The Samsung Galaxy S5 may be here as soon as Feb. 24, rumor has it.
In speaking with the Korean press back in October, Samsung CEO J.K. Shin said the Galaxy S4 had sold more than 40 million devices since its late-April release, compared to the Samsung Galaxy S3, which sold 30 million models within three months of its launch.
According to the International Business Times, sales goals for the S4 fell between 80 million and 100 million for 2013, and Shin is rumored to have been disappointed with the outcome - a possible reason for pushing the S5's release date up.
Publicly, however, Shin has sounded more positive.
"I can say sales of the Galaxy S4 smartphone are fine. It's been selling well," he told reporters in July 2013.
The statement came shortly after the South Korean company's stock prices took a tumble in June following negative reports that suggested the device was not selling as well as hoped.
The S5 could be unveiled at the upcoming Samsung Unpacked 5 event, scheduled for Feb. 24 in Barcelona - an event that is slated to be much more low-key than last year's Radio City Music Hall bash, The New York Times reported.
"After some critics disparaged some features of the Galaxy S4 as gimmicky - including its Air View feature, which lets users answer the phone by waving a hand above it - Samsung seems to be playing it safer this time around," the Times said.
According to Extreme Tech, the phone may be the first smartphone to boast 4GB of RAM and will likely have some kind of biometric sensor, such as a fingerprint or eye scanner. One of the most persistent rumors, according to the tech site, has to do with the phone's frame: Unlike its predecessors, the S5 will likely have a metal body and back, rather than plastic.
