Samsung is releasing an update to the international version of the Galaxy S5 handset to improve the recognition of integrated fingerprint scanner and to speed up the camera performance.
We noted when we reviewed the S5 (as did many other reviewers) that the fingerprint scanner was woefully inaccurate, and often required repeated attempts to get it to recognise a registered print, in contrast to a decent implementation in the iPhone 5S. If Samsung have found a way — in software — to fix this, then that’s great news for those of us who are security conscious but want an easy (one handed) way to unlock our phones.
The camera update simply allows the camera to launch more quickly than it did previously, which will be a welcome change for those who want to capture spontaneous happy-snaps on their S5.
Other fixes and changes in the update target overall performance on the S5 (which we know wasn’t too flash), and improvements in RAM usage to leave more free for applications.
This update is just for the international version, though. Carrier-branded (or even unbranded, sold by carrier) models might not receive the update for awhile. If you believe you’ve got a genuine international version, the update is available now in Kies — the OTA update will come, but might not be available as quickly.
