Updates are all over the place: a faster chipset, a larger screen, a couple of interesting new sensors (heart rate monitor and fingerprint scanner), with a much improved camera on top. The design theme is care and also plays the S5 is a new type of finish, better than the Galaxy Note got three widely praised.
There's 4K video recording and a bigger battery - the list just goes on. We've tried to sum up the main things the Galaxy S5 has going for and against it below:
Key features
- Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; quad-band 3G with HSPA; LTE
- 5.1" 16M-color 1080p Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen; Adobe RGB mode
- Android OS v4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI
- Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset
- 2GB of RAM
- 16 MP ISOCELL camera with phase-detect autofocus, 1/2.6" 16:9 sensor and LED flash
- 2160p video recording @ 30fps, 1080p @ 60fps, 720p @ 120fps
- 2 MP front-facing camera, 1080p video recording
- Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA, Download booster
- GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
- 16GB/32GB of built-in storage
- microSD card slot
- IP67 certification for dust and water resistance
- Fingerprint scanner with PayPal payments support and private mode access
- microUSB 3.0 port with USB host and MHL 2.0; Backwards compatibility with microUSB 2.0
- Bluetooth v4.0
- NFC
- IR port for remote control functionality
- Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
- Accelerometer and proximity sensor
- Heart-rate monitor
- IR gesture sensor for Air gestures
- Smart gestures: Smart stay, Smart pause
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- Ample 2,800mAh battery
Main disadvantages
- No OIS or dedicated camera key
- Rear-mounted mono speaker
- Poor video codec support out of box
It's the stuff that helps you get things done and skills you can't find anywhere else that seal the deal at this level. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a name that's bound to get a lot of interest and plenty of exclusive features to make you want to give it a try. But the question we'll try to answer is will it convince you to spend your hard-earned cash.
Are the new, larger sensor and the first-of-its-kind phase-detect autofocus actually making a difference? Can the larger battery make up for the bigger screen and higher clock speed? And does the new finish work in real life or only makes good publicity? Those are just some of the questions will try and answer on the following pages and, as tradition goes, we start with the physical examination.
The question is which of the two camps you are in. Were the critiques justified or was it just the usual exercise in hating what's trendy?
We certainly can't agree with those who slammed the design as being ugly and unimaginative. Quite the opposite - it's the prettiest Galaxy S to date and one that looks different from everything else on the market. Granted, this is strictly a matter of taste and not everyone will go crazy about the perforated leather back, but no one will deny either that the build quality is up to flagship standards.
Now let's look at the upgrades the Galaxy S5 brings. Given that looks were one of the main reasons to bash the Galaxy S4, the refreshed styling alone should make a pretty big difference. Yet the new feel doesn't end there - you also get a brand new Snapdragon 801 chipset to take over from the tiring Snapdragon 600 and lead the field once more.
There's also the tangibly better stills and 4K video recording, which put the Samsung Galaxy S5 in the running for the cameraphone title. The fingerprint scanner, while offering little real-world benefits at this point, is implemented very decently and will only grow in worth as more and more developers and markets start to embrace it.
Then there's the IP67 certification, which means your heart no longer has to skip a beat when you get your expensive new smartphone wet. It's one of those features you certainly won't need every day, but one that's more than welcome in certain scenarios.
The software has also taken yet another step forward and TouchWiz is now more polished than ever. There aren't a whole lot of new features this time as Samsung has focused more on improving old ones and offering just a couple of novelties.
The Kids mode may be just a response to what competition already has, but no one can deny the convenience, while private mode adds a whole new dimension to the fingerprint sensor. Most importantly however, the flow of the UI is somewhat simplified this time and it's even easier to get stuff done.
There are of course, some aspects of the Galaxy S5 that end up on the wrong side of the grading scale. The heart-rate monitor, while working well, left us feeling that it makes more sense on a Gear smartwatch than the back of a smartphone. Also, the absence of a proper shutter key is even harder to forgive now that the camera is so good. And, finally, two of the Galaxy S5 direct rivals are now offering front-mounted stereo speakers, so the solitary speaker at the back is hardly winning the Samsung flagship any points.
All things considered, however, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is more than ready to fill in the big shoes of its predecessor. Even though this is the first Galaxy S smartphone not to bring a substantial upgrade in the display department, it offers enough elsewhere to feel vastly superior to the Galaxy S4. And pushing beyond 1080p is unlikely to produce anything but extra battery and GPU strain.
With that settled, let's have a look at how the Samsung Galaxy S5 stands in comparison with its main rivals.
The HTC One (M8) is, of course, the first name that springs to mind, being the latest flagship to be officially announced and the first to hit stores in high volumes. The smartphone brings a one-of-a-kind aluminum unibody that's probably the prettiest in business, but is led down by its Duo camera, which is mid-range material at best. Stereo speakers also count in favor of the One (M8), but its software backing in the face of Sense 6.0 can't quite match the versatility and functionality of TouchWiz.
The Sony Xperia Z2 is the other big name on the list, having debuted alongside the Galaxy S5 at the MWC last month. Second generation on, Sony has one of the hottest bodies in business, this time with a pair of front stereo speakers too, but perhaps a little bit more screen bezel than becomes a flagship. The two are pretty evenly matched elsewhere, but their software packages are quite different.
While the Xperia Z2 goes for a more vanilla Android look and prefers to add apps, rather than UI features, the TouchWiz covers the underlying OS head-to-toe adding a few exclusive extras in the process. Which approach will work better for you depends mostly on what you look for in a smartphone UI.
The LG G2 is six-months old now, so the very fact that it's still in the running is as good a compliment as they get. Packing a slightly less powerful chipset and a bit inferior (but still great OIS-enabled) camera, the G2 is a proper Android flagship and one that, thanks to its lower price, provides the best value round these parts of the market. It's no longer quite the best, but it's not short of exclusive features either.
The Galaxy S5 is a beast of a smartphone and with Samsung's nearly unlimited resources to spend on marketing, it will be a miracle if it doesn't become the season's bestseller and break the records of its predecessors. And the good news is that it's got enough to offer that will bolster the brand image rather than just live off it.
Long story short, the five-star experience is there. The markup from the previous generation isn't as high perhaps as some may've hoped but that's what the other new flagships have to live with too. The best smartphone title is Samsung's to lose - now, that's tough - but the Galaxy S5 is saying: "Not on my watch."
Source, More Review:
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s5-review-1064.php
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