Samsung Galaxy S5 rumor roundup: fingerprint sensor, hovering touch feature

New Delhi: Samsung's much awaited Galaxy S5 handset is creating a lot of buzz in the tech press making everyone curious and confused about what the fifth generation Galaxy device from the Korean handset maker will carry. Well, if the latest leaks and reports are to go by, the company could come out with a radically redesigned and uber-powerful handset that will do almost everything it sets out to do perfectly, with grace, class and functionality. In a nutshell, it looks like to be a handset that will take smartphone technology to a new high and in turn set a benchmark for others to follow. Latest rumours suggest the smartphone will come with a more viable fingerprint sensor for the device and not the eye-scanning feature. The Korea Herald in a report mentioned an unnamed industry source who said, "Among the different types of biometric sensors that Samsung is testing for its Galaxy S5, the tech giant will go for fingerprint authentication rather than unintuitive user experience of iris recognition." Another report claims that the S5 will come with multi-hovering touch technology which is expected to enhance finger hovering accuracy aspect of the screen input. The Synaptics' new technology can reportedly detect movements from 15mm to 30mm above the display and can detect more than one finger at a time.Another major change could come in form of body of the new device. For long Samsung has used shiny plastic bodies in its many “spin-off” devices. Previously, SamMobile cited an insider from Samsung who confirmed the Galaxy S5 will come in two models: one with metal built and one with plastic body. But now The Taipei Times reports that Catcher, a company that makes metal bodies for the likes of Apple and HTC devices, will be manufacturing Galaxy casings for Samsung in the first half of 2014. Magnesium and aluminium are the likely materials. That means the S5 may be the handset where the Korean firm finally breaks is polycarbonate relationship in favour of a full metal jacket.Regarding screen resolution, Samsung already has a display that's sharper than the human eye can detect, but as rumours suggest that the new Galaxy device could come with a 2K display - that's a dizzying 560ppi for screens as small as five inches. That means improved colour performance and refresh rate for slicker video and animations. In terms of screen technology, Samsung has always stuck with AMOLED panels on its flagship handsets. In terms of operating system, Samsung is likely to use Google's latest version of its mobile platform, Android 4.4 KitKat, which was launched in October 2013. The handset maker is likely to add its TouchWiz interface over the top and screenshots. In a recent leak by @evleaks has released images showing a closer look at one of the UI's elements. The shots give a detailed view of a lock screen and home screen widget hinting that it may be used by Samsung to deliver notifications and contextual information to your phone. Pictured in the screenshots are social media shares, live flight info, sports scores, weather updates, payment receipts, concert information, upcoming appointments, delivery notifications, and health data. The S5 may come with a 16MP snapper which is still not as impressive as the 20.7MP Sony Xperia Z1 or 41MP Nokia Lumia 1020. There will also be a mini version of the S5, and a camera version called the Zoom, according to the Sammobile.Given that Apple has already launched the 64-bit iPhone 5S, the new S5 could follow the suit. Samsung executive J.K. Shin revealed as much in a recent meeting, according to Korea Times. The S5 may use a new super-fast Exynos 6 Snapdragon 805 processor, which could give the handset a major speed boost. The true value of 64-bit architecture on smartphones will get revealed more once developers start creating compatible software.A report from the Electronic Times News also mentioned that the Galaxy S5 would sport the same optical image stabilisation (OIS) tech as the LG G2. It is also expected that the company will announce a new CMOS image sensor dubbed ISOCELL which will almost certainly debut in the Galaxy S5. The new sensor separates individual pixels so as to minimises electrical crosstalk between them, thus leading to higher colour fidelity, for sharper, richer images.Reports suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S5 will be revealed sometime in March 2014. If the Galaxy S4 launch event is anything to go by expect it to be big.