During Samsung’s Unpacked event in Barcelona during Mobile World Congress, the company revealed the Samsung Galaxy S5, its latest flagship smartphone and sequel to its best-selling Android device.
The phone is running Android 4.4.2 KitKat but still heavily skinned with Samsung’s TouchWiz theme. The phone takes cues from the much-beloved S4 Active, and is dust and water resistant.
The 5.1-inch 1080p display is a little bigger than its predecessor, but just as vibrant. Below the screen is the home key, which takes a cue from Apple’s iPhone 5S and includes a fingerprint scanner for logging in to the phone and authenticating purchases through PayPal.
Under the hood is a speedy 2.5GHz quad-core processor and 2GB RAM for quick switching between apps and games.
At first glance, the S5 is just an upgrade with nothing truly astounding until you flip it around. Behind the phone is a 16-megapixel camera that’s capable of recording 4K-quality footage. And right under the phone is a heart rate sensor.
Samsung’s setting its sights on health, a field into which Apple’s yet to venture, with the S5 and its revamped S Health app. The announcement also included the Gear Fit, Samsung’s new fitness tracking band that reads your heart rate and pairs with the S5.
The phone’s scheduled for an April 11 release on all major US carriers, but no pricing has been announced.