With the physical design of the smartphone, Samsung chose to go with polycarbonate for the fifth consecutive time and the phone features a soft-tone, dimple-textured plastic back-cover that Samsung likes to call “modern glam look” and it may remind some of the original Nexus 7. The front side, undoubtedly, takes some design cues from its predecessor–the Galaxy S4′s–with only minor tweaks here and there. Overall, the phone has slightly less-rounded corners and a little larger frame to house a 5.1″ display.
The UI has been simplified for the first time in a Galaxy flagship device and the usual S-based additions that Samsung offered in previous instalments are not a major focus. It is, perhaps, a direct result of Samsung’s deal with Google where the latter “forced” Samsung to provide a true-to-original Android UI experience. Also, there are Private Mode and Kids Mode, which block the access to certain features. The Ultra Power Saving Mode will keep the phone alive for longer periods of time in stand-by mode if battery is about to run out.
On the hardware side, perhaps the biggest surprise is the heart-rate sensor on the back, right under the camera. It can sense the heart-rate by measuring the pulse from the fingertip of a user. Rest of the specifications, that have leaked a number of times before, provide only customary upgrades from last year’s Galaxy S4:
- 2.5 GHz, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
- 2 GB of RAM
- 5.1-inch, 1080p Super-AMOLED display (1920 x 1080 pixels)
- 16 or 32 GB internal memory options with microSD card slot expansion
- 2.1 MP secondary and 16 MP primary camera with LED flash and optical image stabilization
- 2,800 mAh battery
- Fingerprint sensor (embedded in the Home key)
- Heart-rate monitor
- Infra-red blaster for remote control options
- USB 3.0 / NFC / Bluetooth 4.0 BLE/ANT+ connectivity
- IP67-certified water- and dust-proof housing
The smartphone camera was a major focus of the official announcement and Samsung claimed the right to several “industry firsts”. One of the major camera features is PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus) where the camera intelligently and automatically detects the right phase and contrast for the situation. Moreover, the camera features a 0.3 second auto-focus time which is actually pretty decent for a smartphone camera. Also, Video HDR mode, Selective Focus and Defocus Effect have been added to the camera. Selective Focus works like Nokia’s Refocus feature, to bring a particular part of the picture in focus after the photo has been taken. Defocus is a new feature that sounds cool in theory–it enhances blur for the background and adds bokeh to give the images a more professional, wider-aperture look.
Samsung has made the health & fitness apps and related wearables a major focus of the event with announcing four devices with built-in health-related sensors: the Galaxy S4, Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit smartwatches. Bundled with these devices is the S Health Suite software pack that promises a complete fitness monitoring solution for Sleep, Exercise, Food, Stress and Weight scenarios.
Galaxy S5 will be made available from April 11th this year in nearly 150 countries. There’s no word on the price of the device yet.
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