S5 and Gear: Samsung Unpacked 5 Highlights

Today, Samsung Electronics announced the long-anticipated Galaxy S5 in Barcelona. They also mentioned the new line of Samsung Gear smartwatches towards the end of the event.

Samsung executives said that the drive for the Galaxy S5 is to improve everyday smartphone use, by enhancing features such as the camera and battery life. The phone itself has a 5.1 inch display, a 2.5 GHz processor and a 16 megapixel camera which is capable of taking high-definition photos and the capability of taking 4K videos. Samsung also announced that the phone has IP67 certification, the same as the Samsung Rugby, and is water and dust resistant.

For heavy smartphone users, they have included a new “Ultra Power Saving” mode for the device. In this mode, the phone’s screen turns black and white and it is only capable of receiving calls and text messages. With the phone at 10%, it is claimed to be able to last an impressive 24 hours in this mode.

The phone will have a swipe fingerprint scanner instead of the rumored iris scanner. The iPhone 5S already has this security feature, and its scanner is able to identify fingerprints just by placing your finger on the home button. However, Samsung added a “Private Mode” with the use of the fingerprint scanner. Users are able to secretly save photos and other documents on the phone in this mode.

Here is a highlight of the Galaxy S5′s key features.