Yesterday we picked up the new Galaxy S5. Find out what we think of it in this review of the new Galaxy S series cell phone.
If you think the Galaxy S4 was too little of a change design vice compared to the Galaxy S3 you are in for a big disappointment. The Galaxy S5 looks so much like the S4 you will be hard pressed to tell them apart seen from the front.
Turn it over on it’s back though, and you will see that the cover plate design is copied from the Galaxy Note 3. If you were hoping for a metal or carbon phone from Samsung this time you are in for another blow. If you can live with the fact that the S5 is made from plastic, it is still a great looking phone.
Galaxy S5 electric blue
When will the Galaxy s5 be available for sale.
In case you have missed it, the S5 had it’s official release date on April 11. th 2014. This means that you can go to a local store and pick one up right now. So far all I have seen in all of the stores is the charcoal black and the shimmery white color options. As always Samsung has chosen to make available two color options at the release date. Hopefully the electric blue and the copper gold will be here soon.
Galaxy s5 Software features.
One of the things that has separated Samsung from other manufacturers like Sony and HTC lately is their focus on the software features that they always seem to deliver when a new phone comes out. This year though we saw a shift in focus from software to hardware features. This does not mean they did not announce any new software improvements. Here is a list of the most important ones.
- Fast auto focus.
- HDR.
- Selective focus.
- Improved S-health with built in heat rate sensor.
- Download booster.
- Ultra power saving mode.
Galaxy S5 copper gold
What separates the Galaxy s5 from the Galaxy s4.
I terms of looks it it pretty much the same design apart from the back cover and the USB charging port flap. Also the S5 has a slightly elevated edge around it’s screen, likely to make it more durable and to protect the screen from scratching.
In terms of the phones internals there has been no revolution, rather an evolution. A slightly faster CPU, a 0.1 inch increase in screen size, a fingerprint reader and of course the IP67 certification which proves that the S5 in in deed dust and waterproof.
Galaxy S5 VS HTC One m8.
It’s hard to write something about the new Samsung phone without mentioning the new HTC ONE M8. In terms of looks I think even the biggest Samsung fan has to admit that the ONE m8 is the better looking of the two. The aluminium body is hard to beat in terms premium looks.
In all other ways I think that the Galaxy S5 is the better alternative of the two. This is mainly due to the waterproofing Samsung has done on their new flagship Android phone. Also the screen of the S5 seems to have the edge over the HTC one M8.
Galaxy S5 charcoal black
Galaxy S5 hardware.
|
Network |
LTE Cat.4 (150/50Mbps) |
|---|---|
|
Display |
5.1” FHD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) |
|
AP |
2.5GHz Quad core application processor |
|
OS |
Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat) |
|
Camera |
16MP (rear), 2.0MP (front) |
|
Video |
UHD@30fps, HDR, video stabilizationVideo Codec : H.263, H.264(AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, MP43, WMV7, WMV8, VP8Video Format: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM |
|
Audio |
Audio Codec : MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/ AAC+/ eAAC+, WMA, Vorbis, FLACAudio Format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA |
|
Camera Features |
HDR (Rich tone), Selective Focus, Virtual Tour Shot, Shot&More |
|
Additional Features |
IP67 Dust and water Resistant |
|
Ultra Power Saving Mode |
|
|
Download Booster |
|
|
S Health 3.0 |
|
|
Quick Connect |
|
|
Private Mode |
|
|
Kids Mode |
|
| Google Mobile Services | Chrome, Drive, Photos, Gmail, Google, Google+, Google Settings, Hangouts, Maps, Play Books, Play Games, Play Newsstand, Play Movie & TV, Play Music, Play Store, Voice Search, YouTube |
|
Connectivity |
WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2×2) Bluetooth®: 4.0 BLE / ANT+ USB: USB 3.0 NFC IR Remote |
|
Sensor |
Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, Hall, RGB ambient light, Gesture(IR), Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor |
|
Memory |
RAM: 2GB Internal Memory: 16/32GB microSD slot upto 128GB |
|
Dimension |
142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g |
|
Battery |
2800mAh Standby time: 390 hrs / Talk time: 21 hrs |
If you already bought it, you should check out our Galaxy S5 tutorials section for tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your phone.
I want to install and want to see in this cell phone Samsung S5
Is is “waterproof” or “water resistant”? Whichever one applies, how far down can I take it if I want to take underwater photos? I would have been nice to know last week when I was on a cruise in the Caribbean. Many thanks.
According to Samsung this phone is IP67 certified. The first number indicates that it is dust tight. The second number indicates that it can be submerged in water 1 meter deep for up to 30 minutes. check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code for further details.
I switched thec screen to grayscale in Power Saving. No ultra or other power saving turned on. Huge improvement in battery life! And the screen is actually easier to read (for me). Two questions:
1) In grayscale, I read that “black” means no power sent to pixel. To further increase battery life, how can I set Unlock and Wallpaper to true black background?
2) Is there a way to create a shortcut or screen icon that allows a fast toggle between color and grayscale, for when I want to see something in color and to then switch back to grayscale?
Hi.I made you a black home screen image you can find it right here : http://androidfact.com/black-home-screen-image-for-all-1080×1920-phones/ Hope this was what you were looking for.
I tried looking for a way to switch between color and grayscale but was unsuccessful.
I see that my prior “Thank you” did not post, so please accept this belated thank you. I have been using your black screen and it really saves on power. I found the easy way to switch between grayscale and color is to move the “Power saving” icon to be among the top five icons that appear when dragging down the notifications bar. I set the Power saving settings to only toggle the screen mode between grayscale and color. Thanks again.