Samsung Galaxy S5 'Copper Gold' Variant Now Available in India

Samsung on Monday announced a new Copper Gold colour variant for the Galaxy S5 smartphone in India. The Samsung Galaxy S5 Copper Gold colour is available via the company's India e-store and retail stores across India.

The Galaxy S5's new Copper Gold version is listed as 'Golden' on the official Samsung India store at Rs. 51,500, alongside its Black, Blue and White colour variants.

Samsung's latest flagship smartphone went on sale worldwide on April 11, including in the Indian market.

(Also see: Samsung Galaxy S5: 10 big new features)

The biggest new features being touted on the Galaxy S5 by Samsung include a fingerprint scanner on the home button, a heart rate sensor placed near the 16-megapixel camera, and the IP67 certification that makes it dust and water-resistant. As of now, there is no word whether the Galaxy S5 Crystal Edition will come with such features. The smartphone also features a new design in terms of the back panel now being perforated, a wider choice of colours, and optional designer back panels.

(Also see: Samsung Galaxy S5 vs. Sony Xperia Z2 vs. LG G Pro 2 vs. iPhone 5s)

The South Korean giant, in an attempt to boost the sales of its new flagship smartphone is offering limited free subscriptions to various premium services, paid apps, and cloud storage accounts.

Commenting on the availability of new colour variant of the Galaxy S5, Samsung India's Vineet Taneja, Country Head, IT and Mobile Division said, "The Galaxy S5 is a testament of people-inspired innovation from Samsung. This specially crafted Galaxy S5 in Copper Gold variant is aimed at consumers seeking seamless integration of stunning classic design and exceptional functionality to make their lives more efficient."

(Also see: Samsung Galaxy S5 grabs 1 percent share of Android market in a week: Study)

It's worth noting that the Galaxy S5 (Review | Pictures) owners in India are getting a free 1-year membership to RunKeeper Elite, which is an app to track fitness activities; a 1-year free premium service of the personal wellness assistant Lark; 6-months Map My Fitness app access which tracks running, cycling, and other activities; free 50GB cloud storage for 6 months on Box, and up to 12-months of Evernote Premium, the note-taking app.

Samsung Galaxy S5

Rs. 51500

• REVIEW
• 
  

• Design
• Display
• Software
• Performance
• Battery life
• Camera
• Value for money

• Good
• Fantastic camera
• Great battery life and performance
• Innovative software features
• Compatibility with Samsung Gear accessories

• Bad
• Heart rate monitor feature is unreliable
• Cluttered interface
• Expensive

Samsung Galaxy S5 grabs 1 percent share of Android market in a week: Study

A week after the launch of the much-hyped Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone, a study indicates the device has grabbed nearly 1 percent of the global Android smartphone market.

According to a report by Localytics , an analytics and marketing platform, the Galaxy S5 device has covered an impressive 0.7 percent of all active Android smartphones worldwide. To put this in perspective, Localytics says the iPhone 5s achieved a 1.1 percent share of all iPhone models a week after its launch last year.

On comparing the graph of both the handsets' OS-based market share post launch, the SamsungGalaxy S5 seems to have fared worse, until you take into account the size of the vast Android ecosystem.

The report also indicates the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone is quite popular with Americans. While the US currently holds a 64 percent global share of the device, Europe and other regions hold 23 and 13 percent shares respectively. The Galaxy S5's predecessor, the Galaxy S4, was also very popular in the US, with 51 percent of Galaxy S4 smartphones currently in the market found in the US, 28 percent in Europe, and 21 percent in the remaining countries.

The vast difference between the Galaxy S5's US and European market share is said to be caused by the lack of availability of the handset in some European countries, though it should become more widely-available over time.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone was launched during the Mobile World Congress 2014 event on February 25 and went on worldwide sale on April 11. Some of the key specifications of the handset are Android 4.4.2 KitKat, 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with a 1080x1920 pixel full-HD resolution, 2.5GHz quad-core processor coupled with 2GB of RAM, and 16-megapixel rear and 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera.

Samsung Galaxy S5

Rs. 51500

• REVIEW
• 
  
• 
  

• Design
• Display
• Software
• Performance
• Battery life
• Camera
• Value for money

• Good
• Fantastic camera
• Great battery life and performance
• Innovative software features
• Compatibility with Samsung Gear accessories

• Bad
• Heart rate monitor feature is unreliable
• Cluttered interface
• Expensive

Galaxy S5 price has not been slashed in India, clarifies Samsung

Samsung has moved to dismiss reports that it has officially dropped the price of its Galaxy S5 smartphone in India to compete with the HTC One (M8).

HTC announced on Monday that the One (M8) will be priced at Rs. 49,900 in India. At least one online retailer was then spotted selling the Samsung Galaxy S5 at a sub-Rs. 47,000 price point, leading to a flurry of media reports claiming that Samsung had slashed the Galaxy S5 price to counter the HTC One (M8) launch. However, Samsung has now dismissed these reports.

The company issued an email statement on Thursday saying "reports claiming Samsung Electronics has revised prices of Galaxy S5 are false and baseless" and the Galaxy S5 "continues to be priced at Rs. 51,500."

It's worth pointing out that companies in India only set a maximum retail price as mandated by the law, and dealers - including online outlets - are free to sell below that price, at a cost to their own margins. It's clear that some media outlets mistook what was standard price-cutting by third-party retailers to be an official price drop and ran with the story.

Samsung continues to sell the Galaxy S5 for Rs. 51,500 via its online store and added in the statement that "this pricing is based on robust demand and increasing sales."

Here is Samsung's statement in full:

Samsung Electronics, India's leading smartphone manufacturer, today clarified that the market price of the Galaxy S5 has not been slashed by the company. Samsung Electronics' flagship smartphone, which was launched in March 2014, continues to be priced at Rs. 51,500. Galaxy Gear 2 is priced at Rs. 21,900 and both Galaxy Gear 2 Neo and Galaxy Gear Fit are priced at Rs. 15,900 each. This pricing is based on robust demand and increasing sales. The company further added that reports claiming Samsung Electronics has revised prices of Galaxy S5 are false and baseless. Galaxy S5 was made available in India through Samsung's retail stores and online sites starting April 11, 2014.

Samsung Galaxy S5

Rs. 51500

• REVIEW
• 
  

• Display
• Software
• Performance
• Battery life
• Camera
• Value for money

• Good
• Fantastic camera
• Great battery life and performance
• Innovative software features
• Compatibility with Samsung Gear accessories

• Bad
• Heart rate monitor feature is unreliable
• Cluttered interface
• Expensive

Samsung Galaxy S5's anti-theft features praised

A move by Samsung to include free anti-theft features on its Galaxy S5 smartphones sold by Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular won praise on Friday by two U.S. members of an international coalition aimed at combating robberies involving smartphones.

The new features allow Samsung Galaxy S5 users to track devices and require the owner's account information to reset the phone. The features, Find My Mobile, and Reactivation Lock, will come installed in the phones but must be activated by users.

"The decision ... to provide Samsung's Find My Mobile and Reactivation Lock features on Galaxy S5 smartphones and to allow those features to be activated for free is a step forward in our effort to ensure the industry makes effective theft deterrents available on every smartphone sold in America," New York's attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, and San Francisco's district attorney, George Gascon, said in a statement.

(Also see: Samsung Galaxy S5: 10 big new features)

Schneiderman and Gascon, along with London Mayor Boris Johnson, are co-chairs of the coalition Secure Our Smartphone Initiative.

They said, however, that they remain "concerned that consumers will need to opt in to the system, thereby limiting the ubiquity and effectiveness of the solution."

Both Schneiderman and Gascon have criticized the cellphone industry for what they say is a perceived unwillingness to solve an escalating theft problem.

Schneiderman has publicly supported bills currently in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate that would require a kill switch to be installed in every smartphone manufactured in the United States. The switch would prevent the phone from being re-activated in the black market.

In 2012, 1.6 million Americans were victimized for their smartphones, according to Schneiderman's office.

Samsung Galaxy S5

• KEY SPECS
• 
  

Display

5.10-inch

Processor

1.9GHz

Front Camera

2.1-megapixel

Resolution

1080x1920 pixels

RAM

2GB

OS

Android 4.4.2

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

16-megapixel

Battery capacity

2800mAh

Samsung Galaxy S5 launch price roundup

Samsung launched its Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone at MWC 2014 amidst much fanfare, and also announced that the device will go on sale in 150 countries starting from 11 April 2014.

At the announcement however, the South Korean manufacturer did not reveal the price of theSamsung Galaxy S5.

Earlier on Friday, Samsung announced that its Galaxy S5 smartphone, accompanied by the Gear 2 and Gear Fit wearables, will be globally previewed (hands-on demo) and will also go up for pre-order in more than 61 countries starting Friday (21 March 2014).

Now, mobile carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile have revealed the pre-order pricing of the Galaxy S5 and this gives us a rough indication of how much the South Korean giant's latest flagship smartphone might cost when it hits other markets, including India.

AT&T has announced that the Galaxy S5 will be available at $25 per month on an 18 month contract; $32.50 per month on a 12 month contact, or $199.99 on a two-year contract. The mobile carrier has revealed that the Galaxy S5 will be also available at $649.99 (Rs. 39,750 approximately) upfront without any contract. The pre-order for the Galaxy S5 will start in the US via AT&T beginning Friday (21 March 2014). However, the mobile carrier notes that the device will be shipped by early April.

T-Mobile, on the other hand, has revealed that it will start taking pre-orders for the Galaxy S5 from 24 March 2014 and it will be available at $27.50 per month for a two year contract, with zero down payment. The mobile carrier however, has not announced any off-contract pricing for the 2014 Samsung flagship.

Earlier, the Samsung Galaxy S5 was spotted listed at two online retailers in Europe with pricing. The Galaxy S5 was listed for pre-order at GBP 550 (approximately Rs. 56,900) on Clove UK for the 16GB variant, and was available in White, Blue, Black and Golden. However, Clove UK has now removed the pricing of the smartphone and shows 'notify' me option for interested Galaxy S5 consumers.

While on Amazon Spain, the Samsung Galaxy S5 was earlier seen with a price tag of EUR 729 (Rs. 62,200 approximately), however, currently the price tag has been dropped. The Galaxy S5 is listed atAmazon Spain at EUR 689, which is roughly Rs. 58,000. Notably, the price given is for the 16GB built-in storage variant, and available in all four colour variants.

We have been hearing the rumoured lower pricing of the Galaxy S5 since February, which claimed that Samsung would price its latest smartphone lower than the previous Galaxy S flagships. As per the report, the lower pricing suggestion for the Galaxy S5 had been recommended by wireless carriers.

Another report on Thursday suggested that the Galaxy S5 would be cheaper than the Galaxy S4 at launch. The report claimed that the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4's launch price difference is roughly $83.

It's yet to be seen whether the South Korean giant price its Galaxy S5 reasonably or continues its high flagship pricing tradition.

Samsung Galaxy S5

• KEY SPECS
• 
  

Display

5.10-inch

Processor

2.5GHz

Front Camera

2.1-megapixel

Resolution

1080x1920 pixels

RAM

2GB

OS

Android 4.4.2

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

16-megapixel

Battery capacity

2800mAh