The Samsung Galaxy S5 is the newest leading phone from Samsung. It is a 2.5GHz quad-core phone running Android KitKat 4.4.2 with 2GB RAM. It will definitely be a swift seller phone today because of its excellent features and design. However, there is still a question of, is it really the best? Or is this really an iPhone replacement? Should I upgrade my S4 to S5? Let’s take a look at the Pros and Cons of the latest Samsung Galaxy S5 to help you decide.
The Pros and the Cons:
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is an evolution of its predecessors with its big bright screen, dazzling camera, heaps of power and a lot more. Galaxy phones are established for going big, either on screens, specifications, software and more. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is not excluded. It measures 5.1 inches diagonally 1080 screen; although it is only a bit bigger than the old Samsung Galaxy S4, it now has a radiant Super AMOLED display. The screen is bigger and a lot brighter, making it easier to read outdoors and the colours are so much radiant now. Its modified display setting will let the users to automatically switch their screens based on their activities – Dynamic mode for home usage and Cinema mode for movies. The Galaxy S5 users became very excited on the 2K screen humors. However, it is not what the S5 was ended. And although they have sharp and superb viewing angles, it still cannot be considered as the most dominant phone.
The S5 runs with the 2.1-MP front camera. The 16-MP rear camera gives the users a clear and faster snaps. The autofocus feature is really fast! Samsung tote it up as fast as 0.3s. The 16-MP sensor seizes precise colours, better contrast and massive details when using it outdoors with better lighting. So it is an excellent improvised tourism cam. The HDR mode has been boosted which is totally amazing! However, the indoors is middling; the low light is compacted by the HTC One’s night vision and the LG G2. The colours are still precise, but the image looks rough to be functional. With regards to the video quality, the S5 footage is very smooth and crisp. Samsung added HDR Live function which allows you to see your photos in real time. It is actually the first mobile phone to shoot HDR video that is really astounding.
Talking about the design of the new Galaxy S5, Samsung added an indented polycarbonate back panel. And this removable panel will give your fingers something to hold to. This back panel is one of the distinction that Galaxy S5 has on the recent Galaxy S4 aside from its gorgeous display and being water resistant.
The Galaxy S5 is more concrete than the Galaxy S4 and it looks better with the expansive back and easy to hold battery cover. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is an evolution, but definitely not in industrial design. It is so much similar to the Galaxy S4 with a piece of influence from the Samsung Note 3.
There are very few changes from the old Galaxy S4, but these are all worth mentioning. The keys have changed too. It maintains the two capacitive keys and the clickable home button. The capacitive keys have different function now; it works as Back and Multitasking. So the menu buttons will work on the screen and in the app. The home button looks the same, but it has a fingerprint scanner which can be used mainly for locking and unlocking your Galaxy S5. You will need to swipe your finger to make it work instead of pressing it like how the iPhone 5S works. However, this fingerprint scanner feature is also unsatisfactory. It works once out of every three to four times attempt. This is because, you need to slide your finger on the right angle to register. To make it really work, scan your thumbs on both hands so you can use the two. Even though, it is still dubious.
At the bottom of the Galaxy S5 is a plug that covers the USB port; Samsung Galaxy S5 consists of IP67 certification, which means, you can dip the device in the water for a up to half an hour. Yes, the latest Galaxy S5 is a water resistant phone. However, it is still not advisable to bring this while swimming. It is also dust resistant and comprises with a USB 3.0 connection that seems offbeat to some. But it still uses the old standard microUSB cable.
The Samsung UI, which is the TouchWiz is a good deal as Samsung has promise. The last year’s chaos was no longer cluttered and looks better now. The Samsung Galaxy S5 looks like a contemporary Android device. However, Samsung did not install many apps just like last time. And despite of a better fit and outcome, there are still some profound software issues that are still unresolved. This phone runs with 2.5GHz quad core Snapdragon 801, which only means, it should be the fastest phone ever. But it’s not! The Galaxy S5 is still suffering lags and stutters while operating even if it’s just a simple scrolling on the home screens, launching the app drawer or just by opening the applications. Users will surely be disappointed on opening the Samsung’s own applications. The Gallery which you use for opening photos is very slow and annoying. It is very unstable and it will definitely make the users to give up.
The battery life is excellent. It can last for a day and a half with moderate usage. And with heavy usage, it still works well and better than the HTC One and Nexus. The Ultra Power Saving mode was rightfully useful. It can flip the S5 into grayscale and disable the apps and non-important connections. But you can still make and receive calls, text messaging and emails. The Wi-Fi (which is a MIMO capable) and 4G radio connection were very fast. The quick settings in the Notification area are very beneficial.
Even if there are many improvements in the software of the Samsung Galaxy S5, it is still under HTC in terms of user-friendliness and it is far from Motorola. There are lots of lags with the S Health and Gallery, the fingerprint is worse than we imagine, the heart rate monitor which can be found at the back of the phone is basically aimless. And since Galaxy S5 is waterproof and supports USB 3.0, users will also need to get use of the little door when you need to charge your phone. The external speaker is also struggling with being poor quality.
This is not really the best Galaxy phone that Samsung have released. But if battery life and camera is important to you, you can go with this one. And if you are used to the old Samsung UI, then there is no problem buying Samsung Galaxy S5. This has the best TouchWiz version with outstanding screen. For me, I won’t ditch iPhone for this Galaxy phone. iPhone has better navigation and it doesn’t lag. This is also a better version of Samsung Galaxy S4 so there’s really no reason to ask if you will upgrade your phone or not. After all, it is still you who will decide.
