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Samsung officially announces new Galaxy S5 w/ heart rate sensor & fingerprint scanner, arrives in April

As expected, Samsung just announced its new flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone during its press conference today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. After weeks of rumors, we finally get to see how the real thing compares to the specs and features reported in the various leaks leading up to today’s event. The big focus of today’s unveiling: the new S5 packs in a built-in heart rate sensor that enables new features in the S Health 3.0 app, as well as a finger print scanner that puts it on par with Apple’s TouchID feature on the iPhone 5S. Samsung confirmed that it will be offering mobile payments with the fingerprint scanner as well as using it as a security feature to make content in certain apps only accessible when activated by the user’s fingerprint.

While we’re waiting for the event to kick off with more details, here are some specs announced so far by Samsung:

-5.1-inch 1920 x 1080 FHD Super AMOLED display
-2.5GHz Quad core processor
-Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat)
-heart rate sensor
-16 megapixel camera, 2.1 megapixel
-fifth generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 2X2 MIMO
-Download Booster WiFi-LTE bonding
-Finger Scanner
-IP67 dust and water resistant
-2800mAh battery
-2GB RAM
-16/32GB memory (up to 64GB w/ microSD)
-dimensions: 142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g
-charcoal Black, shimmery White, electric Blue and copper Gold

Samsung said the device will be available in the U.S. in April through major carrier partners.

The full press release is below:

Samsung unveils Galaxy S5 to focus on what matters most to consumers
February 25, 2014
The company’s 5th generation Galaxy S redefines how technology innovation enhances our lives 
Barcelona, Spain, February 24, 2014 – Samsung Electronics today announced the fifth generation of the Galaxy S series, the Galaxy S5, designed for what matters most to consumers. The new Galaxy S5 offers consumers a refined experience with innovation of essential features for day-to-day use.
“With the Galaxy S5, Samsung is going back to basics to focus on delivering the capabilities that matter most to our consumers,” said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung. “Consumers are looking for mobile tools that inspire and support them as they improve their everyday lives. The Galaxy S5 represents an iconic design with essential and useful features to focus on delivering the ultimate smartphone on the market today through people inspired innovation.”
The Galaxy S5 combines an advanced camera, the fast network connectivity, dedicated fitness tools and enhanced device protection features as consumers stay fit and connected in style.
Capture the moments that matter
Capturing and saving precious memories is one of the most important smartphone features today. The new Galaxy S5 offers superior camera functionality, featuring a 16 megapixel camera with an enhanced menu and user interface that allow consumers to effortlessly take, edit and share photos.
The Galaxy S5 offers the world’s fastest autofocus speed up to 0.3 seconds and the advanced High Dynamic Range (HDR), reproduce natural light and color with striking intensity at any circumstances. Also new Selective Focus feature allows users to focus on a specific area of an object while simultaneously blurring out the background. With this capability, consumers no longer need a special lens kit to create a shallow depth of field (DOF) effect.
Tap into the fastest connections
The Galaxy S5 offers the most advanced LTE experience and Wi-Fi performance available today, ensuring blazing fast data speeds for unrivaled media consumption and productivity.
The Galaxy S5 supports the fifth generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 2X2 MIMO, and supporting the large number of LTE frequency with LTE Category 4 standard. For consumers seeking an even faster connection, the Galaxy S5 now features Download Booster, an innovative Wi-Fi technology for boosting data speed by bonding Wi-Fi and LTE simultaneously. No matter where a consumer is, the Galaxy S5 will help ensure they have the fastest available connection.
Be more fit and active
With the enhanced S Health 3.0, the new Galaxy S5 offers more tools to help people stay fit and well. It provides a comprehensive personal fitness tracker to help users monitor and manage their behavior, along with additional tools including a pedometer, diet and exercise records, and a new, built-in heart rate monitor. Galaxy S5 users can further customize their experience with an enriched third party app ecosystem and the ability to pair with next generation Gear products for real-time fitness coaching.
Express modern, glam look
The Galaxy S5 blends iconic Samsung design with modern trends to appeal to a range of consumer tastes and interests. The Galaxy S5 features a perforated pattern on the back cover creating a modern glam look. Its new sleek, contoured shape comes in an array of vivid colors, including charcoal Black, shimmery White, electric Blue and copper Gold, to complement the style of the individual consumer.
Essential device protection
The Galaxy S5 is IP67 dust and water resistant. It also offers a Finger Scanner, providing a secure, biometric screen locking feature and a seamless and safe mobile payment experience to consumers. The Ultra Power Saving Mode turns the display to black and white, and shuts down all unnecessary features to minimize the battery consumption.
The device will be available globally through Samsung’s retail channels, e-commerce and carriers on April.

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Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s weekly Logic Pros series and makes music as one half of Toronto-based Makamachine.