New Delhi, April 12 (PTI): The fifth generation of Samsung Electronics' flagship Galaxy S smartphone will be available for Rs 51,500 starting today.

Based on the Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system, the handset was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, and its pre-bookings started on March 29.

"We are very encouraged by the pre-booking response for the S5 which is three times higher than that for the S4," Samsung India Country Head (IT and mobile division) Vineet Taneja said in a statement.

It will be sold for Rs 51,500, the company said. The company said it has sold 3.5 crore Galaxy devices, including smartphones and tablets, in India so far.

The Galaxy S5 sports a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED (1080 x 1920p) display, similar to predecessor Galaxy S4, and is powered by an octa-core processor and 2GB RAM.

The device has 16 GB of internal storage, expandable to 128 GB. It features a 16 MP rear camera and 2.1 MP front- facing camera as well as a 2800mAh battery.

Like Apple's iPhone 5S, the Galaxy S5 features a finger scanner to offer users a secure, biometric screen-locking feature and a safe mobile payment experience. The device comes with S Health, a personal fitness tracker.