRUE: A 16-megapixel camera, but no optical image stabilization
Clarification by Jeffrey VC on 3-5-2014: The Galaxy S5 has a 16-megapixel camera and no optical image stabilization.
There were early suggestions that the Galaxy S5 would sport a 13-megapixel camera, possibly with optical image stabilization, but now we're hearing different. ET News predicts that Samsung will opt for a 16-megapixel sensor that's capable of better low-light performance than the competition. Leakster @evleaks has published a test picture supposedly snapped with the Verizon version of the S5. The camera's EXIF data reveals it has 16-megapixels, but little else.
However, a 16-megapixel camera isn't set in stone, as a leaked picture of the S5′s packaging lists it as coming with a 20-megapixel camera instead. In December last year, a report stated Samsung was planning to add a 16-megapixel camera to one in four of its 2014 smartphones, and was developing a 20-megapixel camera for use in 2015. As neither source is official, things may have changed, so both megapixel counts remain possible options.
Regardless of its size, the new sensor will be produced in-house and feature Samsung's ISOCELL technology which, "substantially increases light sensitivity and effectively controls the absorption of electrons, resulting in higher color fidelity even in poor lighting conditions."
Hope of the Galaxy S5′s camera having optical image stabilization have also taken a hit, as a rumor states Samsung is still having trouble sourcing the components, at least in a size that would be suitable for the usually slimline device. Optical image stabilization was thought to have been dropped from the Galaxy Note 3 due to a shortage of the modules.
FALSE: The S5′s 1440p resolution screen could be made by Sharp
Clarification by Jeffrey VC on 3-5-2014: The Galaxy S5 has a standard Full HD, or 1080p, screen much like the Galaxy S4. No phone has a 1440p screen yet.
We're expecting 2560 x 1440 pixel resolutions to become the standard on top-of-the-range Android smartphones during the next couple of years, so it makes sense Samsung's flagship will be one of the first to showcase a 1440p display, and most current rumors back this up.
Both Samsung and LG have confirmed such a screen is in the works, and one has already made its debut on the Vivo XPlay 3S. However, a rumor spread through the Chinese website IT168.com suggests Samsung has chosen a 1440p LPTS screen produced by Sharp for the S5, as it has had difficulty making AMOLED screens at such a high resolution. However, a Korean news source, quoting a Samsung Display executive, says the company has finished working on a 1440p screen of its own and it would be fitted to a smartphone soon.
FALSE: Multi-person video conferencing, using both cameras
Clarification by Jeffrey VC on 3-5-2014: This feature was not announced.
A patent uncovered by GalaxyClub.nl hints that Samsung may be updating its ChatON messaging service to include multi-person conference calls. The listing, which includes the screenshot you see here, indicates the software may enable both front and rear video cameras, along with multiple streams visible along the bottom of the screen. It sounds a little like Google's own conference call system available through Hangouts, which can support ten different feeds at the same time. Should the software being included with the Galaxy S5, it may come as either a part of ChatON, or a new TouchWiz feature.
FALSE: This one comes in metal
Clarification by Jeffrey VC on 3-5-2014: This one does not come in metal. Samsung stuck with a plastic shell, like previous Galaxy phones.
The idea that Samsung might break with tradition and produce a flagship with a metal body instead of plastic first surfaced way back in June. It was a vague notion to begin with, but in August the S5 metal chassis rumor got some meat on its bones when Korean news site ET News suggested magnesium and aluminum as possible materials.
Criticism of the Galaxy range has long focused on what some perceive as a "cheap, plastic feel" and many other flagship smartphones in the same price bracket have opted for aluminum designs. Should Samsung decide to switch to metal it would likely mean a heavier, more expensive device, and it could spell the end of the removable battery.
It's worth noting that this new metal Samsung phone could be the mysterious Galaxy F, a stop-gap in the flagship calendar that may land a few months before the S5. A further report does seem to indicate the Galaxy F may be closely related to the Galaxy S5, and could be more technically impressive, with a flexible screen similar to the Galaxy Round fitted. Another model, perhaps the Galaxy S5, would keep the standard Super AMOLED screen and plastic body shell.
A report at GalaxyS5Info agrees the phone could have a flexible screen, and also reckons that the faux leather polycarbonate of the Note 3 could make an appearance on the S5. There's also a chance that the S5 could use carbon fiber in its construction. Android Beat reported a partnership between Samsung Petrochemical and SGL Group (one of the largest producers of carbon fiber in the world). It's an extremely light and extremely strong material, so it could be ideal.
Japanese mobile industry news source EMSOdm.com has chipped in, saying the Galaxy S5 will have a metal unibody, which will be unlike any other Samsung phone to date. The company charged with producing the first run of cases is Catcher, which also builds the HTC One, the iPad, and the MacBook Air. Catcher was previously linked with Samsung and the Galaxy S5 back in September, but with cases for a device expected to arrive during the second half of 2014.
Despite all this talk, a metal Galaxy S5 is a sure thing yet. During CES 2014, Samsung's head of technical management told TrustedReviews.com, "I don't believe Samsung will go down the route of making a metal device just because others are," adding the firm wanted to offer customers, "the best materials." Plastic, he says, is, "Very light and very durable," and also, cheap to produce.
This isn't a denial on Samsung's part, more a clarification of why it would choose to alter materials used to build the S5, but it certainly hints that it'll be sticking with plastic for some time yet. This fits in with another recent rumor, which said Samsung was experimenting with a diamond metal coating for future phones. This process increases durability, provides a metal-look, and can be applied to polycarbonate. Will this be the route Samsung takes for the Galaxy S5?
FALSE: Brand new GS5 design
Clarification by Jeffrey VC on 3-5-2014: Nope. The GS5 has a slightly new design, but it's almost identical to the Galaxy S4 and GS3. It does not look like these pictures.
Even if the Galaxy S5 doesn't end its love affair with plastic that doesn't mean it won't look different from its predecessors. The Galaxy S line has stuck to a certain design aesthetic, the S3 and S4 are especially alike, but if the patent that Patent Bolt turned up is anything to go by then the S5 could ditch the home button and adopt a new angular form factor.
FALSE: Model numbers reveal multiple versions headed to North America
Clarification by Jeffrey VC on 3-5-2014: Nope. We haven't heard about this. It will come in 16GB and 32GB variants, and possibly have slightly altered specs for different carriers, but there is currently only one GS5.
A host of model numbers which potentially relate to the Galaxy S5 have been leaked online, each indicating the phone will also be known as the SM-G900. Each variant is identified by a surprisingly informative suffix, for example, we can assume the SM-G900A_NA_ATT is an S5 headed to AT&T in North America, while the G900v_NA-VZW will be off to Verizon. A T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular edition of the S5 is also listed, along with various models set for release internationally.
FALSE: Eye scanning security?
Clarification by Jeffrey VC on 3-5-2014: The Galaxy S5 has a fingerprint scanner on the Home button but no eye scanning.
According to AndroidSAS, the Galaxy S5 could one-up the fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5S and take the lead in biometric security with an eye-scanning sensor. The idea is that S5 owners will be able to scan their eyes in order to unlock their smartphones. This would supposedly offer a higher level of security, but the sources are unnamed and there's nothing to substantiate the rumor. We'll be sure to keep an eye on this one.
TRUE: Fingerprint scanner, or not?
Clarification by Jeffrey VC on 3-5-2014: Yep, the Home button of the GS5 has a fingerprint scanner. You slide your finger down to unlock the phone.
We've already seen a report from the Korea Herald in which a Samsung official is quoted as saying "We never officially admitted that Samsung was weighing the fingerprint system and Knox for Galaxy Note 3 for security functions. We are not yet developing the technology."
Analysts at KGI don't agree, and included biometric fingerprint scanning in a recent list of expected S5 specs. Of course, if the eye scanning rumor has any truth to it then fingerprints are probably out the window.
FALSE: Galaxy S5 could run Tizen OS
Clarification by Jeffrey VC on 3-5-2014: Maybe a future Galaxy will run Tizen, but the GS5 is Android and the GS6 is too.
Samsung has not given up on its own Tizen operating system. The International Business Times reckons the company may release a Tizen version of the Galaxy S5. Would Samsung release two different versions of the S5, one with Tizen and one with Android 4.4 KitKat? It doesn't seem likely, and we don't think Samsung is ready to ditch Android for its own platform yet. Maybe the Tizen version may be limited to specific markets, if it exists at all. We'll have to wait and see.
HALF TRUE: Stronger, more efficient battery
Clarification by Jeffrey VC on 3-5-2014: The GS5 has a 2800mAh battery, which is 200mAh larger than the battery in the GS4. So expect slight improvements. Samsung has also included a very cool new super battery saving mode that turns the screen black & white but greatly extends battery life.
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