Samsung Galaxy S5 Release Date, Specs And Rumours: Everything You Need To Know

Look no further for Samsung Galaxy S5 news, with leaked pictures, benchmarks, specs and all the gossip

After a drop in profits and something of a lukewarm reception to its 2013 flagship, Samsung is tipped to come out guns blazing with a radically redesigned and uber-powerful follow-up in the form of the Galaxy S5 later this quarter.

The device is possibly set to arrive in at least two flavours, according to multiple reports: one plastic, the other metal. It will also pack in all the latest hardware and technology, so don’t be surprised to find at least 3GB of RAM, a 2K resolution display, a completely re-worked exterior design and a fresh lick of paint on the custom TouchWiz UI. 

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 805 chipset is likely to feature in the UK version, while Galaxy S5 units bound for Asia are said to benefit from Samsung’s own 64-bit Exynos 6 CPU. With regards to a launch date it’s looking increasingly likely Samsung will launch the device at a London event in March, though there are still plenty of eyes on Mobile World Congress (MWC) for the end of February. 

That’s a brief summary, however, so read on to find out all the juicy details about the Samsung Galaxy S5.

Display: AMOLED vs LCD

Rumours are suggesting the Samsung Galaxy S5 could ditch its Super AMOLED display for an LCD display. The display in question is Sharp’s Low Temperature PolySilicon (LTPS) LCD offering.

Chinese site Tencent is reporting the company aims to lose its super AMOLED display but it is based on “unconfirmed information.” That information does suggest though that Sharp is going to provide 5.25-inch 2K Ultra HD LTPS displays which have a higher pixel density of 560 pixels-per-inch (ppi). Not bad.

Samsung usually makes its own AMOLED screens; it’s been using them since the first Galaxy S edition. But the rumour mills are suggesting it is focusing its efforts on creating those sought after flexible OLED displays ready for 2015. Samsung also owns a good portion of Sharp so it isn’t like outsourcing to an entirely separate manufacturer.

Another reason is it has run into production issues with the AMOLED displays which means the Korean company can’t keep up with the demand for a new flagship device.

Previous reports have ping-ponged back and forth between the idea of different types of AMOLED and LCD. Some of the earliest believed we would see Samsung’s flexible OLED screens and since then we’ve heard PLS LCD may also be an option. Generally though, the 2K resolution is a very consistent rumour.

Another source suggests the Galaxy S5 could have a qHD display resolution. @evleaks got hold of a couple of Android app package names thought to be from the S5.

One package is dubbed "3DTourViewer_WQHD_K.apk", which  indicates compatibility with a QHD resolution at 2560x1440 pixels.

Design

A recent patent filed by Samsung for a new, super-curvy smartphone design was initially associated with a supposed launch of a Galaxy Note 4 in late 2014. The patent diagrams included an S-Pen stylus socket in the chassis.

However, the patent has clearly got some people thinking outside the box. Traditionally, Samsung has kept its smartphone designs consistent across its product catalogue. That doesn't mean changes cannot be made, of course, but does prompt the question of whether a radical re-design will take place across multiple handsets, including the forthcoming Galaxy S5.

As a result, talented concept artist Ivo Maric has taken the patent filing diagrams and used them to develop a concept render for the Samsung Galaxy S5, which we expect the company will reveal in February at Mobile World Congress 2014. Maric's design was posted on Concept-phones.com.

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Of course, usually with concept designs it's just interesting to see how people imagine a company's product evolving. But in this case, it's particularly intriguing as it is based on a genuine Samsung patent - could this be what the Galaxy S5 actually looks like? We hope so.

In this concept the Samsung Galaxy S5 is thinner than the S4 and looks, to our eyes, a little more like the often-forgotten Google Nexus S. It also has a curved display, a new innovation seen in the Galaxy Round and LG's G Flex and one which Apple is also apparently adopting with the iPhone 6, if rumours are to be believed. Maric imagines the Galaxy S5, if it does use this design, will be similarly sized to the Galaxy S4 but continue Samsung's trick of squeezing a larger display into the same space, specifically a 5.25-inch panel.

But it isn’t completely cut and dry just yet. Samsung has also patented a smartphone that has no hardware buttons on the front of the handset. Filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on July 20, 2012, the patent could be for the company's upcoming Galaxy S5. Google's Android platform has been using on-screen navigation keys for quite some time now, after all.

It’s also possible Samsung could be freeing up space on the Galaxy S5’s bezel to make room for the handset’s rumoured fingerprint scanner, a new feature which sources claim will replace the previously muted Iris Scanner. 

However there’s also that weird looking elongated rectangle in the upper right hand corner. Could that be a fingerprint scanner? It doesn’t look like a volume rocker to us, and even if it was that still doesn’t explain why it’s on the back of the handset. Next to the weird rectangle is the handset’s central imaging unit complete with flash.  There also appears to be a jazzy pattern etched into the back panel. Make of that what you will…