The wait is almost over for Samsung's next flagship smartphone, with the highly anticipated Galaxy S5 going on sale worldwide next month. The Galaxy S line of smartphones is almost a home run when it comes to sales, but the handsets aren't always universally well reviewed by those who like to dig a little deeper than simple screen size or fancy software features. This year Samsung hopes to right that.
The HTC One M8 today joins the might of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2 in the mobile market, with each set to do battle and attempt to cement its place as 2014's most popular high-end handset. Here, we take a closer at the Big Three, including specs and form factor, in order to try and determine which of these humdingers will emerge victorious once the retail battle commences.
When Samsung announced its Galaxy S5 hero phone we were more than a little skeptical. Not because we doubt that it will sell like crazy worldwide, nor because we think that Samsung's continued reliance on plastic will see existing Galaxy S fans switch allegiances elsewhere. What we really weren't too sure about was the claim that the Galaxy S5 will feature an IP67 rating for both dust and water resistance.
We're about two-thirds of the way through our countdown of the Samsung Galaxy S5 from announcement to release, and even though we've had plenty of opportunity to see and read of what's in store, we're now starting to get leaks of the official software to try out for ourselves. Samsung may have pushed the Galaxy S5 Experience app over to the Google Play Store last week, but while this demo is insightful, there's nothing quite experiencing the device and its features first-hand. If you're not among the lucky few to have gotten hold of the device earlier than billed, then an official ROM leak, intended for the Chinese version of the SM-G9009D, has to be the next best thing.
The announcement of the Galaxy S5 seems like an age ago, but with almost one month having passed since Samsung took the wraps off its latest Android humdinger, we're now just a couple of weeks from retail. During the past few days, UK carriers Three and Vodafone have offered the all-important details regarding the S5's pricing and availability on British shores, and now, US-based AT&T has done likewise. For those wishing to tether themselves to a contract with North America's foremost mobile operator, the Galaxy S5 will be available from April 8th with an up-front cost of $199, and pre-orders are being taken as of now.
BlackBerry, a company that, not so long ago, was a superpower in the mobile industry, has been in free-fall for some time, and despite an executive shake-up that has seen the Canadian outfit appoint a new CEO, things don't look to be getting any better. One area that BlackBerry still clutches on to is enterprise, with many businesses still in favor of using the company's products for their robust security features, but according to the Wall Street Journal, one of its foremost clients - The White House - is assessing the possibility of switching to LG or Samsung.
As well as taking the wraps off the flagship Galaxy S5 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month, Samsung also introduced a slew of new wearables. The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, as well as the Gear Fit, were all showcased by the South Korean outfit at the event, but while we have a decent insight into their tech. specs and features, the pricing has hitherto eluded us. Thanks to the launch of the Gear 2 and Gear Fit in Taiwan, we now know roughly how much the two smartwatches will retail for, although the cost of the Gear 2 Neo still remains a mystery.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 may have been announced some three weeks ago, but its Korean maker has been rather tight-lipped regarding pricing and availability. We now know that the forthcoming flagship will begin retailing in early April, with pre-orders beginning later on this month, and now, UK network operator Three has divulged its pricing details of the sought-after handset.
Samsung has announced a series of "specialized usability accessories" designed for its Galaxy Core Advance smartphone - a device that the company recently released for those with special usability requirements. The new roster of add-ons, which includes a cover that can help visually-impaired users to navigate without hitting obstacles, is part of a concerted push from Samsung and other vendors to focus on accessibility, and with more devices and peripherals planned beyond the current low-end Galaxy Core Advance, the range looks set to expand in the coming months.
The Galaxy S5, which Samsung announced a couple of weeks ago at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, has yet to see the light of day in the retail market, but with the device having been handed out to a select few industry insiders already, we've seen a steady increase in new videos and close-up coverage of the eagerly-anticipated handset. Following the extensive hands-on clip we saw yesterday from Eldar Murtazin, he's back with a comparison video of the Galaxy S5 and the preceding Galaxy S4, offering a vivid, first-hand look at how the upcoming device holds up against the current flagship.
