Samsung Galaxy S5 Review (Video)

Regardless of this or any other review, for the most part, Samsung will sell a lot of the Galaxy S5’s (and, indeed, already have). With the previous Galaxy S4 and even the Galaxy Note 3 device, Samsung has made themselves pretty comfortable in the world of Android manufacturers claiming the number one spot in fact. Because of this, it’s easy to hear people calling other Android devices “Galaxy devices” and when told it’s an Android device their eyes simply glaze over “What’s an Android?” (It might be because of this that I’m noticing “Powered by Android at the bottom of newer phones when they boot up, Google’s doing perhaps?). I have my own theories for why this is and it boils down to marketing budgets, gimmicks that allow you to say “my phone can do this and yours can’t”, and attack ads calling out those features, but regardless and despite the Galaxy S4 not topping anyone’s list of best Android device last year, it’s working for ol’ Sammy.

This brings us to the Galaxy S5, the sequel to the ever-popular Galaxy S4 and without discussing if it’ll be a hit sales-wise, since we know that answer, let’s put it through its paces to see if it’s just a hit at all.

Screen, Appearance, Hardware

• 5.1″ 1080P Super AMOLED Screen
• Great 431ppi density ensures clear images.
• Lightweight
• Better Backing (nicer feeling plastic than last year’s)
• Fake metal made out of plastic doesn’t help with the overall feeling of this not being up to par with the iPhone’s and HTC’s of the world as far as premium feeling is concerned.
• Finger print scanner for unlocking the device and making purchases through Paypal (but doesn’t work very well one-handed).
• Heart rate sensor on the back allows you to quickly check your heart rate without the need for another device.

Speakers, Sound Quality

• Nothing special here.

Camera

• Great camera with a decent sensor.
• Fast auto-focus (when you disable image stabilization).
• Tons of software options for taking different types of shots (from blurred focus shots like an SLR to motion shots, to you name it).

Software, TouchWiz UI

• Better than the Galaxy S4, more subdued.
• Lots of extra features.
• Still a bit “childish” feeling in my opinion (but can be changed, as with any Android device).

Links to the other videos mentioned in the video above:

• TV Remote Feature and the Havoc It’ll Cause – https://theunlockr.com/2013/07/07/the-latest-feature-that-should-become-a-new-standard-in-cell-phones/
• Samsung TouchWiz Walkthrough – https://theunlockr.com/2014/04/17/samsung-touchwiz-ux-3-0-complete-walkthrough-video/

What do you guys think?

PS Stay tuned for the Samsung Galaxy S5 vs HTC One video, coming soon!