Galaxy S5 Rumors

Samsung Galaxy S5 probably will be one of the most exciting, or the most disappointed, smartphones in 2014.  We will know it once it is released.

But for now, let the rumor mills run.  I will share with you some Galaxy S5 rumors. Please read it as entertainment, not a technical report.

Anyway, you should already know this post is about Galaxy S5 rumors, not technical review of galaxy S5. Just to confirm.

What is the Galaxy S5 release date? When will the release date be announced?

Just for laypersons. Release date means you can buy the product on that day. The product usually is  announced or launched (it is usually demoed  as well in the event) before the release date. For Samsung, most flagship smartphones and tables are released once month after they are announced.

Just for comparison, Samsung’s best buddy, Apple,  usually release new products one week after the announcement.

This one month, or one week, usually is calculated by some marketing genesis. If it is too long, people already forget the announcement. If it is too short, the message or the goodies,  has not been spread like virus.

Apple fanboies are generally loyal to their lord and spread the message very fast, so Apple usually  chooses one to two weeks between release date and the launching date.  Samsung does not have such loyal fans, so their marketing guys need time to spam the world for the announcement. This surely take longer.

Come back to the Galaxy S5 rumor, Samsung very likely release Galaxy S5 in Q1 2014, slightly earlier than the release date of Galaxy S4 in 2013.  Samsung executives may want to release Galaxy S5 early, but product development cycle may stop it.

The sales of Galaxy S4 is not as good as expected. But  don’t get it wrong. Samsung still plans to sell over 100 million Galaxy S4. In some regions, Galaxy S4 was just released.  If Galaxy S4 has not released in your region (yes, there are still a few such regions!), just wait for Galaxy S5 because S4 will never be released there.

Samsung will surely have a big and exclusive event for Galaxy S5. So do not expect that Galaxy S5 will be announced during the major events in January to March 2014 , e.g., MWC2014. Such events are for small players. Have Apple announced any products in such vents in last 7 years? Samsung now thinks themselves as an Android apple.

So, when? Probably even Samsung’s top earners do not know the exact date yet.   Samsung enjoys the rumor. Rumor may help them  decide when to stop the Galaxy S5 rumors.

Updated: Samsung almost confirmed the Galaxy S5 launch date is February 24 

Will Galaxy S5 be plastic or metal? Definitely not wood (as Moto X)!

There is no secret that Samsung loves plastics. They are expert of plastics. They can make plastics like leather (in Galaxy Note 3).

The two most common excuses to avoid other materials are:  plastic is more durable (are you going to use Galsxy smartphone for 20 years?), and plastic is easy to manufacture to meet the high demand (does Apple have problem with aluminum? )

The plastic is in the  DNA of Samsung, because it saves cost.

If you can sell plastic Galaxy S4 at the same price (in some regions, it can be even more expensive) as aluminum HTC One, why bother the metal? Customers are not willing to pay more because the the price point of so-called flagship phones (it was set by Apple initially) are well-known now ($199 with 2-year contract).

Although there are some Galaxy S5 rumors indicated that Galaxy S5 may get metal chassis, it is unlikely. Saved money can be better used for marketing than getting useless approval from reviewers.

If there is still little chance of getting a metal Galaxy S5, for sure, there is no wood Galaxy S5. Samsung believes their Galaxy S5 will be very hot: so wood is dangerous.   Moto X can get wooden (bamboo) back because it is cool (selling less than a few millions….). So,  there is no Galaxy S5 rumor claiming a wooden S5.

Will Galaxy S5 have fingerprint detector?

When iPhone 5s was announced with fingerprint sensor (Apple named it as Touch ID), Motorola is bewildered. They delivered the fingerprint sensor in Motorola ATRIX 4G, and abandoned it two years ago.

Now this fingerprint detector becomes hot.  HTC got it already. Soon will LG.

So, Samsung surely will get it. Remember Samsung is a good follower.  Galaxy Note 3 does not get it because Apple keep the cards so close to the chest so that Samsung failed to get the inspiration.

If the rumor can be believed, Galaxy S5 will probably get a fingerprint sensor. Of course, Samsung will get it a sexy name so that you will feel embarrassing if you don’t use it.  Rumor for the name? Not known  yet because they probably use Korean name before announcing.

Will Galaxy S5 have an eye scanner?

Fingerprint scanner is not new for smartphones anymore. Motorola started it, and Apple picked that fruit. Galaxy S5 will surely have it.

But Samsung need more bling-blings. Galaxy S5 with eye scanner is a nice rumor. Samsung may have something new, or may just re-pack some features in Galaxy S4 and give it a new  fancy name.

Anyway, Samsung possess some eye tracking and identifying patents. It will not be a surprise if Samsung packs a few new eye-related features.

Will Galaxy S5 be powered by Snapdragon or Exynos? 32bit or 64bit?

Samsung Exynos chip lost its glory (or did it get any glory before?). Now it is an embarrassment for Samsung.  Most of their own smartphones are not using their own chips. Diversifying supply is an excuse. Saving cost is another excuse.

To save face, Galaxy S5 will probably continue to use Snapdragon 800 processor mainly. A small portion of Galaxy S5 will use Exynos. The model number is not important. Samsung always uses the latest processor for Galaxy S series phones. The reason? The TouchWiz  is overloaded and only the latest processor can make it afloat.

64bit processor? It is purely a Galaxy S5 rumor. Snapdragon 410 is for middle-range smartphones, not the class of Galaxy S5.  Does Exynos have any 64bit processors? Exynos 6 (64bit) has not been announced yet.

So, forget about 64bit Galaxy S5. Apple will  still laugh in 2014….

Actually, we probably do not need 64bit before 2016. But we will be provided with more and more 64bits in 2014.

Will Galaxy S5 come with 3GB RAM or 4GB?

RAM is not expensive. But Samsung may want to save a few dollars to use 3GB, instead of 4GB. Also Samsung may have a large inventory of 3GB ram.

So, Galaxy S5 will probably have 3GB RAM. But if you get 4GB in your S5 eventually, don’t be surprised.  The cost difference for Samsung is very marginal.

Will Galaxy S5 have a Full HD display or QHD display?

Display is just the face of smartphones.  Korea is famous for plastic surgery. A lot of beautiful Korean artistes looks very similar. So do the Korea smartphones. The display is highly polished and sexy.

The race of ppi was initiated by the fruit phone. Retina display grabs many eyeballs and cash as well.  For a human with normal eyes, you do not need so many pixels. For a 5″ screen, full HD (441 ppi) is already overshot.

But Samsung will not stop at full HD for Galaxy S5. Very likely the rumored QHD (2k) display is correct. QHD means 2*HD (720p) . so the resolution of Galxy S5 screen will very likely be 2560*1440. This converts to more than 500ppi. So, Galaxy S5 is not made for humans, it is for eagles.

Updated: Almost confirmed  that Galaxy S5 will have 1440pHD display (QHD, or 2K, 2560*1440).

Will Galaxy S5 have a flat screen or flexible display?

Samsung claimed the title of first smartphone with curved screen (flexible display) for Galaxy Round. But as I posted in Will Galaxy S5 use curved screen (flexible display)?, Galaxy S5 will unlikely get the flexible display.

We will continue to enjoy the flat screen until someone (don’t expect Samsung)  figures out  how to enjoy a curved display. Of course, some Galaxy S5 rumors on curved display will not die so fast.

What is the screen size of Galaxy S5?

5-5.25″. Not a Galaxy S5 rumor, anyway. It is almost confirmed.

What is the battery capacity of Galaxy S5?

The rumored battery capacity of Galaxy S5  is around 4000mAH. If the screen resolution is QHD, yes,  you need at least 3500-4000mAH to maintain the similar battery life in Galaxy S4 (which has only 2600mAH battery).

Will Galaxy S5 have a Micro SD card slot?

This is not a rumor.  Samsung Galaxy S5 will definitely have a Micro SD slot for you to save all digital rubbish.  Of course, it  will support  up to 64GB card.

If there is no Micro SD card slot in Galaxy S5, I bet Samsung will lose 20 percent buyers. There are no Galaxy S5 rumors on this, because it is not a rumor as I just mentioned.

Will Galaxy S5  use a replaceable battery?

Again, this is not a rumor. Samsung Galaxy S5 will definitely have a replaceable battery.

If there is no replaceable battery in Galaxy S5, I bet Samsung will lose another 15 percent buyers.

It is very strange the removable battery and Micro SD card slot now become luxury.  HTC never understands  why they are losing market share. Adding these two (removable battery, Micro SD card) will save you, stupid HTC!

What are the available colors of Galaxy S5? Gold probably is an option

Black and white. Just think with your feet.

Golden may be another option because Apple is quite successful for this color, especially in Asia. Now Samsung very likely will follow.  So be prepared for a golden plastic Galaxy S5. There are not so many rumors on S5 colors, because the smartphone designers only know black or white. Now, inspired by genesis in Apple, their color palette has one more color: golden.

If you read a Galxy S5 rumor on golden S5, it may be true.

Will Galaxy S5 have a 20 MP camera sensor?

This is not a rumor. This is almost confirmed. Samsung likes big numbers: 20MP can increase their ego.

The problem is whether Galaxy S5 have a optical image stabilization (OIS).  Most of the Galaxy S5 rumors say no.

Who will be the first US carrier selling Galaxy S5?

Very unlikely, there will be any exclusive for the big 4.  Verizon probably will not get the Verizon home button any more. Verizon, AT &T, T-Mobile and Sprint will probably sell Galaxy S5 at  similar time,  at similar price, with similar packages.

Your choice will be  yes or no only.

Do you need more Galaxy S5 rumors? Or do you want to spread Galaxy S5 rumors?

If yes, please post your comment below.