Samsung’s Galaxy S5: Specs Rundown

Samsung Electronics finally showed off its latest flagship Galaxy smartphone at Mobile World Congress on Monday.

The launch comes as the South Korean company faces stiff competition from rival smartphone makers that are also launching similar products at the show and comes at a critical time for the South Korean company as it tries to boost slowing sales.

With the latest smartphone, Samsung says it’s going back to the basics.

Here’s a rundown of the key specs of the Galaxy S5:s

A swipe-type fingerprint sensor. This feature is notably the biggest change from the S4.  For consumers who had been anticipating an iris-scanner, they will be disappointed.  It might also be tough to fight off the perception that Samsung is following rivals’ footsteps since  Apple’s iPhone 5S came with fingerprint authentication last year.

A bigger screen but not  better resolution. The organic light-emitting diode display, which is found in most Samsung smartphones has a 5.1-inch screen measured diagonally. This is a slight increase from the Galaxy S4’s 4.99-inch screen but it comes with the same resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, also known as full HD (high definition).

A 16-megapixel camera with ultra-high definition 4K video capability. This is a boost from its previous 13-megapixel camera which was already capable of taking high-resolution pictures.  Most smartphones today support full-HD level video recording, although LG and Sony also  announced new phones with 4K video capability.

A faster processor.  The new smarphone sports a 2.5-gigahertz processor that is faster than its previous 1.6-GHz (Samsung chip) or 1.9 GHz (Qualcomm chip) processors in the S4. But the company declined to clarify whether it has a 64-bit processor that can better handle graphic-heavy data downloads. Apple’s surprise adoption of a 64-bit processor had stoked rumors that Samsung may opt for a similar upgrade, although expectations cooled over time.

Waterproof and Dust-resistant. Samsung claims the S5 is both water-proof and more dust-resistant.  The company hasn’t changed its plastic-casing. While Samsung has what it calls the Galaxy “Active” line-up of smartphones that are supposed to be much more rugged and sturdy compared to its other models, the company has expanded the adoption of such a feature to its new flagship phone.

Heavier and thicker. This is one aspect that may appear to put Samsung backwards as it has been competing to churn out slimmer models in general. But going for bigger screens and longer battery life has its limitations. The new phone is 8.1 millimeters thick and weighs 145 grams. The S4 is 7.9 millimeters thick and weighs about 130 grams. The iPhone 5S is undoubtedly more competitive in this regard as it is 7.6 millimeters thick and weighs 112 grams.

Samsung says the smartphone will be rolled out in April and comes in four colors: white, blue, black and gold.