After months of speculation, Samsung has officially announced its new Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone, but some were less impressed than others.

As expected, the star of Samsung's Unpacked 5 event at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014 was its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5. Also as expected, the new smartphone boasts some notable improvements over its predecessor, but there's nothing groundbreaking about it, according to many Samsung fans who were eagerly waiting for something truly innovative.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is indeed faster, with a larger screen, and slightly lighter than its predecessor, all of which were to be expected with a new iteration. Otherwise, it looks very similar to the Galaxy S4 and S3, except for the new perforated case that many consider a downgrade in terms of design. Overall, it still has a plastic case and rounded shape, albeit with a larger display.

"They totally dropped the ball on this one. Everyone asked for aluminum, but we get 'plastic' again," one user commented on Samsung's Facebook announcement. "Latest innovations but almost nothing new to the design. Where is the aluminium body we all waited for?"

Other comments in response to Samsung's Facebook announcement for the Galaxy S5, meanwhile, praise the Galaxy Note 3 as the best ever, but there are also plenty of users who like the new Galaxy S5.

"Our consumers don't want the most high-tech...they want beautiful design and performance," Samsung's mobile chief JK Shin said in the official announcement. "They want a simple yet beautiful camera. Faster yet seamless connectivity... And our consumers want a phone that can help them stay fit."

Samsung Galaxy S5 Specs

In terms of specifications, the new Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with a 5.1-inch display with the same 1080p full HD resolution as its predecessor. The smartphone packs a 2.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor under the hood, paired with 2GB of RAM.

One notable addition is the new fingerprint scanner integrated in the smartphone's Home button, just like Apple placed its Touch ID fingerprint reader on its iPhone 5S's Home button. Unlike Touch ID, however, users will need to swipe their finger on the Galaxy S5's fingerprint sensor.

Another very notable improvement, meanwhile, consists of the Galaxy S5's IP67 certification, which makes it dust- and water-resistant. This should make it more durable and able to withstand harsher environments, but it may not be such a great idea to try taking underwater photos or anything.

The most touted difference compared to its predecessor is that the new Samsung Galaxy S5 boasts a 16-megapixel camera, which the company claims is much faster than the Galaxy S4's camera. Samsung has also added new auto-focus modes that should allow for better photos, and the camera also supports real-time HDR and HDR within videos, as well as 4K video recording.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 also comes with new health offerings, as it has a heart-rate sensor built into its flash module. To get a reading, all one needs to do is hold a finger up to the flash.

The new Galaxy flagship smartphone further sports a slightly larger battery compared to its predecessor, and the company has also added a new "Ultra Power Saving Mode," which will shut off all non-essential features when the phone is low on juice. According to Samsung, the new power saving mode can keep the smartphone in standby for 24 hours, even when its battery life is below 10 percent.

Availability

The Samsung Galaxy S5 will be available in four color options: Charcoal Black, Shimmery White, Electric Blue, and Copper Gold. It will make its commercial debut worldwide sometime in April, but no pricing details are available at this point. If you're among those who were eagerly waiting to see what Samsung's latest powerhouse has to offer, drop by our comment section below and let us know what you think. Are you impressed or disappointed?