Samsung’s Galaxy S5 flagship isn’t even out for another week, and multiple offshoot models are apparently already planned for production. The Galaxy S5 Mini, Active and Zoom have all been leaked across the Internet, and it looks like Samsung is in for a busy year.
The above photo is only our (entirely mediocre) artist’s impression of the devices, of course. But the Galaxy S5 Mini is an almost sure thing by our reckoning; the S5 itself has a 5.1-inch screen, straying dangerously into phablet territory, so a variant competing on an equal size with the iPhone 5S is practically mandatory. SammyHub has allegedly leaked specs on a SM-G800 — a 4.5-inch 720p display, low-powered Snapdragon 400 processor, 2100mAh battery and 8-megapixel rear camera are apparently all on the cards.
The S5 Zoom is less certain in our opinion, but given the quiet success of the Galaxy S4 Zoom and Samsung’s recently updated Galaxy Camera 2, it’s probably likely as well. Courtesy of a generic SimpleSite page, here’s our first (purported) look at the S5 (or ‘Galaxy K’) Zoom, also apparently called the SM-C115. A 20-megapixel sensor and 10X physical zoom lens should make for excellent photos — at least for a smartphone.
Perennial gadget exposer @evleaks has a few choice pieces of information about a US release of the Galaxy S5 Active. The SM-G870X’s name follow’s Samsung’s 2014 nomenclature rules — the Galaxy S5, for example, is the SM-G900 — although some websites are suggesting that the 870 refers to the S5 Mini rather than the Active. If the US has the Active planned, it’s feasible that we’ll get it in Australia as well.
Samsung SM-G870x is the Galaxy S5 Active. Coming to AT&T and Sprint, among other carriers.
— @evleaks (@evleaks) March 25, 2014
If and when the S5 Active is released, it would have to be an incredibly sturdy piece of hardware. The regular Samsung Galaxy S5 is a lot tougher than the regular S4 it replaces, with IP67 certification for dust and water ingress, and a very sturdy polycarbonate body.
Bonus: the oft-mooted, oft-quashed Galaxy S5 Premium rumours are back as well. A 5.2-inch Quad HD display and LTE-Advanced-capable SnapDragon 805 are the latest fantastical claims coming out of a GFXBench test for an apparent SM-G906S.