Samsung Electronics Co. announced that it will release its Galaxy S5 smarphone by April 2014, Bloomberg reported earlier today. The company is going to use an eye scanner technology for the first time. This will provide Samsung with the opportunity to compete with the iPhone devices of Apple Inc.
In an interview on January the 6th, the Executive Vice President of Samsungs mobile business – Lee Young Hee, explained that the S5 device is planned to be paired with a new wearable device, which is believed by the company to be an evolution of the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. She said: “Weve been announcing our first flagship model in the first half of each year, around March and April, and we are still targeting for release around that time. When we release our S5 device, you can also expect a Gear successor with more advanced functions, and the bulky design will also be improved.”
Mrs. Lee also explained that Samsung will announce at least one other wearable device in 2014, but he did not share any more details about that. The company registered an eyeglasses design in South Korea in October. The eyeglasses can show information from a smartphone and provide users with the opportunity to take calls, as Bloomberg reported.
After Apple released its iPhone 5s and 5c devices in September, the sales of Samsung S4 decreased. Apples 5s is provided with a fingerprint-identity sensor, and Samsung is still considering using an eye scanner in its upcoming smartphone device. At the International Consumer electronics Show in Las Vegas, Mrs. Lee Young Hee said: “Many people are fanatical about iris recognition technology. We are studying the possibility but cant really say whether we will have it or not on the S5.”
Mrs. Lee hinted that the new handset will probably be different from its predecessors, but she did not gave any more details about the device. She also said: “When we moved to S4 from S3, its partly true that consumers couldnt really feel much difference between the two products from the physical perspective, so the market reaction wasnt as big. For the S5, we will go back to the basics. Mostly, its about the display and the feel of the cover.”
This weeks profit of the company missed the estimates of analysts, but Samsung is hoping that the new products launch will help it boost marketing of tablet computers. The company is also trying to eliminate Apple Inc. from the high-end market by tempting budget customers with 100-dollar handsets.
One of the analysts working at IBK securities Co. – Lee Saung Woo said on a phone call today: “the release of the S5 will be very important to Samsung. Competition is going to intensify, and its not going to be an easy year for the company.”
According to Bloomberg, the current share price of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Is 1.24% down, and its one-year return rate is 14.97% down.