• Latest
  • All
  • How To
Galaxy S5 rumours begin in earnest: here’s what we know so far

Galaxy S5 rumours begin in earnest: here’s what we know so far

December 5, 2013
Nairobi declaration

How Connected Africa Summit 2025 Is Driving Africa’s Digital Transformation

May 30, 2025
kenya-parliament

Parliament Invites Public Feedback on Virtual Asset Bill 2025

May 30, 2025
ConnectedAfrica2025(Day4)-meta-foondamate

Connected Africa 2025 Day 4: FoondaMate and Meta Team Up to Bring AI to Classrooms

May 29, 2025
google-veo-3

Actors and Film Crews Are Worried About Veo 3 Taking Their Jobs

May 29, 2025
DHgate Tablet Cases deals
iOS 26

Apple Plans Big Rename for iOS and macOS at WWDC 2025

May 29, 2025
University student fined for defamatory Facebook posts

University Student Fined KES 7.5 Million for Defamatory Facebook Posts

May 29, 2025
AI Africa policies database

New Platform Brings All African AI Policies Under One Database

May 28, 2025
POATE 2025

Kenya’s Tourism Sector Grows as Travel Gets Easier Across East Africa

May 28, 2025
sodium-ion battery

Researchers Develop Sodium-Ion Battery That Charges to 80% in 6 Minutes

May 27, 2025
TV Gambling Ads

Regulator Fines Stations Using Religious Shows to Push Gambling

May 27, 2025
Connected Africa Summit 2025

Connected Africa 2025 Day 2: Focus on Digital Inclusion & Cybersecurity

May 27, 2025
whatsapp chatbots

iPad Users May Finally Get a Native WhatsApp App

May 28, 2025
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
No Result
View All Result

Galaxy S5 rumours begin in earnest: here’s what we know so far

Emmanuel Chenze by Emmanuel Chenze
December 5, 2013
in News
Reading Time: 4 mins read
253
4

Samsung

There’s so much that has been written about the Galaxy S4, Samsung’s flagship device for this year. It’s cranked up some huge sales though not in the same fashion as last year’s monster, the Galaxy S III. Though it is not yet a full year since it was released, recent months have seen the device’s popularity with customers take a slight dip. That could be because of so many factors. Over 6 months after the launch of a product is such a long time in the mobile world. Then factor in the other more awesome devices that have been launched ever since in quick succession. The Apple iPhone 5s with its fingerprint sensor, the Galaxy Note 3 and Samsung’s own Galaxy S4 Advance (part of the wider S4 family but duly its own “man”) and lately the Galaxy J. While there are no figures to show that indeed the S4’s sales didn’t go as per Samsung’s expectations nor any impact of the above listed devices on the sales, anyone who can read signs can see the writing on the wall.

The build quality

The main issue most reviewers of the Galaxy S4 had with the device was its build quality. The plastic! While some of us still appreciate the perks (if any) that come with such a design like a removable back that loosely translates to a removable battery, not many like the idea of spending $500+ on a device with questionable build quality. Amidst all the rants, outrage and even defence of the decision to make the S4, like the S III, in plastic someone was listening. The latest rumours from that part of the world indicate that Samsung has some metal device in its device holding cells under construction. Of course we all agree that the S4 was not the most well designed smartphone this year. The HTC One and a slew of other devices take the honours here.

According to Japanese website EMSOne, the Galaxy S5 will adorn metal casings supplied by Catcher. The Taiwanese company is said to have been contracted by Samsung to supply the first 10 million metal cases of the 30 million the company requires for the initial rollout while the rest will be supplied by BYD, a Chinese company, and Ju Teng, another Taiwanese company. Previous reports pointed to Samsung working on a premium Galaxy F line of high end devices that will feature the metal construction while the Galaxy S line continues basking in its plastic glory. For now those rumours can rest as we digest the latest rumours but remember they are just that: RUMOURS! Don’t read too much into them and at the same time ignore them at your own risk.

The specs

The Galaxy S5 is rumoured to feature Samsung’s first 64-bit chip, the octa-core Exynos processor that is rumoured to feature the new 14 nanometer process (the industry standard at the moment is 28 nm if you’re wondering). The Snapdragon variant will likely pack the newly announced Snapdragon 805 chipset even though what leaked yesterday through benchmark sites is a Snapdragon 800 powered device. 3 GB of RAM is another rumoured spec even though some quarters feel that Samsung may as well throw in  4 GB of RAM in order to fully take advantage of the 64-bit architecture chip. Not because you need 4 GB RAM on a mobile device but because, well, they can. Then again why not? A 16 megapixel camera featuring its new new ISOCELL technology might as well be what you’ll use for taking those high definition selfies next year. What does that ISOCELL tech do? Improves low-light photo quality and colour reproduction and sharpness in any lighting. It is still unclear if the Galaxy S5 will have optical image stabilization (OIS) with multiple reports emerging that Samsung is having issues producing camera modules incorporating OIS on time for the GS5 launch. While I may want to believe those rumours since Samsung usually ships a huge number of a flagship’s units, that’s exactly the same thing that was being said about the Galaxy S4’s full HD Super AMOLED display same time last year yet it ended up being ready on time and being as awesome as expected.

It is pretty much obvious that internal storage on all high end Samsung devices will start at 32 GB since all the nifty additions Samsung makes to Android end up taking a lot of space and the usual 16 GB is no longer a standard. As shown by the Note 3, 32 GB is the way to go and the Galaxy S5 will likely be the first Galaxy S device to herald that.

Android 4.4 KitKat is expected on board. What we have no news about is TouchWiz. While Samsung really tries to add as many features as possible, it is not those features that are of interest to us right now, it is the core! The skin itself. The current version of TouchWiz is what first came with the Galaxy S III as Nature UX and has largely remained the same ever since with just a few changes to the looks in the form of widgets, notification shade modifications and app icon redesigns. It’s time for a change and we might as well see the biggest redesign of TouchWiz ever. I hope it happens.

The battery: 4000 mAh is what is in the rumour mill but a 3300 mAh unit will still be a sufficient upgrade over the current flagship’s 2600 mAh cell. Either way, with proper optimization, any of those will do. However if rumours of the Galaxy S5 packing a 2K (2560 x 1440) display are true, that may as well be insufficient as that display will be as power hungry as ever. I’ll avoid talk of the display since other than the rumours that it will be a very high resolution one (2K), we don’t know much yet. Whether Samsung will stick with the S4’s 5 inch screen or go beyond to say 5.2 or 5.3 inches is still anyone’s guess.

The release date

This is still mysterious and rumours point to different directions. An early (January/February 2014) Galaxy S5 launch is what some expect citing unexpected slow Galaxy S4 sales. Galaxy S4 shipments hit the 40 million mark after 6 months and with earlier reports pointing to Samsung’s own set internal sales record of 100 million, that target may be missed slightly after holiday sales are factored in. Others like Edgar Murtazin expect Samsung to stick with its traditional Galaxy S device launch calendar and release the Galaxy S5 in April.

What would you like to see in the Galaxy S5?

Tags: Galaxy S5Samsung
SendShare146Tweet92
Emmanuel Chenze

Emmanuel Chenze

Emmanuel writes on mobile hardware, software and platforms.

Related Posts

iphone 17 air

iPhone 17 Air Leak Reveals Battery Life Concerns Ahead of Launch

May 20, 2025
Apple Event

Apple Becomes First Trillion Dollar Brand in New Global Ranking

May 20, 2025
samsung one ui 8

Is Your Samsung Phone Too Old for One UI 8 Update?

May 17, 2025
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

Samsung Officially Unveils the Galaxy S25 Edge

May 13, 2025
samsung galaxy 25 edge

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Is Launching on May 13

May 12, 2025
Samsung QLED TVs

Samsung QLED TVs Now Officially Certified for Real Quantum Dot Technology

May 12, 2025

Latest

Nairobi declaration

How Connected Africa Summit 2025 Is Driving Africa’s Digital Transformation

May 30, 2025
kenya-parliament

Parliament Invites Public Feedback on Virtual Asset Bill 2025

May 30, 2025
ConnectedAfrica2025(Day4)-meta-foondamate

Connected Africa 2025 Day 4: FoondaMate and Meta Team Up to Bring AI to Classrooms

May 29, 2025
google-veo-3

Actors and Film Crews Are Worried About Veo 3 Taking Their Jobs

May 29, 2025
iOS 26

Apple Plans Big Rename for iOS and macOS at WWDC 2025

May 29, 2025
University student fined for defamatory Facebook posts

University Student Fined KES 7.5 Million for Defamatory Facebook Posts

May 29, 2025

Best devices

budget smartwatches 2025

Best Budget Smartwatches To Buy in Kenya 2025

February 13, 2025

Best Infinix Smartphones To Buy in Kenya 2024

February 13, 2025

Best Laptops for Battery Life in 2024

August 21, 2024

Best “Battery Warrior” Smartphones To Buy in 2024

August 22, 2024

How Connected Africa Summit 2025 Is Driving Africa’s Digital Transformation

May 30, 2025

Parliament Invites Public Feedback on Virtual Asset Bill 2025

May 30, 2025

Techweez is a fast growing influential source of technology news, reviews and analysis by leading tech geeks in the industry.

Follow Us

Editorials

Actors and Film Crews Are Worried About Veo 3 Taking Their Jobs

Samsung QLED TVs Now Officially Certified for Real Quantum Dot Technology

Trump’s Tariffs Will Be the End of Affordable Tech

5 Ways to Prep Your Tech for Resale

The Weaponization of PDFs: How Cybercriminals Are Exploiting a Trusted Format

Introducing A Brainbox Quiz: Techweez’s Monthly Trivia Night!

More News

New Platform Brings All African AI Policies Under One Database

Kenya’s Tourism Sector Grows as Travel Gets Easier Across East Africa

Researchers Develop Sodium-Ion Battery That Charges to 80% in 6 Minutes

Regulator Fines Stations Using Religious Shows to Push Gambling

Connected Africa 2025 Day 2: Focus on Digital Inclusion & Cybersecurity

iPad Users May Finally Get a Native WhatsApp App

  • Terms Of Use
  • Techweez Brand
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!

Hey there! Just a heads-up: we're big fans of cookies - both the digital and edible kind! 🍪 We use our cookies and some from third parties to ensure your browsing experience on our site is smooth sailing and secure.

 

But wait, there's more! We also use cookies to gather stats and insights on how you navigate our site. It's like getting a behind-the-scenes peek at your digital adventures!

 

Don't worry, you're in control. You can adjust your cookie settings anytime to suit your preferences. Feeling curious? Dive into our Privacy Policy for all the juicy details. Happy browsing! 🚀

Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
  • Automotive
  • Entertainment

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.