Samsung expected to launch Galaxy S5 on February 23

Samsung's Galaxy S5 is undoubtedly one of the most hotly anticipated devices of the year - it even made it into our top-10 list of things we're looking forward to most in 2014. The Galaxy S4 may not have been everyone's cup of tea, but it proved to be one of the most popular handsets of 2013, and Samsung will be eager to put its best foot forward with the next generation of its flagship handset. 

Will the Galaxy S5 look anything like this concept image? It seems we'll be finding out in a few weeks' time

Rumours about the S5 have been steadily growing in recent weeks, pointing to a device with a large high-resolution display (possibly 2560x1440px), 16-megapixel rear camera, and a cavernous 2900mAh battery. Yesterday, we published screenshots showing a dramatic new look for the S5 on the software side too, with a radically overhauled design for Samsung's TouchWiz UI. 

The broad consensus across the rumour mill is that Samsung is planning to launch the device early this year. Today, blogger Eldar Murtazin claimed to reveal exactly when that launch will come: 

According to Murtazin, Samsung will announce the Galaxy S5 at 6pm on February 23 in Barcelona. That's the venue of the annual Mobile World Congress, and the date is one day before the event officially kicks off. 

While Murtazin has taken some flak for occasionally making some outlandish claims - such as his repeated insistence that Windows Phone 9 will get a 'clean-slate' redesign with an entirely new user interface - it is worth noting that he accurately predicted the launch date of the Galaxy S4 last year, so it may be worth giving him the benefit of the doubt here. 

He added that the price of the S5 will be roughly similar to the S4 range, and that the new handset will be available to purchase by the end of April. In a further tweet, he also claimed that the TouchWiz UI will get a new name to go along with its fancy new look. 

With just over a month until MWC, at least there's not too long to wait until we find out just how accurate Murtazin's predictions were. 

Concept image via Gizbot