Report: Samsung to launch new flagship in South Korea, possibly LTE-A variant of Galaxy S5
According to a new report from The Korea Times, Samsung is preparing to launch a new flagship phone in South Korea. Major carriers in the country are set to roll out an upgraded LTE-A network that can achieve speeds of up to 225Mbps, as opposed to just 150 Mbps that is supported now, and Samsung’s new handset will be among the first to support said network. This phone could be the Galaxy S5 Prime, which has been rumored to support LTE-A speeds of 225Mbps, and it could mean that the handset will indeed be powered by the Snapdragon 805 chip, as the Snapdragon 801 caps out at 150Mbps.
The report also mentions that the new handset will feature a UHD display, though recent leaks have led us to believe that the phone that has been rumored to be the Galaxy S5 Prime might just turn out to be a Galaxy S5 with an upgraded processor to support the faster LTE-A networks, similar to the Galaxy S4 LTE-A from last year. The Galaxy Note 4 is looking more and more like the Samsung phone that will introduce a QHD display in the company’s smartphone lineup (and frankly, QHD makes no sense on a phone with a 5.1-inch screen like the Galaxy S5), though it could miss out on the chance to be the first to sport the Snapdragon 805 chip if this LTE-A-enabled Galaxy S5 comes out in South Korea in the next three months.
Update: According to Yonhap News, SK Telecom will unveil the Galaxy S5 LTE-A, powered by the Snapdragon 805 processor, on July 19th. The phone is said to be similar to the Galaxy S5 in all other aspects.