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

by Samsung

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.8 x 0.3 x 5.6 inches ; 5.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00IZ1XJ3Q
• Item model number: Galaxy S5
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,276 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)
  • #14 in Cell Phones & Accessories > Contract Cell Phones

Product Description

Product Description

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.

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

76 of 81 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 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 ›

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great phone with powerful features June 30, 2014

By DP21 TOP 500 REVIEWER

Pros-

1. Beautiful display.
2. Great performance.
3. Battery life has been improved.
4. Improved design.
5. Premium camera with lots of features.

Cons-

1. The interface still feels cluttered.
2. A lot of bloatware and redundancy.
3. Only 16 GB of internal storage.

Having used the Samsung Galaxy S5 for over a month the best description I can use for it is that is it a jack of all trades. This is a phone that does everything really, really well but it is not the best at any one thing. The phone itself is fantastic and I hope this review will help you decide whether it is right one for you.

DISPLAY

The Galaxy family of phones has always had very attractive displays. The Galaxy S5 is no exception. The screen has a 1920 x 1080 resolution with a pixel density of 432. This makes texts and pictures incredibly sharp. It is very useful for people that like to read a lot on their phones. No more blurry texts. But it is not the resolution that makes the display special but the fact that it is a Super AMOLED screen. What does that mean? Well Super AMOLED have very saturated colors that look beautiful. The colors look slightly unrealistic but there is no denying that they are attractive. AMOLED screens also has higher contrast than its competition. Compare a Galaxy S5 screen to an LG or HTC and you will instantly notice the difference. It really makes pictures and videos come to life.

The only thing I do not like about the display is that it is not very bright. If you are under direct sunlight you have to increase the brightness all the way up in order to distinguish anything. Even then videos are very difficult to watch under sunlight.

PERFORMANCE

The Galaxy S5 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and 2 GB of Ram. This phone comes with latest version of android which is Kit Kat 4.4.2. This is the most secure, stable, and smooth version of android. The processor makes the phone feel fast and the phone can handle just about everything that you throw at it. With this phone you don’t have to worry about how many applications you have opened or whether or not it is going to freeze. Samsung has been refining and perfecting multitasking the last few years. In the S5 you can run two applications at the same time without any lag or stutters. I have 4 home screens with 5 widgets running at the same time and I still can’t get this phone to lag. As far as gaming is concerned, you can be confident that this phone can handle any game available in the Play Store right now without any problem. Games load fast and the performance is very smooth. I have absolutely no complains about performance.

DESIGN

The Galaxy S5 is made of plastic. There is no way around that. However, the back texture of the phone is much better than the one found on the S4, S3, and S2. Those phones were fingerprint magnets. After a few minutes of use without a case they would become an oily mess. That is not the case with the S5. The S5 does not collect fingerprint. The back of the device has a dimple texture that has grown on me. I am not a huge fan of the color selection of the phone but the navy blue model looks great.

The phone has a 5.1 inch display. The phone is pretty big. One handed use is not impossible but it is hard. I am a fan of the fingerprint scanner on the S5. What I don’t like is the fact that you have to slide your finger in order to scan your finger. The IPhone 5S version of the fingerprint sensor is much more convenient when you are using the phone with one hand. The phone itself is comfortable to hold for long periods of time and it provides a pretty good grip. I am using the phone without a case and I don’t fear dropping the phone. I was using an LG G2 a few months ago and I was terrified of holding it without a case. It was much more slippery.

Another improvement the S5 has over the S4 is that it is now water and dust resistant. The back plate has a thin rubber border on the inside that prevents water from coming in. Now the phone is NOT water proof. It will with stand the occasional water splash and maybe the unfortunate drop on the toilet. But don’t go in the pool or the beach with it. Water will eventually go in and ruin the phone.

On the back of the phone below the camera there is also a heartbeat monitor. Personally I do not like it simply because it is not practical. You have to be standing really still and on a quiet environment for it to work properly. That is not exactly ideal when you are trying to use while jogging. However, when it is use properly under the right conditions I found it to be very accurate. It is a shame it is so nitpicky when it comes to its terms of use. Overall, I am happy with the design and hardware improvements.

USER INTERFACE AND APPS

Like I mentioned before the S5 is running android 4.4.2 Kit Kat. However, in order to differentiate their phones from other android offerings they are running a layer on top of android called Touch Wiz. As a whole Touch Wiz is a mixed bag. I like what they do with the notification area. They have many shortcut toggles on the notification area that allows for easy access to the main connections settings such as Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS, Data and more. They allow you to customize the order of the toggles as well as add or remove some of them.

Where Touch Wiz gets a bit confusing is in the settings menu. For some reason, Samsung decided to have the menu settings laid out as colored bubble toggles in the setting menu. The toggles color scheme follow no discernable pattern. Even though the toggles are grouped by categories it feels disorganized. Fortunately, they decided to include a search bar at the top that lets you easily find the setting you are looking for. It reminds me of the search bar on Windows 8. It really is useful for beginners.
Samsung includes a lot of their apps along with their phones. Most of the app offered by Samsung are redundant and generally inferior versions of apps found on the Google Play Store. For example, they include a virtual assistant called S Voice that is supposed to help you schedule appointments, search for the weather and look up web searches. Unfortunately, it is very slow and half the time I did not get the desired results. Google offers Google Now which is much faster and delivers better results. Each carrier comes with their own suite of apps. Most of them are useless and take up a lot of space on the hard drive. The Verizon model is specially the worst. Fortunately, you can disable most of them and install your preferred choice of apps.

CAMERA

The S5 comes with at 16 megapixel camera on the back and a 2.1 megapixel on the front. I do not use the front camera very often but the back camera I use every day. For taking pictures it is simply fantastic. I really like it. The camera focuses really fast and come out looking very sharp. You will get the occasional blurry picture but they are few and far in between. Night shots take a little more time to focus and there is a higher chance of getting blurry pictures. The HTC One(M8) takes better night pictures than the S5 but the S5 camera takes much better daylight pictures. I have tried both phones and for general usage the camera on the S5 is considerably better.

One of the things I really like about the camera is the HDR mode. You know how sometimes when you take a picture and the subjects are standing in front of a lot of sunlight and the faces tend to come out darker than you want them to. Well when you activate HDR mode the camera takes several pictures at the same time with different exposures. It then combines them all together and highlights the best part of each photo. It makes a big difference. Now, many phones have HDR mode but in most of them you have to take the picture and then once it is done you have to go back on the gallery and check how the picture came out and see if you like it. On the S5 however, when you activate HDR mode it automatically shows you a preview on the screen of how the picture will come out. It is the first phone I have seen do it and I really like it.

The Galaxy S5 has the ability to take videos in 4K resolution. The videos come out looking sharp. Unfortunately, the S5 does not have optical image stabilization. That means that videos come out looking very shaky. You really have to slow and have a steady hand if you want the video to not shake as much. This is one area where the LG G2 is considerably better than the S5 thanks to the image stabilization. The G2 videos still shake if you are not careful but not nearly as much. The image stabilization didn’t make nearly as big a difference when it came to pictures though. They are both good camera phones.

BATTERY LIFE

The Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with a removable 2800 mah battery. The usage is going to vary between people but for my regular day I found the batter life to be more than adequate. The thing I noticed that drained the battery quicker was the web browser. It lasts a surprisingly good time when it comes to videos though. You will appreciate this if you like streaming Netflix and YouTube. On a regular day I make about half an hour worth of calls, send about 50 texts along with an hour or so of web browsing. I usually go to sleep with the battery at about 40%. Not bad at all. I charge it every day for good measure. The phone takes between 90 to 120 minutes to charge depending on whether you are using it or not at the time.

A new addition to the S5 is “Ultra Power Saving Mode”. What it basically does it strips your smartphone of everything that makes it “smart”. It is meant to be used when your battery is about to run out and it will basically only let you send texts, makes calls and use a total of six apps. The screen will also turn white and black to conserve more power. It is meant as a desperate last resort strategy. Hopefully you won’t have to use it often.

STORAGE

The standard version of the Galaxy S5 comes with 16 GB of internal storage. However, there is only about 10 GB of those available for you to use out of the box. The rest is taken up by the operating system and the apps that come pre-installed. Fortunately, the S5 supports the use of MicroSD cards up to 128 GB. That is great feature because you can use an MicroSD card to store your pictures and videos and use the internal storage to install apps from the Play Store.

CONCLUSION

Do I recommend this premium smartphone? In all honesty I do. It has a fantastic screen, smooth performance, and a very nice camera. The exterior design of the phone has been improved considerably from the S4. You will probably appreciate the addition of the fingerprint sensor and water resistant features. The heart rate monitor is not perfect but it works under the right conditions.
I would have liked to have 32 GB of internal storage as opposed to 16 GB on the base model. Optical Image Stabilization would be a nice addition in the future.

Overall the phone is feature packed and very complete. Samsung has proven to build pretty solid and reliable phones and they usually support software updates for at least a couple of years. I really thing that this phone is a great choice that you will like. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Read more ›

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For those upgrading from Galaxy S3 April 12, 2014

By Simple Simon

So glad I upgraded. Much much faster than the S3. Compared to the S3: Apps snap open; Windows slide smoothly; Calls are made and answered instantaneously. Battery life is also noticeably better. The size is bigger, but that's a minor tradeoff in my book.

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of benefits. Lots of shortcomings. Still a great device. April 16, 2014

By Kevin Nicholls TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICE

I'm a self-admitted phone nut, and I've carried around a Nexus 4, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Active, HTC One, HTC One M8, and iPhone 5S over the past year. I don't have a very strong allegiance to operating system or brand. So, without lots of conjecture:

Things the Galaxy S5 Does Well:
*It feels nice in the hand. Not quite as natural as smaller devices, but less slippery and heavy than the HTC One M8.
*The "one hand mode" is a brilliant idea. Swipe side-center-side, and the active portion of the display shifts to that side at the same size as the iPhone 5S (a coincidence, I'm sure!). I can't express how wonderful this feature is on a device this size.
*The fingerprint scanner is fast and reasonably accurate.
*Sound quality from the speaker is decent. The personalized audio enhancement, on the other hand, is truly impressive.
*USB 3.0 is speedy when transferring files, and charges the device incredibly fast.
*The display -- while not professionally accurate -- is beautiful.
*Build quality is excellent. There's no creaking or flexing here.
*Bluetooth audio on voice calls and music is probably the best I've experienced.

Things the Galaxy S5 Does Acceptably:
*The camera quality is decent, but macro photos are exceedingly difficult to take, and taking a picture of something lit (a sign, LED/LCD panel, et cetera) causes the focus to go nuts.
*TouchWiz is dramatically improved, but after a few hours, I went back to Nova Launcher. (Seriously, Samsung... I don't understand why you think the sanctity of your product is violated by my desire to move the Applications button from the right to the center.)

Things the Galaxy S6 Can Improve On:
*While the camera quality is decent, it doesn't hold a candle to the iPhone 5S in terms of convenience.
*The plastic feels nice, but it's still plastic. It's time to use better materials.
*It's at the very edge of what you could use with one hand. Yes, I get "Bigger phones are the trend!" So were Walkmans.
*As heavily as Samsung wants enterprise clients moving to their devices, they've continually overlooked simple features, like a physical "silent mode" button.
*To date, the AT&T version of this phone has a locked bootloader, which seriously limits your ability to customize the phone.
*The current implementation of fingerprint scanning isn't acting as a surrogate for a PIN or password (as it does on the iPhone 5S). This means that if you're connecting this to an Exchange server, and the admin hasn't enabled biometrics in the security policy, you'll be forced to use a PIN to unlock the phone.

So, is it better than the HTC One M8? Maybe. Personally, I like the way it feels, and how the current iteration of TouchWiz is closer to the stock Google Play Edition. And again, the "one hand mode" is a godsend. On the other hand, the M8 looks every bit as expensive as it costs.

Personally, I matched my S5 with a Galaxy Gear Neo, and they're great together. If you're willing to buy in to Samsung's ecosystem, the choice is much simpler. Read more ›