 |
| Reminds me of the original backing for the Nexus 7 (From Android Central) |
The Galaxy S5, the successor to the Galaxy S4 (one of the best selling smartphone out there) was announced not too long ago at the Moblie World Conference. This new device seems to be similar in design to the S4 with an exception to what's under the hood and of course, that new back plate.
Since when did Samsung start taking ques from Google? Isn't that very similar to the back plate for the original Nexus 7? A golf ball, soft texture design? I'm not saying that this is a bad thing; it's certainly better than a slippery plastic back but I would have really liked the textured back plate found on the Note 3 to make a return. Other than that, this is certainly a good design choice.
So, what about specs? Well here's the official spec list from Android Central:
Network: LTE Cat.4 (150/50Mbps)
Display: 5.1" FHD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080)
Processor: 2.5GHz quad-core application processor
OS: Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Camera: 16MP (rear), 2.0MP (front)
Video: UHD@30fps, HDR, video stabilization
Video Codec: H.263, H.264(AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, MP43, WMV7, WMV8, VP8
Video Format: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM
Audio Codec: MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/ AAC+/ eAAC+, WMA, Vorbis, FLAC
Audio Format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID,
MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA
Camera Features: HDR (Rich tone), Selective Focus, Virtual Tour Shot, Shot & More
Additional Features: IP67 Dust- and water-resistant Ultra Power Saving Mode Download Booster S Health 3.0 Quick Connect Private Mode Kids Mode
Google Mobile Services: Chrome, Drive, Photos, Gmail, Google, Google+, Google Settings, Hangouts, Maps, Play Books, Play Games, Play Newsstand, Play Movie & TV, Play Music, Play Store, Voice Search, YouTube
Connectivity: WiFi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2x2), Bluetooth: 4.0 BLE / ANT+, USB 3.0, NFC, IR Remote
Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, Hall, RGB ambient light, Gesture(IR), Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor
Memory: RAM: 2GB
Internal Memory: 16/32GB
microSD: slot up to 128GB
Dimensions: 142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g
Battery: 2800mAh
Standby time: 390 hrs / Talk time: 21 hrs
The big thing that shot out to me was the updated microSD slot reader. 128 GB's of extra storage? Count me in! It fits nicely with SanDisk's announcement of a 128 GB microSD HDXC card. The heart rate sensor is also an interesting feature, but not practical by any means. I can't see myself having a phone that reads my heart rate; same goes for the fingerprint sensor. I'm sorry, but a fingerprint scanner can be just as dubious as a password.
The 5.1 Super AMOLED display is nothing to shout about either. Though I do enjoy the Super AMOLED display on the S4 and even on the Moto X; this doesn't seem like a big improvement. While the pixel density is vastly better, the display is far from being picture perfect; just your standard super HD display with bright colours. Honestly, we don't really need a super powerful display anyways; something that Motorola understands perfectly with the Moto X and the Moto G. Practical screens can sometimes win over super powerful screens.
The 5.1 Super AMOLED display is nothing to shout about either. Though I do enjoy the Super AMOLED display on the S4 and even on the Moto X; this doesn't seem like a big improvement. While the pixel density is vastly better, the display is far from being picture perfect; just your standard super HD display with bright colours. Honestly, we don't really need a super powerful display anyways; something that Motorola understands perfectly with the Moto X and the Moto G. Practical screens can sometimes win over super powerful screens.
Then we come to KitKat. Yes, the S5 will have the latest version of Android covered up by everyone's "favorite skin"; TouchWiz. Let's just hope that when this phone comes out, we can install a custom ROM to make things more enjoyable.
Of course, all this is being powered by an overclocked Snapdragon 800 chip set. 2.3 GHz is really good! However, I would really like to see how the S5 can hold up to a 2.5 GHz, beefed up processor; especially with TouchWiz aboard. Maybe I'm just being a pessimist when it comes to Samsung, but I know from experience how poor the TouchWiz experience can be.
The camera is a bright spot on this phone. The inclusion of ISO means that the S5 can take better photos than what's currently out there. It certainly put's my Moto X's camera to shame. Plus, the camera options are now in a simplistic menu so you won't get confused about where everything is. Good on you Samsung! You finally made something in TouchWiz simple to use!
To sum things up, the Galaxy S5 is impressive.....for spec junkies. Not for users like me who prefers the practical over complexity. The S5 is going to be a great phone and will most likely sell like crazy. However, Samsung has done it again and packed their products with features that will be forgotten after a few weeks using the device. Maybe that fingerprint scanner will be one of the few practical features used on the S5, but I doubt people will take advantage of the gesture features that have made a return to the S5. I know people with the S4 that never use those gestures anyways, and I have a feeling that very few people ever use them at all; except to impress friends or co-workers.
So welcome the S5 to the Android family! We still have the Nokia X to laugh at for it's miserable attempt at the Android market; but at least Samsung is popular around people, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment