Samsung Galaxy S5 Concept: Are Features For The First Rumor-Based Mockup Realistic?

With the Samsung Galaxy S4 on the market for less than two months, it has been surprising that rumors are already suggesting that the Samsung Galaxy S5 will feature a new metal exterior, which is said to be a part of Design 3.0, a revamp that Samsung is currently developing for its next-gen handset. We don’t expect to see any concrete news about the Samsung Galaxy S5 until much closer to 2014 when the device is expected to be released, but that hasn’t stopped design-savvy Android enthusiasts from dreaming up their ideal Galaxy S5 specs.

Camera

Designer Bob Freking shares his vision for the Galaxy S5 in a video that suggests a 16-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization and 6x loseless zoom, as well as improved low-light performance as one of the smartphone’s main features. Samsung upped the ante for camera specs by giving the Galaxy S4 a 13-megapixel camera, while rumors propose a 13-megapixel or 16-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization for the yet-to-be-unveiled Galaxy Note 3. It would make sense for the Galaxy S5 to have a camera along these lines. But Freking takes his fantasy specs a step further, suggesting support for add-on lenses. This could also be a plausible idea, considering that Samsung recently unveiled the Galaxy S4 Zoom, a literal camera-phone with a 16-megapixel sensor and 10x optical zoom on the back of a Galaxy S4 smartphone.

Aluminum Back Cover And Super AMOLED Plus Display

Keeping in step with current rumors, we see in this Galaxy S5 concept a waterproof aluminum back cover. This not only proposes a device made of metal but also one that is standardly rugged, along the lines of the soon-to-be-released Galaxy S4 Active, which is water- and dust-proof. Additionally, the concept proposes on-screen buttons for the Galaxy S5, which would give the device a seamless look on its 5-inch 1080p Super AMOLED Plus display. Samsung’s high-end smartphones tend to have a physical home button while including on-screen back and menu buttons. However, some others like the Galaxy Nexus have no physical buttons.

We know that Samsung is working on new display technologies by way of flexible OLED displays, and old Galaxy S4 rumors suggested an energy efficient green PHOLED display. Super AMOLED Plus displays are actually several generations old, having been introduced on the Galaxy S2, while the Galaxy S3 featured a HD Super AMOLED Plus display. The Galaxy S4 ushered in the Full HD Super AMOLED display, which featured a diamond pixel structure in order to achieve full HD, which leaves fans expecting an even more brilliant display for the Galaxy S5. Rumors suggested that Samsung might introduce its flexible OLED display technology on the Galaxy Note 3. But due to development delays, perhaps we may not see it until the Galaxy S5.

Hardware

Getting into hardware, Freking dreams up a powerhouse machine with an eight-core Exynos 6 processor clocking in at 2GHz and a 64-core GPU. In comparison to current technologies, such a processor is plausible. In the Galaxy S4 I9500 model, we see the Exynos 5 Octa CPU, which clocks in at between 1.6GHz and 1.8GHz, while the I9505 model contains the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, which clocks in at 1.9 GHz with four-cores. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 runs even faster at 2.3GHz on four-cores, so an eight-core processor clocking in at least 2GHz seems reasonable for a next-generation device. A 64-core graphics card on a smartphone, however, is a bit more farfetched. Granted, that would make such a device a gamer’s dream, considering that the recently unveiled Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have 768-core and 1,152-core GPUs by AMD, respectively, while the Galaxy S4 runs impressive graphics on just a tri-core GPU from PowerVR.

But 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory for the Galaxy S5 are specs any enthusiast would especially hope to see. A lack of memory was one of the main complaints in current devices as Samsung develops more and more special features that quickly eat away both RAM and ROM. The Galaxy S3 was notorious for using significant amounts of RAM even when not running many programs, while the Galaxy S4 is now infamous for having only half of its 16GB internal memory capacity available for personal use. Many argue that a RAM increase to at least 3GB and having at least 32GB of internal storage standard on high-end devices will solve a lot of issues users are facing. The HTC One notably starts at 32GB internal storage and also has a 64GB option.

Software and Connectivity

Currently, rumors about the upcoming Android operating system are up in the air as neither the proposed Android 4.3 or Android 5.0 has been confirmed by Google. Freking sticks with the current Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean for his Galaxy S5. But he does outfit it with an updated TouchWiz UI, which he describes as gesture-based and bloat-free. Like the Galaxy S4, this concept of the Galaxy S5 includes a Google Edition running a pure Android operating system.

While connectivity on most current smartphones includes 3G, 4G and increasingly 4G LTE, Freking dubs the Galaxy S5 as “future proof,” proposing 4G LTE capability as well as compatibility with 5G wireless networks. This is an admirable idea. However, considering that Samsung reports that 5G connectively likely won’t be ready for commercial use until 2020, the Galaxy S5 will likely be completely obsolete by the time the wireless technology becomes standard on phones.

Dimensions And Battery

Other concept specs propose a device that is super light and thin at just 120 grams in weight and 7mm in thickness as well as one with a large power capacity in a 4,000 mAh battery. We imagine that these are areas in which Samsung will aim to improve its future device, but it's not likely not to this extent. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is notably 130 grams in weight and 7.9mm in thickness and contains a 2,600 mAh battery, specs that vary only slightly from the Samsung Galaxy S3, which is 133 grams in weight and 8.6mm in thickness and contains a 2,100 mAh battery. Perhaps Samsung can work on an even thinner smartphone, but the Galaxy S5 likely won’t be much lighter than its predecessors and may just have a slightly more powerful battery.

Do you think Freking’s concept was a realistic depiction of what features the Galaxy S5 may have? Let us know in the comments below.

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