Samsung Galaxy S4 Successor, Galaxy S5, to Have a Metal Chassis - Rumor

We're all done with the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 3 now, right? It seems like that's the case, as the rumor mill has already started grinding away at the Samsung Galaxy S5. Like presidential elections, the ramp up to the next Galaxy S phone has started, only a few months into the S4's incumbency.

The first, and certainly not last, rumor report comes from ETNews via the Samsung watchers, SamMobile, which broadly details some of the things we could expect from the next Samsung flagship smartphone, and a rough timeframe for when we can expect it.

According to recent rumors, the Galaxy S5 could have a 16-megapixel camera with Optical Image Stabilization (something rumored for a bit for the Galaxy Note 3). On top of that, the most recent report from ETNews says that Samsung might be considering putting its newest upcoming smartphone tech into a metal body, just like HTC did this year with the HTC One.

If you recall, the aluminum chassis - while being a hit with critics and looking (and feeling) really, really nice - turned out to actually be a bad idea for HTC. The Huge Taiwanese Company seems to have gone a little overboard on the manufacturing costs for the HTC One, destroying its own profit margins and plunging the company into losses for the short term at least. The difference for Samsung is that it has been able to command much larger market shares and profits, leading the premium Android smartphone race right now, so it might be able to risk a more costly and complicated manufacturing operation for its fifth flagship smartphone.

The ETNews report claims that the South Korean giant will start production later this year for the metal chassis and a prototype made in Europe this year has purportedly already been sent to Vietnam for testing this year.

However, this is very, very early for any reports on the Galaxy S5. The smartphone may be in the works, but with zero physical evidence to back up claims, I wouldn't be placing any betting money on this or any other Galaxy S5 report right now.