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Samsung announces Galaxy S5 w/ heart rate sensor & fingerprint scanner, curved fitness wearable

Samsung is in the process of unveiling its new flagship Galaxy S5 alongside a new Gear Fit curved fitness wearable that will both inevitably become direct competition for the current iPhone lineup and a future iWatch product that Apple is expected to launch soon.

The big news for the 5.1-inch Galaxy S5 is the built-in fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor, while the Gear Fit wearable falls into a new product lineup of smartwatches from the company. Samsung confirmed that it will be offering mobile payments with the fingerprint scanner as well as using it as a security feature to make content in certain apps only accessible when activated by the user’s fingerprint.

Hit the links below for full specs and details on both new products:

Samsung officially announces new Galaxy S5 w/ heart rate sensor & fingerprint scanner, arrives in April

Samsung unveils Gear Fit curved fitness wearable with heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking

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Comments

  1. Christopher Jung - 10 years ago

    Is the body still plastic?

  2. Josh Camp - 10 years ago

    Their innovations astounds me :\

  3. kwolenntra - 10 years ago

    The tech looks impressive but still it looks ugly and why do the screens get bigger each generation. Even though i have pretty big hands it’S still uncomfortable to hold such a huge phone.

  4. frostie4flakes - 10 years ago

    It is remarkable to me that such nice products are going to be likely be behind the curve when Apple announces it’s products if they have any amount of true style as a wearable. Apple still does occupy that rarefied space of ultimate coolness and it is hard to break into that space. Other companies are looking for an Apple misstep to take advantage of and better position their products. However, it may take several missteps by Apple to give anyone that full advantage. The 200 employes working on the iWatch better be doing a remarkable job. I have little doubt they can, but will they pull it off is the question? Apple’s coolness must reach new heights and, I believe, that includes now fashion coolness.Having that edge will move Apple into a whole new category that they will define once again. For now, it’s just mystery waiting to be birthed from that hidden place where, hopefully, history is made. It would also mean that they still could command a premium price for their product(s). I still think there is a chance we could see more than one product, although may be remote.

    • Steven Gabbard - 10 years ago

      I hope you are a girl. No guy should use the word “coolness” that much.

      Why are your lips so red? Oh, nevermind… I see the Kool-Aid cup in your hand. Keep drinkin’.

  5. André N - 10 years ago

    No fingerprint scanner.

  6. Anoop Menon - 10 years ago

    Interesting features. The same force drove me to buy the S4 Active. I am also worried about the screen size getting larger with every release.

  7. bboysupaman - 10 years ago

    So it looks like the Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 6 are basically going to be touting the same new features (shocker). If so, it will be interesting to see how these two compare head-to-head. I am an Apple fan (and not ashamed), but I certainly LOVE competition from Samsung. Competition pushes innovation forward! I just hope that Samsung isn’t pulling one of those “just push our product out faster and cheaper” moves. I don’t think they would do that with their Galaxy line, because that seems to be their high-end flagship device. I’m already excited about these phones! I am anxious to see if a phone can truly give us that extra push to be a little bit healthier.

    • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

      Most people don’t consider knock-off copy machines to be innovation.

    • shm1ck83 - 10 years ago

      Umm… The iPhone 5S has these features. Samsung are always behind Apple.

      I was also excited to see what Samsung could do but it’s not that special, looks fugly, un-needed features and a finger print scanner design from 10yrs ago

    • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

      Nothing that Samsung does could be called “competition” by any stretch of the imagination.

      • Steven Gabbard - 10 years ago

        Another dumb reply from you. One of hundreds.

        Maybe you do not know what competition is. Competition is when one product draws away customers or money from another product. If there was no Galaxy line, there would be more iPhone owners (even if just a few). That, is competition.

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        Competition would be actually producing a product that isn’t designed explicitly as a knockoff of another.

        Competition would be two equivalent services in the same market.

        Are you pretending Samsung’s products are equivalent to Apple’s?

    • bboysupaman - 10 years ago

      Whoa there guys! Never did I say that Samsung was innovative. I stated that “competition pushes innovation forward”, which is 100% true. Whether the illustrious Tallest Skil would like to admit it or not, Samsung is, by economical definition, competition (a rivalry between sellers of a similar product in the same industry). I agree that the Samsung phone does not compare in aesthetics to the iPhone. This is one of the primary reasons why I use my iPhone 5 (and will almost certainly upgrade to the iPhone 6 [or whatever they decide to call it] upon release). However, to state that the iPhone 5S has these features is simply ignorant (I’m talking to you, shm1ck83). The heart rate sensor and curved fitness wearable are unique to this device (and possible others that I am unaware of) until such time that Apple announces that they’re phone will have the same features. Just because there are third-party products and Apps that can be purchased to achieve the same or similar objectives, this does not equate to those things being a feature of the iPhone 5S. That being said, my original point stands. If there was no competition, Apple would have no initiative to continue innovating. Samsung competes by copying. Apple competes by innovating (in agreement with your point PMZanetti). This is why I love Apple. Try not to overanalyze things next time guys… =) Cheers!

  8. Bryant NorCal - 10 years ago

    Ahhhh…Samsung Innovation, which basically is finding out what Apple is doing, push products out before Apple and/or copy what Apple has already done. Then of course pat themselves on the backs and calling themselves innovative or let the iHaters do it for them.

    • herb02135go - 10 years ago

      What a bunch of close-minded comments.

      Was there this criticism of plastic for apple products? Or when your car started using plastic for its shell? Plastic reduces the weight and cost. It’s a good feature.

      I don’t see any whining about the new camera specs which are very good. Ultra high def. “ew, that’s too much clarity!”
      The shutter lag time “waa! That’s too fast!”

      The battery-saving features ( 10 hours of video playing is already pretty darn good.)

      How about the dust/water protection?

      Is “cool” really a concern for anyone older than 12?

      I’m anxious to get this phone into my hands to see how it feels.

      • Plastic shells do reduce cost and weight. However, calling plastic a “good feature,” is possibly a bold move. If you’re comparing the S5 hardware to Apple such as Bryant NorCal was, it doesn’t exactly stack up to the iPhone in terms of being a “good feature.” For starters, the Galaxy S4 started at $199, the same price as the iPhone 5S, so it’s safe to say the Galaxy S5 will start at that price as well. So in this case, the cost is not changed due to the removal of metal. Also, looking at the proportions of the phone, the iPhone 5S weighs slightly less than the Galaxy S5. So, no, the weight is not any better.

        Camera specs are great. Consumers love them. But do they make a better camera? Not always. Optics are typically more important than megapixels. While the 4K idea is lovely, there is hardly anything that supports 4K. And, if a camera has bad optics (which Samsung is known for,) it won’t matter anyway because the images will look like crap. Things like pixel size, lenses, and contrast make better pictures and video than just slapping a few megapixels on.

        Battery saving mode is great. However, Samsung could’ve done better. They still aren’t using the newest battery technologies, meaning they half-assed it again. I do like the power saving function, but time will tell if it is what they say it is.

        Water protection is a nice feature, but I know I don’t want to live in a world where people are using their phones in the shower. Falling in a pool? Yes, it might be nice to be protected from that. But there is a trade off. All of the components are sealed, meaning the speakers are shallow, the ports all have a cover over them, and the glass has a thin, sort of sticky film on it. This takes away from the design in a very major way.

        And for the design, there’s a difference between the iPhone and the S5. Samsung will always have an advantage when it comes to market share, because they release hundreds of phones. But which phone is really “better”? That’s for you to decide, but for now, I’m going to stick with the polished OS and the premium design. TouchWiz is terrible, and those stupid dimples are nasty. I’d say the S4 is a better phone than the S5 simply because of the design.

        Time will tell, but for now, iPhone is for the design and polish, S5 is for the features. It’s a matter of what you like.

      • South Jersey Droid - 10 years ago

        Don’t waste your time…. They are all just jealous. Remember how excited they were when they got Facebook and Twitter integration? Apple Fanboys have no idea what innovation is.

      • Jason Piebes - 10 years ago

        Hardly close minded. Anyone with an ounce of knowledge about how cameras work already know that cramming 16 million pixels onto a square millimeter sensor is bad! The pixel density degrades the picture quality due to heat buildup. But dopes clamoring for numbers to engage in their next spec war with an iphone user gobble that crap up.
        There’s just a difference between iphone users and android users. I won’t bother to get into those differences and just say – go buy your galaxy phone and be happy with it. You shouldn’t need the admiration of iphone users to enjoy your purchase.

  9. RP - 10 years ago

    The Gear Fit is nice, or should I say “nicer” than the god awful awful Galaxy Gear or Pebble. It’s nice to finally see someone moving away from the old fashioned “watch” paradigm

  10. Samantha Anastasiou - 10 years ago

    As an American I think it’s unpatriotic to support a foreign company that is a major corporate competitor, and only by being such a competitor is by blatant espionage and thievery of Apple design and innovation.

    • South Jersey Droid - 10 years ago

      So as Apple introduces bigger phones, wearables and more, who will the be copying? Samsung has the watches, Sony and Google have the Glasses, and right now all Apple can do is copy these guys to get into the race.

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        You’re so unfathomably stupid that it would be a waste to ask you to operate under the assumption that you might not be correct here.

        Shut up and go away, you useless pathetic troll.

    • Steven Gabbard - 10 years ago

      I too am a patriotic American. But I do not believe the best products are always Made in America.

  11. djmexi - 10 years ago

    i just want that wallpaper! lol

  12. What is really interesting is how the fingerprint scanner works in Galaxy S5. It requires a vertical swipe, which is something that reminds me old scanners on laptops that don’t really work. According to the hands-on video from the Verge and their coverage, the scanner works really badly in the Galaxy.

    Overall, I think both Apple and Samsung are coming to the point where there is nothing significantly new to develop for the smartphones. It is going to be ‘a bit faster processor with a better camera’ every year ahead. The only thing that Apple is just yet to introduce is a larger screen. Something that can be really important for new customers who want to switch from Android and at the same time significantly increase platform fragmentation (this is going to be far more painful for the devs compared to the 4″ screen introduction in the 2012).

  13. Luis Lopes - 10 years ago

    Cheesy presentation!! If “iPhone Vs. Galaxy S” was a war, i`d say Samsung just decided to take a break!

  14. rakinjannot - 10 years ago

    Jesus Christ, the 9to5Google comments section is tearing into this thing. Maybe it’s because 9to5Mac is washing over into their comments section, but they are very mixed leaning towards negative about the announcement

    • frankman91 - 10 years ago

      I used to love this and the 9to5Google forum but they are starting to suck. I made a comment (on the Google forum) that I liked a few of the features this phone was going to have and people tore into me.God forbid I say I like a feature on a phone that will have 20-30% of the total market share. I am all but done with these forums; you can’t make a single comment without the trolls of the world bashing it. No one looks at anything objectively, its gotten worse to talk about phone on tech circles than politics or religion.

  15. Duston Foster - 10 years ago

    …. This MAY convert me :( Looking forward to Apple kicking ass with the iPhone 6… I hope

  16. Kook Sun Kim - 10 years ago

    looks pretty good, but do i have to take off the watch to orient the numbers to my view?… hopefully that’s not the case.

  17. I honestly hope that Apple will never sell a childish digital watch. I want something mechanical and timeless on my wrist. But maybe Apple manages to combine the fast world of digital gadgets and the one for true and long lasting values. Guess they hired former Burberry boss Angela Ahrendts for a reason.

    • Jason Piebes - 10 years ago

      Childish digital watch is exactly right.
      Here’s the thing though, Apple won’t be coming out with anything that resembles a ‘watch’. “Watch” is simply a term used by the rumor mill because they lack imagination and thoughtful insight into the workings of Apple. Take a look at who Apple has hired in the past year… health related professionals. Not watch designers. Apple wants to sell products to the masses, not just a small group of guys who like to wear watches. Women won’t wear a childish digital watch and Apple certainly won’t be alienating 50% of the market.

      • You definitely have a point. Although I’m still not so sure that Apple’s goal should be to sell products to the masses. Apple always used to be this awesome niche-player with great margins on their relatively high-priced products. I still see Apple as the Porsche of the digital device market rather than the VW or Toyota (Samsung, HTC etc.). To keep this image (and the margins), I think Apple has to transform into a hybrid brand for goods with a longer lasting product life cycle. I had my iPhone 3GS for almost 4 years and it’s still working. But imagine an Apple product you could actually leave to your grandchildren, like a fine Swiss Watch that keeps its value.

      • Len Williams - 10 years ago

        Speaking of durability, I had my original iPhone, purchased in 2007, and was using it without any problems at all right up to the day I replaced it with an iPhone 4S in 2012. I have no doubt it would still be working today. Apple makes great and long-lasting products. I’m still working on a 2006 Mac Pro connected to Apple’s discontinued 30″ and 20″ Cinema Displays, all of which work as well as the day I bought them. We have 3 iMacs built in 2004 and 2005 that are all still running without problems in Snow Leopard. Eventually I’ll get around to updating them all, but when they work so incredibly well and need next to zero repair for so many years, the only incentive to update them is when newer software requires an OS update that they can’t run (i.e. Mountain Lion or Mavericks).

  18. My oh my, Samsung is getting quicker and quicker in responding to rumours about new features in Apple products by releasing their own first.

    Not convinced about the S5, will wait for a plastic 5s.

    The Fit, however, must be the sleekest iWatch competitor out there. They nailed the design just right, methinks. With this, the wait for Apple’s iWatch has become really really interesting, design-wise at least. We’ll have to see how well the thing actually works, though…

  19. Jason Piebes - 10 years ago

    I suppose the ‘watch’ looks nice, but, nah it doesn’t even look nice to me. I tried to say something positive and I just cant.
    As long as they keep thinking of these things as ‘watches’ and trying to emulate a watch, they are not going to sell. To me this looks like a piece of kitsch that a gadget nerd will buy in hopes to impress other Galaxy fanatics. What female is ever going to purchase this thing?? Samsung put a mediocre polish on it and it looks like a $70 Fossil watch from Macys. There’s a reason the fuel bands and fitbits are actually selling… they aren’t trying to emulate a watch.

  20. Jasper Yeung - 10 years ago

    well i hope apple will come up with something that looks completely different yet astonishing compare to the gear fit. Most importantly is to packed some innovative tech inside. Or else i will be disappointed:(

  21. Robert Nixon - 10 years ago

    That phone is hideous.

  22. Himanshu Goel - 10 years ago

    How come they don’t have it in green color. They could have called it the Gator Phone. The back looks like Gator to me anyway.

  23. Len Williams - 10 years ago

    Anyone notice that the new Samsung “wearable” looks suspiciously like it could have been designed by Apple? With Samsung still being a supplier for many parts for the iPhone, it makes me wonder if this new wrist watch device has been pilfered from Apple (yet again) via industrial espionage. Samsung seems to be trying to get the jump on the iWatch before Apple launches a product to get a “first!” claim and initial share of the market. This new design actually looks quite good and functional (even the time and date font and layout look IDENTICAL to the unlock screen on iOS7) which makes me greatly suspect that Samsung didn’t come up with it themselves. I’m wondering if this will raise legal battles all over the world again between Apple and Samsung. I can’t wait to see what Apple has in mind, if anything, for it’s own wearable device.

Author

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.