When Samsung unveiled its Galaxy S5 at Mobile World Congress, suddenly 2014's most anticipated smartphone left enthusiasts yawning, especially because it lacked many of its reported features.
It's never a good idea for a company to pre-announce upcoming devices because it generally kills sales of current devices. Apple has a strict policy for all Apple employees to adhere to when speaking about unannounced products; don't do it! Yet somehow we find out much more information than companies like Apple want us to, thanks to leaked reports, images, and video of the upcoming device. Sometimes these reports are spot on and in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S5, they weren't and it has lead to some being underwhelmed with Samsung's iPhone 5s and likely iPhone 6 competitor.
Leading up to the release of the Samsung Galaxy S5 there were daily headlines about what Samsung had planned for its next-generation Galaxy S5. We read that Samsung was planning to follow Apple's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c and offer two versions of the Galaxy S5. One model was going to be called the Galaxy S5 Prime and feature a very high-resolution 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display. The high-end smartphone was also expected to ditch Samsung's love of plastic for a more premium build using aluminum. The second phone was called the Galaxy S5 Standard and was reported to have a 1920 x 1080 display, made of plastic, and come in at a cheaper price point.
When Samsung officially announced the Galaxy S5 at Mobile World Congress, many smartphones fans felt underwhelmed by the device. The handset appeared to be more of the rumored low-end Galaxy S5 Standard than the premium Galaxy S5 Prime. Samsung also didn't help matters when a company executive spoke to Bloomberg in January.
"When we moved to S4 from S3, it's partly true that consumers couldn't really feel much difference between the two products from the physical perspective, so the market reaction wasn't as big," she said. "For the S5, we will go back to the basics. Mostly, it's about the display and the feel of the cover."
While the executive never said that the smartphone would feature a 2560 x 1440 display or aluminum case, mentioning the display and feel of the Galaxy S5 in a public interview only seemed to lead many to believe the rumors. As we all know, the Galaxy S5 does feature a larger display with the same 1920 x 1080 resolution of the Galaxy S4 and a similar feeling and looking plastic case.
While we all love speculating about our favorite upcoming devices, it's always best to take reports with a grain of salt, even if we think we understand what an official company executive says in an interview.
