Read our review.
The Galaxy S5 has beautiful 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (432 PPI), a quad-core 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 2,800mAh battery. Along with that, it ships with Android 4.4.2 KitKat.
The Samsung Galaxy S5’s camera is a major selling point for the company’s new flagship smartphone, however a newly discovered bug may soon turn would-be buyers away from the device. There have been several reports across the web documenting an issue with the handset’s shooter — most notably its Verizon version — that completely breaks the phone’s camera.
With the release of a new flagship smartphone, you can pretty much guarantee that Samsung will release a new marketing campaign taking jabs at the iPhone. But in the case of the Galaxy S5, the company has turned things up notch. In the past we’ve seen Sammy make subliminal references to Apple’s devices, but the company has never mentioned the iPhone by name.
If you recently picked up a shiny new Galaxy S5, there’s a good chance you’re looking for a great case or two. Luckily, there’s already a wide variety of accessories available to cover up your device without turning it into a brick.
We’ll take a look at the best five cases for the Galaxy S5 that will provide protection and/or style and not break the bank. The cases mentioned here are order by curent pricing/availability, but this will vary from day to day, so check out the associated links for more information.
It’s no secret that Samsung Galaxy device owners aren’t too fond of Sammy’s native software, however some folks will go to great lengths to see the company’s bloatware completely removed from their handset — even as far as paying out cold hard cash. Recently, a group of Verizon customers turned to the community at XDA Developers in hopes of finding a solution that will bring root access to Big Red’s version of the Galaxy S5.
We’ve already know all the specs on Samsung’s new flagship Galaxy S5 and that includes its gorgeous 1920 x 1080, 5.1” FHD Super AMOLED with a pixel density of 432 ppi. It’s definitely a step up from any Samsung smartphone before it, and today the company took some time to explain exactly what it’s done to achieve the new experience.
More than simply just the hardware specs, Samsung has made a lot of advancements with its display technology this time around that provides a faster response time, improved color realization, and the best possible viewing experience in every lighting condition. Samsung starts by explaining a new Adapt Display algorithm for the S5 that “analyzes incoming lights & content and automatically optimizes the color range, saturation, and sharpness of your display.”
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Photo: Android Central
Samsung has announced that the packaging for its Galaxy S5 handset will not only be recyclable, but also partly made from recycled material. So the packaging your S5 arrives in may well be partly made from recycled S4 boxes.
Samsung says that both manual and packaging are 100 percent recyclable, and the plastic elements are biodegradable.
Naturally degrading plastic packaging material and charger cases using recyclable plastic and soy ink without petroleum solvents prevent soil and marine environment contamination. In addition, 20% of the material consists of waste plastic and recycled plastic with better shock and flame resistance for charger cases. The soy ink used to print its product manual and box improves the print work environment and save annual use of petroleum solvent by 30 tons.
Samsung points to the Galaxy product series achieving eco-friendly certification in 213 cases across six countries since 2011.
Amazon and Samsung have announced that a new Kindle for Samsung app will provide a download service designed specifically for Galaxy devices, and which will allow owners to choose up to 12 free ebooks a year from a choice of 48.
The service will be available first for the Galaxy S5 later this month, then rolling out to other Galaxy devices.
“We are delighted to be able to deepen our long-standing relationship with Amazon and offer Kindle for Samsung as the perfect app for reading on a smart device. With this service we demonstrate our commitment to creating and broadening key content partnerships that deliver rich and personalized experiences for our customers,” said Lee Epting, Vice President, Samsung’s Media Solution Center Europe.
To get access to the free books, you’ll need to get a referral to Samsung Book Deals. We’ll learn more about how this works when the service launches.
According to a teardown and component analysis by IHS (via Recode), Samsung’s flagship device costs roughly $256 to make. That price includes the bill of materials, as well as the estimated assembly cost.
In an interview with Re/code, the leader of this teardown Andrew Rassweiler noted that Samsung’s smartphones have been going up in cost. However, Rassweiler also stated that, “Inside we see mostly a lot of recycled components that we’ve seen before. There’s really nothing special inside where Samsung is pushing the envelope,” although he did give credit to Samsung for the water-resistant design.
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfhLZZWBn5Q]
The same German security researchers who demonstrated a hack of the iPhone 5s Touch ID fingerprint sensor have released a video showing that the same hack also works with the Samsung Galaxy S5.
The hack relies on photographing a latent print from something like a glass in a bar, then using lab techniques to transfer the image of the print into wood glue, which is then applied to someone else’s finger to activate the sensor …
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVZHK5ZUBCM]
Samsung and HTC are going head-to-head competing to be the best Android smartphone in 2014. There’s no doubt that 2014 will be filled with a lot of exciting releases, but the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One (M8) are among the first to arrive. The Galaxy S5 may be a worthy upgrade over its predecessor, but how does it compare to the HTC One (M8)? Both devices are packed with high-end specifications and comparably priced, but the question is, which one should you buy? Take a look at our comparison video above for all of the details.
Samsung’s Group Play app for the Galaxy S5 is reportedly set to receive an update today that will enable a group camcorder sharing option for the company’s new flagship smartphone. Uncovered by SamMobile, version 3.0 of Group Play lets you capture and share video across up to four Galaxy S5s. When synced, the director (host device) can view, edit and merge sequences from other devices within the group. As of writing this, the app has not been updated at the Play Store, but version 3.0 is expected to land sometime later today.
Samsung’s Gear Fit smartwatch/fitness band is finally available online and in stores, but unfortunately, its Android compatibility is still very limited. According to Samsung, the Gear Fit will only work with 17 different Galaxy devices including the new Galaxy S5. Once again, Samsung is keeping its Gear line within the family, but luckily we’ve found a way around this small problem.
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Training materials leaked from both HTC and Samsung identify the arguments each manufacturer hopes will persuade you to buy its new flagship handset.
HTCSource posted a flyer showing that HTC has five main arguments, and seven secondary ones, for the HTC One M8. The primary features highlighted are the metal casing, two front speakers, tap & swipe features to facilitate one-handed use, the duo camera and the HTC Advantage program …
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Samsung has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S5 goes on sale today in 125 countries, along with the new Gear smartwatches. It was already known that it would be launched today in the USA.
The new Galaxy S5 and the Samsung Gear devices – Samsung Gear 2, Samsung Gear 2 Neo, and Samsung Gear Fit – are ready to hit the market in 125 countries in Europe, Middle East, North America, Latin America, and most of Asia.
The S5 has a 5.1-inch full HD display which was declared “the best smartphone display ever tested” by DisplayMate. Other key features include a fingerprint sensor and heartrate monitor. Reviewers considered it an excellent phone, albeit lacking in excitement …
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The folks over at iFixit showed off just how repairable Samsung’s Galaxy Gear 2 smart watch is earlier this week, and today the site has shared its teardown of Samsung’s Galaxy S5 smartphone. The verdict? Smart watches are easier to repair, but so was Samsung’s Galaxy S4. For comparison, the site rated both the Galaxy Gear 2 and the Galaxy S4 with an 8 out of 10 for ease of repairability. Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone was rated at 5 out of 10 by iFixit (which is more in line with Apple’s latest smartphone as the iPhone 5s was rated at 6 out of 10 by the site)…
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV8ONpWvtgY]
If you’ve been debating on upgrading to the Samsung Galaxy S5, there are definitely a few things you need to know. Is it worth upgrading to Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone? If you currently own a Galaxy S4, you may be better off waiting for the Galaxy S6. In the video above, we compare the features and specifications between the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4. In the video above, we’ve laid out all of the facts to help you make an informed decision.
The early reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S5 are in, and the general verdict appears to be that it’s a very good phone – but perhaps doesn’t offer any really persuasive reason to upgrade from the S4.
Re/Code took the view that the waterproofing was the only real standout feature.
I’ve been testing the new S5 for a couple of weeks, and I like it, though I didn’t find it especially exciting or novel. In every major hardware area, it’s a very good phone, with a sharp, gorgeous screen that, at 5.1 inches, is a teeny bit bigger than the five-inch display on last year’s model, the S4 […]
Overall, the Galaxy 5S is a very good phone, but not one compelling enough for me to recommend that you buy it to replace last year’s Galaxy or the current iPhone. But there’s one caveat: If you drop your phone in water a lot, you want this one …
Samsung took a big step into the health and fitness market with its Galaxy S5. One of the device’s main selling points is its built-in heart rate sensor. This new feature allows users to check their heart rate using the preinstalled S Health app, but the truth is, nothing special is happening here. According to Samsung’s official Galaxy S5 page, it’s the first smartphone with a built-in heart rate sensor, but technically almost any device with a camera and flash is capable of providing this functionality. The same sensor is found on Samsung’s new Gear smart watch lineup and certainly makes more sense ona wearable device, but unfortunately it’s nothing more than a gimmick on the Galaxy S5.
The heart rate sensor found on the back is no different than what many third party apps have offered for quite some time. Runtastic’s Heart Rate Monitor app is a perfect example. This app uses the LED flash and camera on almost any smartphone to read your heart rate, and it works surprisingly well.
Even though the Galaxy S5 is only just now going up for sale through select third-party retailers, Samsung is already busy announcing a variety of accessories for the phone. As Android Central notes, the company has just announced wireless charging covers for the device.
There will be four different models of wireless charging case to choose from this time around. First is the the standard replacement backplate with a Qi charging module in it. This case will run just $30 and be available in black or white. Next up is an S-View flip cover, again in either black or white, that adds wireless charging capabilities to the device. Samsung hasn’t announced a price for this accessory yet.
All four of these cases will incorporate the gasket that makes the Galaxy S5 water-resistant. The design of the backs are also identical to the dotted-look of the actual backing. As you’d expect, the cases should be compatible with any Qi-based chargers.
Verizon has started accepting pre-orders for the Galaxy S5, confirming pricing at $199.99 on a two-year contract (after $50 mail-in rebate), or $599.99 full retail without contract, with shipping from 11th April. These are similar deals to those already announced by AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint.
Verizon has also extended its HTC One and Samsung ATIV buy-one, get-one-free deal to the S5 – though only if you sign a two-year contract for each …
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Chipworks managed to get its hands on a Galaxy S5 ahead of Samsung’s new flagship handset officially going on sale on 11th April, and has been taking a look inside. The model it obtained was a Korean one, thanks to several carriers releasing it early. We’ve also noted third-party suppliers on Amazon advertising it as available in 1-2 days.
While Chipworks has only just begun its analysis, it does provide a sneak peek of the innards, together with a steer on three of the elements it plans to examine in detail: the fingerprint sensor, heart-rate chip and camera sensor.
The company says that the fingerprint sensor is split into two parts, a touch sensor embedded in the home button, and a second part connected to the touchscreen. It isn’t yet clear whether the screen simply detects a touch and switches on the sensor, or whether data from the touchscreen forms part of the identification process.
DisplayMate Technologies, which makes display test kit for every major screen manufacturer in the world, has declared that the new Samsung Galaxy S5 has “the best performing smartphone display that we have ever tested” with “a long list of new records.”
While OLED screens have long been considered to be playing catch-up with LCD, DisplayMate says that the S5 demonstrates that the race has now been won.
In a span of just four years OLED display technology is now challenging and even exceeding the performance of the best LCDs across the board in brightness, contrast, color accuracy, color management, picture quality, performance in high ambient light, screen uniformity, and viewing angles …
Following rumors that Google was preparing to starting forcing manufacturers to brand new devices with a “Powered by Android” logo, AndroidPolice today posted what appears to be evidence of the new requirement. Not every device using Google’s Android OS will have to bear the logo, but those that use Google’s Mobile Services— just about every Android smartphone from the major OEMs— will soon have to do so as part of Google’s updated requirements. Android has long been split into two distinct pieces: The Android Open Source Project that allows OEMs to freely use Android on their devices, and the closed Google Mobile Services, which gives access to Google Play services and Google branded apps like Maps and Gmail for manufacturers that agree to various guidelines.
It appears manufacturers are already putting the logo on new devices, although there’s no direct evidence that the device makers are required to do so. The Powered by Android logo appears of the startup screen of the new Galaxy S5 (as you can see in the screenshot above), as well as HTC’s new M8, but AndroidPolice notes it’s not on the Verizon variant of the device. Other reports claim that some devices show the logo on the startup screen every time the device is turned on, while others only show it the first time. There doesn’t appear to be strict guidelines about where the logo has to appear, but today’s report claimed sources say the branding is indeed mandatory.
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This week both AT&T and T-Mobile have shared their launch plans for Samsung’s new flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone, and this morning Sprint has released details for its customers as well.
Starting this morning, Sprint is taking reservations in its stores to be notified of Galaxy S5 availability on April 11th. Sprint will offer the Galaxy S5 in black or white for $0/down and 24 payments of $27 through its Sprint Easy Pay plan. This offer, in conjunction with signing up with a Sprint Framily plan, includes a 7″ Galaxy Tab 3 tablet with a 2-year contract and data plan for a limited time.
Sprint is also offering pre-orders for customers purchasing the Galaxy S5 through the traditional methods for $199 after a $50 reward card redeemed via a mail-in rebate… so $249 up front.
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