Samsung Galaxy S5, Black 16GB (AT&T)

by Samsung

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.8 x 0.3 x 5.6 inches ; 5.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00IZ1XA94
• Item model number: Galaxy S5
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (156 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,867 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)
  • #5 in Cell Phones & Accessories > Contract Cell Phones

Product Description

Product Description

B00IZ1XA94

Amazon.com

Stunning. Innovative. Simply inspired. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is technology that truly impacts your life. Make split-second moments yours. Watch HD movies and games roar to life. Or track your life right down to your heartbeat. Powered with innovation, the Galaxy S5 is like no other mobile device before it.

The Next Big Thing is Here (view larger).

Samsung Smart Switch: The Easiest Way to Transfer Content to a New Device

Switching to the new Galaxy S5 has never been simpler—or smarter. With Samsung Smart Switch, you have the freedom to move from other smartphone platforms without fear of losing your personal content—music, contacts, photos and more. So now you have nothing to lose.

Professional Quality 16MP Camera with Faster Focus

Capture moments as they happen with the only camera you’ll ever need. With a lightning-fast autofocus, you can frame, take and edit split-second shots like a pro.

S HEALTH Integrated Mobile Health partner

We’ve given your heart some love with the first-ever built-in heart monitor that responds to your touch. Meet your perfect workout partner as you track your steps, challenge friends, earn badges and get on-demand nutrition advice.

Stylish Design that Stands up to Every Day

Form and style have never been more functional. Dustproof and water-resistant, the Galaxy S5 is made for action. Whether you’re running in the rain or digging in the garden, the Galaxy S5 will look good and work even better.

Secure Fingerprint Scanner for Faster Access

Unlock your phone with the touch of a finger. Quickly access your work, websites and more—all without entering a password. Opening your phone has never been easier.

The World's Quickest Connections

Enable faster downloading, stream and browse faster. The Galaxy S5 allows you to enjoy the world’s quickest Wi-Fi connectivity and the latest LTE connectivity available on any network. Working from a crowded coffee shop? Download Boost combines both Wi-Fi and LTE to give you even more acceleration.

Spec Highlights

• 3G/4G LTE connectivity
  
  AT&T 4G LTE network is available in limited markets
  
  
• Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
  
  
• 2.5 GHz quad-core processor
  
  
• 5.1-inch full 1080p Super Amoled HD display
  
  
• 16-MP Rear Camera
  
  
• Front 2-MP camera
  
  
• 16 GB ROM + 2 GB of RAM
  
  
• Wireless-N Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0 + NFC
  
  
• Up to 29 hours of talk time
  
  
• See full specs below

(view larger).

Big, Bold 5.1" HD display

We’ve put everything we know about HDTV on brilliant display. Movies come to life as they were meant to be seen. Richer colors, darker shadows, faster response times—all on 62% more viewing area than the leading competitor.

Maximize Battery Power for When you Need it Most

About to run out of power but can’t miss an important call? Use Ultra Power Saving Mode to turn the Galaxy S5 screen to black and white and shut off nonessential apps, so you get the maximum battery life for your device. That way, when you’re down to 10% charge, you can still receive calls and texts for up to 24 hours.

What's in the Box

Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone, USB cable, wall charger, quick start guide

Specifications

Design
Display	5.1-inch full 1080p Super Amoled HD display
Speakers	Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers; HDR Microphone
Sensors	Geomagnetic; accelerometer; barometer; gyro; RGB Light; Fingerprint Scanner, Heart Rate Sensor

Network and Connectivity
Cellular connectivity	LTE: Bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/17; HSPA+/UMTS: 850/1900/2100MHz; GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz;
Networking	Wireless-N (802.11a/b/g/n);
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0 with profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, GAVDP, GOEP, HFP, HID, HSP, MAP, OBEX, OPP, PAN, PBAP, SPP; Wi-Fi Hotspot: 10
Near Field Communication	NFC technology enables communication between NFC-enabled smartphones
Business	Enterprise-Ready; On-Device Encryption; VPN-Ready
GPS	For navigation and location-based apps
Ports	Micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port with mobile high-definition video link (MHL) for USB or HDMI connection (optional cable required for HDMI connection); 3.5mm stereo audio jack

Multimedia
Audio formats	AAC, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WMA/ASF, 3GA/M4A, WAV, WMA, QCP; MP3/MP4/Music Tones; Music Player; Ringtones, Polyphonic; 72-note poly
Video formats	.AVI, WMV/ASF, FLV, MKV, MP4/3GP, WEBM; Video Player; Video Streaming

Processor & Memory
Processor	2.5 GHz Quad-Core
Internal storage	16 GB
Memory expansion	Supported
RAM	2 GB

Camera & Video
Rear camera	16-Mgeapixel with 4x Digital Zoom
Front camera	2-megapixel
Shot Modes	Auto, Beauty Face, Shot and more, Panorama, 3D Tour, Dual Camera

Size
Dimensions	2.85 x 5.59 x 0.31 inches (WxHxD)
Weight	5.11 ounces

Battery
Capacity	2800 mAh

Extras
Buddy Photo Share	Photos share with everyone instantly: as the phone recognizes your friends"'" faces, it can share photos with them instantly.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

336 of 349 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Samsung hit the mark with this flagship. All other flagships are a step behind. April 14, 2014

By D. Miyao

A little background on my love of smartphones - I used to be a major Apple fanboy from the first iphone to the iphone 5. Steve Jobs is still my hero. I made the switch when the Galaxy S4 came out, then moved to the HTC One, LG G2, Note 3, and now the Galaxy S5. I use two phones, one for work and one for personal use. I spent a decent amount of time with all of them and can say that most people would be happy with each and every flagship for daily use for 1-2 years at a minimum but most people come to read these reviews for the small details that make the major differences between just "okay" with your phone or "completely happy" with their device. I won't list out the specs of the phone since that type of info is listed everywhere. But this phone as well as the others listed here are spectacular at being fast, having good to great battery life, and all have good to great cameras. Probably the most polarizing topics of phones these days is the aesthetics, mainly due to the fact that hardware seems to have outpaced the software which means manufacturers cant really make phones noticeably faster than the previous generation. Okay I'll get to the review.

Metal vs. Plastic - The HTC One and the iPhone are made from mostly aluminum. Aluminum without question looks fantastic on phones. The colors also look much better on aluminum because they can be anodized giving them a rich and even color that just look great. The main problem with metal is, sure it looks great on day one, but the material is so hard that is super easy to scratch and nick without ever dropping it. I am the type of user who hates cases. They add thickness and overall just make the phone look ugly, and to top it all off, cases are 40 to 50 dollars for a piece of plastic(major rip off). I carry my phone in my left front pocket without anything else in there to scratch it. After a good months use of the iPhone 5 and HTC one, i developed so many nicks and scratches that it really made me question, "Is metal really so great?" The answer is no. Have you ever seen someone with an uncovered black iPhone? After 6 months the sides look silver just from normal wear and tear. Most people who will read this review probably haven't seen an uncovered HTC One mainly because the volume of sales isn't there, but that phone has the same problem. Sure the metal is gorgeous, but it is only on the first day. And what is the point of buying a phone for it's looks if you're going to cover it in a PLASTIC case?
Plastic - At first try with the S4 and LG G2, I HATED plastic. The glossy feeling made the phone feel slippery and cheap in my hand. And to top it off, glossy plastic attracts oil like white on rice, which just makes your phone feel nasty at times(or maybe I just have gross hands which I don't think I do because I am a scientist and wash my hands 10-20 times a day). But then the Note 3 came out with faux leather plastic. Sure it's not pretty like aluminum, but it's light weight, it has a nice texture, it doesn't attract oil, and it doesn't nick and scratch like metal. Maybe Samsung is onto something with plastic. Everyone seems so concerned with the way phones look vs how they feel or hold up over time. I can say without a doubt, my Note 3 looks the same way it did out of the box after a few months of hard usage. For the S5 they switched from the glossy plastic on the S4 to a textured dimpled plastic that feels slightly soft, which I think feels fantastic. It is slightly softer with a more grippy feel and it doesn't look at all tacky. I love it. The phone definitely feels sturdy in your hand.

Software - The general perception of Android is that it is harder to use than iOS. After using iPhones for 5 years(iPads and macs), and now Android for just over a year, I can say that perception is absolutely false and anyone who says it probably has not given Android a fair chance. In fact, I think Android is easier to use than iOS. With google now built into the phone, it is always listening. When the phone is unlocked all I have to say is "Okay Google" and I am prompted to give my phone instructions like "get me directions to the nearest gas station" or "call Susie" and the phone does it. You dont need to hold the home button to pull up siri or open up a separate app to use this feature which makes it super functional. I know most people don't use siri. Siri just isn't that good. It doesn't understand a lot of words or the search results it brings back are not useful. Google now works on about 95% of the words I speak and I am a mumbler at times too. So for my friends who say they can't understand me, well google now can! To me this is revolutionary. People called the iPhones revolutionary because they added value to your everyday life. People think, " can you imagine what it would be like if I couldn't have email 24/7 or internet access 24/7?" which is what made the iPhone revolutionary. It changed the way we did things. Having a phone always ready to hear your commands is revolutionary. When you're in the car and can't touch your phone, voice control is a huge benefit. Or when you're cooking and want to send a text without washing your hands you now have the ability to send a text hands free. Other software advantages. iCLOUD SUCKS. EVERY iPhone user at some point says, "oh crap, I am out of memory." Well the reason is no one really knows how to use iCLOUD and end up leaving everything on their phone until it fills up. Google's back services allow for any file type to be backed up and you can even view the pictures stored in the cloud. They just aren't downloaded on your phone until you hit download. It's a huge advantage over iOS and I love it. I never back my phones up to my computer anymore to make space on my phones. As for the rest of the software it is very easy to use and gets better with every update.

Battery Life - battery life from my experience from worst to best goes in this order HTC One, Galaxy S4, iPhone 5, Note 3, Galaxy S5. No this wasn't a video loop test, or some other standardized test. It is my perception of using each phone for a minimum of 3 days as my primary phone which means I was using the phones for email, text, talking, pictures, youtube, movies, and games. I just got back from a 2.5 day camping trip and didn't charge the S5 one time and came home with 50% power in reserves. Absolutely AMAZING battery life. Another nice feature to have is the removable battery. Before I had this feature with the Note 3, I thought it was a dumb benefit but now with a spare battery I can go from 1% to 100% with the removal of the back cover and swap of the battery. No more being tethered to a wall to get back to 30% before I can use my phone again. I love pointing this out to iPhone users who are stuck to walls with their chargers(not to mention those stupid 20 dollar lightning cables that break every 6 months). The S5 also has USB 3.0 with fast charging built into the processor, so you can easily get a 90% charge in less than an hour. SO for battery life, and for the ability to swap batteries, the Galxy S5 is best in class by a long shot. Spare batteries MSRP are 39.99 but on amazon you can buy a generic which works perfectly fine for 20 dollars.

Screen color and resolution - A year ago I hated AMOLED screens. It is the screen that Samsung uses in their displays vs the others who use LCD. I'm no expert in display technology but a year ago AMOLED screen were cartoonish looking. It drove me nuts to look at overly saturated pictures and movies. LCD screens have a much more accurate color representation. But with the Note 3 and now the S5, Samsung definitely has solved that problem. They have adjustable settings for your screen similar to a TV screen. The S5 also gets very bright and dark which means in sunny San Diego I have no problems seeing my screen in full sunlight and at night when I am in bed I am not squinting my eyes because my phone is too bright. It definitely gets darker than typical LCD screens. Resolution, the S5 is top notch. Only the HTC One bests it with pixels but you can't tell the difference between the two. When an iPhone user looks at the S5, they say'"Wow, it looks so clear." Well that is because the S5 has a much higher resolution. The screens speak for themselves.

Camera - The S5 camera kicks butt. It has a new feature where you can make part of the picture blurry and the other part clear. It is really neat and I used this feature often on my camping trip. This camera in practice is better than the G2, HTC one and even Note 3. i would say it's equal to Apple's camera but I also think that is Apple's best feature.

Removable storage - Only Samsung devices, Sony, and the HTC One M8 have removable storage. Throwing a 64gb memory card in my phone gives me full confidence I can take as many pictures as I want or store as much music as my heart desires without sacrificing other things for them. My S5 came with 16gb, but now has 80gb of memory to use, although about 6gb is used by the software. The additional memory was about 40 dollars vs an iPhone memory upgrade to 64gb would cost an additional 200 dollars. The winner here is rather obvious.

IP67 water and dust resistance rating - basically this means the phone is dust proof and water resistant up to about 3 feet of water for 30 minutes without risk of damaging your phone. Only the Sony flagship models have this feature built into their phones and they were the first to do it. Basically this rating means, you can drop your phone in the toilet (gross) and it will survive, or you can take it in the hot tub or bath tub and not worry if you will kill your phone or not. In my case, in San Diego, I can take it hiking or to the lake without worry of damage. IP67 is not rated for salt water but having that feature means I can probably take my phone to the beach and a few splashes here and there won't kill my phone. Also, if your phone ever does get dirty, you can just wash it in the sink. It's really a fantastic feature to have built into your phone especially if you have kids who tend to get stuff wet and dirty.

In summary, all flagship phones are great. Some have a few features like LG with their "knock on" code where you can unlock the screen with a double tap. Or the HTC One with it's spectacular speakers, and the Iphone with it's beautiful design. The S5 at this very moment is the best phone on the market. We are fortunate to live in a time with such fierce competition that all phones are great but it's the little details that make the S5 so much better than the rest. You really cannot go wrong with this phone unless you just hate the size and love your small 4 inch iphone screen. But you really can go right in so many more ways than the other phones. If you have any questions for me please post them. Ill continue to add updates as I see necessary.

Edit 7/25/2014 - I had the HTC One M8 for two weeks and got rid of it because I didn't like it. Design wise, the HTC One M8 is gorgeous, especially in gold with the blue dot case which is what I had, but the frame is huge. Below the screen there is a huge black bar on top of the already thick bar where the speaker is located. Also, if you don't use a case with the M8, it will slip out of your hand due to the smoothness, shape and weight on the phone. It was fast, sounded great, but was lacking in a lot of areas in design - but it LOOKED AMAZING from the back lol.

I also published a review on the LG G3 on Amazon. Check it out if you're interested.

Also, if you want a bunch of freebees, don't forget to register your S5 with Samsung as you can get things like 50gb of free cloud storage with Dropbox and 1 year subscription to Business week amongst quite a few other freemiums. Read more ›

112 of 127 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Evolutionary Step Forward That Still Offers Plenty To Love April 11, 2014

By JJG TOP 500 REVIEWER

The Samsung Galaxy S5 offers more of an evolutionary step forward in Samsung's S series smartphones than a revolutionary new phone. There are plenty of new features and advances with the S5 but those who already own a S4 likely will not be rushing to get the S5. I'm coming from an iPhone 4S so the S5 offers a lot of new features for me and provides plenty to love.

FEATURES & UPGRADES FROM S4:

1. SIZE: The S5 is slightly larger at 5.59" x 2.85" x 0.32" and weighing in at 5.11 oz compared to the S4 at 5.38" x 2.75" x 0.31" and weighing at 4.59 oz. The S5 is lightweight and feels good in my hand.

2. DURABILITY: If there is one new feature on the S5 that is a game changer it's got to be the IP67 certification. IP67 certified means the S5 has total protection against dust and can survive being underwater for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1m or less. In order to be protected against water the S5 has a little plastic plug to cover the charging jack on the bottom of the phone. This needs to be in place and the back must be properly snapped into place to prevent water damage. I'm not about to test the IP67 certification however the guys at TechSmartt performed 2 water tests on the S5 that can be viewed on YouTube. First they let the S5 sit in pool at a depth of 1m for 1 hour, not 30 minutes. Second they sent the S5 through a normal wash cycle in a washing machine while in the pocket of a pair of jeans. In both tests, the S5 survived and functioned perfectly afterward.

The durability of the S4 came under fire after many people reported cracked screens after minor drops. Samsung stuck with a plastic back for the S5 but did improve upon the durability of the smartphone. In separate drop tests again conducted by TechSmartt, the S5 faired better than the S4 and better than the iPhone 5s. However the S5 didn't fair as well as the durably built HTC One M8. The tests are a decent indication but should also be taken at face value since there is no way to ensure each phone fell the same way.

3. SCREEN: The S5's new screen is nothing short of stunning. The S5 screen is 5.1" which is slightly larger than the 5.0" screen on the S4. The resolution remains 1080 x 1920 pixels so the pixel density is slightly less at 432 ppi. The screen does look noticeably better than the S4's screen and has richer colors, better contrast, whiter whites, and blacker blacks than my iPad 3 when viewing identical images.

Displaymate who extensively tests smartphone screens said the S5's screen is "the best performing smartphone display that we have ever tested." Displaymate's tests indicted the S5 screen is 22% brighter than the S4 and 13% brighter than the Note 3. The S5 also has outstanding color accuracy. In addition it features a Professional Photo Mode that provides an accurate calibration to the Adobe RGB standard, this is a rare feature in consumer displays.

4. CAMERA: The S5 sports a 16MP camera rear camera up from 13MP in the S4. The front facing camera remains pretty much the same at 2.1MP. The S5's 1/2.6" sensor is larger being closer in size to sensors from P&S cameras than smartphones. The AF is also speedier with the S5 due to its hybrid use of phase detection and contrast detection AF. The S5 is the first camera on a smartphone to use phase detection AF, which is commonly found in DSLR cameras. Other smartphones only use contrast detection AF that simply focuses by measuring the contrast between nearby pixels. This type of AF tends to be slower and not work well if shooting in situations where there isn't much contrast. Phase detection AF however focuses by comparing the actual light received by sensors.

COMPARING S5 & 5s IMAGES: Comparing daytime images shot with the S5 against images of the same subject shot with the iPhone 5s, the Samsung's images disappoint in spite of being 16MP vs 8MP with the 5s. At 16MP the S5's resolution is 2988x5312. The images are therefore at a 16:9 ratio. The iPhone 5s's resolution is 2448x3264. The images are therefore at a 4:3. When viewing images shot with the iPhone at 100%, they look sharp across the frame, even in the corners. Images shot with the S5 when viewed at 100% look oversharpened and blotchy. The center sharpness is passible but the edges are soft and the corners have absolutely no detail. If downsizing the images from the Samsung S5 so the lower number, 2448, is the same as the iPhone's the center sharpness between the 2 camera's images is almost indistinguishable but the edge sharpness and corner sharpness from the iPhone 5s blows away that from the Samsung S5.

COMPARING S5 & 5s CAPTURE TIME: Both the S5 and the 5s are speedy when it comes to focusing and taking pictures. Holding the S5 in one hand and 5s in another, pressing the shutter buttons at the same time, then turning to take a picture of a new subject, pressing the shutter buttons again, and repeating this process several times, the iPhone 5s is a split second faster than the S5. It's not substantial enough to make big difference for most applications but worth knowing. The images from both cameras when doing so were in focus.

5. VIDEO: The S5 will shoot 4K videos with a resolution of 3840x2160 compared to 1080P videos with the S4. Videos look great with S5 and the stabilization works very well. Sometimes when recording the screen will look at little jiggly but in playback the video looks smooth. I have no way to test its 4K capabilities.

6. PROCESSOR: The S5 is a very snappy smartphone. This is due to the new Qualcomm's Snapdragon 801 chip. It features a quad core, 2500mHz processor which speedier than the quad core, 1900mHz processor in the S4. The S5's memory remains the same at 2GB.

7. STORAGE & EXPANSION: The 16GB S5 from AT&T has 10.85GB of free storage space on the phone after KitKat and the preinstalled apps. I read complaints from some S4 owners stating that only 9GB was free on their new phone after the OS and preinstalled apps. If that was the case, Samsung/Google/AT&T trimmed down a bit for this phone.

I love that the S5 along with other Android smartphones allow storage expansion through a microSD card slot. This can be used for music, videos, books, pictures, and other files. It is also possible to move downloaded apps, not preinstalled apps, to the microSD card. To do so, go to Settings, Application Manager, SD card, and then select the downloaded app you want to move to the microSD card. The S5 will allow up to a 128GB micro SD card that is double the 64GB with the S4.

8. BATTERY & CHARGING: The S5 features a 2800mAh battery which is slightly larger than the 2600mAh battery in the S4. The S5 has good battery life ratings. The talk time of the S5 is rated at 21 hours while the standby time is 16.2 days. Being a new phone, I've been using it quite a bit. Even at that, I find that I only have to charge the S5 every 1 1/2 days. The S5's battery life is significantly better than my iPhone 4s which I had to charge at least once a day and better than my wife's 5s which has to be charged every day. Charging the S5 using the USB 3.0 Micro cable provided, the phone charges at a rate of 1% per minute with it slowing down slightly when the phone hits 80%. I'm able to fully charge the S5 when the battery is at 20% in about 1 1/2 hours.

9. CONNECTIVITY: The S5 features USB 3.0 connectivity for speedier transferring of files compared to USB 2.0 with the S4. It also features wireless AC. Wireless is extremely fast with the S5 if you have an AC router. It is about 4-5x faster than the wireless N on my iPhone 4s.

10. HEART RATE SENSOR: One of the more talked about additions to the S5 is the heart rate sensor on the back of the phone. The heart rate sensor seems to be very accurate from what I know about my normal heart rate. I haven't had any wild readings thus far. The phone has simple How To tutorial if using for the first time. The mistake I made the first few times using it was pressing too hard on the sensor. The result was an error message. The sensor only requires a little touch from your finger.

My complaint with Samsung's "S Health" app which the heart rate sensor is part of is that you are unable to use the heart rate sensor while using the exercise portion of the app. Sadly, that is when I'm most likely to use the heart rate sensor; when I'm running, walking, or hiking. Hopefully Samsung will change this in a future update. If the heart rate sensor is a feature you will use make sure you purchase a case with a large enough opening for your finger to touch the sensor. Some of the cases I've read about have a cut out only the size of the sensor. This makes it extremely difficult to get your finger in the opening in order to touch the sensor.

11. DOWNLOAD BOOSTER: One new feature of the S5 that is omitted from the AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint versions is Download Booster. Download Booster provides simultaneous LTE and Wi-Fi downloading if you need files in a hurry. I have a wireless AC router which provides super fast download speeds with the S5 but it would have been nice to have the feature just in case. If you do want Download Booster you need to purchase an unlocked version of the S5.

12. FINGERPRINT SCANNER: Another very talked about new addition to the S5 is its finger scanner to unlock your phone, make payment via PayPal, and purchase content with Samsung services. The S5 requires you to swipe your finger, starting above the home button and moving down through the center of the home button. With the iPhone 5s you simply place your finger on the Touch ID button. The fingerprint scanner works from any angle with the 5s. The design makes the 5s easier to unlock than the Samsung because it can be done with one hand whereas the design on the Samsung requires me to use both hands, one for holding the phone and the other to swipe my finger. With the Samsung you can assign different fingers to perform different tasks, like right pointer finger to make PayPal payment.

My wife has the iPhone 5S so I've setup both and unlocked the phones with both. Both are easy to setup. The Samsung allows you to register 3 fingerprints whereas the iPhone 5S allows 5. Here is where I buck the trend of all the tech writers complaining about the reliability of the S5's fingerprint scanner. While I prefer the design of the iPhone's fingerprinter scanner, the S5 more reliably scans my fingerprint to unlock the phone. The only time I've had a problem unlocking my S5 with the fingerprint scanner is while I'm running; I just can't get a smooth enough swiping motion. Outside of running, the fingerprint scanner on the S5 unlocks my phone on the first try 90-95% of the time. I haven't needed more than 2 tries. The iPhone in comparison only unlocks the phone on the first try about 75-80% of the time and sometimes I need 3 tries to do so.

13. ULTRA POWER SAVE MODE: This is a great feature to have if your battery is getting low. Switch on the Ultra Power Save Mode to maximizes your remaining battery life. This feature switches to a black and white mode, turning off all colors. It also restricts background data and allows only low power communications like texting, calling, and AT&T's internet browser.

I've started to use the Ultra Power Save Mode overnight to conserve battery life, no sense in letting the battery drain as the phone just sits there for hours. I still receive texts and calls. After I disable the mode in the morning I have to update my email and weather. Switching to Ultra Power Save Mode, the battery only depletes by 1% overnight! Not in the Ultra Power Save Mode the battery loses 5-15% overnight.

INSTALLED APPS:
AT&T Family Map, AT&T Locker, AT&T Mobile Locate, AT&T Navigator, Beats Music, Calculator, Calendar, Camera, ChatON, Chrome, Clock, Contacts, Device Help, Drive, DriverMode, Email, Flipboard, Gallery, Gmail, Google, Google Settings, Google+, Hangouts, Internet, Keeper, Maps, Memo, Messages, Messaging, Mobile Hotspot, Mobile TV, Music, My Files, myAT&T, Phone, Photos, Play Books, Play Games, Play Movies & TV, Play Music, Play Newsstand, Play Store, POLARIS Office 5, S Health, S Voice, Samsung Apps, Settings, Smart Remote, Usage Manager, Voice Recorder, Voice Search, Wallet, YouTube.

PROS:

1. Amazing looking screen. Displaymate says the S5 screen is "the best performing smartphone display that we have ever tested."
2. IP 67 certified. Protection against dust and water immersion up to 1m.
3. According to drop tests from TechSmartt the S5 is more durable than S4 and iPhone 5s.
4. Professional Photo Mode for screen that calibrates it according to Adobe RGB standards.
5. Uses a hybrid between phase detection and contrast detection for accurate and speedy AF.
6. Shoots 4K videos.
7. Very fast processor. The S5 is snappy.
8. 10.85GB of free storage space on new 16GB phone. Allows storage expansion up to 128GB through microSD card slot.
9. Heart rate sensor that is easy to use and seems to be accurate. The sensor is good for those who exercise or benefit from closer monitoring of heart rate for health reasons.
10. Features wireless AC connectivity. 4-5x faster than wireless N.
11. Fingerprint scanner works more reliably for me than iPhone 5s.
12. Good battery life. Rated at 21 hours of talk time.
13. Ultra Power Save Mode maximizes battery life. Great if battery is running low or for overnight use.

CONS:
1. Has plastic back instead of more durable aluminum unibody like the HTC One M8.
2. Too many cooks in the kitchen. Google, Samsung, and AT&T have similar preinstalled apps that can't be uninstalled. Each company is obviously fighting for your attention but in the end it creates not as fluid of a user experience compared to Apple which designs the phone and OS and doesn't allow AT&T to put their garbage on the phone. I don't need multiple ways to check email, play music, watch movies, or get on the internet.
3. Disappointing image quality for a 16MP camera. Not as good as the 8MP camera on the iPhone 5s. Daylight images are oversharpened, blotchy, have soft edges, and no detail in the corners.
4. Design of fingerprint scanner requires me to use both hands unlike iPhone 5s which I can unlock with one hand.

SUMMARY:
Samsung's new flagship smartphone the Galaxy S5 is a wonderful phone. I've only had iPhones up until now but was seeking specific features, features that the S5 had. I love having the larger 5.1" screen. It is fantastic looking, having more vibrant colors, better contrast, and whiter whites and blacker blacks than my iPad 3. Another feature that sold me that the iPhone 5S is lacking is wireless AC. It provides very speedy downloads and internet experience. Of the upgrades from the S4 the IP67 certification and increased durability have to be the most significant. The S5 has very good battery life, is very snappy with its 2500mHz quad core processor, and the Ultra Power Save Mode is a nice addition.

While the camera focuses and captures images very quickly, its image quality is disappointing for a 16MP camera. I could do without the bloatware from Samsung and AT&T. I love that I can cheaply pick up a 32GB microSD card to store pictures, music, videos and even transfer apps onto, something I couldn't do with an iPhone. Having used the fingerprint scanner in the iPhone 5s and S5, I prefer the fingerprint scanner with the Samsung because it works more reliably for me. I highly recommend the Samsung S5 for anyone looking to upgrade or in the market. It may not be revolutionary enough to make S4 owners jealous but still is a mighty impressive phone. Read more ›

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Glad I waited, very good phone April 15, 2014

By W. Fondren

I owned an S3 and skipped the S4, hoping the S5 would be a major upgrade--and it sure is. As other people are saying, one of the big surprises is the battery life. I went two and a half days of heavy use and still had 20% when I charged it.

A few of the bells and whistles feel superfluous, but many of the new features are ones I want. For example, scheduled text messaging is fantastic. At 5:00 AM I can work my text messages and have my responses sent at 8:00. Or scheduling a text to send on someone's birthday is pretty cool.

The screen is beautiful. The colors are bright and crisp.

The feel of the phone is nice, too--not to heavy, but not so light it feels fragile.

It impresses me also that I can use the new adapter for enhanced charging or my old charger if need be. That's the kind of smart design that sells me on upgrading.

The only couple things I don't care for are: 1) the cover to the adapter jack is hard to open and 2) the fingerprint scanner takes 2-3 swipes usually to recognize my finger. Apart from that, I'm very happy with my S5.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing phone upgrade from iPhone 4s May 23, 2014

By Jacob Colby

After 2 weeks with the Samsung Galaxy S5, here is a *short* review for those thinking about upgrading. *Note I switched from an iphone 4S running IOS 6*

Looks:
The phone is very aesthetically pleasing. Though it is still a plastic casing, it does not feel cheap by any means. The dimpled back plate provides a great grip, making single handed operation easy. It is as sleek as it is sexy. The chrome edges are slightly raised providing screen protection that apple really should look into considering how many cracked screens you see with the iphones.

DURABILITY:
I titled this in all caps because I want to emphasize how durable this thing is. I've not dropped it too many times and the screen is wrapped in a GLASS screen protector. However, the drops that have occurd have not scratched any part of the phone. The best part is that the water proof housing is legit. The only issue is water gets trapped in the headphone jack and must be blown out. You also cannot make phone calls under water, but that is due to the water blocking your signal so that does not deduct anything from it.

Screen:
Absolutely beautiful. There is little to no glare and the screens auto brightness works perfectly. Plenty big enough to watch Netflix in bed. Videos are so crisp compared to the iphone.

Camera:
16 megapixels + Loads of software for image correction and stabilization makes for a camera better than most off the POS cameras. Also, the front camera more than sufficient for you selfie lovers.

Battery:
I must say, the battery life is quite impressive for the processing power that this thing puts out. I've used it pretty intensely and yet to have it get below 5%. When it did get to 8% and I didn't have a charger, I threw it into Ultra-Power saving mode and it lasted 15 hours with minimal use until I got back to my apartment. Oh, and it was still at 6% battery.

IOS to KitKat:
The biggest fear for most seems to be learning a new mobile OS. I will be the first to say, it takes some adjusting. IOS made me lazy, but once you learn how to traverse the GUI you'll be asking yourself how you made it so long on IOS. So many features that you never knew were possible on a phone. It literally is a Mobile Computer. I mean, it can run an emulator without any hacks or jail-breaking.

Features:
- The health monitoring feature is pretty awesome for the active-lifestyle people. The heart rate monitor is a tad finicky, but accurate. Now that I have the hang of it, I rarely encounter issues.
- The pedometer is pretty sweet. Set a daily goal and it keeps you informed on your status. Who knew I walked 10 miles on a 14 hour shift.
- I haven't used the cal counter but I'm sure it could be handy.
All of the SHealth data is plotted so you can see a nice lay out of your day and track progress.
- The finger print reader is "Eh". I've been using it for a week. Makes one handed operation hard. I'm more of a fan of the pattern lock. If you could use the combo of the pattern lock and the fingerprint scanner I would utilize it a lot more.
Overall, I am more than pleased with my switch the the S5. I would highly recommend this phone to anyone older than an iphone 5/ Galaxy S4.
For those currently using the iphone 5 or S4, I wouldn't rush to upgrade as it would not be much of an upgrade. From a iphone 4s to the S5 though, the differences are incredible! Read more ›