Samsung Galaxy S5 Gets Bigger But Thinner, Analysts Say, While Galaxy Note 4 Gets Metal Chassis?

We have heard rumours about the Samsung Galaxy S5 suggesting that it would come with a sleeker design by borrowing the same technology seen in the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. This technology integrates the antennae in the cover of the phone instead of putting it within the body, thus reducing the overall thickness of the device.

Rumours get hotter ever day, as the launch date of the Samsung Galaxy S5 approaches. As of the moment, Samsung is experimenting with myriad of designs for its next flagship device which could possibly hit the shelves during the first quarter of 2014. The rumoured, first metal-built Samsung smartphone will take over its predecessor, the Galaxy S4.

It is no secret that Samsung is known to make its devices slimmer with each successor that comes. For example, despite its larger screen, the Galaxy S4 is 0.5 mm slimmer than the Galaxy S3. Furthermore, with the LDS technology, the Galaxy S3 was made thinner than the Galaxy S2 by 1 mm.

A report from ET News say that some Galaxy S5 models will sport the same LDS technology to trim down the device and alleviate the manufacturing time while Samsung tweaks the antennae to work with different networks all over the globe. Basically, the LDS technology integrates the antenna in the plastic cover of the smartphone rather than putting it within the body. This process, cuts a significant amount of space.

"When we were developing the Galaxy S3, it took us more than three weeks to change the antenna frequency design for different countries and regions," an analyst is quoted as saying by ET News. "As we began to use the LDS-type cases with built-in antennas, we could reduce the development time to 3-4 days," continued the industry insider.

Although the LDS technology is pretty promising, one downside is that it makes the smartphone susceptible to communication issues. Because the antenna is incorporated in the back cover of the device, when it is dropped, the impact causes the antenna to break easily between the layers of the plastic.

At this point, these remain rumours and there is nothing official from Samsung just yet. However, as the Samsung Galaxy S5 release date approaches, consumers can expect to see the rumours to settle.

Meanwhile, the market might see the Galaxy Note 4 with a metal built in August or September 2014, as Samsung is known to release one Galaxy Note phablet ever year. The N700 Galaxy Note was released September 2011, the N7100 Galaxy Note 2 August 2012 and the Galaxy Note 3 September 2013. Given this pattern of release dates, reports are assuming that the Galaxy Note 4 might hit the shelves on either August or September 2014.

Furthermore, according to ET News, Samsung sent a couple of engineers to Vietnam to explore the feasibility of manufacturing smartphones with magnesium and aluminium backs, so consumers and fans might expect to see either or both of these materials incorporated in the Galaxy Note 4.