What I really want out of the Samsung Galaxy S5

Fingerprint scanners and amazing feats of iris-tracking aside, it's the finer details that Samsung still needs to nail.

The update to Samsung's Galaxy S4 is just weeks away.

(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

In just a few weeks, we'll know everything there is to know about the hotly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S5, which the company is all set to unveil at Mobile World Congress.
In the meantime, we've collected quite a list of rumored features and specs, including an ultra-HD 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution display, a fingerprint scanner, and an optional metal finish. There's no doubt in my mind that Samsung will hoist up cutting-edge specs to give us strong mobile photography, a dazzling display, and oodles of Samsung-only software. I've said it before: Samsung excels at checking off the major boxes required to make a smartphone a hit.
Yet when I think about what I truly want out of the next marquee Samsung stunner, it isn't the bells and whistles I crave most (of course, I'd like those, too) -- it's a commitment to fix some of the finer details of craftsmanship that really make a high-end device stand out.
Design
There is absolutely nothing wrong, and even lots to like, about Samsung's Galaxy S-line designs.
As a whole, they're typically light and thin, with plenty of screen real estate and bright, saturated colors. The corners curve for comfort, and the plastic makes devices fairly durable against falls. Moreover, the designs are universal enough to be liked by almost everyone (or at least not to polarize the masses) and the plastic construction keeps phones affordable to make.
While there is nothing offensive about the Samsung Galaxy S handsets, there is equally nothing exciting in their construction, and no one feature that suggests the phones are designed with real passion. Shivers don't cascade down my spine when I look at a Samsung Galaxy S4. My eyes don't take over every detail or pause to appreciate the build the way that they do when I see the elegant HTC One and iPhone 5S, the edgy Motorola Droid Maxx, and even a color-saturated Nokia phone like the trapped-in-ice Asha 503.
I would love to see Samsung embrace a statement design, or elements that have been constructed with care. A slightly pricier option with aluminum accents and plates would be one way to go, or bright colors options sold right at the outset, rather than limited shades dribbled out to various markets or carriers months after the phone's initial release.
Even if Samsung doesn't achieve a novel design like the Oppo N1's ingenious camera-swivel or the Yota Phone's, er, unique E Ink display, the Galaxy S5 could still use contours and unusual materials strategically, say, or perhaps offer backplates with etched designs.
Even more practical are some things that Samsung could learn from its rivals. I'd love to see it apply a filter to the display like Nokia does to reduce glare outside. In fact, I'd love to see the Galaxy S5 depart from the ultraglossy, high-shine S3 and S4 with anti-reflective coatings everywhere, and let's make the backing smudge-resistant while they're at it. A matte finish or soft-touch coating could easily take care of the problem.