s5 is not good like samsung

Samsung Galaxy S5 review: Better, but not the great 

Credit: Michael Homnick

   

     

It feels like only yesterday that I was unboxing the Galaxy S4. I was impressed with the device, but as the year wore on I was exhausted by Samsung's habit of churning out similar-looking phones stuffed with a few new, mostly underwhelming features.

And yet, here we are with the Galaxy S5. It's the same rounded flat plastic rectangle with a heaping of new-and-improved features, as well as more megapixels to help it compete against other companies vying for the title of "best camera phone."

But to be fair, Samsung pulled back on the reins this time around. It shifted its focus to refining the features that were already present in its predecessors rather than stuffing more into an increasingly wider polymer body. Of course, there was still some of that. Samsung still has a ways to go before it relieves itself of that reputation.

A design that works

It's barely distinguishable from its predecessor.  

I'm of the unpopular opinion that the plastic builds on Samsung's flagship devices don't actually detract from their premium look and feel. Samsung can fake it really well, even if the phone is physically more prone to cracks and scratches.

Michael Homnick

Not as thin as you thought. 

It's a phone that appeals to the masses, both young and old. Our pearly white review unit is particularly attractive with its perforated, subtly iridescent back side, its rounded edges, and its triple-layer trim. And yes, while the HTC One (M8) has more premium feeling, some people may not prefer to have a phone entirely made of metal. Michael Homnick

The white looks nice, even if you're having a heated phone call.
Then again, who makes phone calls anymore?

The Galaxy S5 is just a bit wider than its predecessor and the dimpled backing has a bit of grip to it so it won't slip out of your hand. There's also a handy one-handed mode that shrinks the interface down a bit, though it’s a bit tricky to bring up with the necessary one-thumb-across-the-screen swipe. 

Michael Homnick

Last year's (right) and this year's (left) Galaxy flagship devices.

Annoyingly, a lone tinny speaker still resides on the backside, which won't bode well if you're watching a YouTube video with a friend or have the phone propped up against something. Or if you want to lay the phone on the table for a speakerphone call.

Michael Homnick

Don't bet on this phone doubling as your boom box. 

Samsung still utilizes a backwards button setup: menu button on the far left, and back button on the right. At least the menu button now lets you switch between applications instead of popping up settings, but I'd actually prefer to give up a bit of screen space for Android's conventional on-screen button placement. Also, the Galaxy S5's navigational buttons are way too sensitive to even the slightest brush of flesh; I kept accidentally hitting them while using the phone. 

Like most of Samsung's mobile devices, you can remove the back cover to reveal the SIM and microSD slots, as well as the removable battery. There's also a thin rubber lining to help ward off against water and dust. Its Micro-USB 3.0 charging port also features a door to help keep water out, and it doesn't awkwardly stick out like the Xperia Z1S's protective flaps.

Michael Homnick

It's not that hard to make a flap that isn't awkward.

A slightly brighter Super AMOLED

Michael Homnick

Scandal looks simply scandalous on the GS5's Super AMOLED display.

The Galaxy S5 features a 5.1-inch 1080p Full HD Super AMOLED display. Samsung touts the display's ability to better adapt to any type of ambient environment, and the screen can go really dim, thus making it easier on the eyes at night. At its highest brightness, however, it's still an exceedingly bright display with lots of contrast.
It also maintains color accuracy at extreme viewing angles, and its ever-so-slightly wider display makes for an enjoyable video viewing experience on the train ride home. Of course, when the sun shines brightly through the window on the train, you'll have some trouble seeing the screen.

Honestly fast

Initial benchmarks peg the Galaxy S5 as one extremely speedy device. It's the second phone out on the market to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 system-on-chip (SoC), and it narrowly beat out the HTC One (M8) in Anandtech's benchmark charts. You'll feel a big difference over last year's model even when just scrolling through the TouchWiz UI, which seems to have dialed down the bloat since its last iteration.

Just a bit faster.

Last year, Samsung was under fire for tweaking its firmware so that it would score higher on benchmarks. Signs point to this no longer being the case, which is a slight breath of relief. If performance is your main concern, you'll be delighted to know that the Galaxy S5’s 2.5GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM were capable of quickly multitasking between games like Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Google Play movie rentals, and open pages in the Chrome browser. A word of caution, however: the Galaxy S5 gets seriously caliente when you've got the screen brightness turned up on a video or game.

Battery life for days

If you need a phone to last you through the day and then some, the Galaxy S5 can certainly deliver. Its 2,800mAh battery pack lasted a whopping 10 hours and 45 minutes in our video playback tests with the brightness at 100 lumens and Airplane Mode turned on. It beat out the HTC One (M8) by 45 minutes—about 7.5% longer. If you're traveling on a long-haul flight, it'll be great to have this device on hand.
Its battery life is impressive on standby, too. It only burned through 6 percent of its battery life overnight, and the phone charges rapidly—about 10 percent every 20 minutes, even through a regular USB plug.

There are also two power-saving modes: the first blocks background data and restricts performance after the device drops below 20 percent, while Ultra power saving mode saves battery power by reverting to a simplified grayscale interface that only lets you use the most essential phone functions. 

Go ahead, leave the point-and-shoot at home

Michael Homnick

Trust the GS5; it can take your photos for you just fine.

The 16-megapixel rear-facing camera sensor is the best camera Samsung has ever packed with a flagship device. Rather than solely rely on software to fuse together photos, Samsung implemented its new sensor technology called ISOCELL to help improve sharpness and low-light accuracy. But, it’s still the same f/2.2 aperture lens as its older sibling, the only difference being that it now has a 4.8mm focal length and a slightly larger sensor.