Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A Puts Prime Specs In Old Design
The Samsung Galaxy F, or Galaxy S5 Prime, is finally here, but not really. It isn't going by either of those names and won't be looking as polished as they were rumored to be. Instead, Samsung has chosen to christen it the Galaxy S5 LTE-A to focus more on the uber downloading speeds new buyers could be getting and to distract you from feeling a bit cheated for buying a Galaxy S5 that is now somewhat dwarfed by this.
To be fair to Samsung, it has actually pulled off a stunt like this before. In late June, it revealed an LTE-Advanced capable version of the Galaxy S 4 bearing slightly upgraded specs, but limited it only to Korea. But around October, it silently launched the device in Europe. But considering the Galaxy S 4 was already about 6 months old in the market, it wasn't exactly shocking. This time, it's a bit different because this new version is also substantially better than the flagship.
This Galaxy S5 LTE-A is everything the Galaxy F/S5 Prime was rumored to be. Well, almost everything. That WQHD 2560x1440 resolution in the same 5.1-inch Super AMOLED screen? It's there. That generous 3 GB serving of RAM, paired with 32 GB of internal storage. Yep, it's there, too. How about the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, running at top speeds of 2.5 GHz on each of its four cores? You betcha! Perhaps the only thing that didn't pan out is the Optical Image Stabilization that some have hoped to make an appearance, though thankfully the Galaxy S5 LTE-A also sports a 16 megapixel shooter. You know what else is the same? That perforated back cover that seems to have been the butt of jokes when it comes to Samsung's flagship.
One new feature that wasn't included in rumors is the LTE-Advanced capability that Samsung has sneaked in as well. This theoretically means download speeds of 225 Mbps, three times faster than regular LTE. Besides that, the device has everything that the Galaxy S5 itself has, both in hardware like the heart rate monitor and fingerprint sensor, and software features like Ultra Power Saving Mode, Kids Mode, and Download Booster, which probably sounds a bit redundant with LTE-A around. It even shares the same IP67 dust and water resistance rating.
Those who already bought the Galaxy S5 might be feeling a bit edgy at the moment, but there is a bit of a good news, unless you're living in Korea. The Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A will, for the time being, remain confined in South Korea. It will go on sale on June 19, available initially from SK Telecom, with carriers KT and LG U+ following later. The price is also nothing to be envious of, as it will carry a price tag of 940,500 KRW, which, when converted directly, sits at around $920. Those who will be getting this device nonetheless will be met by several color options, including Copper Gold, Charcoal Black, Shimmery White, Electric Blue, Sweet Pink and Glam Red. Samsung's Korean website already published the official press release for the device, but then mysteriously took it down.
SOURCE: Samsung