No surprises here: Galaxy S5 Active and Galaxy S5 Zoom likely on the way

Galaxy S4 Zoom
If the Galaxy S5 Zoom is anything like the S4 Zoom, it will be a monster of a phone

This should come as no shocker, but it's looking like Samsung will release at least three versions of the Galaxy S5 in 2014; the standard flagship and two variants called the Galaxy S5 Active and Galaxy S5 Zoom.

The Galaxy S4 also had Zoom and Active flavors, the second being a more rugged version and the first focusing more on camera specs.

Now one report claims to have confirmation from an unnamed source that the Galaxy S5 Active is in the works.

The evidence for the Galaxy S5 Zoom is admittedly thinner, but Samsung has proven its commitment to releasing anything it can think of and seeing what sticks, so why fight it?

Active time

The report of the Galaxy S5 Active comes from Korean site ET News, which said it has sources who confirmed the device.

Like its predecessor, the Galaxy S5 Active will supposedly be water- and dust-resistant.

Further, Samsung is reportedly counting on Galaxy S5 Active units making up 20% to 30% of all Galaxy S5 sales globally.

According to the same report, the Galaxy S4 Active made up only 4% of Galaxy S4 sales, so that would be a huge jump.

Zoom zoom

The Galaxy S5 Zoom sighting is even more tenuous than the claims of an unnamed source.

The Indian site Zauba, which in the past has leaked devices like the still-unconfirmed Samsung "Huron" Windows Phone 8.1 handset, has a new listing for an SM-C115 "Samsung mobile camera (for R&R purpose)."

The import note says these devices arrived on January 31 and lists them at about 32,600 Indian rupees, or about $520/£320/AU$584 each.

According to BGR, which put these clues together, that's enough to out the existence of the Galaxy S5 Zoom - just in case you had doubts that Samsung would try the same strategy again this year.

Now what about the Galaxy S5 Mini? What, are we getting ahead of ourselves?

  • TechRadar has everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S5 - including all the latest news and rumors, plus our wishes for the next Samsung flagship.
Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.