The Samsung Galaxy S5 may not launch as early as many had hoped for. Samsung will instead stick to its yearly update schedule according to Samsung Mobile executive vice president Lee Young Hee. “We’ve been announcing our first flagship model in the first half of each year, around March and April, and we are still targeting for release around that time,” she told Bloomberg during an interview this week.
Lee did not provide any specifics about the Galaxy S5 except to indicate that the company was still deciding whether to inlcude an iris scanner or not. Acknowledging that the Galaxy S4 was too similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S3, she also promised that the new flagship smartphone would be different. “For the S5, we will go back to the basics. Mostly, it’s about the display and the feel of the cover,” she explained.
Rumours about the Galaxy S5 have covered a gamut of scenarios. The latest rumours suggest that it will adopt the faux-leather look introduced with the Galaxy Note 3 and come with a 64-bit processor. The rumoured metal body and WQXGA (2560×1600) display may end up in a higher-end Galaxy F smartphone.
Lee also revealed that Samsung will unveil a successor to its Galaxy Gear smartwatch alongside the Galaxy S5. It will come with “more advanced functions” and a slimmer design. She also hinted that it would come with new health-related functions such as calorie consumption, heart rate monitoring and stress levels measurements.
Samsung will attempt to boost sales of its smartwatches by adding functions to check calorie consumption, monitor heart rate and measure stress levels, Lee Young Hee said.
The “March or April” timeline suggests that Samsung will once again hold a dedicated press event to focus on the new devices in March with a possible launch to follow in April.
Source : Bloomberg