The unveiling of Samsung Galaxy S5 in Australia kicked off in Sydney last night

The unveiling of Samsung Galaxy S5 in Australia kicked off in Sydney last night (26 March 2014) with a big launch event showcasing the new iteration of the highly popular Samsung Galaxy smartphone series alongside the long-awaited refresh of the wearables: Samsung Gear 2, Samsung Gear 2 Neo, and the new Samsung Gear Fit.

Here are some of the notable features mentioned and showcased during the launch:

Samsung Galaxy S5

Water and dust resistant – with up to 1 metre and 30 minutes under fresh water.
Download Booster – a feature that allows you to download from both WiFi and Cellular at the same time, giving you accelerated speed.
Super Dimming – which allows you to dim the brightness of the screen lower than ever before, perfect for low-light conditions and keep privacy.
Fingerprint Authentication Lock – using “finger swiping” to unlock your handset and even authenticate payments in PayPal.
Integrated Mobile Payment – using NFC technology to allow Tap payments straight from your phone. Westpac and Commonwealth Bank are among the firsts to partner with Samsung for this technology.
Camera’s HDR mode – to enhance picture and video taken in low light conditions.
New SHealth 3 app – now includes heart rate monitor functionality that can be measured by placing your finger against the rear sensor underneath the camera.
Available in 4 colours.
Integrated casing – to maintain the handset’s water and dust resistant feature, available in 5 different colours, with some also featuring a “quick view” window.

Samsung Gear 2

The camera and speaker have now been moved into the bezel, allowing you to change the strap to most standard straps, not just Samsung Gear straps to be made available real soon (this feature is also in Samsung Gear 2 Neo)
It features a heart rate monitor.
Now with 3 days battery life, three times its predecessor.
SDK release is also available at http://developer.samsung.com to encourage developers to create apps for Samsung Gear.

Samsung Gear 2 Neo

Samsung Gear 2 Neo is the toned down version of Samsung Gear 2 sporting no camera. The circle on the bezel (shown above) is an infrared sensor to be used alongside TV Remote app.

Samsung Gear Fit

At 1.84 inch curved Super AMOLED touch screen display, it is very lightweight at only 27 grams.
It features a heart rate monitor.
It has a hypoallergenic strap, and is also interchangeable.
Available in black, orange, and mocha.

Samsung Galaxy S5 will retail at RRP AU$929 and Samsung Gear 2 at RRP AU$369. Samsung Gear 2 Neo and Samsung Gear Fit will share the same price point of RRP AU$249.