Samsung Galaxy S5 Now Available to Buy in 125 Countries

Between rumors, the MWC announcement, and the month-long wait from unveiling to launch, it feels like we've been talking about Samsung's Galaxy S5 for ages. Despite the heavy coverage, up until today, Samsung's GS5 hasn't actually been available for purchase by the general public. All that changed this morning when Samsung released the device in a total of 125 countries.

The Galaxy S5 is Samsung's flagship phone for 2014 and replaces the Galaxy S4, which was released this time last year. While the Note 4 will probably land later this year to keep the GS5 company in its flagship status, the Galaxy S5 is currently the only 2014 Galaxy phone available.

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Announced in February at MWC, the Galaxy S5 packs a 5.1-inch full HD Super AMOLED display with an intelligent ambient light sensor that adjusts both brightness and color based on your environment; a 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 SoC; a 16-megapixel camera with real-time HDR for pictures and video as well as selective focus and 0.3-second autofocus; a fitness tracker; heart rate sensor (via the LED on the back of the phone, underneath the camera); a nutrition tracker working via Samsung's own S Health app; IP67 dust and water resistance; support for LTE Category 4 (150 Mbps) and 802.11ac WiFi (2x2 MIMO); the ability to combine LTE and WiFi in what Samsung calls 'download booster' mode; and a 2800 mAh battery, which the company claims provides 10 hours of web browsing over LTE and 12 hours of video playback.

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The Galaxy S5 isn't hitting stores all by itself, either. Also available are Samsung's second generation smart watches, the Galaxy Gear 2, the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo, and the Gear Fit. While the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo are largely the same (both run on Tizen but the Gear 2 Neo ditches the onboard camera and is a little bit lighter), the Gear Fit runs on a completely separate OS and is for fitness enthusiasts.