As Samsung's 2013 marquee phone Galaxy S4 nears its one-year cycle, the company's next generation handset Galaxy S5 rumours have begun to flood the internet.

Over the last few months, we have seen a quite lot of reports about speculated features of Galaxy S5. To give a better picture of the forthcoming Samsung 2014-flagship phone, we have pieced together all the relevant facts.

Design and Display:

Despite delivering some of the top smartphones in the market, Samsung always has been panned by critics and fans alike for the company's inclination towards device's plastic casing. However, Samsung finally seems to have heard the call as the South Korean firm is reportedly using a metal-alloy for its upcoming Galaxy S5. With the introduction of metal hardware, the costs are certain to go up, which in turn may affect company's stakes in price-conscious markets like India and China. But the company is also rumoured to release a cheaper plastic variant, said ET News

Apart from different back panels, both devices are expected to the feature the same display quality. Both the phones are said to boast of a flexible Super AMOLED display with a staggering 2K (2560x1440p) display resolution with 560 ppi (pixels per inch).

Processor, RAM and Storage:

Samsung has already confirmed that the company is certain to use the 64-bit architecture based chipsets in 2014 models and hence one can also expect the Galaxy S5 to boast of the new generation processor.

The company's recently launched Galaxy Note 3 already features a 3GB RAM, so it is safe to assume that Galaxy S5 will pack at least 3GB physical memory, if not more.

In terms of storage capacity, Phones Review reported that Samsung Galaxy S5 may pack a huge memory (astronomical) of 364GB, a new generation 3D vertical NAND logic design based chip, a technic which the company has mastered to stack 24 x 16GB chips in layers in the small confines of the smartphone mother board.

Another interesting rumour that is circulating in the media is that, Samsung may plant either a eye-scanning sensor (Iris Recognition) or a finger-print sensor in the phone, a biometric technology for secured unlocking of the screen. 'Iris Recognition' involves camera technology with subtle infrared illuminations to capture detailed nerve pattern on the iris. Using this data, digital templates are created by mathematical and statistical algorithm so that accurate profile is created. This biometric technology is nearly impossible to crack by an imposter, unlike finger print scanner which can be forged with fake thumb print. If implemented, Samsung will truely have an edge over the arch rival Apple next year.

Apple iPhone 5S and HTC One Max are the only devices in the market to boast a finger-print module as of now.

 Camera:

In 2013, we saw Samsung deliver high-end phones with equally impressive camera specs with photography enriching smart applications and tools. Now it looks like company is going up a notch with the new Galaxy S5. The upcoming phone is expected to boast of a 16.0-megapixel main camera with ISOCELL technology, OIS (Optical image stabilization) and loss-less zoom feature, which we see in the Nokia's flagship 41.0-megapixel camera phone Lumia 1020. It is also said to house either 1.6-megapixel or 2.0-megapixel front-facing camera with full HD video recording ability along with smart-camera gesture control features.

Operating System:

Since the Galaxy S5 is expected to get launched next year, the phone is certain to run on the Android v4.4 KitKat OS.

Launch Date:

Reports from South Korea suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S5 production will go live in early January. Samsung is known for promptness in delivering fast shipments to multiple markets in one go, so we can expect to phone to make its debut either in mid-February (possibly around MWC 2013) or the company might even host a flashy 2014 edition of the Samsung Unpacked event in early-March.

Rumoured specifications of Samsung Galaxy S5:

Model

Samsung Galaxy S5

Display

5.0-inch Super AMOLED display with 2K (2560x1440p) resolutions and pixel density of 560 ppi (pixels per inch)

OS

Android v4.4 KitKat OS

Processor

64-bit architecture based Samsung Exynos 6 Octa-core chipset

RAM

Minimum 3GB or (4GB)

Storage capacity

364 GB (rumour), usually expect to come in 32GB , 64GB variants with micro SD card slot

Camera

Main: 16.0-megapixel camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)

Front: 1.9 or 2.0 megapixel cmaera with full HD video recording ability

Battery

4000 mAh

Network

3G/4G/LTE-Advanced

Add-ons

Two variants- metal casing another with plastic shell, smart camera gesture control feature, possibly finger print-sensor or Eye-Scanning module (Iris Recognition)