Samsung Galaxy S5: Refinement Over Reinvention

Samsung has finally unveiled the most anticipated update to the highly successful Galaxy S4 flagship: the Galaxy S5. With a 5.1-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display, 16-MP camera with 4K video recording, LTE-A support, water and dust resistance, fingerprint sensor, and heart rate monitor, the Galaxy S5 is truly a beast in terms of specifications. It may not be the ultimate Android device but it will surely give its competitors a run for their money.

Image by Samsung

While the Galaxy S5's specifications are hard to match, its design is a bit boring or tired as it just recycled its predecessor's. Samsung still opted for a plastic chassis but now has a perforated pattern on the back cover. It comes in four colors: Charcoal Black, Shimmery White, Electric Blue, and Copper Gold. At 142.0mm x 72.5mm x 8.1mm and 145 grams, the Galaxy S5 is taller, wider, and heavier than the Galaxy S4. The good thing is that it has an IP64 rating, which makes it water (up to 1 meter) and dust resistant.

Image by Samsung

As for the display, the Galaxy S5 packs a 5.1-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display. It is capable of 500 nits of peak brightness, which is extraordinary for an AMOLED display, and 2 nits of minimal brightness, which should come handy for the overall contrast. In terms of processing power, it has a quad-core Snapdragon 801 chipset, clocked at 2.5 GHz. Its GPU is clocked from 450 MHz to 578 MHz in 8974AC, which boosts the graphics prowess. It will have 2GB RAM and is available in 16GB/32GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD card slot.

Image by Samsung

When it comes to imaging, the Galaxy S5 sports a 16-MP rear camera and a 2.1-MP frontal shooter. It claims that the camera unit now provides the fastest 0.3 seconds auto-focus time. The sensor has become slightly larger at 1/2.5-inch. As mentioned, there is also a 4K UHD video recording at 30fps, like in the Galaxy Note 3. The Galaxy S5 camera also has a lot of tricks up its sleeves. Selective Focus allows users to tap on objects they want to look sharp, and the rest of the background gets blurred, achieving a shallow depth of field (DOF) effect without special lenses. Samsung also touts of an advanced High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography. The 16-MP shooter boasts f/2.2 aperture, and Samsung's new ISOCELL technology.

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Connectivity-wise, the Galaxy S5 supports LTE-Advanced download speeds. There is also an innovative feature in the handset, called Download Booster, which speeds up downloads by combining the Wi-Fi/ac and LTE-Advanced connectivity. In addition, there is Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and an IR blaster while wired connectivity is taken care of by the USB 3.0 port at the bottom. It is also the first smartphone with a Wi-Fi 2x2 Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) setup. The 2,800 mAh removable battery unit fuels the Galaxy S5. There is also a new Ultra Power Saving Mode that makes the display show images in black and white, shutting down all processes and connections it deems unnecessary.

Image by Samsung

All in all, the Galaxy S5 is a very capable handset, if not the most advanced Android smartphone on the market. Sure, it faces tough competition with the likes of Sony Xperia Z2, LG G2, and the soon-to-be-announced successor of the HTC One. Perhaps, the only drawback the Samsung flagship has is its boring design and its plastic chassis. Other than that, I don't think that the Galaxy S5 will disappoint. How about you? Will you be getting one this April 2014?

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Til then...

xoxo Nash