As time goes on, we’re naturally going to see a push for higher-resolution displays in the smartphones we use, and Samsung apparently has no intention of falling behind in the race. According to a new report from ZDNet Korea, Samsung is planning to reveal its first Quad HD (2560×1440) smartphone at MWC 2014. We’re now in the middle of December, which means that such a reveal is just a couple of months off. We already knew that Samsung had plans to begin producing smartphones with QHD displays next year, but the idea that its first high-resolution display could be coming as early as February is a new one.
However, this report – which supposedly comes from unnamed industry sources – claims that QHD displays are only one part of the equation. Also on deck for Samsung’s 2014 smartphone releases is iris scanning technology. Iris scanning, as many of you already know, is offered as an alternative security feature, potentially billed as being easier to use than biometric fingerprint scanners and such archaic methods as PINs and passwords. It seems to us that iris and fingerprint scanning would offer nearly the same level of security, but if iris scanning is the hot new thing, who are we to argue? Samsung also has the advantage of holding an iris scanning patent, so it’s hardly surprising to hear the company plans to roll with that technology over fingerprint scanning.
At the moment, it isn’t clear if Samsung’s QHD display and iris scanner will grace the same device, but if it plans to launch these features on a flagship phone, we don’t see why they wouldn’t both be present. If Samsung is truly planning to reveal a device offering these features at MWC 2014, it’s a possibility the Galaxy S5 is the device in question. Historically, Samsung has released new devices in its S series in March or April, so a February reveal certainly makes sense in this case. As one of the premier Android manufacturers, Samsung needs to make itself stand out constantly, and what better way to do that than by launching the Galaxy S5 with a QHD display?
When it comes down to it, we’ll definitely be waiting until MWC 2014 to see if these rumors are true. There’s no way Samsung is going to talk about the possible features of the Galaxy S5 (or any of its other devices, for that matter) before the phone has been revealed, though it could clarify its 2014 plans for QHD displays and iris scanners. Whatever ends up happening, we’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for more details, so stay tuned.