The Galaxy S5 is here, as well as a new range of awesome wearable gear. Get in here and see how it went down live from Barcelona.
All times are in Australian Eastern Daylight time.
4am
Good morning, readers. And we’re live from Barcelona! Welcome to Samsung Unpacked. We fully expect the next Galaxy phone to be released today, as well as some cool wearables.
Here’s everything we think we know so far…
4:02am
What do you want to see? What would your dream Samsung product be?
5:55am
And we’re seated! It’s seven minutes until showtime here in Barcelona, and we can’t wait to see what Samsung has cooked up.
5:56
There’s an orchestra and everything. This is easily the biggest launch Samsung has ever staged.
6:03
The embargo has lifted! Read all about the awesome products about to be announced with our comprehensive coverage:
Samsung Galaxy S5: Everything You Need To Know
Samsung Gear Fit: The Future Is On Your Wrist
6:05
We’re having connectivity issues here. Who would have thought that 5000 people on one Wi-Fi network could be an issue? Stand-by.
6:11
The orchestra’s still playing here. It’s all very posh.
6:19
J.K Shin is now up, talking about what Samsung’s consumers want: design, camera, connectivity, fitness and life are the five key categories for Samsung
6:21
It’s official, the Galaxy S5 is here.
Here are the specs:
The Samsung Galaxy S5 will run a Qualcomm 2.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB and 32GB storage variants (expandable with MicroSD). Keeping it alive is a 2800mAh battery.
The screen itself is a 5.1-inch Full HD SuperAMOLED, with a resolution of 1920×1080. On top of it is Android 4.4 with Samsung TouchWiz.
It’s packing a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2.1-megapixel front facing camera for video calls, and packs a USB 3.0 charging port which is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports.
It weighs just 145 grams.
6:23
It’s now waterproof, and packs an ultra-power saving mode that shuts off power sucking features to give you a 12 hour battery life.
6:24
Now we move onto the new Gear devices, including the sexy Gear Fit
6:25
It’s a wristband with a 1.84-inch SuperAMOLED screen which curves around your wrist. It supports interchangable straps if you get tired of the black one it comes with, and supports a whole bunch of standalone fitness software.
The integrated Fitness Manager software promises “real-time” coaching on your wrist, by telling you your steps, your distance travelled as well as real-time instructions beamed onto the screen like “speed up” when you work out.
Underneath the band is an optical heart-rate tracker for measuring your pulse and recording it in the device, both when you’re resting and when you’re working out.
6:27
Live demo time. This can get be tediously scripted. You were warned.
6:35
The Galaxy S5 has phase detection AF, which means you can focus an image and capture it within 0.3 of a second. Someone had better tell Olympus that Samsung is coming for it.
6:35
The S5 also has live HDR mode so you can see high-dynamic range images before you capture the photo.
6:37
The camera on the S5 also has selective focus for choosing a shallow depth of field after you capture the image. It works like Nokia’s Refocus app rather than a Lytro camera.
6:40
The S5 is also now waterproof. Now you can watch your…ahem…videos…in the shower.
6:42
There’s also a fingerprint sensor integrated into the home key on the S5, and a partnership with PayPal means you can now swipe your finger to authorise mobile payments.
And now we move onto wearables! Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and the sexy Gear Fit.
8:50
The new Gear 2 is packing the same (320×320) 1.63-inch Super-AMOLED screen as its predecessor, but this time it’s packing a beefed up, dual core- processor at 1GHz, making it faster and more fluid to use. There’s also 512MB of RAM, 4GB of on-board storage and a 300mAh battery which Samsung promises will provide around two to three days of normal usage, or even up to six with “low usage”.
The camera is back on the Gear 2, this time upgraded to a 2-megapixel camera with the odd ability to shoot photos at 1920×1080 with an auto-focus capability.
If you’re not a fan of the camera, however, you can opt for the presumably cheaper Gear 2 Neo, which doesn’t pack the shooting options.
Perhaps the most welcome addition to the new Gear smart watches is the IP67 certification, ensuring that the gadget is both dust and water resistant. The last Gear flinched at the very sight of water, so adding resistance to the mix is a boon for those wanting to use it every day.
8:53
The integrated Fitness Manager software in the Gear Fit promises “real-time” coaching on your wrist, by telling you your steps, your distance travelled as well as real-time instructions beamed onto the screen like “speed up” when you work out.
Underneath the band is an optical heart-rate tracker for measuring your pulse and recording it in the device, both when you’re resting and when you’re working out.
The Gear Fit also works with your Galaxy devices as a notification remote for your incoming calls, emails SMS messages, alarms, S-Planner (calendar) and other third party applications.
It pairs to your phone via Bluetooth 4.0 Low-Energy, meaning that compatibility will be limited to the Galaxy S4 and above.
6:45
There’s also going to be a loads of new accessories like S-Covers and S-Window cases, as well as new premium headphones.
6:56
April 11. That’s the date of release in over 150 countries for these devices.
Telstra, Optus and Vodafone will likely carry the Galaxy S5.
6:58
And that’s a wrap! What do you think of the new S5 and Gear Fit?
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Luke Hopewell travelled to Mobile World Congress as a guest of Samsung