Samsung to unveil iPhone 6-killer Galaxy S5 in 20 days

The gory battle of smartphones just got fiercer. Warning ring tones have been sounded, and both Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung (NASDAQ:SSNLF) are ready to launch their next salvos in the shape of the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy S5, respectively.

Samsung has decided to draw first blood by launching the Samsung Galaxy S5 in less than three weeks from now – on February 24, 2014, on the opening night of the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.


The South Korean firm has just sent out invitations to journalists for its Unpacked⁵ event, which offers more than subtle hints at the object of the invitation, with the number 5 staring at you on more than one occasion.

 

Almost on a cue, a Korean Securities firm KDB Daewoo Securities Research has poured gasoline on the flammable rumours that were already burning bright about the specs of Samsung’s next flagship device. In fact, KDB has reportedly passed along a rumoured spec sheet for both the Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 6. And according to this admittedly rumoured spec sheet, the forthcoming Galaxy S5 is far superior that the upcoming large-screened iPhone 6.

 

As we all well know, if there’s one smartphone launch that can spoil the party for the Galaxy S5, it’s the hugely anticipated iPhone 6, which the rumour mill suggests will be unwrapped by Apple earlier than usual this year, probably in June 2014.

That would still give the S5 a little over three months of free reign in the market, and it may or may not be enough for it to establish a decisive lead over its rival.




Head-to-head, the Galaxy S5 has much better specs in terms of RAM, battery power, connectivity, and rear camera resolution even as comparing processors and display is like comparing Apples with, well, Samsungs.

 

And even as the specs remain unconfirmed, let’s have a quick once-over. The Galaxy S5 will reportedly come equipped with a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 805 processor while the iPhone 6 will feature the proprietary A8 processor. The Galaxy S5 will run on Android KitKat 7.2 while the iPhone 6 will be fired by the next-gen iOS 7.2 platform.

As far as the screen and display resolution is concerned, the Galaxy S5 will sport a 5.2 and/or 5.25-inch screen with AMOLED display while the iPhone 6 will have a range of screen sizes, starting at 4.7-inches all the way up to 5.5-inches of Retina display quality.


Storage-wise, there isn’t much to choose between the two with both offering up to 128GB space although the iPhone 6 will start at 16GB while Galaxy S5 will start at 32GB.

The Galaxy S5, however, will have a huge edge in its rear camera resolution of 16MP versus the iPhone 6’s 8MP.

In battery power too, the Korean Galaxy S5 takes the honours with its battery packing a much bigger punch at 3,200 mAh versus the American iPhone 6’s 1,800 mAh.


In terms of security, it’s a tough call, with the Galaxy S5 supposedly including iris recognition and fingerprint sensor while the iPhone 6 going a step further by adding facial recognition in addition to its fingerprint sensor feature.
In addition, the Galaxy S5 will sport ‘self-guided’ wireless charging while the iPhone 6 will include magnetic wireless charging.

And for the first time ever, Samsung will go all-metal with the body of the Galaxy S5, instead of the plastic body, something that has been its major drawback in the past. The iPhone 6, in keeping with the Apple tradition of metallic form, will stick to its guns.

All said and done, these are still rumours, which will heat up even more before the actual launch of the respective devices. But if what is being leaked has some iota of truth, the Samsung may finally be ready to take the top spot in the smartphones domain, not just in terms of numbers, but also quality.