Samsung Said to Be Prepping New Flagship Galaxy Smartphone

When it comes to global smartphone sales, Samsung rules the roost. The South Korean manufacturer accounted for a whopping 31.3 percent of the market last year.

Given the popularity of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone line, the anticipation for the next version of the device is reaching its boiling point.

Last week, CNET reported that tech writer Evan Nelson Blass, better known by his pen name @evleaks, confirmed rumors that Samsung’s next flagship smartphone model will be called the Galaxy S5, taking over for the Galaxy S4. The device is said to sport a high-resolution display and, like the iPhone 5S, a fingerprint scanner. Earlier, analysts predicted the Galaxy S5 would have two versions: a standard model and a premium model with an 8-core processor; a 5.2-inch Quad HD 2560x1440 pixel, active-matrix organic LED display; and 3 gigabytes of RAM.

So far, Samsung has not confirmed or denied any of the Galaxy S5’s features. It’s rumored that the smartphone could make an appearance at this month’s Mobile World Congress and launch sometime in March or April.

Samsung shipped 313.9 million smartphones in 2013, according to market research firm IDC. Last year was also the year that shipments of smartphones topped a billion units for the first time, a very significant milestone for the whole industry.

“Among the top trends driving smartphone growth are large-screen devices and low cost,” says Ryan Reith, program director with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. “Of the two, I have to say that low cost is the key difference maker. Cheap devices are not the attractive segment that normally grabs headlines, but IDC data shows this is the portion of the market that is driving volume.”

Rounding out the top five smartphone vendors for 2013 in addition to Samsung were Apple, Huawei, LG and Lenovo with 15.3 percent, 4.9 percent, 4.8 percent and 4.5 percent market share, respectively. Remaining manufacturers accounted for 39.3 percent of smartphones shipped.