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Samsung Galaxy S5 unveiling could be February 23 at pre-MWC event, new TouchWiz interface in tow

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By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Jan 21, 2014, 3:00 AM

Samsung Galaxy S5 unveiling could be February 23 at pre-MWC event, new TouchWiz interface in tow

Perennial leaker Eldar Murtazin spilled some beans today on the eventual Galaxy S5 unveiling, claiming that the flagship will be announced February 23 at Samsung's 6pm event in Barcelona, a day before the MWC expo officially commences.

The actual launch will happen in April, he claims, which leaves us a bit miffed as to why would Samsung unveil its flagship for the year so early, and then make it available for purchase two months later. What are we, in 2010? Samsung started doing its own thing a while ago, announcing the S line flagships at separate events in March, and releasing them shortly after, so we take the release date claim with a grain of salt. An actual MWC announcement is not out of the question, though, as we had a Samsung VP confirm a few weeks ago that would be the case indeed.

He says the specs are already known, leading us to the thought that they jibe with what we've heard so far on the handset - a new QHD display, new Exynos, 16 MP or 20 MP camera, and 2900 mAh battery with silicon electrodes that allowed Samsung to boost capacity, while keeping the footprint intact. We keep getting claims in our inbox today that this battery will last for days on a charge, but we find it hard to believe, as the silicon electrodes technology has been bandied about for years now, but the material still deteriorates too fast, and the best commercialization achieved so far with this technology is a 20% or so boost in capacity from the same unit. Not bad, but not breathtaking either.

Pricing is said to be in line with each and every flagship launch, which means in the vicinity of $600-$700 without a contract, and $200 on one, while Murtazin confirms a brand new TouchWiz interface will be in play, pieces of which we saw leaked over the weekend. It reminds strongly of the Magazine UX Samsung already introduced with its new PRO line of tablets, but tailored to the screen realities of a smartphone, of course.

source: EldarMurtazin (Twitter)

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.