Samsung Galaxy S5: Expected Key Features Ahead of Tomorrow's Launch

When Samsung debuted its Galaxy S3 in 2012, it was a hugely popular. It brought the South Korean company to prominence and moved ahead of Apple as the world's largest phonemaker later that year. In 2013, the Galaxy S4 had mixed responses, mostly due to similar design cues to the S3 and clunky features. The Galaxy S5, to be unveiled tomorrow, would be a crucial device for Samsung.

The Galaxy S4 was rather similar to the Galaxy S3

Here we breakdown the expected features of the Galaxy S5:

Display Size
Android devices have large screens, and they're still growing! Last year's Galaxy S4 had a 5-inch screen, so could we see a 5.2-incher this time round? If it increases to more than 5 inches, it would go into the "phablet" category. The Galaxy Note 3 has a 5.5-inch screen. Therefore, a 5.2-inch Galaxy S5 does not seem too likely, but cannot be ruled out.
Likelihood: 6/10

Screen Resolution
Expect to see at least a 1080x1920 full HD resolution. However, there are reports that it might spot a 2k display, which has 1440x2560 pixels.
Likelihood: 7.5/10

Not the real deal: Faux-leather

Materials
After critics (me included) lashed out on Samsung's use of polycarbonate (read: plastics) on its "premium" devices, Samsung opted for faux-leather (read: plastics) on the Note 3. Do I need to state that Xiaomi's Mi-3 ($332) is made of aluminum? I'd be happy for Samsung to shut me up on this one. A Samsung executive said:

"For the S5, we will go back to the basics. Mostly, it’s about the display and the feel of the cover."

I hope that Samsung moves away from polycarbonate.
Likelihood: 8/10

Internals
Samsung is rumored to use a 64-bit Exynos processor with the Galaxy S5, following in the footsteps of Apple with the iPhone 5s. Rumors suggest that it will be paired with 2Gb or 3Gb of RAM, while a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 version might come with 3Gb of RAM.
Likelihood: 7/10

Camera (Pictures)
The current Galaxy S4 and Note 3 have 13-megapixel cameras, and Samsung will be eager to add in a few pixels, as usual. Rumors are rife that it will include a 16-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization and improved LED flash. 
Likelihood: 7.5/10

Camera (Video)
The Galaxy Note 3 can shoot 4k videos, i.e. 3840x2160 pixels. There are no rumors that the Galaxy S5 to have the same capability, but it remains possible. 4k TVs are starting to bloom and Samsung might want to bring over the Note 3's features.
Likelihood: 5/10

Android Interface
Samsung is known to tweak Android heavily with its TouchWiz skin, only to make it worse. Google Now works much better than S Voice. Although Google signed a contract with Samsung for it to tone down TouchWiz, some leaks have shown the opposite. Expect a different user interface, for better or worse.
Likelihood: 9/10

Biometrics
Although earlier reports suggest that the Galaxy S5 might spot an Iris scanner, it seems like the technology has not matured. SamMobile "confirmed" that the Galaxy S5 will have a fingerprint scanner, with a different technology to Apple's (click to read full article).
Likelihood: 9/10

The Galaxy S4 Active is waterproof.

Water Resistance
Samsung released a video yesterday that hints at a waterproof phone (click to read full article). However, it is still unclear if Samsung will launch multiple phones, with a waterproof variant. Currently, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is not waterproof but Galaxy S4 Active is.
Likelihood: 7/10

Samsung's Unpacked5 event will begin at 8pm in Barcelona, Spain (3am Tuesday Malaysian time). Click here for livestream of the event on Samsung's official YouTube page.

Meanwhile, why not check out the Samsung's new Gear 2 smartwatches here?

Click here for a list of devices to be unveiled at WMC other than the Galaxy S5.


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Written by: Kheng Wei Ang