Unveiled: the New Galaxy S5 Cellular Phone

Each generation of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S phone is met with high anticipation and excitement. Feature sets, image renderings, and possible specifications usually hit the rumor mill at the turn of the new year, with industry insiders and consumers alike anxiously awaiting an official press release and subsequent spring product launch. Luckily, Samsung is up to the task: with each new model Samsung manages to extend the boundaries even further, adding more advanced technology and features than its previous generation. That's no small task, since all their models do a great job of maintaining relevancy throughout their flagship tenures.

New for this year, Samsung brings a host of welcome features to their coveted Galaxy S phone. Samsung packs a 16-megapixel camera on the rear of the Galaxy S5, which features a large 1/2.6" image sensor that rivals point-and-shoot cameras. The larger sensor will help you capture high-quality images, including photos taken in low-light situations. Photo enthusiasts will also appreciate the inclusion of Selective Focus, which is designed to blur image backgrounds and finely focus on the main subject. The front 2-megapixel camera is accompanied by a wide-angle lens for capturing more of your surroundings that should make for some high-quality selfies. Video recording has also seen an upgrade, with the addition of UHD 4K video recording at 30 frames per second on the rear camera. If you have a 4K television, you can use the Galaxy S5's MHL 2-ready micro-USB port to output 4K video to your external display. Not to be completely outdone, the front camera allows you to capture full HD 1080p video at 30 frames per second.

Optimized Security and a High IP Rating

On the surface, the Galaxy S5 resembles its predecessors, but Samsung added a few standout design enhancements to the S5. The integrated fingerprint reader offers optimized security, and is certified for PayPal mobile device payments. The display is slightly larger this year, at 5.1", as opposed to the S4's 5.0" screen. Resolution remains the same at 1920 x 1080, along with Samsung's vivid and popular Super AMOLED display technology. Gorilla Glass 3 is also back this year to help the device withstand screen wear and tear. Further protecting the Galaxy S5 is an IP67 certification, making the device resistant to sweat, rain, sand, and even dust; a great feature if your phone is used outdoors a lot. If you have an active lifestyle, you're probably already aware of the wide variety of fitness apps available on the Google Play store—the Galaxy S5 has you covered there. Onboard S Health guides you through your fitness routines and can track things like walking distance, burned calories, and speed. Furthermore, there is even a Heart Rate Sensor on the rear of the phone, which helps you measure the intensity of your workout.

 

When you hold the Galaxy S5 in your hand you will no doubt feel the perforated pattern on the back of the phone. At 5.1 ounces, Samsung manages to balance upgraded construction and portability. Under the hood, this smartphone features the powerful Samsung octa-core Exynos 5422 chipset, which consists of a quad-core 1.9GHz Cortex A15 processor and a second quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex A7 processor. 2GB of RAM is built in, and some Galaxy S5 model variants offer 16GB or 32GB storage capacities. You can upgrade the Galaxy S5's storage capacity via its microSD slot, which supports microSDXC cards all the way up to 128GB. With all of that power, it's easy to drain battery life pretty quickly, so to counter that, the Galaxy S5 comes with a removable 2800mAh battery that offers approximately 16 days of standby time and 21 hours of talk time.

DLNA Certified

Depending on the market and model variation, the Galaxy S5 is capable of 3.5G HSPA+ and 4G LTE speeds. These speeds allow you to do things easily, such as download songs and stay current on your favorite social media sites. If you're a Wi-Fi user, the device features dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac connectivity for accelerated Internet speeds. Bluetooth 4.0 is also present, allowing you to wirelessly pair with other Bluetooth-enabled devices such as headphones. So, if you're out for a jog, you can enjoy a hands-free experience along the way. Features like NFC and Wi-Fi Direct allow you to make peer-to-peer connections with compatible devices for sharing content such as photos, songs, and more. If you have an NFC-equipped television, you can use that technology to share your phone's screen with your TV's larger display for sharing content with family and friends. If you have an existing DLNA content-sharing network, the DLNA certified Galaxy S5 will fit right in, allowing you to share data with your other connected devices.

So, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is finally here, invested with a number of innovations and new features. Not only are the features geared to accommodate nearly every lifestyle, but you also have multiple color options to help you find the device that's most attractive to you. Power and design continue to be a major focus with the Samsung Galaxy series, and the S5 delivers and on both fronts. The Galaxy S5 is launching with Android KitKat 4.4.2, which is designed for fluid multi-touch navigation. This gives you a software platform that's equally as powerful as the hardware driving the device. At B&H, you can pick up a Samsung Galaxy S5 and begin to experience powerful performance paired with cutting-edge design.

Performance
Operating System	Android 4.4.2 KitKat
Memory	RAM: 2GB
Processor	2.5GHz ARM Krait 400
Storage	16GB
Display
Size	5.1"
Display Colors	16.0 Million
Pixel Density	432 ppi
Display Technology	AMOLED
Screen Coating	Gorilla Glass 3
Sensors	Ambient light sensor, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Proximity sensor
Native Resolution	1920 x 1080
PenTile	Not Specified By Manufacturer
Accelerometer	Yes
Input/Output Connectors
Ports	1x USB 3.0 - Micro
Audio	1x 1/8" (3.5 mm) Headphone 1x Integrated Speaker 1x Integrated Microphone
Flash Media Slot	1x microSDXC
Sim Card Size	Card 1:Micro
Communications
Cellular Network	2.5G (EDGE, GSM/GPRS ) MHz:1800, 1900, 850, 900
	3.5G (HSPA+, UMTS/WCDMA ) MHz:1900, 2100, 850, 900
Wi-Fi	802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0 + LE
NFC	Yes
Infrared	Yes
GPS	Yes
Front Camera
Resolution	2.0 MP / Video: 1920 x 1080p 30fps
HDR	Yes
Rear Camera
Resolution	16.0 MP - Photo: 5312 x 2988 / Video: 3840 x 2160p 30 fps
Aperture	Not Specified By Manufacturer
Focal Length	Not Specified By Manufacturer
HDR	Yes
Flash	Yes
Image Stabilization	Digital
General
Keyboard	Virtual
Water Resistant	Yes
Battery	Removable Lithium-Ion (2800.0mAh)
Power Management	Maximum Talk Time: 21 hr Maximum Standby Time: 390 hr
Dimensions (WxHxD)	2.9 x 5.6 x 0.3" / 7.4 x 14.2 x 0.8 cm
Weight	5.11 oz / 145 g