Samsung Galaxy S5 Review

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The Samsung Galaxy S5 is an improvement on last year’s model in almost every respect, although Samsung still needs to wean itself away from silly gimmicks.

Samsung Galaxy S5: On the plus side

I’d hesitate to say that the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a genuinely attractive design — it’s still quite plastic, despite the metallic rim — but it at least shows that Samsung’s refining its design aesthetic. The Galaxy S5 looks like a Galaxy device, in other words, but with a dimpled rear design that’s both grippy and better looking than the terrible faux leather on the Galaxy Note 3 or the cheap plastic feel of the Galaxy S4. You can get the Galaxy S5 in a range of colours, including a rather regrettable gold colour.

Michael Jackson had something to say about this colour combination.
Michael Jackson had something to say about this colour combination.

At the time of writing, the 2.5Ghz Snapdragon 801 processor that runs the Australian version of the Galaxy S5 is the most powerful inside any smartphone you can buy. That equates to a fast experience in day to day use. I’ve been testing out the Galaxy S5 for more than a week now, and it’s never missed a beat.

Like other Android handsets I’m wary of relying too much on benchmark numbers because Samsung, like other Android OEMs has been known to fudge its figures. In any case, the proof of using a smartphone is in using it, not in arguing over minor benchmark number discrepancies.

Here, have some deliberately blurry numbers. That'll keep the benchmark freaks at bay.
Here, have some deliberately blurry numbers. That’ll keep the benchmark freaks at bay.

That’s where the screen comes in, and the Samsung S5’s 5.1 inch full HD Super AMOLED is excellent. It’s really sharp, bright and clear even in direct sunlight. It also takes into consideration that different people have different usage habits with dynamic, professional photo, standard and cinema modes alongside the default adaptive display mode.
Your choice of display modes on what is a genuinely exceptional screen. Nice work, Samsung.
Your choice of display modes on what is a genuinely exceptional screen. Nice work, Samsung.

The Galaxy S5 is 4G LTE enabled, or at least the official ones are. More on that later. If you’re particularly impatient, Samsung offers a “Download Booster” application that allows you to combine a Wi-Fi and mobile connection to pull down data even faster. There’s an obvious catch there if you burn through lots of expensive mobile data, but it’s a neat feature to have if you’re desperate to get a file quickly for whatever reason.
And it is written: "Lo, the telcos of the world didst look on, and they were greatly pleased, for they could see the profits flowing in."
And it is written: “Lo, the telcos of the world didst look on, and they were greatly pleased, for they could see the profits flowing in.”

The Galaxy S5 is also nicely rugged. Samsung got around issues of fragility last year by delivering a separate version of the Galaxy S4 in the form of the Galaxy S5 Active. The Active’s features have been hardboiled into the Galaxy S5, so it’s dustproof and waterproof for up to 30 minutes at up to a metre.
Not a marathon swimmer’s phone, then, but one that can survive a decent bit of accidental dunking, rain or sweat. I haven’t tortured one to the point of destruction, but it’s happily managed through rain and a few “accidental” drops into a sink without issues. Part of that is undoubtedly that the Galaxy S5 nags incessantly around its waterproofing. You’ve got to unlock a seal around the charging port in order to charge, and if it’s not quite right when you click it back in, you’ll be told so in no uncertain terms on the display screen.
Get used to seeing this pop up a lot.
Get used to seeing this pop up a lot.

Samsung’s never had what could be called a totally stellar camera, but the 16 megapixel model on the Galaxy S5 is undeniably an improvement on last year’s model. Focus times are greatly improved, although as with any smartphone camera they can be a little patchy, and there’s a range of filter features that you can enable if that kind of thing excites you. If they don’t, it’s a nice touch that many modes are downloads rather than preinstalled, so you can ignore them.
The Galaxy S5 can’t quite match the HTC One M8 or iPhone 5s when it comes to low light performance, but it’s at least in the conversation this time around. One particularly solid feature of the default camera app is the ability to preview HDR mode while shooting.
Next Page: Samsung Galaxy S5: On the minus side

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