Samsung Galaxy S5 could feature iris-scanning technology

Samsung is planning to launch the fifth generation of its popular Galaxy smartphones around April, with the firm hinting that it could include eye recognition technology.

"Many people are fanatical about iris recognition technology. We are studying the possibility but can't really say whether we will have it or not on the S5," Lee Young Hee, EVP of Samsung Mobile told Bloomberg at CES 2014.

For the S5, we will go back to the basics. Mostly, it's about the display and the feel of the cover.

Lee did confirm the Galaxy S5 will have a new design to help customers differentiate it from the previous generation, fuelling rumours it will have a metallic chassis rather than plastic. The smartphone will also debut alongside a second generation Galaxy Gear wristwatch.

"When we moved to S4 from S3, it's partly true that consumers couldn't really feel much difference between the two products from the physical perspective, so the market reaction wasn't as big," she said.

"When we release our S5 device, you can also expect a Gear successor with more advanced functions, and the bulky design will also be improved."

Samsung missed its Q4 earnings estimate due to a decreasing demand for high-end devices, a saturated market and stiff competition from the iPhone 5s. The firm is keen to invest in the wearable market during 2014, where it sees a big potential for healthcare-related products.

Khidr Suleman is the Technical Editor at IT Pro, a role he has fulfilled since March 2012. He is responsible for the reviews section on the site - so get in touch if you have a product you think might be of interest to the business world. He also covers the hardware and operating systems beats. Prior to joining IT Pro, Khidr worked as a reporter at Incisive Media. He studied law at the University of Reading and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism and Online Writing at PMA Training.