As you already know very well, I've been using the new one for over two weeks Samsung Galaxy S5 obtained through the program Orange Smartphone Tester. I initially talked to you about the new terminal and my experience with it, the package being completed by one Galaxy Gear Fitnew SmartWatch Android designed by the Koreans from Samsung. In the following I will briefly talk about my experience with the new device from Samsung and I thank those from Orange Romania for the possibility to test this terminal.
Design
Following the example of the older brother Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung Galaxy S5 it has a design that at first glance makes you think of a premium terminal, but in reality things are a little different. Those from Samsung it uses a plastic structure for the edges of the terminal, but also those of the buttons, the casing being made of an interestingly thought-out plastic. At first glance, you will have the impression that you are holding a smartphone with a leather case, but in reality we are talking about a beautifully painted plastic and manufactured to imitate the skin as well as possible, giving the feeling of a premium smartphone until the moment who actually take the product in hand.
Although we are not talking about an extravagant design that would make you choose the device based on this feature alone, the Samsung Galaxy S5 still has a pleasant appearance, in tune with everything Samsung has produced in recent years.
Screen
From the design we move on to the screen, the terminal being equipped with 5.1 inch Super AMOLED who has resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels and 432 pixels per inch. Probably many of you expect that smartphone screens Android of 2014 to have great screens, and the one implemented in Samsung Galaxy S5 is no exception, displaying images at least as good as the Retina Display from iPhone 5S. From accurate color reproduction to size, the terminal screen is perfect for viewing multimedia content or recording multimedia content, some studies presenting the screen as the best implemented in a smartphone to date.
Considering the large size, the screen is suitable for viewing multimedia content when you don't have a tablet or laptop/PC in front of you, but using it with one hand is cumbersome, but it all depends on the compromises we are willing to make we do it to have more space for viewing information.
Hardware
Samsung Galaxy S5 it works based on a processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 801/Exynos 5 Octa 5422, the first version having a quad-core processor clocked at 2.5 GHz, while the second is based on a processor with 8 cores consisting of a quad-core ARM Cortex A-15 clocked at 1.9GHz and an ARM Cortex-A7 clocked at 1.3 GHz. No matter which version you buy, the results will be the same, the smartphone working just as fast in any tasks, at least according to those from Samsung. In my tests, I noticed that any applications open very quickly and work almost perfectly, sometimes there are certain blockages or very small delays, and this is usually related either to the Internet connection or to the external storage medium which is not as fast as the internal one.
In benchmarks Samsung Galaxy S5 si iPhone 5S they have close performances doing a number of tests, but in real life you will not notice any differences in terms of the speed of use. Android has always had problems with some lag in menus and in running certain functions of applications, and quad/octo-core processors do not help it much, but overall we are talking about a fast smartphone, capable of performing any kind of function , the use of custom ROMs can radically improve the user experience.
Software
Because we are talking about a top smartphone launched by Samsung, Galaxy S5 runs Android KitKat 4.4.2, the latest version of the operating system designed by Google. Having said that, I have nothing to enrich your knowledge about Android OS, the operating system works exactly as you have known for so long. Android offers the freedom to do many more things than in iOS, but this also has some drawbacks, lags in menus or applications and problems regarding unexpected and frequent crashes of other applications being counted among them.
The good part is that Samsung Galaxy S5 it performed flawlessly in my tests, even though I've had some problems with Android smartphones in the past. This time I did not encounter any kind of error or blockages that would prevent me from using my terminal to its maximum potential, and from this point of view I can only be happy that Samsung manages to make smartphones at least as reliable as Apple's iPhones.
Camera
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The Samsung Galaxy S5 has implemented a 16 megapixel main camera capable of recording video feed and pictures simultaneously, it has implemented an image stabilization module. In the case of the ability to record video clips, we are talking about two options: the first offering some terminals the ability to record video feed in 2160p (4K) format at 30 fps, the second offering some terminals the ability to record video feed in 1080p at the same framerate, and finally the option to record video feed in 720p format at 120 FPS could not be missing, just like iPhone 5S. Separate from the main camera, there is also a 2-megapixel front camera that is capable of recording video feed in 1080p format at 30 frames per second, which is perfect for Full HD video calls.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK8P0OF9bCw&w=580&h=370]
As you can already see from the pictures, the camera records very good quality pictures, as good as those recorded by iPhone 5S and I was pleasantly impressed by what she offers. The available options for recording photos and videos are multiple, as expected in any Camera application of Android terminals, but the best part is the screen. The idea of seeing in such a large format what you record using the camera implemented in your terminal is very pleasant and I can only say that I am sorry because of the very large dimensions of the device, which prevents easy use in any conditions.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0scjvAHl-M&w=580&h=370]
Concluding this chapter, I tell you that you will be satisfied with the camera implemented by Samsung in this device, it being able to record very good content for you.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86DOGpzW7K8&w=580&h=370]
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Autonomy and Connectivity
Samsung has implemented a 2800 mAh battery in its terminal to support the screen 5.1 inches and the quad-core processor, and it does its job great under normal use conditions. The autonomy will not be extraordinary if you have a lot of functions open and the brightness set to a high value, but otherwise you should manage a whole day with the terminal. Charging takes quite a long time if you do not use the charger and charge it directly from the USB port of a computer, but if you use the charger you will have an extremely fast charging time, especially if you close the device while it is charging.
In terms of connectivity, we are talking about a smartphone capable of connecting to networks 3G up to 43.1 Mbps and 4G networks up to 150 Mbps, but the actual speed will depend on the operator and your signal. In the operator's network Orange Romania has obtained browsing speeds of up to 140 Mbps download and 30 Mbps upload, but they may vary depending on your location and signal strength. From this point of view, you don't have to worry about the terminal, because the Samsung Galaxy S5 has hardware capable of allowing you to surf the Internet at high speeds.
The fingerprint reader and the heart rate sensor
Two of the main novelties of Samsung Galaxy S5 are the fingerprint reader and the pulse measurement sensor. The first one is implemented directly in the Home button and through a menu integrated in the Settings application allows the registration of fingerprints to unlock the terminal, authorize payments, open applications, etc. The process of registering a fingerprint is done extremely quickly, 10 scans being necessary, scanning the finger/fingers from multiple angles being recommended. After scanning and setting a password as a backup, you will be able to unlock the terminal by dragging your finger from top to bottom over the button at a low speed, the scan being done quite quickly and quite accurately, the error rate being similar to that of the iPhone 5S , that is, the little one. Unfortunately, you will not be able to unlock the terminal by scanning and pressing the Home button, as is the case with the iPhone 5S, but overall I was satisfied with the way the reader works.
Moving on to the sensor that measures the heartbeat, I will tell you that the data read by it, or by the Gear Fit, are similar to those read by the applications available in the App Store. Even if in the Samsung Galaxy S5 we find a dedicated sensor for measuring the heart rate, most of the results are identical or similar to those obtained by using applications that use the iPhone 5S camera and flash the LED to make the same reading, so we are not talking about a function extremely useful on the basis of which you should base your decision to purchase this terminal or not.
conclusions
Coming to the end, I can only tell you that the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a very good smartphone for those who want a terminal with a large screen and are Android fans or have no problems using it. The smartphone is very fast, it has the ability to connect to high-speed networks without problems, it has a great camera and a decent autonomy, and in certain conditions using the screen is a real pleasure. Considering that the iPhone 6 is going to have a similar screen, whether you like it or not, you will have to get used to such large screens, the future will be in them and not in 4-inch screens.
comparing Samsung Galaxy S5 cu iPhone 5S I can only tell you that the choice of one or the other depends on everyone's personal preferences. The iPhone 5S is a smartphone with a premium design, easy to use with one hand, fast, with great autonomy and a very good camera. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is a large smartphone with a good design, better autonomy, a camera at least as good, it is fast and offers you more freedom/versatility.
If you are interested in the Samsung Galaxy S5, you can find it in the Orange Romania offer on this page and if you want additional functionality, then it is advisable to purchase it together with the Gear Fit that I will talk about tomorrow.
