Overview
When Samsung unveiled the GALAXY S5 at MWC in February, CEO
J.K. Shin, said Samsung was "going back to basics." But while Shin's
statement was a knowing nod to the fact that Samsung's consumers want better core
functionality, not flashy gimmicks, we find it hard to consider any phone with
an IP67 rating, fingerprint scanner, heart rate sensor and a camera with phase
detection autofocus as 'basic'. In fact, while it may just be Shin being coy,
the S5 is undoubtedly Samsung's most advanced device.
But then,
maybe Shin is right to be coy. After all, as we've seen from the S5's predecessor, just being
advanced isn't enough. And with stiff competition from the recently announced HTC One M8 and Sony Xperia Z2, the GALAXY S5 will have to prove more than
ever that its advanced features aren't just gimmicky party tricks. Will it
succeed? Let's find out.
Samsung Galaxy S5
Operating
system
|
Android
4.4 KitKat
|
Processor
|
Qualcomm
Snapdragon 801 quad-core 2.5GHz
|
Built-in
Memory
|
2GB RAM
|
Display
|
5.1-inch
/ 1,920 x 1,080 pixels / Super AMOLED
|
Camera
|
Rear:
16MP f/2.2, 0.3 second autofocus, LED flash
Front:
2.0MP
|
Connectivity
|
Wi-Fi
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, MIMO, GPS/GLONASS, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Bluetooth 4.0 LE,
NFC, IR LED, micro-USB 2.0 (MHL 2.0), 3.5mm headphone jack
|
Storage
Type
|
16GB/32GB
internal storage
microSD
support up to 128GB
|
Battery
|
2,800mAh
|
Dimensions
|
142.0 x
72.5 x 8.1mm
|
Weight
|
145g
|
Design
If there's
one thing that hasn't advanced, it's Samsung's design aesthetic. Looking almost
identical to the S4 - and looking back further, the GALAXY S III too - the S5 retains the usual entirely
plastic build, which includes the same rounded corners and 'chrome' ridged
edges.
The S5 (on
the right) looks much the same as its predecessor...and its predecessor's
predecessor.
The S5
will be available in four colors, Charcoal Black, Shimmery White, Electric
Blue, and Copper Gold, although in Malaysia at least, only Black and White will
be available at launch. No word yet on when blue or gold will be available,
which is pretty disappointing considering that the blue is identical to the
black, except with a different color removable battery cover. The gold,
however, does have matching gold bezels, so we'll forgive Samsung for late
shipments there.
The S5
comes in four colors, but in Malaysia, only black and white will be available
at launch. No word yet on when the other colors will arrive.
While
Samsung has been touting the S5 as having a 'modern glam look', as you can see,
the back cover is really all its referring to. The 'modern glam look' seems to
refer to the dimpled pattern on the battery cover, which is really the only
aesthetic that makes it different from Samsung's other devices - as you can
imagine, we don't feel that this really lives up to Samsung's description. The gold version was also rather famously compared to a
band-aid. On the plus side, the dimpled rear does give the S5 a rather nice
texture and feel, and it's certainly more grippy than the glossy plastic of
previous Samsung phones.
Our review
model is shimmery white, which, as you can see, is actually slightly off white
compared to the brilliant white of the S4.
It's not
easy to see the dimple pattern on our white model, so here's the Copper Gold
model from our hands-on session. Does it look like a band-aid to you?
Like
Sony's Z2, Samsung has bumped up the screen size on the S5, which grows to
5.1-inches. Unlike the Z2 (which is actually thinner and lighter), the S5 is
not only slightly longer, but also thicker and heavier than its predecessor,
coming in at 145g - 15g heavier than the S4. While the extra thickness isn't
really noticeable - it's only 0.2mm - the extra length and weight is. The
front of the phone has Samsung's usual rectangular home button, with two
capacitive buttons on the side. The only real change here is the left button,
which used to be the "Action Overflow" button, but is now a multitask
button that lets you easily switch between apps - you can still access Action
Overflow by long-pressing the same button.
Despite
its screen being just 0.1-inch larger, the S5 (bottom) is noticeably bigger
than the S4.
Without a
doubt, the best new design feature on the S5 is its IP67 rating, which makes it
impervious to dust, and mostly impervious to water, being able to survive
immersion between 15cm and 1m for up to 30 minutes. For comparison, the other
dust and water resistant flagship phone on the market is Sony's Z2, which is
IP58 rated, making it worse against dust, but better against water. The IP67
rating means that the micro-USB port on the S5 requires a sealed cover, which
can be a bit fiddly to open.
Like the
Sony Xperia Z2, the micro-USB port now has a sealed cover to protect it from
water.
As
mentioned, the S5 sports a removable battery cover, which gives you access to
the micro-SIM tray and microSD slot. While we like being able to replace the
battery, honestly, it doesn't seem like the best design for a waterproof phone
as there are multiple points all around the edge of the cover that need to be
pressed down to ensure a tight seal - just one point not pressed into place
firmly enough and you can forget about your S5 surviving its plunge into the
drink. If you've ever had your biscuits go stale because you didn't fully press
down the lid of your tupperware, you might want to be extra careful with the
S5. Taking a quick glance from the past, Sony's old Xperia V was one of the
first IP57 rated phones in its day and its removable battery case was prone to
leaks based on community feedback; there's a perfectly good reason why Sony's
following flagship devices have kept to a non-removable battery design since
then.
This is a
disaster waiting to happen.
Display
& Audio
While the
S5's display has grown larger, the screen resolution hasn't, and the S5 is
fitted with a Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) Super AMOLED display -
which actually gives it a slightly lower screen pixel density at 432 pixels per
inch (ppi) than the S4's 441 ppi. Having said that, clarity looks
indistinguishable between the two displays, so this isn't much of a concern. In
all other areas the S5 display does look noticeably improved. Maximum
brightness is quite a bit higher than the S4, which makes viewing under even
bright overhead sunlight comfortable. According to DisplayMate,
the S5 is actually capable of hitting 698 nits, which makes it one of the
brightest smartphone displays around. In Standard Screen Mode, colors can look
a bit oversaturated, but switching to Cinema mode results in a more natural
color reproduction. Contrast, as usual, is top notch, with super deep blacks.
The S5
boasts a fantastic OLED display, with bright, vibrant colors and lots of
contrast.
Unfortunately
Samsung hasn't paid much attention to audio on the S5, which sounds much the
same as the S4, and generally lacks in both volume and bass. This isn't much of
a concern as most users are likely to have a good pair of headphones anyway,
but when both HTC and Sony are offering front-facing stereo speakers on their
flagship devices, it does make the S5 sound rather underwhelming in comparison.
Fingerprint
Scanner
An
exciting new feature on the S5 is the inclusion of a fingerprint scanner on the
Home button. As someone whose personal device is an iPhone 5s, I'm very much
sold on the concept of unlocking your phone with a fingerprint. The S5 scanner
is quite different from the iPhone 5s, and requires a vertical swiping motion, similar
to the fingerprint scanners found on many enterprise notebooks. As a result
it's not as fast as the iPhone 5s, and you also need to turn the display on
before you can swipe your finger to unlock it. Unlike the iPhone 5s, it also
can't be unlocked from any angle, requiring the same vertical swipe motion each
time, with no allowance for slower or faster swipes, or any diagonal deviation.
Some users
may also find the scanner a bit low, which, combined with the vertical-only
swiping motion, can make one-handed unlocking a bit tricky. We actually had
better success holding the phone in one hand and unlocking with the other. Even
so, while it's definitely not as well integrated as Apple's seamless one-button
press fingerprint scan, it's still faster and more convenient than unlocking
your phone with a pattern like some kind of caveman.
Some phone
juggling may be required to fingerprint unlock the S5 one-handed.
One
advantage the S5 does have over Apple is that, unlike Apple, Samsung has opened
up the fingerprint scanner SDK to developers, letting it be incorporated into
apps. The first company to take advantage of this is PayPal, who has partnered
with Samsung to let customers use the S5's fingerprint scanner for
one-touch fingerprint activated web store checkout in more than 26
countries.
Setting up
the scanner is a simple procedure, and for the most part, the same as Apple's
setup procedure, requiring you to swipe your finger over the home button eight
times. You also need to set up a backup alphanumeric password. A minor
annoyance is that you can only register up to three fingerprints.
Your
Personal Fitness Tracker
The S5 is
fitted with a heart rate sensor at the rear, just next to the LED flash. Put
your finger over it and it can track your heart rate. Like the fingerprint
scanner it's not the best implementation, as you need to make sure your finger
fully covers the sensor, and that you don't press too lightly or too hard, but
with enough usage, most users will get the hang of how to do it. Getting a
reading takes about 10-15 seconds, and like most heart rate monitors, it tells
you not to talk or move around while its taking a reading.
The heart
rate sensor is located on the rear, below the camera module and next to the LED
flash.
If you're
wondering what the point of the heart rate monitor is, it all fits in with the
active lifestyle theme Samsung seems to be pushing with its latest devices.
From the Gear 2 to the Gear Fit, and even the IP67 rating of the S5, all of
Samsung's new products seem geared towards complementing an active lifestyle.
As such, the S5 also comes pre-loaded with Samsung's S Health personal fitness
tracker, which offers personalized fitness workouts and can help track your
fitness stats, from calories burned to steps taken. It will also suggest
workout routines and goals, and there's even an incentive-based medal system
for hitting certain milestones.
Looks like
I still have a way to go...
OS
Optimizations
The S5 has
been upgraded to Android 4.4 KitKat, with Samsung's usual TouchWiz enhancements
and optimizations. While Samsung hasn't loaded up the S5 with nearly as many
new software features as the S4 had, it does have a few new tricks, and almost
all of the features found on the S4 such as Smart Stay, which keeps the
display on as long as you're looking at it, and Air Gestures, which lets
you wave your hand over the phone to control it, are still present and
accounted for in the S5.
The new Kids
Mode is somewhat similar to Guest Mode seen on LG phones and lets parents
set up a mode for children who want to use the device, with restricted access
to certain apps and features while they use it.
Samsung's
Download Booster claims to offer significantly improved download speeds by
combining LTE and Wi-Fi 802.11ac connections together, although, our brief
testing with the feature has proved inconclusive for now. Nevertheless, it's a
useful feature when you absolutely need to download a file as fast as possible.
We did successfully test this feature out on Samsung's GALAXY Note Pro 12.2-inch LTE tablet where the
feature was known as Network Booster. So yes, the feature does work, but it's
subjective to many other factors that's not within one's control.
The Ultra
Power Saving Mode is an interesting addition that will help conserve battery
life in tough situations by turning off almost all unnecessary features, such
as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, camera functionality, and even display colors,
switching the screen to a stark black and white for maximum power saving.
According to Samsung, in this mode, the S5 can last an impressive 24 hours on
as little as 10 percent remaining battery life.
In this
mode, by default, you're restricted to only the most basic apps: phone,
messaging and Internet. You can however add a few extra custom apps to the
list.
We can't
even take a screenshot with Ultra Power Saving Mode turned on because the
function is disabled!
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