Features of Samsung Galaxy S5 got more attentions than Galaxy S4. Galaxy S5 is totally different from Galaxy S4 as someone took the DNA of this smartphone and improves it mostly. In short it is about what customers demands for.
Samsung Galaxy S5 has everything in it trending in latest smartphone era: smart camera, quick connectivity for online applications or other use, personal fitness tracking, protection, and a 'modern and glam' look.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Design
Actually it's little superfluous to discuss about the technology inside phone before dealing with the main question: does it look attractive? No more shiny plastic or laughable attempts to make it look like a leather notebook – while it is still plastic, it's a lot more grip-able and feels a lot, lot nicer in the hand.
The overall construction is more solid, but the device is markedly bigger compared to the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4. There's a lot more Note DNA in the Galaxy S5 than ever before, that's for sure. In fact, the design of the Galaxy S5 is one that evokes the S2 more than anything else, as it's more rectangular in shape. It's certainly a departure from the 'inspired by a blade of grass' creation of the S3.
This time +Samsung Mobile includes an impressive feature in Galaxy S5 that it is waterproof and dust-proof to an IP67 rating, which means it's almost resistant to dust and waterproof to a depth of 1M for 30 minutes – more than enough time to fish it out when thrown down a toilet.
What's more impressive is that this phone still packs a removable cover and battery – while yes, it is a really fiddly cover to clip back on, to be able to access the power pack and microSD card slot is a really good move.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Screen
With the screen on the Samsung Galaxy S5, once again Samsung was a victim of its own hype. We were all expecting a grand step forward, the first manufacturer to bring a 2K screen to the masses. But it's just a Full HD Super AMOLED version, one that's actually a little less sharp in theory than before as it's now 5.1- rather than 5-inches, meaning it's down from a 441ppi to 415ppi on the new version. It's not massive, but it is a drop when we were expecting something higher-res.
Ever since the Galaxy S2, Samsung has been faced with an impossible task: make its smartphones so great that they blow the world's collective mind time and again.
Since that phone, one of the handsets that like the HTC Desire and the iPhone 4 changed the expectation levels of the phone buying public, it's hard to say that it's come close to managing the same feat again.
The display shouldn't be sniffed at though. It's sharp, clear, and when placed next to the S4 is clearly a step forward in terms of Super AMOLED technology. Although Samsung wouldn't confirm it to me, I'd guess that there are more full pixels stuck in there – the color reproduction was a step forward again, and movies looked so much better again.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Interface
Like the 2K display we were expecting big things from the new UI on the Samsung Galaxy S5, and there has at least been a bigger jump forward here.
The notifications bar is the biggest change that I could see, with the whole area looking a lot different to the standard version Samsung has employed with TouchWiz over the years.
There are now quick links to the likes of S Finder and Quick Connect, which allow you to theoretically move through the phone at greater speed.
The former is the same thing as Google Search, it seems, with more information drawn in from the web. It's the kind of thing you'd need to spend more time with to see if it fits in with your lifestyle, as it could either be a really quick way of flicking around or a waste of valuable screen space.
Quick Connect seems to make a little more sense, as it takes the best of things like AirDrop and AirPlay from Apple and moves them all into one place. You can also DLNA stream from here, and makes the Galaxy S5 a really connected hub of the home.
The settings button seems to have gone a bit mad though – now there's a massive long list of all the settings options (under the guise of being quick) but there appeared to be a number of repeated items here – definitely one to dig into further with the full review.
Galaxy S5 Fingerprint Scanner
I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting Samsung to bring a fingerprint scanner to the mix for the Galaxy S5, as there were few signs that it had nailed the technology just yet.
In terms of what we've actually been given, it's a middling effort. On the one hand, the scanner is actually pretty accurate and gives an added level of security. On the other, you still have to wake the phone by pressing the home or power button before you can scan, which adds an extra step that Apple doesn't make you go through.
The action can be misinterpreted, as it's a straight scan down from the screen to the bottom of the home key, although I noticed its accuracy was pretty good right from the start.
It's a few steps behind Apple's decent integration of TouchID in the iPhone 5S, but miles ahead of the finger-based abomination on the back of the HTC One Max.
Couple that with the work Samsung has done to sign a deal with PayPal to offer payment security, and you can see why I'm pretty excited about this option.
The TouchID payment security extends only to iTunes purchases, so being able to shop the web and pay for stuff with your digit is truly forward-thinking.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Camera
The camera on the Samsung Galaxy S5 is probably one of the most improved elements of the handset, and that's not because it's leapt forward to a 16MP sensor.
The megapixel count these days is largely irrelevant, but the hardware's ability to process and take pictures should be considered a much larger part, and Samsung has managed that well. Oh, and of course there's Selective Focus, which allows you to alter the focus of the shot after it's taken.
This looks like it's going to be big news in smartphones this year, but it looks a lot like a gimmick to me if the S5 is anything to go by, which is a shame when it's such a tough task for the phone to process.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Fitness Tech
One of the key pillars of the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the fitness technology that's contained within it - and while it's going to be a big part of the phone's marketing, as well as a popular topic for all technology firms in the next year, it's not a standout feature.
S Health was something of damp squib on the Galaxy S4, and while S Health 3.0 on the S5 is a much better app, there's still not enough there to influence the buying decision.
The Galaxy S5 has a heart rate sensor, but that's under the flash of the camera and requires you to hold your finger on it for a few seconds to get a reading of your pulse.
Once that's logged you can see how your health is improving over time as your resting heart rate drops, but because it requires you to place your finger in a certain way each day it's not a passive system, which these things need to be.
