Samsung unveiled a Galaxy S5 smartphone with a fingerprint reader and bigger screen than the current model as Asia’s biggest technology company tries to keep high-end consumers from Apple’s iPhone. The water-resistant phone will go on sale April 11 with features including a longer-lasting battery than the S4, according to Min Cho, marketing director at Samsung’s mobile unit.
What might be normally reserved for an iPhone launch, the hype surrounding Samsung’s next-generation smartphone has been almost unbearable for Galaxy fans. On Monday, we finally saw the long-awaited device in person — almost a year since its nearest predecessor was first launched. The Galaxy S5, announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, was also up-for-grabs at an event in New York City. Landing with a slightly larger 5.1-inch high-definition 1080p display, a powerful Snapdragon 800 2.5GHz quad-core processor, and a beefier 16-megapixel camera, it is as you might expect a smidge heavier than the Galaxy S4. But that’s expected considering it’s packing a great deal more punch than the previous model.