Samsung Galaxy S5 "review"

[feedonswords]

So, quite recently, I got the Samsung Galaxy S5 after my valiant S2 died after years of service (lest we forget), and I felt like sharing random stuff with you people about it.

 

Basic Overview: I got the 16GB model with 4G, this comes with a Quad Core processor at 2.5GHZ, and the Snapdragon 801 chipset, and with 2GB of RAM. I cried because this phone is faster than my Surface... Anyway, the phone is IP67 Water Resistant, and comes with a 1080x1920 Super AMOLED screen. And, I got a 64GB microsd card from Kogan to put in it. woop woop

 

Aesthetics and Build Quality: The phone is quite nice to look at, with the odd perforated back, which I have a love/hate relationship with, it's nice and grippy to hold, but horrible looking. The phone is built very solidly, however, the back falls off quite easily when dropped, which breaks the rubber seal that makes it water resistant. The phone has a chromey plastic around the sides, which a flap on the bottom covering the microUSB 3.0 port.

 

Buttons/Ports/Connectivity: The phone has a volume rocker on the right and a lock/power button on the right, both of which are very clicky, it has a home button on the front of the phone, at the bottom, which Samsung has become known for, to the left of the home button, there is a multitasking button, which has replaced the menu button, but if you hold it down it still acts as a menu button, and to the right of the home button, a back button, which does what you expect. Both the back and multitasking buttons are backlit and are on the touch screen, and not physical. The phone has a microUSB 3.0 port on the bottom, but for some unknown reason, Samsung only provides a microUSB 2.0 cable in the box. There is an audio port at the top, and Samsung provides some excellent in-ear headphones with the phone as well. The phone has a STUPID ***** BUCKET FULL OF ****** ON THE ********* BACK *****.. Yes, I meant the phone has a speaker on the back. OH MY GOD SAMSUNG GOD DAMN IT PUT IT IN USEFUL PLACE ARGGHGHHGHGHGHG! The phone has an IR blaster on the top, and the smart remote app does work, and the heart beat sensor is right under the camera, but it's a bit iffy.

 

Internet/4G/Call Quality: The phone has excellent reception, with crystal clear audio when in a call, the wi-fi works fine,  but is a bit slow for my tastes, the 4G however... GOD DAMN THAT IS FAST.

 

Everyday Usage: TouchWiz WAS horrible, but they've toned it down alot now, and with enough settings done... like DISABLING MY MAGAZINE DEAR GOD DOES ANYONE USE THAT CRAP!? It provides quite a nice android experience, and is very zippy. Android 4.4.2 KitKat still has Holo Blue, which I hate, even though they said that they'd remove it... oh well. The keyboard that comes with the phone... god damn. It's amazing, with the dedicated number row, and always registers correctly, and comes with Swype functionality, but I STILL DOWNLOADED SWIFTKEY LEL. The phone has a 2800MaH battery, and lasts for a good 2-3 days with normal usage, and probably 1 day with POWER USAAAGE. The screen on this phone... oh... oh yees.... words can not explain how good it is, it may not be 4K like the LG G3, but god damn, this screen just POPS, the screen has great color depth, and is crystal clear, and you can view it at any angle, and the brightness only needs to be at about halfway even in direct sunlight, but at full brightness.... DEAR GOD, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE AT FULL BRIGHTNESS. The heart rate sensor does work, but you need to be very still, and it's quite useless to me. The fingerprint reader is a two edged sword, when it works, it works pretty damn well, but when it doesn't... GOD DAMN IT PHONE RECOGNIZE MY FINGER! This can usually be rectified with a damp cloth though, and just a slight wipe then dry on the screen. Oh yeah, it is actually waterproof, very waterproof, i'm completely confident swimming with this phone.

 

Camera: Amazing, just freaking amazing, this phone's camera is 16 Megapixels, and can shoot videos in 4K, and my god, the pictures it takes are AMAZING, and the selective focus works 90% of the time, and comes out beautifully, so this camera is extremely recommended, and proves you don't need some weird 41MP camera on some Windows Phone.

 

Good Phone, 10/10 would steal again.

[Sharif]

Steal-tastic 

[Antistatic12]

 

The phone has a 2800MaH battery, and lasts for a good 2-3 days with normal usage, and probably 1 day with POWER USAAAGE.

If that's the case I might be hitting 4-5 days.

 

 

Everyday Usage: TouchWiz WAS horrible, but they've toned it down alot now, and with enough settings done...

i have never really had that may issues with touchwiz, but I keep hearing from people the exact same words "its toned down" so i guess thats good.

Water resistant is one the main draw cards for me.

decent review.

I have been tempted to grab one as Kogan has them at $639AUD. but I might just wait it out a little longer. My S4 is still chugging along.

[FloRolf]

People keep complaining about the speakers being on the back. As if anyone uses speakers on a phone...

[Brazsty]

Good review, you might wanna consider a custom rom when the warranty is out It will make the phone a billion times better

[rambi36]

I have a Galaxy S5 as well and I agree with you on a lot of the points that you made(although i personally like theHolo blue color scheme). I ended up installing Nova launcher on mine and it runs butter smooth on my device. I use my phone quite a bit during the day, but I am still left with about 40% at the end of the day. Tje finger print scanner got bloody annoying after a while so i disabled it. Great job on the review!