Connect with us

Android

7 Frustrating Samsung Galaxy S5 Details

Published

on

With the Samsung Galaxy S5 release date just over the horizon, there are still a number of missing Samsung Galaxy S5 release date details that are frustrating prospective buyers. Here, we take a look at those frustrating details and offer buyers an updated perspective on how we expect them to pan out.

In late February, Samsung announced the long awaited Galaxy S5. At the time, Samsung confirmed many of the Galaxy S5’s important details. It confirmed its hardware specifications. It talked about its powerful software and the changes it made to TouchWiz. It detailed accessories including the Gear Fit. And it even announced a specific Galaxy S5 release date.

Unfortunately, while Samsung and its carrier partners have confirmed many of the Galaxy S5’s release details, there are still some that remain missing in action, just days before its release.

It’s now April 3rd which means that there is now less than a week before some carriers start shipping out the Galaxy S5 to those that pre-ordered. Carriers like AT&T will start shipping the Galaxy S5 a few days before its April 11th release date. With less than a week to go, there are still some big questions that Samsung and its partners have left unanswered in the United States and these unanswered questions have some prospective buyers frustrated.

While we wait for Samsung and its carrier partners to deliver these details, we want to offer up what we know about them and relay some of our own expectations.

32GB Galaxy S5 Missing

The Samsung Galaxy S5 32GB remains out of the picture in the United States. Carriers haven’t put it up for pre-order and U.S. Cellular told us weeks ago that it had no plans to release a 32GB model. Verizon’s website says the Galaxy S5 has 16GB of storage space and makes no mention of a 32GB model when it compares it to the Galaxy S4. Other carriers remain silent.

An earlier leak suggested that T-Mobile, at the very least, would offer a 32GB Galaxy S5 online but that model still hasn’t emerged ahead of the carrier’s April 11th release date.

Add more storage with a Micro SD card slot and swap batteries on the Galaxy S5.

Add more storage with a Micro SD card slot and swap batteries on the Galaxy S5.

Unsurprisingly, the lack of a 32GB model is frustrating potential Galaxy S5 buyers. Those that want more internal storage space have started taking to social media to ask questions and complain. One prospective Galaxy S5 buyer has even started a petition that asks Sprint to release a 32GB version of the Galaxy S5.

At this point, a release on April 11th appears unlikely. However, we wouldn’t put it past some carriers to offer a 32GB model in the future. That leaked T-Mobile document looked genuine and remember, AT&T and Verizon pushed their 32GB Galaxy S4 models live after they started selling the 16GB version.

Those who want the extra internal storage space on their Samsung Galaxy S5 would be wise to hold out for a few weeks. Nothing is set in stone just yet.

Verizon Galaxy S5 Release Date

The Verizon Galaxy S5 release date remains a complete and utter mystery. The only thing Verizon will tell us is that it’s focused in on the all new HTC One right now, it possess an in-store exclusive, and that it can’t talk about the future quite yet.

A RadioShack employee claims that the Verizon Galaxy S5 release will land in the second week of April. As it just so happens, April 11th lands in the second week of April.

Customers are frustrated, as they should be. Verizon has a tendency to keep its customers in the dark. It also is well known for delayed release dates. Last year, the Galaxy S4 arrived a month after the others hit shelves. And while its rivals released the HTC One in April, Verizon released in August.

We’re not expecting the same thing from the Galaxy S5 release. We’ve heard chatter about a potential release in April and with the carrier claiming that a pre-order will start soon, we can’t imagine that we’re very far away from a release date.

Verizon Galaxy S5 Pre-Orders

It looks like Verizon Galaxy S5 pre-orders could begin tomorrow. A sales rep at Verizon Wireless Cellular Sales Valley View claims that the store will begin taking orders tomorrow. That remains unconfirmed though Verizon’s Galaxy S5 sign up page has said that pre-orders will be coming soon for two weeks now.

Suffice to say, if Verizon is planning to get its Galaxy S5 out in an around the rest of the pack, pre-orders will start soon. We’re expecting details to emerge soon to relieve consumers of their frustrations.

Verizon Galaxy S5 Price

The Verizon Galaxy S5 price remains a mystery as well. We expect the price to arrive with the pre-order, Verizon won’t take orders without telling consumers how much they’ll need to pay, and that means that we could find out the price soon.

We fully expect Verizon to charge the same $199.99 on-contract price that we’ve seen from carriers like AT&T and Sprint. We also expect its off-contract price to be in the vicinity of $650 and $660. That’s how much other carriers are charging and it would be surprising to see Verizon drift too much from its rivals.

Blue & Gold Galaxy S5

When it took the stage in February, Samsung showed off four versions of the Galaxy S5 including white, black, blue, and gold versions. And while there is a demand for the blue and gold models in the United States, only the white and black models have emerged from the shadows thus far.

Given that we haven’t seen any carriers in the United States offer these two colors, it’s safe to assume that neither one will be available come April 11th. And given Samsung’s past, it’s extremely hard to predict what’s going to happen here.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Release - Pre-Orders U.S.

In the past, Samsung has given exclusives to carriers. Last year, AT&T was the only carrier to offer the red version of the Samsung Galaxy S4. More recently, Verizon released a rose gold Galaxy Note 3 exclusive. We also know that Best Buy often gets color exclusives as well and the retailers colors just so happen to be blue and yellow. Makes one wonder.

Across the pond, Vodafone UK will exclusively carry the gold Galaxy S5 which means that the door is open here for a U.S. exclusive.

Without any details or rumors, it’s hard to say if that will happen. But at this point, don’t expect the two colors to be available on April 11th. We’ll most likely hear more about them after the initial wave.

MetroPCS Galaxy S5 Release Date

MetroPCS’ Galaxy S5 release date remains unknown and the carrier still hasn’t started taking pre-orders through its website. Best Buy is currently taking pre-orders but it doesn’t list an expected release date. Best Buy’s other pre-orders list the AT&T and Sprint release date as April 11th.

GalaxyS5-black

The carrier still says that it will be releasing the device in April and from the looks of things, it could be preparing for a release on April 11th alongside the major carriers. A woman, who appears to work in a MetroPCS store, posted a photo of herself wearing a Samsung Galaxy S5 shirt. Why distribute shirts if a release isn’t close?

We expect MetroPCS to release its Galaxy S5 in April and we would not be surprised if it releases the device on April 11th.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime

This is maybe the most frustrating aspect of the Samsung Galaxy S5 release. Prior to the Galaxy S5’s launch, rumors teased a metal version of the Galaxy S5. The rumors suggested that it would have a high-performance processor and a brand new QHD display. That premium Galaxy S5 did not emerge on stage, much to the dismay of consumers.

Despite this, reports suggested that Samsung would push a new device in the months after the regular Galaxy S5’s arrival. Samsung appeared to pour water onto the  Galaxy S5 “Prime”  fire when it said that it had no plans to release a premium version of the Samsung Galaxy S5. Today though, rumors have emerged once again.

Could this be a premium upcoming Galaxy smartphone? Maybe, but Samsung isn't telling.

Could this be a premium upcoming Galaxy smartphone? Maybe, but Samsung isn’t telling.

A new benchmark depicts a device dubbed Samsung SM-G906S. The device sports a 5.2-inch 2560×1440 QHD display, Snapdragon 805 processor, and a model number that is higher than the Galaxy S5’s. It also supposedly has an Adreno 420 GPU, 3GB of RAM, and 15.8MP camera sensor. If it’s real, it’s a monster.

Samsung’s CEO said that it didn’t have a premium Galaxy S5 in the works but the company did hint at a new, premium line of smartphones. So perhaps this device will be called something else. Problem is, we still don’t know and we’re only days away from the Samsung Galaxy S5’s global release date.

So what’s frustrating about this? Well, imagine buying the plastic Galaxy S5 on-contract. Then, two months later, having to watch as Samsung announces a brand new premium device with loaded features. Imagine U.S. carriers offering this device. And then imagine having to pay an expensive ETF to break contract and buy this new device.

Galaxy S5 Display

The obvious solution is to sign up for the Galaxy S5 without a contract but for many people, this won’t be an option. And that has to be extremely frustrating going into the April 11th release.

We don’t expect this to be cleared up any time soon as Samsung focuses in on the global launch of the Galaxy S5 in a few days.

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. D3troit

    04/03/2014 at 2:59 pm

    As consumers we are frustrated that these vendors are not considering what we want. It’s not as if we are asking for something that does not exists. The 32gb Samsung Galaxy 5S exists and we’re just asking that the carriers make it available to us. Is that too much to ask? Especially with the software of Samsung and the carrier and Kit Kats locking down access to the microSD card. More ROM is needed more than ever.

  2. Kevin Murray

    04/03/2014 at 4:20 pm

    I have had a Droid RAZR MAXX since 2012 and have been completely happy with it. I do like the look and options of the Galaxy S5, but I have been sitting on an upgrade discount for over 6 months and I’m not gonna waste it on a phone with half the memory my Droid has. I love the upgraded 16mp camera, considering more Americans take pictures with phones instead of stand-alone cameras. However i didn’t upgrade to the iPhone because I was waiting on this. If they are going to “bait-and-switch” and sucker people into buying a lesser phone, only to come out with a better model a few months later – I’ll continue to wait.

    • Lyle Lengyel

      04/03/2014 at 4:54 pm

      Yeah, I can’t believe the article says “The obvious solution is to sign up for the Galaxy S5 without a contract.” NO the obvious solution is to just be patient and wait! I’m on the Razr Maxx still as well, and I’m not going to upgrade to a next gen phone until they at least get close to this battery life. The Droid Maxx does it, but is lacking in every other spec.

  3. tlturnbull20

    04/04/2014 at 8:24 am

    I’m glad that Verizon finally showed their pre-orders today, but I agree with what the article says about the colors. I’m curious why none of the US carriers have any of the color models besides black and white. I really like the look of the blue one, I’m curious when I’d be able to get my hands on it.

  4. Laura

    04/11/2014 at 11:51 pm

    It’s so frustrating when a range of colours are shown off but they don’t realise them all until months afterwards! Why not release them all at once?!

  5. anon

    04/29/2014 at 5:35 pm

    I have a blue s5 in new zealand

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.