Samsung Galaxy S5 unveiled at Mobile World Congress

Samsung unveiled the latest version of its Galaxy smartphone along with a smart watch and fitness band on Monday at the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) technology trade show in Barcelona.

Less than six months ago Samsung set a trend by launching the Galaxy Gear watch that links to mobile handsets. Samsung is facing challenge from Chinese rivals with similar products that are eating into the smart phone maker’s earnings. Hence Samsung is focusing on subtle features in their devices and accessories to appeal to a wider audience.

Speaking at MWC, president of Samsung’s mobile business, JK Shin said that with the Galaxy S5, Samsung is going back to basics. He said that consumers want a phone with beautiful design, better camera and faster connectivity instead of eye-popping technology.

The pricing details of the phone are yet to be disclosed and Samsung will roll out the S5 globally on April 11. Forrester Research analyst Thomas Husson expects Galaxy S5 to sell well due to massive marketing support.

The Galaxy S5 has a slightly bigger screen at 5.1 inches than its predecessor which had 5 inches. It has a fingerprint scanner similar to the one in Apple’s iPhone 5S, a heart rate sensor, the S-health app which can be used for work outs

The newly unveiled Gear 2 smart watch running on the Tizen operating system and Gear 2 Neo, which doesn’t have a camera. The devices and the Samsung Gear Fit smart phone can monitor the heart rate of the wearer. The Gear Fit which has a curved touch-sensitive screen includes a pedometer.