Samsung Galaxy S5 made official: 5.1-inch HD screen, fingerprint scanner, and heart rate monitor in tow

The Samsung Galaxy S5 has gone official at Mobile World Congress with a whole bunch of new features.

Mobile World Congress

After much ado at Mobile World Congress, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is now official. It's running Android 4.4.2 on a 2.5 Ghz quad-core processor with 2 GB of RAM and 16/32 GB of storage (plus microSD). The screen measures in at 5.1 inches and 1920 x 1080 resolution, with an IR blaster and USB 3.0 rounding out the inputs.

The 16 megapixel camera on the back can shoot 4K video at 30 FPS, and has a new selective focus to provide simulated depth of field. The 0.3 second autofocus time is also pretty impressive. Samsung is reporting 21 hours of talk time from the Samsung Galaxy S5's 2800 mAh battery, plus a new power-saving mode that flips the display to black and white. You'll also find a fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor. In-line with the more sporty features of the S Health app, the GS5 is fully dust resistant and waterproof up to 1 meter of submersion. Feel free to dig into the full list of specs here, and check out our hands-on video of the Samsung Galaxy S5 from Mobile World Congress.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 will be launching globally in April. Who's in? Full press release is below.

Samsung unveils Galaxy S5 to focus on what matters most to consumers

The company's 5th generation Galaxy S redefines how technology innovation enhances our lives

Barcelona, Spain, February 24, 2014 - Samsung Electronics today announced the fifth generation of the Galaxy S series, the Galaxy S5, designed for what matters most to consumers. The new Galaxy S5 offers consumers a refined experience with innovation of essential features for day-to-day use.

"With the Galaxy S5, Samsung is going back to basics to focus on delivering the capabilities that matter most to our consumers," said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung. "Consumers are looking for mobile tools that inspire and support them as they improve their everyday lives. The Galaxy S5 represents an iconic design with essential and useful features to focus on delivering the ultimate smartphone on the market today through people inspired innovation."

The Galaxy S5 combines an advanced camera, the fast network connectivity, dedicated fitness tools and enhanced device protection features as consumers stay fit and connected in style.

Capture the moments that matter

Capturing and saving precious memories is one of the most important smartphone features today. The new Galaxy S5 offers superior camera functionality, featuring a 16 megapixel camera with an enhanced menu and user interface that allow consumers to effortlessly take, edit and share photos.

The Galaxy S5 offers the world's fastest autofocus speed up to 0.3 seconds and the advanced High Dynamic Range (HDR), reproduce natural light and color with striking intensity at any circumstances. Also new Selective Focus feature allows users to focus on a specific area of an object while simultaneously blurring out the background. With this capability, consumers no longer need a special lens kit to create a shallow depth of field (DOF) effect.

**Tap into the fastest connections **

The Galaxy S5 offers the most advanced LTE experience and Wi-Fi performance available today, ensuring blazing fast data speeds for unrivaled media consumption and productivity.

The Galaxy S5 supports the fifth generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 2X2 MIMO, and supporting the large number of LTE frequency with LTE Category 4 standard. For consumers seeking an even faster connection, the Galaxy S5 now features Download Booster, an innovative Wi-Fi technology for boosting data speed by bonding Wi-Fi and LTE simultaneously. No matter where a consumer is, the Galaxy S5 will help ensure they have the fastest available connection.

Be more fit and active

With the enhanced S Health 3.0, the new Galaxy S5 offers more tools to help people stay fit and well. It provides a comprehensive personal fitness tracker to help users monitor and manage their behavior, along with additional tools including a pedometer, diet and exercise records, and a new, built-in heart rate monitor. Galaxy S5 users can further customize their experience with an enriched third party app ecosystem and the ability to pair with next generation Gear products for real-time fitness coaching.

Express modern, glam look

The Galaxy S5 blends iconic Samsung design with modern trends to appeal to a range of consumer tastes and interests. The Galaxy S5 features a perforated pattern on the back cover creating a modern glam look. Its new sleek, contoured shape comes in an array of vivid colors, including charcoal Black, shimmery White, electric Blue and copper Gold, to complement the style of the individual consumer.

Essential device protection

The Galaxy S5 is IP67 dust and water resistant. It also offers a Finger Scanner, providing a secure, biometric screen locking feature and a seamless and safe mobile payment experience to consumers. The Ultra Power Saving Mode turns the display to black and white, and shuts down all unnecessary features to minimize the battery consumption.

The device will be available globally through Samsung's retail channels, e-commerce and carriers on April.

Simon Sage
Simon has been covering mobile since before the first iPhone came out. After producing news articles, podcasts, review videos, and everything in between, he's now helping industry partners get the word about their latest products. Get in touch with him at simon@futurenet.com.