Latest News:  Samsung Galaxy S5

Rumours indicate that we could soon see a mini version of the Samsung Galaxy S5. We assume this will be called the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini, while the leaked images reveal not only a similar perforated backside but also a fingerprint scanner on the home button along with a hear rate sensor below the rear camera. Overall, not much seems changed from the overall design and features except for a standard microUSB port and smaller rear camera hump. The back panel retains the same rubber lining as before, indicating that the Galaxy S5 mini may be just as water and dust resistant as it's bigger version. Other rumoured tech specs include a 1.4GHz quad-core Samsung Exynos processor, 1.5GB of RAM, a 4.5-inch display with 720p pixel resolution, 8MP rear camera, 2.1MP front camera and 16GB worth of storage. As with all rumours we do suggest that you take this with a good pinch of salt as it could just be a miniturized knock off version of the Samsung Galaxy S5. Stay tuned for more developments.

The Maxis ONEplan aims to offer a simple to understand and follow post-paid plan for new and existing Maxis users. Seeking to maintain this simplicity with their device bundles, Maxis have set the advance payment of a device retailing above RM400 to four months charge of either the ONEplan or ONEplan Lite while a device retailing below RM400 is only charged two months of either the ONEplan or ONEplan Lite plans. All advance payments are rebated into the customer's bills and loyal customers with more than 12 months on Maxis and who have a good credit record won't have to make these advance payments. So far, the device list includes the HTC One (M8), Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z2, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, HTC One (M7), Sony Xperia M2, Samsung Galaxy Ace 3, Huawei Ascend Y530 and the Xiaomi Mi 3. Check out the tables in this article for more details on the devices available.

While Samsung did initially announce that their Galaxy S5 smartphone would come in black, electric blue, gold and white, both electric blue and gold were not officially available in Malaysia initially. Samsung Malaysia has since then revealed that the Galaxy S5 is now available in both gold and electric blue. Tech specs and features for the two colours hasn't changed though as you'll still get an IP67 certified water and dust resistant casing, 16MP ISOCELL camera and 4G LTE connectivity. The retail pricing for either colour will also remain the same at RM2399. Here's what Samsung had to say about it:

"The introduction of the two colour variants continues to emphasise the iconic design of the GALAXY S5. We hope to create opportunities for our consumers to improve their everyday lives, be it through a fashion trend, a favourite feature or simply, a holistic smartphone experience. This fuels our desire to deliver people-inspired innovation with essential features for day-to-day use." Lee Dong Yong, President of Samsung Malaysia Electronics

Previously, U Mobile had bundle deals going on for the Samsung Galaxy S5 with no upfront payment at just RM555 for new Standard Chartered JustOne Platinum card subscribers. However, with the recent RM200 trade-in discount from Samsung Malaysia, U Mobile are now lowering the price to RM355. All of the old conditions remain in place though, so if you want the RM355 No Upfront deal, you will have to successfully get a Standard Chartered JustOne Platinum Card, sign up for a U Plus plan and trade-in your old smartphone. Do note that the trade-in smartphone does add any discount value to the deal like the Samsung Malaysia promo, but according to U Mobile, you can bring in any phone with an IMEI number for the trade-in. In line with the Samsung promo, the extra RM200 trade-in discount is only available until 31 May 2014, so if you fulfill all the conditions and want the Samsung Galaxy S5 at a rock bottom price, then do check out this deal. The existing RM555 discount remains valid until 30 June 2014. For more details check out the table and links in this article.

Understanding that the Samsung Galaxy S5 is rather expensive at a retail price of RM2399, Samsung Malaysia are offering an RM200 discount when you trade-in your smartphone to buy the Galaxy S5 smartphone. This RM200 discount will be added on to the value of the smartphone you trade-in, so if your trade-in smartphone is valued at RM300, the total discount will be RM500. This promo is from 23 May 2014 to 31 May 2014 so if you're considering the Galaxy S5 and you have a good value smartphone you don't want anymore then this is a very good offer. Check out the full details of this trad-in discount promo at the Samsung Malaysia site.

Samsung Malaysia recently announced that new Samsung Galaxy S5 owners could get the chance to win flight tickets to catch the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil or win a 55-inch Samsung Curved UHD TV or even limited edition Galaxy 11 footballs. To win, new Samsung Galaxy S5 owners may submit entries at www.galaxy11.my. The grand prize of two tickets to Brazil are worth up to RM20000 while another five units of Samsung Curved UHD TVs up for grabs are worth RM15999 each. The first 10000 to submit their entries will get a limited edition GALAXY 11 football. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is currently priced at RM2399 while the Galaxy Gear smartwatch goes for RM799. The Gear Fit smartband on the other hand will go for RM599 with all three devices readily available at Samsung Experience Stores and authorized dealers. In line with the Galaxy 11 campaign, Samsung Malaysia will be doing various activities with the details listed in this article.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 mini or the slightly smaller version of the Samsung Galaxy S5 has popped up on Zauba. For those who don't know, Zauba is a registry listing tracking imports and exports to and from India, rather like our own SIRIM database. The listing in question shows the SM-G800F which popped up as the Samsung Galaxy Mini recently. The listing shows that the screen size will be 4.47-inches resulting in a 4.5-inch display. Other leaked tech specs indicate that the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini will also pack in a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5GB RAM, 16GB storage, 8MP rear camera, 2MP front camera and come with IP67 water and dust resistance along with a 2000 mAh battery and Android 4.4. No news yet on Malaysia pricing or release dates but the listing does indicate a value of 21493 INR (RM1160) for each unit.

We've been hearing rumours about the Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime or Project KQ for a while now with one of the most recent rumours being a release date sometime in June 2014. This comes from a report in Korean media who didn't name any names per say. As usual for a claimed premium smartphone from Samsung, the usual wishlist of a metal body and 2K display have cropped up but the expected detailed tech specs include a 5.2-inch screen with 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution (yep, 2K) along with a version packing a 2.1GHz octa-core Samsung Exynos 5430 processor and a 600MHz ARM Mali graphics processor. Other versions are expected as well, perhaps sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon or offering LTE-A connectivity. No details on a Malaysia release date or pricing yet, but we'll find out more in June 2014.

With the release of the Samsung Galaxy S5, practically everyone is wondering about what type of variants Samsung's latest smartphone might take. The Samsung Galaxy S5 mini has more or less been confirmed but some were also wondering what features a smaller version of the Galaxy S5 would retain. Apart from looks and possibly the same perforated band-aid like backside, it appears that the Galaxy S5 mini will also retain the same IP67 water resistant certification. This confirmation comes courtesy of warranty information regarding the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini from the Samsung New Zealand site (which has since been taken down). While this feature has been confirmed, other tech specs which have yet to be confirmed include a Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 4.5-inch screen with 720 x 1280 pixel resolution, 8MP rear camera, 2MP front camera and Android 4.4 KitKat. Unfortunately, there are still no images or details on Malaysia release dates and pricing yet, but we expect to find out these details soon.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 has recently been officially announced. So far, the latest in the long range of Samsung Galaxy S series flagship smartphones manages to retain more or less the same design as before except for a more perforated backside but manages to offer up a number of interesting tech specs and features nonetheless. Malaysia release dates for the Samsung Galaxy S5 are expected on or after 11 March 2014 with Malaysia pricing expected to be about $600 (RM1969). Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted, but for now, check out the Samsung Galaxy S5 tech specs below:

• 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB / 32GB storage + microSD (64GB)
• 5.1-display (FHD, Super AMOLED, 1920 x 1080)
• 16MP rear camera (UHD@30fps, HDR, video stabilization) + 2.0MP front camera
• 142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm | 145g
• 2800 mAh battery
• Supports LTE Cat.4, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2x2), Bluetooth 4.0 BLE / ANT+, USB 3.0, NFC, IR Remote
• Features Gesture(IR), Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor, Download Booster, S Health 3.0, Quick Connect, Private Mode, Kids Mode
• IP67 Dust and Water Resistant
• Android 4.4.2 Kitkat