It seems that the battle of the QHD smartphones is set to start in mid-June in which the Galaxy S5 Prime is to be released. This comes hot on the heels of the LG G3 unveiling on May 27th and raises suspicion of S5 Prime being direct competitor to the G3. Sources from Phonearena confirms this suspicion in which the S5 Prime is touted to be more of a S5 killer rather than a LG G3 killer. Judging from the specs alone, in which both devices supposedly possess a metallic body, a 5-inch QHD display and Qualcomm 805 processor further adds on to this assumption due to very similar specifications.
Further details on these sources indicate that the S5 Prime’s mid-June release date is designed to ensure that the LG G3, will not have much of a head start over the S5 Prime. Seeing that there has yet to be a QHD or 2560 x 1440 resolution device on the market, the potential of being the first and only device offering such a display would be a huge draw to consumers looking for the latest and greatest device. Samsung’s release of the S5 Prime so closely to that of the LG G3 is a smart move in this regard, to prevent LG from reaping the profits from such an advantage.
This does raise the question whether the S5 Prime would be considered as the first in another line of devices similar to how the Galaxy Note series is different from the Galaxy S series. In this case, where the Note and S differs in terms of screen size, the Prime and S differentiating factor seems to be the materials used or aka the Prime being a more premium/luxury line. Another possibility would be that as Samsung does not wish to lose customers who actually do like the polycarbonate design, the Prime would then appeal to users who are currently using devices with better design material such as the HTCM8 or the XperiaZ2.
It would seem Sony’s Yoshiro Kurozumi spoke truly when he said that a 6 month lifecycle for devices would be better for companies to stand out from the competition. As Samsung’s response to the LG G3 is to do exactly that. For the S5 users out there, what do you think? Is the S5 Prime what the S5 should have been?