Samsung Galaxy S5 Price Confirmed Lower Than Galaxy S4? Pricing Details For Canada, Korea And Taiwan Surface

Tidbits of pricing information for the Samsung Galaxy S5 continue to trickle in as the device is set to release in April. Most recently, reports out of Korea claim that the Galaxy S5 will sell for less than the Galaxy S5 did at launch.

There has long been speculation that the Galaxy S5 might be priced lower than its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S4. According to ZDNet Korea, the “factory price” for the Galaxy S5 is 800,000 won, approximately $744. Notably, when the Galaxy S4 released last April, it sold for 890,000 won in Korea, approximately $827. Though market pricing does not translate exactly from country to country, many often look at the pricing for Galaxy devices in Samsung’s native South Korea as an indication of global trends in pricing of the manufacturer's Galaxy flagship devices.

Reports have also surfaced for Galaxy S5 pricing in Taiwan. According to DigiTimes, the 16GB Galaxy S5 will sell for NT$22,900 and the 32GB Galaxy S5 will sell for NT$23,900; these prices translate to $750 and $780, respectively. Notably, the Samsung Galaxy S4 was priced at NT$21,900 during its launch last year, a price slightly lower than the price now suggested for the Galaxy S5. Keep in mind that these Taiwanese prices are not confirmed by Samsung.

Meanwhile, Samsung has revealed availability details for the Galaxy S5 in Canada. Eleven Canadian networks, including Rogers, Bell, Telus, Fido, Virgin Mobile, Koodo, MTS, Eastlink, SaskTel, Videotron and Wind Mobile will have the Galaxy S5 available on April 11. According to the manufacturer, the Galaxy S5 “will retail for $229 on select plans.” The Galaxy S5 will be available in Charcoal Black and Shimmery White color options.

About the Samsung Galaxy S5

The Samsung Galaxy S5 includes a 5.1-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display, 2.5GHz quad-core ARM chip (believed to be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801), 2GB mobile RAM as well as 16GB and 32GB internal storage options with microSD expansion, and networking and connectivity, including 802.11ac MIMO and LTE Cat. 4 and a 2800mAh battery.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is water- and dust-proof, with an Ingress Protection Rating of IP67. That means the device can function in water for up to 30 minutes in up to 1 meter of water. The 16-megapixel-rear camera on the S5 includes auto-focus technology, selective focus and HDR rich tone. The device also includes a 2.1-megapixel front camera. New sensors on the Galaxy S5 include a heart rate sensor and fingerprint scanner. The latter acts as a simple, yet effective means of security. Easy user verification with the finger scanner can speed up the online purchasing process. It also powers a "private mode," which acts as a personal storage area for confidential documents as well as a "kid mode," where parents can choose apps used by their children.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is 142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g in dimensions, features USB 3.0 and runs the Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system. The device’s exterior design features a perforated back panel and four color options: blue, white, black and gold. Samsung also has updated its onscreen environment with a less cluttered user interface and updated settings menu.

Follow me on Twitter.