New Samsung Galaxy S5 comes larger, more powerful

Will be presented in Barcelona on February 24

The new high-end smartphone from Samsung Electronics Co. will have a larger 5.2 inch screen and sharper than the current Galaxy S4, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

The new phone , to present improvements in battery and camera will be released around the same time that the updated Galaxy clock Smart Gear version the source, who asked not to be identified because the specifications are not public said.

Samsung could start selling the new phone at a lower price than previous models in the S series , after encouragement from one wireless service provider said a second person familiar with the matter .

Samsung is adding new functions and features to the latest version of its most popular device in an attempt to counter the slowdown in demand for high quality smart phones , new models of Apple Inc. , and a large number of Chinese competitors selling devices at rock bottom prices , up to $ 100 .

The biggest smartphone maker in the world launches its new phone , which would be called the S5 , after sales of its predecessor, the S4, introduced last year fell below analysts ' estimates .

 "For me, best features is not everything," said Roberta Cozza , an analyst at Gartner Inc., in an interview. " They have to find a way for users to choose the Samsung brand in different types of devices to better compete with Apple ."

The largest technology company in Asia released the new device at Mobile World Congress ( MWC) which begins next week in Barcelona. He invited reporters to an event called " Unpacked5 " scheduled for February 24 .

 Sul Jung In, a spokesman for Seoul-based Samsung , declined to comment on the specifications of the new device .

Samsung studied the possibility of using iris scan technology in the new phone for the first time , said Lee Young Hee , executive vice president of the mobile phone unit , in an interview on Jan. 6 . Sales of the company 's flagship product , the S4, slowed in September after the launch of Apple iPhone 5s , including a sensor for fingerprint recognition .

Cheap

Samsung has not yet indicated what the operators a sale price in the middle of a debate over whether the new phone should be cheaper than their previous S models . The Galaxy S4 device with 16 gigabytes of memory retails for $ 200 at Verizon Wireless with a two-year contract , according to the website of the company.

Less sales

Samsung , which sells about one in four mobile phones worldwide , introduced a drop in shipments and market share in the fourth quarter of 2013 compared to the previous year, according to data compiled by Inteational Data Corp. January 27. Samsung shipped 112 million handsets in the quarter , compared to 113.6 million units last year. Its market share of shipments declined to 22.9 percent in the fourth quarter, up from 23.5 percent the previous year.

Since its launch in April, Samsung has sold 63.5 million units of S4, which features a 5-inch display and 13 -megapixel camera , according to the average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. That compares with 65.6 million units sold by its predecessor, the S3 , the survey of analysts.

Apple sold 51 million iPhones in the quarter ended in December, after the new version went on sale in September.