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BARCELONA, Spain — The wait for Samsung’s Galaxy S5 is now over.
Samsung on Monday will host its “Unpacked 2014 Episode 1” event during the Mobile World Congress trade show here. The Korean electronics giant will kick off the event at 8 p.m. local time, or 11 a.m. PT, and you can calculate the start time in your own location here.
CNET’s Andrew Hoyle, Sarah Tew, and I will bring you all the information, photos, and commentary from the event.
Samsung, which is known for its flashy launches, likely will tone down the theatrics at the Unpacked event. Still, there will be plenty of news to wow the crowd, with the Galaxy S5 and Gear 2 expected at the show.
The Galaxy S5 is one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year, and the number of rumors flooding the market is on par with an Apple launch. Will the phone have a fingerprint sensor? Will it have an iris scanner for extra security? Will it be made of metal? Will there actually be two Galaxy S5 models, one in metal and one in plastic? These are all details we’ll know Monday.
Related stories:
- Samsung to debut Gear 2 smartwatch with Tizen, not Android
- How Samsung cranked out the Galaxy Gear: The inside story
- Behind Samsung’s push to rule the world
- Galaxy S5 rumor roundup
While there are many rumors circling, a few features are all but certain. Samsung will most definitely include several hardware upgrades with the device, including a new camera, possibly with an improved sensor, a powerful processor, and maybe a fast-charging battery. It also likely will include a better display.
Samsung also likely will overhaul TouchWiz, that software layer that sits on top of Android. Its most recent devices use a Magazine interface, though there also are reports that Samsung plans to scale back its own software in favor of a more pure form of Android.
One new device from Samsung that definitely won’t run stock Android is Gear 2. As CNET reported, the new smartwatch will run Tizen, open-source software that Samsung has been developing as an Android alternative.
The company has acknowledged time and again that it’s no longer enough for it to be a strong hardware company; Samsung also needs to offer software and services to avoid being hurt by the commoditization of mobile devices.
We’ll also likely see some accessories and potentially other devices from Samsung. Tune back here Monday to follow Unpacked.
Check out CNET for full coverage from Barcelona.
Most anticipated tech of 2014 (pictures)
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