Galaxy S5 focuses on consumer needs and wants – Samsung CEO

Barcelona, Spain - President and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Samsung Mobile Mr J. K Shin has reiterated that the new Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone has been carefully designed to focus strongly on the needs and wants of the consumer.

Introducing the New Galaxy S5 on Monday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Mr Shin said “Our consumers do not want eye-popping or the most complex technology. A survey revealed that they were interested in simple enhancements such as durable design, a better camera, faster and more seamless connectivity and the ability to manage fitness plans, and each of these aspects has been addressed in the Galaxy S5”.

According to the President the electronic giant is going back to basics to focus on delivering the capabilities that matter most to its consumers in the world of technology.

On his part, the Vice President of Samsung's European Telecom Operations Mr. Jean-Daniel Ayme said the new Galaxy S5 device is Samsung's commitment and vision to great experiences that matter the most to the company and its consumers.

“Parents and guidance will enjoy the ability to hand the phone to their kids without worry. Just place it in a kid's mode, and only approved apps can be accessed. Your kid can't send your boss an email or post an embarrassing picture on Facebook when all you intended was to have your kid play Candy Crush Saga,” he said.

Early rumours on the Galaxy S5 suggested of a curved screen but turned out to be unfounded, as the new smartphone was unveiled a ramrod-straight 5.1-inch full HD Super AMOLED display.

The Galaxy S5 weighs 145g, is 8.1mm thick, runs Android’s latest 4.4 KitKat operating system and comes with a 2.5Ghz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera and 16 or 32GB of onboard memory expandable with a microSD card slot up to 128GB. The battery has been enhanced at 2800mAh; which allows up to 10 hours of web browsing and 12 hours of video playback.

The S5 comes in black, white, blue and gold colour, rumours of a special edition with an all-metal casing also turned out to be untrue, as all the phones sport matte, textured polycarbonate backs.

One function that has been correctly predicted is the fingerprint scanner. This layer of security can be used to lock and unlock the phone as well as individual data folders. More interestingly, it can be used to authenticate PayPal transactions, turning online shopping into an easy, one-swipe-to-buy experience.

The S5 supports the latest WiFi standards (802.11ac and 2x2 MIMO) which is expected to double WiFi speeds and is also a first for mobile phones, and supports 21 bands of LTE Category 4 frequencies. A feature called Download Booster allows the Galaxy S5 to send data via mobile data and WiFi at the same time, cutting down the time taken to send large files.

The S5’s 2-megapixel front-facing camera has several enhancements. The 0.3s autofocus is the fastest in a mobile phone. The S5 can also shoot in real-time HDR, another first for mobile phones. A function called selective focus uses software that lets users choose a DSLR-like narrow focus after the photo has been taken.

Fitness is one of the key pillars of the new Galaxy S5 experience, a decision based, in part, on consumer feedback. The S5 comes with S Health 3, a suite of applications which includes a fitness tracker and a calorie counter to manage every aspect of a person’s health and fitness. It even has a heart-rate sensor just under the camera, which can read a person’s heart rate from his finger.

Samsung has also tweaked a few things to enhance the phone’s usability. The S5 is dust-proof and waterproof up to 1m. Battery life has been boosted 20 per cent from the Galaxy S4. There is also an ultra-power-saving mode, in which the home screen is simplified to a few basic applications such as calling and texting and everything runs in black and white, so as to extend the phone’s battery life.

Samsung also unveiled a third smartwatch device called the Gear Fit, in addition to the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo that had already been showcased. The Gear Fit sports a narrow 1.84-inch screen, touted to be the world’s first curved super AMOLED touchscreen on a wearable device.

Unlike the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo, the Gear Fit is designed as a companion device for other Samsung smart devices. It can control the devices, deliver notifications, and comes with a range of fitness functions such as a heart-rate monitor.

The new devices will hit the shelves of over 150 countries including Ghana on April 11 this year.