Every April we wait for the new Samsung Galaxy S device that will go right on the top. But is this the case this time? Samsung Galaxy S5 is a strong device but can it get right to the top? I think Samsung did not make the best it could, the company chose the easy way betting on apps and software instead of hardware. And on this market, right now the king is the device with the best hardware. So let’s compare Samsung Galaxy S5 to Galaxy S4 and all other premium devices.
COMPARED TO SAMSUNG GALAXY S4
Samsung Galaxy S4 is a great device so it’s hard to compete with it even if you are the next Samsung model. Samsung Galaxy S5 has a bigger screen so it’s overall bigger. Galaxy S5 is 6mm taller and 3mm wider than the S4 and also 0.2mm thicker. It has also 15g more of weight. So you have a bigger device but you also have a waterproof device and some nice sensors. Samsung Galaxy S4 has more pixels per inch than Galaxy S5 (441 to 432PPI) but the difference is extremely small. Galaxy S5 has a better camera (16MP to 13MP) with a bigger sensor. In the speed test, the difference is not that big, that depends on the test. Both devices have 2GB of RAM and Galaxy S5 has a quad core processor at 2.5GHz with no option for an octacore version like the previous model. Of course the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 is better than the quad core Cortex-A7 at 1.2GHz of Galaxy S4. Galaxy S5 has also a bigger battery (2800mAh to 2600mAh battery) and the latest Android version (Android 4.4 compared to Android 4.2). Of course you have also some more software options in Galaxy S5 and a new TouchWiz version. But are all these enough for you to select the new device compared to the older one? Of course they are! Now let’s compare Galaxy S5 to all Android devices to find if there is a better Android device.
COMPARED TO ALL ANDROID DEVICES
SCREEN
Samsung Galaxy S5 has a 5.1 inches (432PPI) 1080p Super AMOLED screen. Samsung screens are great and this one is also very good but not “the next step”. We would like to see a QHD screen with more pixels per inch. There are devices like Sony Xperia Z1s with 5 inches screens and 441 pixels per inch. Of course the difference is not big and you cannot notice it with naked eye. In the 5 inches market there are a lot of great screens on devices like HTC One (4.7inches – 469PPI), Google Nexus 5 (5 inches – 445PPI) or Huawei Ascend D2 (5 inches – 443PPI) and a lot of Sony devices with 5 inches screen and 441PPI. So Samsung did not make any difference, this is another great screen, not the best of the best as expected.
CAMERA
We love big cameras and Samsung Galaxy S5 made a step and we can take great photos and videos with the 16MP camera. Is this camera better than the 20.7MP monsters of Sony Xperia Z1s, Sony Xperia Z1 and Sony Xperia Z1 Compact? I think not. Of course the 16MP camera of Galaxy S5 is great and you can record UHD video (this is 4K). That means 3840 x 2160 video at 30fps. You can play these videos in the movie theaters. Most premium Android devices have a 13MP camera so Samsung wanted to make a step. This step is not the biggest on the market but we are happy with this camera. The 16:9 sensor is good and as in all Samsung devices, you can find some interesting apps. The Auto Focus is one of the fastest on a phone and there is the famous HDR which takes better shots even in low light conditions. Samsung premium devices were always great photo machines and Galaxy S5 is not an exception.
PROCESSOR
Smartphones are faster and faster and Samsung made also a small step here. We were waiting an octacore monster, far away from the competition, we got a quad core Snapdragon 800 at 2.5GHz. Not bad at all as it topped most of the benchmark tests. Today. What about April, when the device will be on the market? Galaxy S5 has 2GB of RAM instead of 3GB that can be found on Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and LG G Pro 2. It was easy to add an extra GB to the RAM but Samsung prefered to play safe. Of course this phone is one of the fastest. But no wow factor here.
BATTERY
I like Samsung devices because you can remove the battery. This is the case for Samsung Galaxy S5 too. The back cover is removable and the battery is removable too. You can find a 2800mAh battery with some extra software to make the battery last even longer. Of course bigger devices have bigger batteries. On the 5 inches market, only Sony Xperia Z1s, Sony Xperia Z1 and Huawei Ascend D2 have a bigger battery (3000mAh). And of course there are bigger devices with bigger batteries like the 6.1 inches Huawei Ascend Mate with the 4050mAh monster.
SOFTWARE
The software is what makes Samsung Galaxy S5 unique. The fingerprint scanner is just one of the new amazing stuff on this device. The home button on Galaxy S5 contains a fingerprint scanner making this device safer. We have already tested a fingerprint scanner on iPhone 5S and it works. It’s easier to unlock your device and more secure. So we like this new feature. Galaxy S5 has the latest Android version (4.4) and a new TouchWiz, the custom UI of Samsung. But the novelties don’t stop here, under the camera, you can find two more sensors, these are the heart rate monitor sensors. Galaxy S5 is the only device that will look after your health and that’s amazing to test. The fit lifestyle is a one way ride. You will either love or hate this device for the apps it contains. We like new stuff. We had no surprises on the tech specs but on the software side, there are plenty to talk about.
SIZE & DESIGN
We liked the water resistant Sony devices and we also like the new water resistant Samsung device. The design is also new as Samsung added a new leather-like plastic back. It’s good to hold on your hands. Galaxy S5 looks more rectangular like Note 3 and is a bit heavier and bigger than Samsung Galaxy S4. Compared to other Android devices at 5 inches, only Nexus 5 and Samsung Galaxy S4 are lighter (both weight 130g compared to 145g of Galaxy S5).
VIDEO REVIEW
VERDICT
Samsung Galaxy S5 is a great device, not the best Samsung device we have seen, but one of the best. Don’t look for tech surprises, there are not, you only have better specs than the previous versions. On the software side there are plenty to talk about. More sensors, more smart apps that make this device unique. Samsung Galaxy S5 will prove if the game can change from a hardware war to a software war. If the game changes, this device is best of the best. If not, it’s just another premium device we will talk about for few days before taking the next device on our hands.
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S5 | Compared to: | with spec: | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 8.1 | Huawei Ascend P6 | 6.2 | 69% |
| Weight | 145 | HTC Desire C | 100 | 55% |
| Screen PPI | 432 | HTC One | 469 | 92% |
| Camera MP | 16 | Nokia Lumia 1020 | 41 | 39% |
| 2nd Camera | 2.0 | Huawei Ascend P6 | 5 | 40% |
| Processor | 4 * 2.5 | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | 8 * 1.9 | 66% |
| RAM MB | 2000 | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | 3000 | 67% |
| Battery mAh | 2800 | Huawei Ascend Mate | 4050 | 69% |
| Android | 4.4 | Google Nexus 5 | 4.4 | 100% |
| Release Date | 2014-04 | - | Today | 100% |
| Our view | 75% | - | 100% | 75% |
| AVC rating method | Rated: 02/25/14 | Best price | Total Rating | 70.2% |