Samsung Galaxy S5 Update: New Smartphone to Boast Waterproof Body; Pegged to Cost Less than Predecessors

Samsung's 'Unpacked 5' event is scheduled to kick off on 24 February, but rumours regarding the Galaxy S5 do not seem to end as a new report has now surfaced online, suggesting the Galaxy S4 successor would boast a waterproof body.

South Korean arm of technology blog ZDNet, citing industry sources, has revealed that Samsung Galaxy S5 (premium model) will boast a waterproof and dust-resistant body.

The revelation comes just days after network carrier O2 in Germany teased an image of a Galaxy S5 dipped in water on its website. [To view the image, click here]

This means Samsung will directly incorporate rugged features in the standard Galaxy S5 model, instead of releasing a separate variant that would affect the sales of the original model.

Last year, the company had launched a separate brawny variant - Galaxy S4 Active - a few months after the Galaxy S4 launch in March; the phone's sales figure tapered at the end of 2013.

Another source also revealed that the Galaxy S5 will have a fingerprint sensor on the Home button, similar to the one we find on Apple iPhone 5S, contradicting earlier reports which said the Samsung phone's whole display would act as the sensor.

Samsung has reportedly signed a deal with US-based Validity Sensors, Inc. to supply fingerprint chips to the Galaxy S5, said the website.

In related news, American business media house, Bloomberg, quoting people familiar with the company plans, has claimed that Samsung is contemplating to sell Galaxy S5 (locked models) at prices lesser than its predecessors.

Global slowdown in premium smartphone sales, with the advent of cheap Chinese smartphones (especially the $100 ones), has been attributed as the reason for Samsung and its carrier networks deciding to lower the Galaxy S5 price.

Rumoured specifications of Samsung Galaxy S5 include: