samsung Galaxy S5 Review
The Samsung Galaxy range of mobile phones is without doubt the most popular group of Android devices in the world. Every time one of these babies is launched, millions of people around the globe go into a frenzied anticipation, fed by the daily rumour mill produced by countless tech news sites.
So, it’s no surprise that the
Samsung Galaxy S5 is going to come under an incredible amount of scrutiny. Is the Galaxy S5 as good as its predecessors, or is it one for the bin? Let’s take a little look, shall we?
Design
In a world driven by looks it seems only fitting – if a slightly perverse – that the vast majority of people are going to pick up a brand new phone based upon looks alone. This is not something I agree with – many devices currently out there on the market may look sexy but are woeful on the performance front. But hey, you can’t really argue with people, right?
At first glance the Samsung
Galaxy S5 deals is quite different from the Galaxy S4. Gone is the smooth and glossy back; this time you have a nice dimpled finish. And it feels good to hold. In keeping with other devices in the Galaxy range, the S5 has a plastic body. Whilst some may say that this gives the device a cheap feeling, others will argue that it makes the device that little bit lighter.
In all honesty, the design of the S5 is not a massive improvement over the S4, but it still looks great and it really does feel good in your hands. If, like the majority of folk, you want the best looking phone with a feeling of luxurious quality than the
Buy Galaxy S5 mobile probably isn’t for you owning to its plastic shell. However, if you are looking for something super functional then you are going to struggle to find anything that comes close.
Turning to colour options, you have a number at your disposal. Four in fact. Very few people are going to get anything but the black or at a push a white one. However, it is nice to know that you also have a blue and a ‘gold’ one if you’re that way inclined.
The S5 is an incredibly thin phone at 8.1mm, although the camera is actually thicker than the phones body. This means that it is prone to scratching if you are not careful. Stick it in a case and you should be fine though.
There is a small microSD memory card slot built into the device. This will allow you to expand the 16GB or 32GB version of this device with ease.
Screen
One thing Samsung has always done well is produce devices with gorgeous screens. They always seem to opt for the biggest screen possible in their flagship products, with the best resolution possible. The
Best Samsung Galaxy S5 is no exception to this rule. Here you have a huge, 5.1” screen, marginally bigger than the S4. It has a resolution of 1080 x 1930 pixels which gives you a life like 432ppi. This is significantly bigger than the 326ppi that the iPhone 5S ‘boasts’. The screen is completely crystal clear and I have not seen a better screen on a phone (and I spend a LOT of time playing with them!). There is nothing better than lying in bed and watching a couple of movies on Netflix using your Samsung Galaxy S5… trust me.
Features
Those who loved the Samsung Hub (which I doubt is anybody) wont be pleased to hear that it has been removed. The rest of us can celebrate. The hub included all of those extra apps which just made the Samsung S4 and its predecessors so bloated in terms of functionality. The device has instead had its UI polished to be almost ‘Apple’ in feel with its bright colours. It does retain a bit of what makes the Android an Android though. In short; the UI is very clean and you should have no problems using it.
Back to the camera. It now boasts 16 megapixels as opposed to the 13 megapixels which the S4 had. Significantly better. You will be able to tell this in the quality of the pictures that it puts out – they are remarkably detailed. Obviously the sensor inside is nowhere near that of a digital SLR, however, the pictures are more than detailed enough for sticking up on Facebook. There are very few mobile devices that come close to the camera that the
Galaxy S5 boasts.
With the video camera you have the ability to record in 4K resolution. To be honest ,at this point in time I see this more of a feature that Samsung can boast of having rather than having any sort of practical functionality. This may change in the future however with the advent of 4K TV’s and monitors. There is also a second camera on the front of the device which has 2 Megapixels for taking the obligatory selfie.
One of the most intriguing new
Galaxy S5 Contract features to be added to the device is the S Health application. I can see it being quite niche. On the back of the device Samsung have taken the liberty to add a heart rate sensor. You stick your phone on that and it will tell you your heart rate. Whilst the app is open the device will constantly record the number of steps you take. Although not exactly a killer feature in a phone, it’s certainly nice to have and will please those of us who enjoy a good run.
On top of all of this you have the now obligatory fingerprint reader which allows you to open your device using your…fingers! It is quite easy to set up. However just like every device that uses it, the functionality is not quite there yet. You will still find that it denies your fingerprints more often than it lets you in. This can prove to be VERY frustrating. Still, it is a nice way to protect your device whilst making you feel akin to a spy when unlocking it.
Specifications and Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad Core Processor. It has a speed of 2.5GHz. This makes it one of the faster processors in mobile devices at the moment. It is VERY fast too with next to no lag when browsing through applications. With its 2GB of RAM I did not expect it anyway!
Of course, we have the latest version of Android installed (KitKat 4.4.2) which means that you can look forward to a smooth operating system which will handle everything on the Android store, even the top graphic games with ease. Playing HD Video is a doddle…and they actually look HD.
As I said before, you can purchase either a 16GB or 32GB unit. With the memory card slot you can take this all the way up to 128GB. Continued use of removable memory is noble of Samsung given that most new devices do away with this feature.
For a high end smart phone, battery life is fairly decent. Even with the device being used much of the day it should see you all the way through to the end.
Price and deals
There are some great
Best galaxy S5 deals around at the time of writing. The best contract we could find currently is courtesy of mobile phones direct. For £31 a month you get unlimited minutes, texts and 1GB of internet, with a free phone. The price of the Galaxy S5 sim free is around £540, so you are probably better off on a pay monthly contract if you don’t want to shell out such wonga up front.
Conclusion
Imagine the
buy Samsung Galaxy S4. Imagine how good that is. Now imagine the Samsung Galaxy S5. It is better. Significantly better. This is no mean feat considering the S4 was pretty good to begin with. This device feels awesome in your hands and the whole feel of the system is ‘clean’. It can handle just about anything you throw at it (it really is that good!) and this is a device which has clearly been built to last years as opposed to you wanting to upgrade when the S6 comes out (which you most likely will anyway!) I have no qualms with saying that this is the best Android device released thus far. It is a ‘must buy’ for those looking at the top end of the Android spectrum.
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