Samsung Galaxy S5 Release Date Coming: Pre-Orders For UK Carriers Begin March 28

The Samsung Galaxy S5 was unveiled on Feb. 28 at the World Mobile Congress, and soon after several UK carriers announced that they would be offering the device upon its release in April.

Carriers and retailers such as EE, Vodafone, Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4U and Three opened pre-registration for the Galaxy S5 right way, allowing prospective customers to sign up for more information on the device. Now, Samsung UK has announced that pre-orders for the Galaxy S5 will be available starting March 28.

Pre-orders will be available from selected retailers, the Samsung e-store and the Stratford Westfield Experience Store, Samsung UK detailed in a press release. UK Retailers Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U have both confirmed that they too will begin accepting Galaxy S5 pre-orders on March 28. Last week, several online retailers, including UK retailer Clove, began accepting pre-orders for the Galaxy S5. Clove listed its pre-order price for the Galaxy S5 at £458.30, £550.00 with Value Added Tax included, which roughly translates to $633.51 or $760.27 (with VAT). Many sources note that prices listed by such third-party retailers may be just estimates, and are subject to change at any time before a device releases.

Samsung announced during the Galaxy S5 unveiling that the device would be available starting April 11, but specific release dates may vary by carrier and retailer.

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 dustproof, 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 on-screen environment with a less cluttered user interface and updated settings menu.

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