From year to year, Samsung continues to improve its flagship smartphones. And if previously the main innovations in them concerned display size and performance, then with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S5 the company decided to focus on additional functionality. With this new approach, the flagship gets water and dust protection, as well as a fingerprint scanner. Let's see if the company has lost sight of the S5's core capabilities in the pursuit of new features.
There is nothing unusual in the Samsung Galaxy S5 package; along with the smartphone in the box you can find headphones with a remote control and microphone, as well as a charger from which the USB cable is detached.
Available colors
The Galaxy S5 model became the first flagship of Samsung, which at the start of sales will be offered in four color options. Blue and gold will be added to the already traditional white and black colors for Samsung devices.
Previously, we got a first look, this time the “golden” Galaxy S5 came for review. It is worth noting that under different lighting conditions, the back cover in this version changes color from gold to light beige.
Design and ergonomics
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| 142×72.5×8.1 mm | 136.6×69.8×7.9 mm |
| 145 grams | 130 grams |
The appearance of the Galaxy S5 is easily recognizable as the corporate style of the latest generations of Samsung smartphones. The designers did not abandon the legacy of the Galaxy line, but supplemented it with elements that have proven themselves well in Note 3.
First of all, this concerns the front panel, the corners of which have become less rounded, as well as the back cover, made of a different material. In the Galaxy S5, Samsung designers practically abandoned the gloss that had become the talk of the town. And although the main material of the device’s body is still plastic, a smartphone with new materials looks and feels much better in the hand than the previous version.
The front panel of the Galaxy S5 is covered with a single piece of protective glass, the slots in which are left only for the mechanical Home key and the earpiece.
Hidden under the glass at the top of the front panel are light and proximity sensors, as well as a window for a 2-megapixel camera.
At the bottom, next to the Home key, there are two touch buttons: the left one is responsible for calling up the multitasking menu, and the right one is for going back one step. If you hold down the left one, the context menu will be called up.
The central mechanical key has a short, soft stroke, while it protrudes slightly above the body and is easy to find without looking. The button itself has a metal frame and is covered with glass, which protects the fingerprint scanner.
The edging of the case is made of lacquered plastic; in the Galaxy S5 it has several recesses for better grip of the device.
On the right side of the smartphone there is a key to turn the display on/off; it protrudes slightly above the body, but thanks to its placement, the finger can easily find it.
In addition, on the same side there is a special recess to make it easy to remove the cover.
Samsung remains one of the few smartphone manufacturers that allows the user to quickly change the battery themselves.
On the left side of the S5 there is a volume key, which is convenient to press with both the index finger of your right hand and the thumb of your left hand.
At the bottom end of the smartphone you can find a microUSB 3.0 connector, covered with a protective cap. Next to it is a conversational microphone.
At the top end there is an infrared port window, a noise reduction microphone, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
In terms of ergonomics, the Galaxy S5 has remained virtually unchanged compared to the S4. The only innovation in smartphone control that Samsung has allowed itself to make is the replacement of the left touch key from calling up the menu in applications to opening the manager of running programs. Actually, in this regard, the company simply agreed with the requirements of Google, which has been using this set of control buttons in Android for a long time.
The back cover of the Galaxy S5 deserves special attention. With the release of the Note 3 model, the company introduced such an interesting element into the design of its smartphones as soft-touch plastic made to look like leather. This concept really looks much better than glossy plastic with a scratchy varnish coating. In the Galaxy S5, Samsung designers continued to exploit this idea, simply changing the textured pattern of the back cover.
The tactile sensations from the plastic in the S5 are similar to those in the Note 3. Thanks to this, the smartphone is very pleasant to hold in your hands; the back cover seems rough and even a little soft.
If we talk about the design of the Galaxy S5 as a whole, Samsung continues to follow the evolutionary path of developing the appearance of its smartphones. Not everyone likes this, but it helps the company keep the ergonomics of the devices at a good level and preserve such an important parameter for a number of users as a removable back cover, without sacrificing build quality. In addition, the plastic itself in the Galaxy S5 has become much better.
Water and dust protection
The S5, a first for the flagship Galaxy line, is equipped with IP67 water and dust protection. This degree means protection of the housing from dust, as well as partial protection from water. In particular, we are talking about the possibility of immersing a smartphone in water to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. Accordingly, you can swim with the Galaxy S5, but not dive, and if you get into heavy rain with your smartphone, spill a glass of water on it, or drop it into a bathtub, the liquid that gets into the case will not harm it. With all this, Samsung engineers left the option of removing the back cover, which provides access to the battery and microSD memory card slot.
If you pour a bottle of water on the Galaxy S5, it will not harm the smartphone in any way; in the same way, you can wash it under the tap or put it in the bath, albeit for half an hour. After such experiments, you can open the back cover and make sure that no water gets on the battery. IP67 protection does not provide for complete sealing of the case, so water can easily get under the cover itself; the rubber protective edge only protects the contacts, battery, and slots for microSIM and microSD. However, drops of water under the back cover should not be scary, as long as they don’t get on the battery, everything is fine.
Display
The Galaxy S5 uses a 5.1-inch OLED touchscreen display based on Diamond Pixels technology, the resolution of which is 1920x1080 pixels, with a pixel density of 432 per inch. This is one of the best screens for smartphones at the moment. It has excellent color rendering and viewing angles. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Traditionally for Samsung flagships, in the Galaxy S5 settings you can choose one of five display modes: Adapt Display, dynamic, standard, professional photography and cinema. Each of them has its own set of picture settings, and only Adapt Display automatically adjusts the display to the surrounding conditions. This is especially helpful in bright sunshine.
In the most realistic standard mode, the screen provides more than 100% coverage of the sRGB color space.
The color temperature is at 6800K.
The gamma curve value is almost perfect.
The minimum brightness of the Galaxy S5 display can be from 2 cd/m², and the maximum is an impressive 698 cd/m².
Hardware platform
A version of the Galaxy S5 based on the Exynos 5 Octa system-on-chip with a processor operating according to the big.LITTLE scheme is being delivered to Ukraine. It includes four Cortex A15 cores that can operate at up to 1.9 GHz, as well as four Cortex A7 cores that can clock up to 1.3 GHz. The graphics in Exynos 5 Octa are handled by the Mali-T628 MP6 chip with support for OpenGL ES 3.0. All this is complemented by 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory, which can be expanded by another 128 GB using microSD cards.
Exynos 5 Octa has enough performance to spare; today it is one of the fastest chips on the market. Thanks to him, the Galaxy S5 scores 38,505 points in the AnTuTu test.
This is more than the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4.
In general, there are no problems with the performance of the Galaxy S5 even in heavy applications, the only thing is that under high load the smartphone’s body heats up noticeably, but this does not create much discomfort, since the back plastic cover does not transfer heat well, so the main heating goes to the display glass.
Camera and video recording
The Galaxy S5 uses a 16-megapixel camera with a 1/2.6-inch ISOCELL sensor and f/2.2 aperture. The use of the new sensor has allowed Samsung to significantly improve shooting in HDR mode; photos using it are now saved instantly.
In good lighting, the camera takes great pictures.
In HDR mode, the camera handles backlight well.
The Galaxy S5 also takes excellent macro shots.
An example of flash photography.
In low light, if you shoot without a flash, the quality of the photo is significantly reduced.
Among the interesting features of the camera, it is worth noting the extended focus mode. When activated, the camera captures near and far objects, so after the photo is taken the user can change focus from near to far or focus the entire scene.
The front camera in the Galaxy S5 is 2-megapixel, and it takes photos quite standardly for this resolution.
The Galaxy S5 can record video in HDR mode with a resolution of 1080p at 60 frames per second.
At the same time, there is also support for recording UHD video in a resolution of 3840×2160 pixels at 30 frames per second (link to example video). In this mode, advanced effects such as HDR are not available in the camera.
In addition, the camera can record slow-motion video.
Accelerated video.
And also Time Laps.
The camera settings are very wide and hidden in a separate menu.
Fingerprint's scanner
The fingerprint scanner integrated into the mechanical Home button allows the user to enhance data security on the Galaxy S5 by using their fingerprints to unlock the smartphone.
Setting up the scanner is very simple; for this purpose, there is a special mode in the settings that helps scan fingerprints and assign their reading to unlock the device. The S5 can remember three fingerprints in total. And if the idea of using a scanner itself is great, then its implementation let us down a little.
The fact is that the scanner in the S5 only understands moving your finger evenly across the sensor; if you move your finger a little, it simply does not recognize the fingerprint. Thus, unlocking the smartphone with one hand is very inconvenient. But the scanner itself works very quickly and in the future could become a step towards safer contactless payments. Samsung has already entered into a partnership with PayPal for this, but the latter’s service in Ukraine is not yet fully operational.
S Health and heart rate monitor
With the release of the Galaxy S5, Samsung is also launching a new healthy lifestyle app, S Health 3.0.
Compared to the previous version, the program has become more pleasant to look at, and instead of not very popular measurements of ambient temperature and humidity, Samsung has added support for a heart rate monitor to S Health, as well as a log of physical exercises such as running and cycling.Thus, the application can record time, distance and calories burned.
The heart rate monitor in the Galaxy S5 is located on the back next to the camera flash.
To measure heart rate, the smartphone uses an LED and a photosensor. To use it, just launch the corresponding S Health function and place your finger on the sensor.
The measurement error is generally within acceptable limits, but the accuracy of the S5 chest sensors does not yet reach the accuracy.
However, you can also connect a separate sensor to a smartphone, because it supports the ANT+ protocol and a number of sports accessories compatible with it.
Interface
The Galaxy S5 debuts a new version of the TouchWiz interface, built on Android 4.4.2, which has become flatter in keeping with the latest design trends. However, there have been no major changes in the functionality of the shell; TouchWiz still allows you to create up to seven desktops and place widgets on them.
The main menu of the system has also not changed.
The biggest changes to the interface are in the settings, which are now displayed as a canvas of icons, although the traditional tab mode can also be activated.
The new settings menu allows you to quickly find the item you need due to the ability to pin important settings at the very top, as well as thanks to the built-in search.
The notification panel of the new TouchWiz has two new buttons. The first is assigned to S Finder, which is a built-in smartphone search engine for its content.
And the second is responsible for quickly connecting the S5 with other devices via Bluetooth and transferring data between them.
In general, the changes to the Galaxy S5 interface are more of a cosmetic nature.
Music
The built-in music player in the Galaxy S5 looks much better, although the functionality has not changed. The background of the player interface now changes depending on the color of the album covers.
The smartphone sounds good with the included headphones, but if you connect more advanced headphones to it, it sounds quite good. After playing with the settings, the sound of the S5 can be easily customized to suit you. The only thing the smartphone lacks is a larger volume reserve; you often have to listen to music at a volume of 11-12 points out of 15 available.
Video
The built-in video player in the Galaxy S5 plays most formats without problems, including .avi and .mkv. Problems can only arise with the audio codec; the device does not support Dolby AC3. However, this can be solved by installing a third-party player, for example, the free VLC.
Playing video files
| Codec\Name | UltraHD4K.mp4 | Neudergimie.mkv | GranTurismo.mp4 | Spartacus.mkv | ParallelUniverse.avi |
| Video | MPEG4 Video (H264) 3840×2160 29.92fps, 19.4 Mbit/s | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920×816 23.98fps, 10.1Mbit/s | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920×1080 60fps, 19.7Mbit/s, 20 Mbit/s | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1280×720 29.97fps, 1.8 Mbit/s | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1280×536 24.00fps 2.8 Mbit/s |
| Audio | AAC 44100Hz stereo 124kbps | MPEG Audio Layer 3 44100Hz stereo | AAC 48000Hz stereo 48kbps | Dolby AC3 44100Hz stereo | MPEG Audio Layer 3 44100Hz stereo 256kbps |
Remote control
The infrared port built into the Galaxy S5 allows you to use your smartphone as a remote control.
To do this, the device has a separate Smart Remote application, with which you can control not only your TV or video player, but also your air conditioner. The list of supported devices is very wide and includes models from almost all well-known manufacturers.
Wireless connections
Samsung Galaxy S5 for the Ukrainian market supports EDGE and 3G networks, and other wireless connections in the smartphone include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, as well as NFC with support for the S Beam and Android Beam protocols.
The Galaxy S5 had no problems with the operation of the mobile Internet on the Kyivstar network; the speed of the EDGE connection was maximum for the operator’s capabilities.
On a Wi-Fi 802.11n network, the device provides high connection speeds and works without any problems.
The Wi-Fi module in the smartphone supports the 802.11ac standard, and it is equipped with two Wi-Fi MIMO (Multi-Input Multi-Output) antennas, which allows you to double the connection to the access point.
GPS
The Galaxy S5 has a built-in GPS/GLONASS module. The smartphone connects to satellites in a matter of seconds. On the ground floor of a 5-story building, he finds 11 satellites and connects to 9.
On the street, in dense urban areas, the S5 connects to 21 satellites out of 21 detected.
There were no problems with either pedestrian or car navigation for the Galaxy S5.
Telephone features
During calls on the operator's network, the quality of voice transmission through the Samsung Galaxy S5 is at a high level. The noise reduction system perfectly cuts out unnecessary sounds without drowning out the voice of the interlocutor. The speaker in the device is very loud; for fairly good audibility, it is enough to set its volume to a medium level.
The external speaker of the Galaxy S5 has an above-average volume; due to its small size, the fullness of the external sound leaves much to be desired. Therefore, listening to music using it is not very comfortable. The vibration alert in the Galaxy S5 is powerful; missing a call in silent mode will be problematic.
Autonomy, charging and energy saving mode
The battery built into the Galaxy S5 has a capacity of 2800 mAh. With active use of the smartphone, which includes the Internet, calls, navigation, games and listening to music, the battery lasts a little more than 8 hours, with more than 3 hours of screen time.
In normal mode, the Galaxy S5 can work for 1-1.5 days, and in moderate mode for 2-2.5 days. In general, even despite the increase in battery capacity compared to the S4, Samsung did not make a big breakthrough in battery life.
If your smartphone asks to be charged, but there is no outlet nearby and you need to take an important call within a few hours, you can turn on the so-called “Advanced Power Saving Mode.”
When activated, the Galaxy S5 display turns black and white, and the smartphone itself disables all unnecessary wireless connections, as well as programs, all for maximum energy savings.
In fact, only six applications can be launched in this mode, three of them are standard - calls, SMS messages and a browser, and the remaining three can be added from a very small list.
As a result, with a 14% battery charge in this mode, the Galaxy S5 promises to continue working for about 1.7 days. In practice, if you continue to actively use your smartphone, although it will discharge more slowly, it will not even last 1.7 days. But if you rarely turn on the screen and launch programs, then you can really achieve long-term operation of the Galaxy S5 even with a minimum battery level.
The smartphone is charged via the new microUSB 3.0 port, which, although faster than its predecessor, has become larger. Backward compatibility with standard microUSB is preserved.
Eventually
Despite the addition of new features that undoubtedly set a new bar for smartphone capabilities, the Samsung Galaxy S5 came out quite balanced. The company has once again managed to improve its flagship without sacrificing any specifications. And if the presence of a heart rate monitor in the device is not in demand by all users, then the excellent display, performance, camera and waterproof case will certainly become the driving force behind sales of the Galaxy S5.
2 years ago 0
fully functional NFC module (capable of refilling transport cards through applications, for example S6 cannot) removable battery eats slowly
2 years ago 0
1) Great camera! 16MP, correct camera algorithms, high clarity and detail. Successful implementation of HDR. I still have the Samsung Galaxy SIII and I was very pleased with the quality of the pictures, but there were a couple of complaints. For example, when photographing a person against a bright sky, he remained a dark silhouette. The Galaxy S5 finally solved this problem and in addition there was less “noise” in evening shots. 2) High brightness and clarity of the Full HD resolution display. On a bright sunny day, everything is clearly visible on the display 3) Performance 4) Very effective energy saving system 5) Android is a loyal operating system. On Google Play you can find a sea of free and very smart applications, while in the Apple Store there are practically no free worthy applications 6) Print Scanner
2 years ago 0
Functionality, reliability.
2 years ago 0
speed, menu convenience, screen quality, thin, the back cover is not scratchable with a fingernail, although everyone criticized it. The battery has become significantly longer lasting than that of the S4.
2 years ago 0
Good screen, lots of shell settings, water resistance, decent camera, removable battery.
2 years ago 0
Screen, camera, charges very quickly!!! It discharges really slower than C2 and C3. With very active use it lasts for 1.5 days.
2 years ago 0
Performance, filling
2 years ago 0
Fast device, loading speed of games/applications is impressive (previously there was a galaxy S3) - the battery lasts a long time compared to the S3 (the first time I discharged it with games it lasted about 7-8 hours from a full charge) - 4G support downloads quickly, before that on the S3 there were problems because there is a lot of congestion in our city with 3G networks - the ability to use it as a remote control; in my house, everything that was hooked up to it: 3 TVs and an air conditioner
2 years ago 0
Fast phone, good screen and camera.
2 years ago 0
Fast, waterproof and fingerprint scanner.
2 years ago 0
2 years ago 0
There is a cover on the charging connector (but in the right hands this is not a problem and there is wireless charging for an additional fee). My player does not play sound on some avi files (installed vlc). The headphones included are not ice. LED indicators are invisible at a crooked angle and are clearly visible only at 90 degrees. The sound of the loud call is rather weak, but quite sufficient (sometimes better), apparently due to water resistance.
2 years ago 0
Camera! Everyone says wow... a clear camera... but in dim, room lighting, I don’t like the way it takes photos. When moving, the photos are blurry. Maybe I need to configure it somehow, but I seem to know all the settings.
2 years ago 0
1. Stupid squishy plug
2. A mountain of unnecessary software out of the box
3. KNOX!!! Because of this, not everyone decides to upgrade to custom firmware
4. The battery lasts 1-2 days in normal mode with music/calls/surfing
5. IRDA is unfortunately cut down in radius, and it looks like a reception too. So the old PDAs still rule like remote controls.
2 years ago 0
The camera works well in twilight and indoors, it lathers well and takes a long time to think; the S3 was even better at this.
The charging plug is not convenient
USB 3-0 why it is needed in the phone - I don’t understand, only the dimensions of the connector have grown
The manufacturer does not allow rooting while maintaining the warranty.
a lot of junk in the system
2 years ago 0
1) Price 29,990 rubles! An adequate price for the Samsung Galaxy S5 is 22,000-23,000 rubles, as the Samsung Galaxy S3 cost at one time after its appearance. The Galaxy S5 is by no means a revolution, but rather an evolution. According to calculations by one analytical agency, the cost of the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone is $265 (9,537 rubles). I'm officially ditching my favorite brand after this pricing policy!
2) A size that is already close to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 line
3) Not everyone will like the back panel design. Opinions are already divided in half.
- Description Characteristics
- Test Reviews Articles
Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone test: evolution of the leader
Sales of the previous flagship of the Korean manufacturer's smartphone line, the Samsung Galaxy S4, exceeded 40 million units, largely securing the company's first place among mobile equipment manufacturers in 2013, which it occupies by a significant margin over its closest competitor. At the same time, it must be admitted that in terms of technology and design, the Samsung Galaxy S4 was often inferior to the flagships of other manufacturers, which did not hinder its sales at all.
Samsung Galaxy S5
A similar fate can be repeated - it received a hardware platform that is not the most powerful at the moment (top-end characteristics are more likely to be expected in the Note series), a fingerprint scanner and water protection, which have already been implemented in other devices. But the combination of all these features and small but numerous software modifications, finally a smart marketing strategy from Samsung, makes it a potential hit that could become the most popular Android smartphone this year.
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Sony Xperia Z2 | |
| Display | S-AMOLED 5.1’’ 1920x1080 | IPS 5.2'' 1920x1080 |
| CPU |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 |
| Video chip | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 |
| Memory |
microSD up to 128 GB |
microSD up to 64 GB |
| Cameras |
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| Communications |
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| Peculiarities |
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| Dimensions | 142x73x8.1 mm 145 g. | 147x73x8.3 mm, 163 g. |
Samsung Galaxy S5 is clearly aimed at becoming a mass device - a large (but not too large) 5.1-inch screen with Full HD resolution, water resistance, an abundance of functions, a removable battery and support for microSD memory cards - the company has done everything to please everyone as much as possible possible number of users. In Russia you can already pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S5 for 30 thousand rubles. Sales of the smartphone should begin on April 11.
Design and ergonomics
Traditionally for Samsung, the new flagship does not have an outstanding design and looks quite simple, almost repeating in its appearance the last year's Galaxy S4 model - with rounded corners and a silver edging on the edges. The body is made of plastic, has no metal elements and, of course, does not look as premium as devices from Apple, Sony or HTC. However, we can expect that Samsung will later introduce a “designer” model of the smartphone, as happened with the Galaxy S4 Black Edition and La Fleur. At the moment, four design options for the model are available, differing in the color of the back panel - black, white, blue and, as a tribute to fashion, gold.
Back view
The 5.1-inch screen makes the Samsung Galaxy S5 slightly larger than the fourth model - its dimensions are 142x72.5 mm, and the body thickness reaches 8.1 mm. The weight of the device is 145 grams including the installed battery, so in the hand the smartphone, considering its size, seems quite light.
Bottom edge
An important characteristic of the Samsung Galaxy S5 case is that it is certified to the IP67 standard, that is, it is completely protected from dust and can withstand immersion under water to a depth of 1 meter for at least half an hour. Interestingly, the back cover of the Samsung Galaxy S5, made of rubberized flexible plastic, can be removed, which is very unusual for a device with a declared IP67 protection rating. However, it fits into place very tightly (and the smartphone reminds you to check its installation after each boot). Testing has shown that the smartphone remains operational both under running water and when immersed, which is a big plus for an expensive flagship device. The only consequence is that after “bathing” the touch screen does not respond well to touch for a few seconds.
Top edge
The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a minimal set of control keys. On the left side there is a volume rocker, on the right there is a power and lock button. In color they blend in with the silver color of the edging, but they protrude quite strongly from the body, so finding them tactilely is not a problem and working with them is quite convenient. On the top edge of the Samsung Galaxy S5 there is a standard 3.5 mm audio jack and an infrared port. MicroUSB 3.0 for charging and communication with a computer is located on the bottom edge and is covered with a rubberized plug that protects it from water. On the back cover of the smartphone there is a main camera lens, a unit with an LED flash and a heart rate sensor, as well as a small speaker located at the bottom of the device. Under the panel there is a removable battery and slots for a micro-format SIM card and a microSD memory card with a capacity of up to 64 GB.
Right side
On the front panel of the Samsung Galaxy S5 there is a 2-megapixel front camera, proximity and light sensors, and a traditional touch control unit with a mechanical central button. A big innovation for Samsung was the use of a fingerprint scanner built into this key. Once an account is created on the smartphone with the owner's fingerprint information, the scanner can be used to unlock the phone, log into a Samsung account, and confirm payments. In the test smartphone, the scanning function worked quite correctly - after a short “training” procedure, the system clearly recognized different users. Interestingly, the principle of operation of the scanner in the Samsung Galaxy S5 differs from the iPhone 5S - to recognize a fingerprint using the scanner, you need to swipe your finger from top to bottom, and not just place it on the sensor.
Card slots
The Samsung Galaxy S5 turned out to be very successful in terms of ergonomics - it fits very comfortably in the hand. The 5.1-inch diagonal is a reasonable compromise between the size of the display and the dimensions of the device itself. For such a screen, the body is not very large, mainly due to the small size of the top and bottom frames. Although the smartphone is slightly wider in width than comparable models, perhaps due to the seal needed to protect it from water. However, even those with small hands will not experience any difficulties with the controls - both the screen and the mechanical keys are easily accessible when working with one hand. It’s also nice that the rubberized and perforated plastic of the back panel does not slip in the palm of your hand.
Specifications
The basis of the hardware platform is the new quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chip with a core frequency of 2.5 GHz, created using a 28-nanometer process technology and equipped with an Adreno 330 graphics module. Despite the increase in frequency, its performance is not much different from last year’s Snapdragon 800 model, although and supports faster memory. Also, the smartphone received 2 GB of RAM, which is not much for a modern top-end device. As a result, in synthetic performance tests, the Galaxy S5 is inferior, albeit very slightly, to the Galaxy Note3 phablet. However, this does not affect everyday work with the device - the smartphone copes well with both work and entertainment tasks, including games that require high performance.
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Test results
After some time, Samsung will most likely present another modification of the Galaxy S5, equipped with an eight-core processor, probably the proprietary Exynos 5422, which was announced at the MWC-2014 exhibition. Information about this appeared in Samsung infographics shortly after the presentation of the smartphone. However, the company quickly removed mention of the eight-core processor before officially confirming these plans.
Samsung Galaxy S5 supports Wi-Fi standards a/b/g/n/ac and can work in LTE networks. At the same time, the model implements the possibility of joint operation of Wi-Fi and LTE modules, speeding up the connection to the Internet. The smartphone also has an NFC module and supports Bluetooth 4.0 with low-power protocols BLE and ANT+, so it can work with various fitness trackers and external sensors without any problems.
Working hours
The use of the new chip also had a positive effect on the energy efficiency of the smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is equipped with a removable 2800 mAh battery, which is fairly standard for modern devices, but good power saving mechanisms allow it to increase its battery life. In the AnTuTu Tester test, the smartphone scored 574 points, discharging to 19% charge in three hours under maximum load. When playing Full HD video with maximum screen brightness, the smartphone discharged to 39% after 7 hours of operation, which is a very good result. In general, with everyday work and active use of wireless communications, you can count on two days of operation on a single battery charge.
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Battery test results
Samsung also introduced a new maximum energy saving mode in the model - in it, the display brightness is significantly reduced, the image becomes black and white, and only a small set of applications can be launched on the smartphone. Wireless interfaces and auto-update of data are disabled by default in this mode, but they can be enabled manually. The stated operating time of the Samsung Galaxy S5 in this mode is one day per 10% battery charge, so this is a very useful innovation that allows you not to be left without communication in an emergency.
Display
It uses a 5.1-inch screen with the company’s traditional AMOLED matrix with Full HD resolution. Its pixel density is 432 ppi. The image on the display looks very cool - bright, detailed, with rich colors and good contrast. The screen has wide viewing angles and practically does not distort the image when tilted, and also allows you to easily see the picture even in direct sunlight.
The screen brightness is smoothly adjustable over a very wide range, which makes it possible to set a comfortable backlight in any lighting. Also, the user is given the opportunity to select one of the color rendering modes, including adaptive, which automatically optimizes for a specific application. The list of programs in this mode includes “Gallery”, “Video”, “Books” and several others, but unfortunately does not support third-party applications.
The smartphone perfectly plays video in Full HD resolution and is even capable of handling higher resolutions up to 4K. But the external sound of the Samsung Galaxy S5 did not please me - the small speaker is not suitable for listening to music and only reproduces system notifications well.
Camera
The main camera in the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a resolution of 16 megapixels, and it uses a new proprietary sensor made using ISOCELL technology. Its essence is that individual elements on the matrix are isolated from each other, which reduces crosstalk between adjacent pixels and allows for more accurate color reproduction in the photograph, and also improves its contrast.
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Camera interface
In practice, it is difficult to assess the contribution of this technology to the overall quality of images, but the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S5 has one of the best photo modules at the moment is clear. Photos have good detail, accurate color reproduction and a wide dynamic range. Autofocus is very fast - the stated focusing time is 0.3 seconds.
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31 mm EGF; ISO 40; F/2.2; 1/634 |
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31 mm EGF; ISO 40; F/2.2; 1/108 |
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31 mm EGF; ISO 40; F/2.2; 1/304 |
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31 mm EGF; ISO 40; F/2.2; 1/40 |
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Gallery of pictures from the rear camera of the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Clicking on a thumbnail will open a full-size image.
The maximum resolution of Samsung Galaxy S5 photos is 5312x2988 pixels, videos can be recorded in a resolution of 3840x2160. The camera allows you to take pictures in HDR mode, shoot panoramas, take multiple exposure photos, and record slow-motion or fast-motion video. A special section for the camera has appeared in the Samsung branded application store - new filters and shooting modes can be installed additionally.
Software
Samsung Galaxy S5 runs Android operating system version 4.4.2 KitKat and has a pre-installed proprietary TouchWiz interface, which has received many small improvements and effects, in particular, an updated look for the settings menu. The device also uses the proprietary My Magazine update feed, which allows you to create an individual selection of news. The system has several operating modes - children's mode, which limits the list of available applications and actions on the device, private mode, which allows you to hide individual files from other users, and blocking mode, which turns off notifications from people not on the “white list”.
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User interface
The S Health sports application is also pre-installed, designed to track physical activity using the smartphone itself or additional external accessories. The functionality of the program includes a pedometer, training support (running, walking, cycling) and heart rate measurement. The heart rate monitor built into your smartphone detects your heart rate using your finger, and, let's face it, this is not the best way. Even in a calm state, several consecutive measurements gave results from 60 to 80 beats per minute, which indicates a fairly high measurement error. However, this is one of the first examples of using such a sensor in a smartphone, so in the future we can hope for improved accuracy, perhaps even through improvements to the recognition program.
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S Health interface
The total internal storage capacity in the test device was 16 GB, of which about 10 GB is available to the user. There is also a version of the smartphone with 32 GB of internal memory. However, support for microSD cards always makes it possible to quickly increase the available space.
Bottom line
It turned out to be a completely typical smartphone from a Korean company - with a discreet design, but very rich in functionality. The model has all the features of a mass product - high, but not maximum, performance, a large set of new, but already tested solutions.
Samsung Galaxy S5. Better, bigger and can swim
In the Galaxy S series, Samsung does not experiment, offering users a carefully prepared cocktail of the most popular solutions. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has an excellent display, water resistance, a good camera, a powerful hardware platform, and a number of additional features, including a fingerprint scanner and a heart rate monitor - more than enough for this year's flagship. A huge advantage of the Galaxy S5 is that it’s impossible to go wrong when choosing this model - it will suit almost everyone, except perhaps those who like very large screens and maximum performance. But there are other models for them in the Samsung product line.
Detailed testing of one of the most anticipated smartphones of the new season
Of course, one of the most long-awaited and anticipated new products among mobile devices of the coming year should be considered the next update to the flagship line of Samsung smartphones - the Galaxy S5. The new product does not need any special introduction - in recent years, the Korean company Samsung Electronics has managed not only to become scandalously famous due to countless lawsuits with rival American Apple, but also to occupy, along with it, one of the leading places in the world market for the sale of tablets and, of course , smartphones.
From left to right: Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S5, Galaxy S4, Apple iPhone 5s
By the way, in recent years the Koreans have firmly accustomed users to the idea that Samsung always has two flagship smartphones on the market at the same time. They are representatives of two top product lines moving in parallel courses - Galaxy Note and Galaxy S. Not so long ago there was another update to the line of tablet phones - the Samsung Note 3 smartphone, about which we wrote so much at one time, went on sale. Now it’s time for a series of smartphones to be updated with a more “civilized” design.
Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4
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The Galaxy S series smartphones have always been very different from their semi-tablet counterparts from the Note line precisely in size - they were quite elegant devices in terms of dimensions. However, with the release of the Galaxy S5, it must be admitted that the distance separating them is shrinking more and more. Moreover, not only the sizes of each successive representative of the Galaxy S line are becoming larger, but also in the Note line they are consistently decreasing. Galaxy Note 3 has become the smallest among its brothers, and the Galaxy S5, on the contrary, has acquired such large dimensions that it’s time to think: what, exactly, is the difference between the modern representatives of the two lines? Their performance is absolutely the same, the design is similar, the price is the same, and we have already said about the sizes. Is the whole difference now just the presence or absence of an electronic pen?
Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 3
In any case, you shouldn’t expect a special technological breakthrough from the new flagship of the Galaxy S line. New technological discoveries have not yet been made, but everything discovered has already been put into practice, and now they are sharpening, finishing, polishing - improving functionality. And we’re not just talking about Samsung devices - the entire market as a whole is now waiting for something new. This, by the way, is clearly visible in the example of the last two world IT exhibitions, held at the beginning of the year in Las Vegas and Barcelona. The products of the Korean company are no exception: in terms of hardware and technology, the new flagship is not much different from the previous one (Samsung Galaxy S4) - now the focus is on improving functionality. Ultra-fast data transfer capabilities, an updated camera control program interface, a wide selection of fitness applications, a heart rate monitor, a fingerprint scanner, as well as agreements with the world's leading content and service providers to pre-install a host of various applications with a long-term prepaid subscription - that's what , which is what Samsung is now working on. Gigabytes and gigahertz somehow suddenly faded into the background, which is probably for the best. Surprisingly, the Koreans didn’t even add RAM to their new flagship - the Galaxy S5 still has 2 GB of RAM, although the new product still has some changes in hardware.
Main characteristics of Samsung Galaxy S5 (model SM-G900F)
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | LG G2 | TCL Idol X+ | Lenovo Vibe Z (K910) | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (N9005) | |
| Screen | 5.1″, Super AMOLED | 5.2″, IPS | 5″, IPS | 5.5″, IPS | 5.7″ Super AMOLED |
| Permission | 1920×1080, 432 ppi | 1920×1080, 424 ppi | 1920×1080, 440 ppi | 1920×1080, 400 ppi | 1920×1080, 386 ppi |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4 Krait 400 cores) @2.5 GHz | MediaTek MT6592 (8 cores ARM Cortex-A7) @2.0 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (4 Krait 400 cores) @2.2 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (4 Krait 400 cores) @2.2 GHz | |
| GPU | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 | Mali 450MP4 | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 |
| RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB | 3 GB |
| Flash memory | 16 GB | 16/32 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16—64 GB |
| Memory card support | microSD | — | — | — | microSD |
| operating system | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.2 | Google Android 4.2 | Google Android 4.2 | Google Android 4.3 |
| Battery | removable, 2800 mAh | non-removable, 3000 mAh | non-removable, 2500 mAh | non-removable, 3050 mAh | removable, 3200 mAh |
| Cameras | rear (16 MP; 4K video), front (2 MP) | rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (2 MP) | rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP, video 1080p) | rear (13 MP; 4K video), front (2 MP, 1080p video) | |
| Dimensions | 142×73×8.1 mm, 145 g | 139×71×8.9 mm, 143 g | 140×69×7.9 mm, 120 g | 149×77×7.9 mm, 147 g | 151×79×8.3 mm, 168 g |
| average price | T-10725078 | T-10505130 | T-10632117 | T-10516952 | T-10545574 |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 offers | L-10725078-10 | ||||
- SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC), 4 Krait 400 cores, 2.5 GHz
- GPU Adreno 330, 578 MHz
- Operating system Android 4.4.2 Kitkat
- Touch display Super AMOLED, 5.1″, 1920×1080, 432 ppi
- Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB
- Supports microSD memory cards up to 128 GB
- Networks 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE Cat.4, up to 150/50 Mbit/s)
- Bluetooth 4.0 BLE/ANT+
- USB 3.0, OTG, MHL
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO (2x2), Wi-Fi hotspot
- NFC, infrared
- GPS (A-GPS), Glonass
- 16 MP camera, autofocus, LED flash, UHD video (4K) 30 fps
- Camera 2 MP (front)
- Accelerometer, gyroscope, distance sensor, compass, barometer, Hall sensor (magnetic field), light sensor, gesture sensor (infrared), fingerprint scanner, heart rate sensor
- Dust and moisture protection according to IP67 standard
- Li-ion battery 2800 mAh
- Dimensions 142×72.5×8.1 mm
- Weight 145 g
Appearance and ease of use
As already mentioned, the new model of the Galaxy S series has become significantly larger in size than the previous one. It feels like the smartphone in your hand has finally crossed that invisible line called “a little more and it will be too much”: now the device has become really bulky and surprisingly heavy. For the breast pocket of a shirt, for example, this is now certainly an inaccessible guest, although, of course, people who are determined to follow the path of life with a “shovel” at the ready will not feel anything unusual in the size of the new Galaxy S. Still, it is smaller than the Galaxy Note 3, although the difference is already minimal. And yet, it is still not clear why it was necessary, with almost identical screens, to make the new model so much larger than the previous one. On the Galaxy S4, for example, the side frames are only 3 mm wide, but on the Galaxy S5 they suddenly grew to 4 mm, the same goes for the top and bottom parts of the frame - they also suddenly became much wider, although the screen itself is practically the same size. changed.
As for the appearance, here the developers clearly adhere to a single design line: metal and leather, leather and metal - they are now used in all the company’s mobile devices (including numerous wearable gadgets). It’s just a pity that at the exorbitant prices at which current flagships are sold, the company was greedy to provide real leather - maybe then these devices would look truly stylish. But no, as in previous times, ordinary molded plastic is used here to create the appearance that the back wall of the smartphone is made of leather. The texture on the plastic is different from that of the Galaxy Note 3: here they used a kind of pseudo-embossing, as if a pattern of numerous dots was pressed into the leather. It looks nice and fresh, at least better than the glossy plastic that has adorned the surfaces of all Galaxy S and Galaxy Notes for a long time.
As for metal, there is none here either: the shiny “chrome” rim around the entire perimeter of the case (exactly the same as on previous models, only with a different pattern) is a coating on plastic, not real metal. This bezel, by the way, has also become much wider and even thicker, adding bulk to the smartphone as a whole.
The surface of the rim is quite slippery - due to it, as well as due to its considerable mass, it is rather inconvenient to lift the device from the table surface, since the fingers do not feel a confident grip.
The back cover is easily removed from the case and just as easily put on - it is traditionally attached to several plastic latches, with a barely noticeable ledge for hooking with a fingernail. Under the cover are hidden slots for SIM cards and memory cards, located in a “sandwich” one above the other.
Below there is a compartment for a removable battery - it supports the cards, but the memory card can still be replaced “hot”. The device uses only one SIM card, Micro-SIM format; a microSD memory card can be used here with a capacity of up to 128 GB.
On the back of the smartphone there is a square window for the camera module, it is quite large in size, and there is an LED flash next to it. Below in the recess you can see the eyes of the sensor for measuring the pulse. The heart rate sensor chamber is recessed into the body, and it also has its own backlight - a small LED element illuminates the blood vessels of the finger applied to the camera, while it counts heartbeats. Even lower is a hole for sound output from the ringing speaker with a slightly curved rod, and the whole thing is decorated with a silver chrome-plated company logo.
The front panel has not undergone significant changes - this is a completely recognizable element of all Samsung mobile devices. It stands out, first of all, for its elongated mechanical key under the screen, which this time has received additional functionality. This button is also responsible for scanning a fingerprint - now no one can blame Koreans for not having a golden smartphone with a fingerprint scanner. Unlike the iPhone scanner, here you can’t just put your finger on it: you need to move it along the key, and even at the right speed - if you rush, you can fail. In this regard, the iPhone scanner looks preferable: not only do you not need to move your finger, but you can also place your finger on the button at any angle, which allows you to hold the device with any comfortable grip. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy S5 scanner, you will have to hold the device with one hand and swipe the sensor with the other, which is very tedious, and most users will most likely simply disable this function.
The touch buttons next to the mechanical ones have a bright white backlight with an adjustable glow time, which is commendable. Above, above the screen, you can see a longitudinal slot in the protective glass for sound output from the earpiece; next to it you can see the eyes of the front camera and sensors. There is also an LED alert indicator that lights up in different colors depending on the charging status and incoming events - its functions can be configured: disabled or enabled individually.
There are two buttons on the side faces of the device: on the left - volume control, on the right - power and lock. The large metallic keys of all Samsung smartphones have a soft stroke and distinct pressing, they are perfectly located blindly, and in general, in this regard, the products of the Korean company are one of the best on the market.
At the top end, a headphone jack (3.5 mm) and an infrared transmitter eye, which serves to control various equipment as a remote control, are comfortably located next to each other. The corresponding proprietary software called Smart Remote moves from model to model - naturally, it is also available here. The functionality of the Smart Remote program is excellent: it is not only capable of connecting a smartphone using an infrared port with any equipment, but can also act as an interactive program guide.
At the bottom end, the USB 3.0 connector is covered with a metalized cover with a rubber gasket - it protects the smartphone from dust and moisture getting inside. Yes, yes, the new flagship of the Galaxy S line has finally acquired dust and moisture protection according to the IP67 standard. In principle, the previous model also had it, but there it was a separate branch of the line called Galaxy Active. The protection in the Galaxy S5 is arranged in the same way as there: a rubber gasket is glued to the inner surface of the back cover, and the connectors are closed with special plugs. It’s nice that every time you put on the back cover or remove the plug from the Micro-USB connector, the smartphone itself reminds you to close the protective covers (the reminder can be turned off).
And finally, about the best part: now the Galaxy S line has a new color - gold. In addition to this, there are three more colors on sale that have previously graced Samsung’s flagship devices (for example, the Galaxy S3). By tradition, they were given romantic names: Charcoal Black (black), Sparkling White (white), Electric Blue (light blue) and Copper Gold (golden). For additional jewelry, in particular a keychain or strap, no fastenings are provided.
Screen
The Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone is equipped with a Super AMOLED touch matrix. The screen dimensions are 63x113 mm, diagonal - 5.1 inches, resolution - 1920x1080 pixels. Such a parameter as the pixel density per inch is equal to 432 ppi here - the pixel density is very high.
The outside of the screen is covered with protective glass. The thickness of the side frames from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body is approximately 4 mm; the frames are not very narrow; they were smaller in the previous model.
The display brightness can be adjusted manually, or you can use automatic adjustment. Multi-touch technology here allows you to process up to 10 simultaneous touches. The screen can be operated with gloved hands, and it becomes more sensitive to any touch, so the settings prudently leave the option to disable this function. The smartphone also has a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear.
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A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the brightness of reflected objects, there is a very effective anti-glare filter that is superior in reducing reflection brightness to the screen filter of Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Samsung Galaxy S5, then they can be distinguished by size):
Due to the slight difference in the color tone of the reflection and frames, it is difficult to visually assess the amount of reduction in the brightness of the reflection, however, statistics from the graphics editor show that the S5’s screen is indeed slightly darker than that of the Nexus 7. The ghosting of reflected objects is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, maybe a little better than Google Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.
When the white field was displayed in full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 340 cd/m², the minimum was 2 cd/m². Despite the not the highest brightness value, you can use the smartphone even in bright daylight, as an effective anti-glare filter helps out. You also need to take into account the fact that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the brighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. For example, when outputting white on half the screen, the maximum brightness with manual adjustment increases to 360 cd/m². Low brightness mode allows you to use your smartphone even in complete darkness without any problems. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker). You can make adjustments to the operation of this function by moving the setting slider away from −5 before +5 units. Below, for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values for three values of this setting - for −5 , 0 And +5 . In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness is reduced to 4, 9 and 16 cd/m², respectively (generally a bit dark), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) the brightness is set to 100, 180 and 270 cd/m² (acceptable ), in a brightly lit environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) - increases to 420-425 cd/m² for all three correction values, which is above the maximum for manual adjustment and should be sufficient to ensure legibility in the sun. In principle, the result of this function is as expected. When brightness decreases, modulation appears at a frequency of 240 Hz. The figure below shows brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for three brightness settings:
It can be seen that at maximum brightness there is practically no modulation (the amplitude is insufficient for flicker to be visually distinguishable), but at medium and low brightness the relative modulation amplitude is high, so image flickering can be seen in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flickering may cause increased fatigue.
This smartphone uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix based on organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:
(For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.)
For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer calculates the screen resolution based on the green subpixels; based on the other two, it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this version is similar to that in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen. This version of PenTile RGBG is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and stripes of green subpixels. However, some unevenness of contrast borders and other artifacts are still present. For example, when displaying a black-and-white map every pixel (the original can be taken from here), the vertical lines look uneven, and the horizontal ones are low-contrast and separated not by white, but by a greenish gap. A fragment (the original photo is available at the link) of the macrophotography reveals the reason:
It can be seen that the vertical lines have a black gap and that the sum of the colors of the subpixels can be considered white, but due to the red subpixels on one side there is some unevenness of the lines. In the case of horizontal lines, there is neither a white gap (there are green subpixels) nor a black gap (there are red and blue subpixels). However, these artifacts are of purely academic interest, since in mobile use it is extremely difficult to visually distinguish such small details. As a result, the resolution margin cancels out the “features” of the PenTile RGBG matrix.
The screen is characterized by excellent viewing angles, although the white color acquires a slight tint when deviated to relatively large angles, but the black color is simply black at any angle (although the reflection from bright objects has a bluish halo that is more elongated horizontally, which is why there are black areas in the light may lighten slightly and acquire a “metallic” tint). So black that the contrast parameter is simply not applicable in this case. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. For comparison, here are photographs in which identical images are displayed on the screens of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the second participant in the competition, with the screen brightness set to approximately 210 cd/m². There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:
One can note the excellent uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture (in mode Standard):
Color rendition is clearly not bad, but despite all the conventions of forced color balance in the camera, set to 6500 K, it is clear that the colors of the S5 are clearly “cooler” and have too high saturation. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen. White field:
The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed was doubled compared to the previous two photographs), but in the case of Samsung the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. And a test picture:
It can be seen that the colors did not “float” on all screens and the brightness of the Samsung S5 at an angle is noticeably higher.
Switching the state of the matrix elements is carried out almost instantly, but at the front of switching on (and less often, switching off) there may be a step (or two) with a width of 16.7 ms (corresponding to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to a shade of 25% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back:
In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing behind moving objects, but in normal use these artifacts are almost impossible to see. Quite the contrary - dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “jerky” movements.
The ability to customize color rendering is implemented on the page with a selection of profiles, one of which involves some kind of automatic adjustment (profile Adapt Display):
In case one of the three fixed profiles is selected, except the profile Dynamic, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals according to the numerical value of the shade of gray, the gamma curve did not reveal any blockage in either highlights or shadows, and the index of the approximating power function is 2.28-2.30, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2 , while the real gamma curve practically does not deviate from the power-law dependence:
For profile Dynamic The gamma curve has a slight S-shape, which increases the apparent contrast of the image. Let us recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images and increases for dark ones. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen. This image dynamism increases when you select the option Auto tuning screen brightness. Below are the dependences of brightness on time obtained when switching from a black field to a white field and back with the option turned off and on Auto tuning screen brightness:
In the second case, the brightness begins to decrease after some time. The picture is slightly darkened, but energy is saved a little.
Color gamut for profiles Dynamic, Standard And Professional photography very wide and almost covers the Adobe RGB gamut:
When selecting a profile Cinema The coverage is tightened to the sRGB boundaries, but still remains a little wider:
Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:
In case of profile Cinema with maximum correction, the color components are already slightly mixed together:
Note that on wide-gamut screens, the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. This can be seen in the photographs above. However, a visual assessment showed that when choosing a profile Cinema saturation is noticeably reduced, and colors become close to natural. The screenshot taken after selecting this profile is shown below:
Unfortunately, the most recognizable shades - skin, for example - still remain slightly oversaturated.
The balance of shades on the gray scale is not ideal, but, in general, acceptable. Color temperature in profiles Dynamic And Standard significantly higher than 6500 K, in the remaining two - close to 6500 K, while in the area of the gray scale from white to dark dark gray this parameter does not change very much. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) over most of the gray scale remains below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, and also does not change much:
(The darkest areas of the gray scale can in most cases be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
To summarize: the screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and a very effective anti-glare filter, so the smartphone can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is acceptable, and in bright light it is even recommended to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works more or less adequately. The advantages of the screen include a very good oleophobic coating and a color balance close to standard (if you select the appropriate profiles). At the same time, let us remind you about the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color, excellent uniformity of the white field, less drop in image brightness than LCDs when viewed at an angle. Disadvantages include screen brightness modulation, which appears at medium and low brightness values. For users who are particularly sensitive to flicker, this may cause increased fatigue. However, overall the screen quality is very high.
Sound
In terms of sound, the smartphone is approximately the same as the Galaxy S4. The sound is moderately bassy, not deprived of low frequencies, clear throughout the entire range, but not so loud - there were louder devices (HTC One or Oppo Find 5, for example). The sound output grille here is cut into the back wall, so the sound is muffled when the device is lying on the table. In conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable, making telephone conversations on the Samsung Galaxy S5 quite comfortable.
To play music, the device offers a choice of three pre-installed players: Google Play Music, Yandex.Music and Samsung’s own player. All sound effects when playing melodies with a proprietary player are combined with a technology called SoundAlive - although some of them are only available with connected headphones. The same applies to the sound optimization function. There are a lot of different virtual effects, they are combined into a matrix of squares, you can experiment for a very long time.
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Camera
Samsung Galaxy S5 is equipped with two digital camera modules with a resolution of 16 and 2 megapixels. The front camera takes pictures with a maximum resolution of 1920×1080, and also shoots video with the same resolution.
The main rear camera is equipped with a new 16-megapixel module with ultra-fast autofocus (focusing in 0.3 s), stabilization, single-section LED flash and the ability to shoot video in UHD resolution (4K). In addition to one fancy feature - 4K video recording - it also uses another: like the latest Sony Xperia Z2, there is a selective focus feature that allows you to highlight a certain part of the image, leaving the background blurred. That is, now you no longer need to use special lenses to create a shallow depth of field (DOF) effect.
When shooting in automatic mode, which is set by default, photos are 5312x2988 in size. I really liked the design and organization of the new camera control interface. Here, as in the case of the audio settings menu, everything is divided into equal cells, each of which is always visible, interactive, their drawing is clear, the entire menu is perfectly visible even in the brightest sunlight. In general, the camera control settings menu turned out to be perhaps the best on the market in terms of ease of access to all functions and overall clarity.
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The camera can shoot video in UHD resolution (4K), with a choice of several resolutions up to a maximum of 3840x2160. Traditionally for the latest top models of the mobile market, the settings also include slow and fast shooting modes. Examples of test videos are presented below.
- Video No. 1 (189 MB, 3840×2160, 4K)
- Video No. 2 (58 MB, 1920×1080, 1080p)
- Video #3 (123 MB, 3840×2160, 4K indoors)
- Video No. 4 (71 MB, 1280×720, slow motion)
- Video No. 5 (4 MB, 1920×1080, accelerated)
Examples of photographs with our comments are presented below.
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The sharpness of the photo is good. |
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The sharpness across the frame is also quite good. |
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Small details are worked out quite well. |
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The camera doesn't cope so well with backlight, but the exposure is well chosen. |
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On thin lines you can notice small waves from the noise reduction - but only upon closer inspection. |
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In low light conditions, noise can be seen, although it is relatively small. |
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The camera handles noise in the shadows well. True, the detail suffers a little from this. |
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The camera does macro well in low light, but it's worth using a focus lens due to the relatively long shutter speeds. |
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In good lighting, the camera does macro photography well. |
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Another example of a good macro. |
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The text is well done, but a little damaged. However, it is possible that the camera works more accurately with smaller text. |
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Panorama stitching is almost perfect. Only dynamic objects suffer, which is quite natural. |
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Lighting ≈1300 lux. The camera does a very good job. |
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Lighting ≈460 lux. The situation remains virtually unchanged. |
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Lighting ≈240 lux. Noise becomes noticeable, especially its processing. |
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Lighting ≈240 lux, flash. The flash noticeably improves the situation, almost returning the original resolution. |
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Lighting<1 люкс. В темноте камера не справляется. |
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Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. И в темноте вспышка отрабатывает очень хорошо. |
First of all, it is worth noting that now the camera has a 1/2.6″ format sensor, and not just a higher resolution, while previously smartphone cameras were only awarded with 1/3″ format matrices (not counting Nokia), or even less, Until Sony decided to install a 1/2.3″ format sensor in the Xperia Z1. So Samsung, following Sony, began a slow but steady movement towards improving the quality of images. And, I must say, the result is already noticeable to an inquisitive eye.
Firstly, you can already see good work with noise. Their processing still leaves much to be desired, but if you do not look at the images pixel by pixel, then noticeable strong color noise in the shadows is practically not visible. Of course, this is the result of the noise reduction, but the higher resolution allows it to work more subtly, and the increased sensor size slightly reduces the likelihood of strong noise. Of course, we won’t go into discussions about pixel size (like HTC) and the supposed qualities of the camera that follow from this, but enlarging the sensor definitely brings its benefits. Secondly, image detail has improved, which is also due to the higher resolution and larger sensor.
I would like Samsung to further improve the noise reduction, then the camera can be compared with ordinary compacts. Although even without this, she shows herself very worthy, and it is clear that they worked hard on her. The camera optics operate quite smoothly across the entire field of the frame and in all plans. Of course, it would be strange to see a flagship with shortcomings in such places, but we have already encountered this. Sharping can only be found if you know where to look. The only thing that really cannot be called ideal is the work of the noise reduction - such a processing result looks very archaic in photographs of a modern flagship.
Based on the results of shooting the stand, we can conclude that the actual resolution of the images may not be the highest, but we have already stated that in this case this is far from the main characteristic, especially in the vicinity of such values, since the resolution can be high, but not quite natural. However, the camera resolution is quite decent. It is also worth noting the good performance of the flash and the sensor, which works quite consistently in different lighting conditions.
In general, the camera is made very well, almost at the level of compact cameras. Of course, there is something to work on, and in general there is room to strive. But even in its current form, it is well suited for shooting documentary and feature stories.
Telephone and communications
The developers place special emphasis on the communication capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy S5: the smartphone operates in the fifth generation of Wi-Fi 802.11ac networks with support for 2x2 MIMO mode - in this mode, data can be received and transmitted in two streams, that is, up to two times faster than in the first generations of 802.11ac compatible devices. In addition, the device provides support for a large number of 4G (LTE) frequencies and speeds corresponding to the LTE Category 4 standard - up to 150 Mbit/s. With a SIM card from the domestic operator Megafon, the smartphone in practice confidently finds and works with the LTE network.
In addition, the smartphone supports the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band and the NFC standard. As a standard, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels; there is a Wi-Fi Direct mode. The navigation module works with both the GPS system (with A-GPS) and the domestic Glonass. The speed and quality of operation of the GPS module is not satisfactory: the system works quickly and flawlessly, the navigation module finds the first satellites almost instantly, and even indoors.
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No spontaneous reboots/shutdowns were observed during testing. The screen of the smartphone is large, so drawing letters and numbers on virtual keyboards is quite comfortable to control. It’s very convenient that there is a dedicated top row with numbers - you don’t have to switch the layout every time. But the layout itself and the location of the keys are not the same as others: instead of just pressing the dedicated button with the image of a globe, here you have to switch language layouts by scrolling sideways on the spacebar, which is certainly less convenient. The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is immediately carried out by the first letters in contacts. There is support for continuous writing by sliding, but there is no option to move the keyboard closer to one of the edges, as on the Galaxy Note series tablets.
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OS and software
The system uses the latest version of Google Android software platform 4.4.2 (Kitkat) and the proprietary graphical user interface TouchWiz, the appearance of which has undergone changes. He became, according to the new fashion, more “flat”, which clearly benefited him, although the traditional Asian clumsiness remained. The appearance of the settings menu has changed: now all icons look like exactly the same circles and they are arranged in the form of a single long list. But, of course, the display of the menu can be changed, leading to the old view with vertical tabs. In this case, there will no longer be four of them, as before, but as many as six. In general, I liked the new look of the interface and settings menu more than the old one: everything is tidy, organized, symmetrical, working with various subsections of the menu has become more intuitive. The menu of installed applications has not undergone significant changes, but now you can display a special button on the home screen, which, when clicked, opens a context menu with quick access to the most popular applications. The notifications menu received two additional dedicated oval buttons for quick access to searching throughout the smartphone and enabling the function of quickly connecting to familiar devices.
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To the various ways to lock a smartphone, another one has now been added: you can lock the screen using a fingerprint, the scanner of which is built into the central key under the screen. To successfully memorize the texture of your fingertip, you need to swipe the sensor at least eight times, after which you will also have to come up with a standard digital code in case your finger remains unrecognized after five attempts. It’s a shame when the developer also imposes restrictions on the personal password you create: an attempt to limit yourself to a digital password failed - you need to alternate numbers with letters.
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By the way, the issue of security has been strengthened in the Samsung Galaxy S5 by another innovation: now, due to the appearance of the “Children” mode, you can open access only to certain permitted programs, after which you can safely entrust the device to a child for 30 thousand rubles to play with.
Speaking of games, it is worth noting that we tested games such as Dead Trigger 2 and Asphalt 8 on the smartphone - we did not find any problems with playing them.
Another specific operating mode has been added to the smartphone, which the developers themselves talked a lot about at presentations. In fact, this is a regular energy-saving mode that any built-in program for saving energy in mobile devices has, it’s just that Samsung brings its smartphone to the point of complete “exhaustion” in this mode. When the maximum power saving mode is activated, not only all network interfaces are disabled, but also the graphical interface of the shell becomes black and white, and the number of applications allowed to run is strictly limited. Naturally, in this mode, the smartphone can “work” much longer (who would doubt it), but this work will be carried out within a very limited framework.
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One of the central applications pre-installed in modern top-end Samsung smartphones, which developers constantly remind you of, is a program for monitoring your own health called S Health. The program has a wide range of health-promoting functions: pedometer, exercise recording, nutrition monitoring, etc. Now the application has not only received the new version S Health 3.0, but has also acquired additional functionality in the form of a dedicated hardware heart rate counter. In principle, some programs have previously tried to count heartbeats using an ordinary smartphone camera, but now a whole block with a small camera and backlight has been allocated for this. You need to put your finger on the recess in the back of the smartphone, and then the program will count your pulse. Naturally, this data is stored, processed and displayed in the form of graphs and tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
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Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S5 hardware platform is based on a single-chip quad-core system (SoC) Qualcomm Snapdragon 801. The new platform has the functionality of the Snapdragon 800 with a slightly higher frequency of processor cores: the Snapdragon 801 can operate at frequencies up to 2.45 GHz, while the core frequency of the previous The chip version was limited to 2.36 GHz.
The processor here is supported in graphics processing by the same Adreno 330 video accelerator, but here too there is an increase in frequencies: the GPU is already overclocked to 578 MHz instead of 450 MHz. About 12 GB of RAM (out of 16) are initially available for the user's needs in the device; the amount of RAM here is 2 GB - in this regard, surprisingly, no expansion occurred, while Sony equipped its newest flagship with three gigabytes random access memory. MicroSD memory cards are supported in this model; you can also connect external flash drives, keyboards and mice using a special adapter in OTG mode.
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Since the most powerful and most productive of the competing serial platforms is now SoC MediaTek MT6592, the configuration of which includes eight full-fledged processor cores [simultaneously] operating at frequencies up to 2 GHz, it is logical to include its results in the comparison first of all. Let us remind you that we recently released a review of the powerful TCL Idol X+ smartphone, which is built on the maximum version of this platform. Also, naturally, it is worth adding to the comparison the results demonstrated in the same tests by the previous version of the Qualcomm platform - Snapdragon 800, on which all the top smartphones of last year run. However, the most important battle today will still not take place, because the main competitor of the hero of today’s review, the flagship smartphone Sony Xperia Z2, also built on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, has not yet reached our test laboratory. In the near future, we will definitely compare it with the Samsung Galaxy S5 data obtained today.
To get an idea of the performance of the platform of the smartphone under test, we will conduct a standard set of tests.
For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.
Testing in MobileXPRT, as well as in the latest versions of AnTuTu 4.x and GeekBench 3:
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The results of testing are as follows. As for the competing MediaTek MT6592, the latest Qualcomm system (Snapdragon 801) coped with it in all respects. In general, this is not at all surprising, considering that the previous version of Snapdragon 800 coped with it. As for the comparison with the Snapdragon 800, according to the results of all tests, there was practically no real increase: the same maximum 35K points in AnTuTu, and in other benchmarks the difference is negligible - within the margin of error.
By the way, as for these very resulting figures: since the smartphone being tested today is a landmark device, and the rest will be compared to it throughout the year, it is probably worth recalling the fresh balance of power. If you rely on the numbers of the popular AnTuTu benchmark, it looks something like this: eight MediaTek MT6592 cores with a frequency of 2 GHz demonstrate 31K points in this test (26 thousand points for the eight-core Zopo 998 and THL T100S with a lower frequency of processor cores - 1.7 GHz), and about 35 thousand - for top smartphones such as LG G2, Sony Xperia Z1, Acer Liquid S2 and now Samsung Galaxy S5, built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800/801 hardware platform. Two main conclusions emerge as a result of all these comparisons: TCL Idol X+ is the first smartphone on the MediaTek platform, which managed to come close to the leading solutions from Qualcomm, albeit at the expense of twice as many processor cores. And second: the new version of the top Qualcomm platform brought virtually no increase in performance, although this microscopic superiority allowed it to gain an even stronger foothold on the podium as the undisputed leader among platforms for mobile devices. According to the above, the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 platform is currently one of the most powerful smartphones on the planet.
When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).
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Results of testing the graphics subsystem in the Epic Citadel gaming test, as well as Basemark X and Bonsai Benchmark:
The lag in the operation of the Mali-450MP4 video subsystem is still noticeable: this video accelerator produces approximately 47 fps in those test modes in which the Adreno 330 produces 60 fps.
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Browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can be truly correct only in the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
Playing video
To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it.
With video playback, things are not as smooth as we would like for the Samsung Galaxy S5. Amazingly, this is one of the rare smartphones in which the popular MX player flatly refuses to run with the Hardware+ decoder, and most often only this option saves the situation when the standard player cannot play the audio track of a file. That is, in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S5, in order to normally play three of our five test files (MKV), you will have to use a software decoder (at least for audio decoding - video can be decoded in hardware) - neither Hardware nor Hardware+ , nor, of course, the decoder of a standard video player are capable of playing these types of files with sound that are common on the network. And this is an obvious drawback, because we have a solution with an excellent large and high-quality screen in all respects and maximum performance, which could become an excellent multimedia assistant. By the way, similar problems occur with the Galaxy Note 3 - we hope that with the release of updates for MX Player the situation will somehow change. By the way, the top smartphones from LG and Sony always have complete order in this table, because even with their own hardware they are able to play all the presented files, not to mention supporting all modes of the MX player.
| Format | Container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Standard video player |
| DVDRip | AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
| Web-DL SD | AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
| Web-DL HD | MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3 | ||
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3 | plays normally, sound only with software decoder (Hardware+ is not supported) | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3 | plays normally, sound only with software decoder (Hardware+ is not supported) | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ |
¹ sound in MX Video Player was played only after switching to software decoding (mode Hardware+ is not supported); The standard player does not have this setting
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Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. To test it, we used an LG IPS237L monitor that supports direct MHL connection using a passive adapter cable from Micro-USB to HDMI. Let us recall that Samsung has implemented its own version of this interface at the physical level. As a result, to connect an external device via MHL, you need to use special adapters or connect standard MHL adapters through simple passive adapters. In this case, we carried out the test using a proprietary Samsung adapter, and output via MHL was carried out at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels with a frequency of 60 frames/s.
When the smartphone is in portrait orientation, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in portrait orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed within the height of the screen, and wide black fields are displayed on the right and left. In this case, the actual resolution on the monitor screen is, of course, lower than the resolution on the smartphone screen. When the smartphone is in landscape orientation, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in landscape orientation, while the image on the monitor fits within the boundaries of the screen and exactly matches the image on the smartphone screen. The exception is the start screen, which is displayed only in portrait orientation:
Sound is output via MHL (in this case, the sounds were heard through headphones connected to the monitor, since there are no speakers in the monitor itself) and is of good quality. At the same time, at least multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is controlled by buttons on the smartphone body. In principle, in the smartphone settings you can select the sound output mode - stereo or surround. However, in our case, the monitor only received stereo sound, so there was no choice. The smartphone connected via MHL is charging.
To test the output of video files on the screen of the device itself, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In our tests, we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware” mode, since there were a lot of artifacts in the “Hardware+” mode. The results of this test (block entitled “Smartphone screen”) are summarized in the table:
Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.
According to the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is high, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals, and there are no skipped frames. The smartphone can even display files with a resolution of 4K up to 30p inclusive. However, uniform alternation of frames is a relatively unstable state, since some external and internal background processes lead to periodic failure of the correct alternation of intervals between frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution (adjusted for some PenTile features). The brightness range displayed on the screen actually corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows only a couple of shades merge with black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed. However, dark scenes may not look very good, as the darkest shades vary too much in brightness and color tone, which can lead to compression artifacts being too noticeable.
With a monitor connected via MHL, when playing a video with a standard player, the image of the video file is displayed only in landscape orientation, while only the image of the video file is displayed on the monitor, and only information elements and virtual controls are displayed on the smartphone screen.
The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the “MHL (monitor output)” block. The output quality is very good. When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920 by 1080 pixels) on the monitor screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, maintaining true proportions, and the resolution corresponds to Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the monitor is equal to the standard range of 16-235, that is, all shade gradations are displayed in shadows and highlights.
The conclusion is typical: an MHL connection can be used for games, watching movies, displaying web pages and other activities that benefit from multiplying the screen size. True, you will have to purchase an adapter specifically for Samsung or find an appropriate adapter.
Battery life
The lithium-ion battery installed in the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a capacity of 2800 mAh, which is good by modern standards, but not a record one. Accordingly, in terms of battery life, the device showed very good results, which we traditionally summarized in a comparative table.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D Game Mode | |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | 2800 mAh | 17:20 | 12:30 pm | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| TCL Idol X+ | 2500 mAh | 12:30 pm | 7:20 am | 3:00 am |
| Lenovo Vibe Z | 3050 mAh | 11:45 am | 8:00 am | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Acer Liquid S2 | 3300 mAh | 16:40 | 7:40 a.m. | 6:00 am |
| LG G Flex | 3500 mAh | 23:15 | 13:30 | 6 hours 40 minutes |
| LG G2 | 3000 mAh | 20:00 | 12:30 pm | 4 hours 45 minutes |
| Sony Xperia Z1 | 3000 mAh | 11:45 am | 8:00 am | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| Samsung Note 3 N9005 | 3200 mAh | 22:30 | 14:00 | 4 hours 45 minutes |
Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted until the battery was completely discharged for more than 17 hours, and when continuously watching videos from YouTube in high quality (HQ) with The device lasted 12.5 hours at the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network; in 3D games mode, the smartphone lasted 4.5 hours, decent for such a screen, and really pleased with such stability: its predecessor Galaxy S4 at first overheated greatly and with these tests were performed poorly, and only with a firmware update the situation returned to normal. With the new flagship, no problems in this regard have been found before the start of sales, and by the way, the device heats up significantly less than its predecessor.
Bottom line
Summarizing the Samsung Galaxy S5 review is both easy and difficult. It’s easy, because, perhaps, no one needs to explain why the flagship smartphones of the Korean company are deservedly among the best on the market. And it’s not just the combination of top-end technical characteristics and maximum performance that makes them stand out, there’s also something else. It seems to us that the company is one of the few who are not ashamed to spy on the desires of users. For most manufacturers, this always remains only unfulfilled pretentious promises and slogans, but in practice, no matter how much users cry about something, they will never get it. But the Koreans have a completely different point of view on this matter; they readily satisfy any desires of customers. Want a removable battery? - Get it. Need a memory card slot? - For God's sake, we don't feel sorry! Suddenly fell in love with the golden color? - So, we now have a golden smartphone. And with such simple actions, coupled with high-quality products and huge production volumes, the Korean company managed to climb to the very top of the mountain, pushing many along the way, and simply throwing some off the cliff. Those who know how to adapt survive, and this is what Koreans do best.
As for the hero of today's review, we can say with confidence that he has become a worthy successor to the flagship line. An excellent screen, powerful hardware, complete technical equipment, good battery life and maximum functionality, several added features like a heart rate monitor and a fingerprint scanner - all this is worthy of praise. Although, it is worth admitting that the fifth Galaxy S did not have so many noticeable innovations that it could rightfully be called a completely new model, in terms of design and appearance (in this regard, by the way, there was even a kind of decline: the smartphone has become heavier, larger, rougher - everyone admits this). It’s even surprising that the Koreans didn’t call this model Galaxy S4s - such a “letter modifier”, which has already become generally accepted, denoting an improved version of the model, would be more appropriate here. But all this is just a little confusing.
But what’s really depressing is how much Samsung jacks up the prices for its top-end smartphones. It seems that the Koreans no longer remember that prices can sometimes be varied somehow - they reached the 30,000 mark with the previous flagship and now put the same price tag on all subsequent models as a matter of course. The tricky thought in the minds of entrepreneurs is obviously this: “They will complain the first time, but the next time they will be happy that they did not raise the price even higher.” This, by the way, is what happened: now users are happy that the price of the new flagship at the start of sales was not raised higher than the previous one. This is very alarming, and of course, against this background, it is difficult to recommend such a device for purchase: it is certainly very worthy, but for many, Samsung products may already be unaffordable. Did we think five years ago that we would talk like this in the future about the products of this Korean company?
The market has not felt any shortage in the mobile device niche for several years now. Every year, manufacturers offer customers various new products. A wide range can be seen in all price categories. However, some users still prefer smartphones that, as they say, are time-tested. This review will describe just such a gadget from the famous Galaxy line. It was released by a world-famous Korean company - Samsung. The price of the Galaxy S5, its technical characteristics and, of course, reviews will be discussed in this article.
The model debuted successfully. In 2014, it was considered one of the best that were presented on the market. The manufacturer tried to implement everything necessary in it to satisfy the requirements of a wide audience of buyers. What came of it? Let's figure it out together.
Positioning
At the time of its release, the Samsung Galaxy S5 model (read reviews below) belonged to the segment of flagship devices. This is fully confirmed by characteristics that are considered relevant to this day. At the start of sales, the price of a smartphone varied around $400, but with the release of new models it gradually began to decrease.
It is worth noting that for those buyers who are not looking to get a new product, this phone is an excellent choice, time-tested. The device has a sufficient level of performance to cope with any tasks. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but let’s take a look at all the characteristics in order.
Equipment
Although this model is not a “state-priced” model, the set of components makes it difficult to classify the smartphone as a flagship. All that is offered to the buyer is a USB cable, documentation and charging. Many users would really like to see a case for the Samsung Galaxy S5 in the box. But alas, it, like the film for the screen, as well as a memory card, will have to be purchased separately. Headphones, unfortunately, are also missing, so we can safely say that the manufacturer saved a lot by abandoning accessories.
Appearance
The first impressions of buyers when examining this smartphone are positive. Even despite the plastic body, a feeling of reliability is created. And this is completely justified, since the manufacturer used high-quality materials. The shape of the phone is closer to a rectangle. The corners are slightly rounded, which undoubtedly makes it attractive. An excellent addition was the chrome frame that runs along the entire perimeter of the case. It looks majestic and highlights the front panel of the phone. The control panel is standard. The mechanical key contains a fingerprint scanner. The company name is displayed above the screen. There is a selfie camera “eye”, a sensor, and an earpiece.
The back panel looks quite impressive. The corrugated coating played a significant role in this. It is worth noting that it is used not only for beauty, but also for practicality. For example, dirt practically does not accumulate on the back panel, so you don’t have to buy a case for the Samsung Galaxy S5. After all, many people have to carry it just to get rid of a stained surface, but with this phone such a need disappears by itself. On the back side, the buyer will be able to see a small speaker hole, which is located at the bottom. At the top in the middle there is a large “window” of the main camera. Below it there is a flash and a sensor that measures the heartbeat.
The back cover is very easy to remove. The battery is hidden under it. For the Samsung Galaxy S5, the developers chose an interesting arrangement of slots into which an external storage device and a SIM card are installed. Upon quick inspection, it may appear that he is alone. But this is not so - the cards are inserted on both sides, so to speak, in a “sandwich” (at the bottom is the drive, and above it is the SIM card).
In addition to all the usual elements, this smartphone has an infrared port, thanks to which the device can easily replace the remote control. A USB 3.0 connector covered with a chrome cap is provided for charging.
Screen
Most buyers pay special attention to the screen capabilities when choosing a smartphone. And, in principle, this is correct. After all, interaction with the gadget occurs through this particular element. Are Samsung Galaxy S5 buyers disappointed with the screen characteristics? If you believe the reviews, then no. An excellent large display with a 5.1-inch diagonal and a resolution of 1920 × 1080 px. The matrix is made in accordance with SuperAMOLED technology, which is undoubtedly an advantage. This company is distinguished by the fact that it equips its products with high-quality screens. S5 was no exception. High pixel density (431 ppi) guarantees a high-quality and clear image in which, even with a magnifying glass, it is impossible to see pixelation. The developers did not forget about protection by installing high-quality Gorilla Glass 3.
The viewing angles and color are simply gorgeous. The picture is displayed richly and juicy. Even in direct sunlight, the information is perfectly readable, and the contrast remains virtually unchanged.
Protection standard
It is worth noting that the characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S5, even now, fully meet modern requirements. Many buyers were pleased with the fact that the manufacturer used IP67 protection. What does this mean? The device is not afraid of getting wet. According to the international standard, the phone can withstand immersion in water up to a depth of one meter. The maximum time spent in it should not exceed 30 minutes. Users recommend that after immersion in water, be sure to wipe the screen and the places where the connectors are located with a dry soft cloth. Also, owners do not have to worry that if they get caught in heavy rain, their phone will stop working. This is confirmed by numerous reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Thanks to special protection, this smartphone does not need to be cleaned of dust and other small particles of debris. For example, after falling into sand, it is enough to simply clean the upper surfaces of contamination.
According to the manufacturer, the camera works perfectly when the device is immersed in water. If desired, the user can take unique pictures of the underwater world, but do not forget about the limitations in depth and time.
Performance
It’s not for nothing that the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone is equated to flagship devices. Its hardware can easily compete with expensive devices. To ensure high performance, the phone has an excellent Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor. Manufactured using a 28nm process technology. It runs on four computing modules, which are developed based on the Krait 400 architecture. The maximum frequency is 2500 MHz. The only drawback is the number of rows of the system, limited to 32 bits. 64-bit applications are not available for such hardware. The user will experience problems only when installing new software, but otherwise the platform works fine. We can safely say that there is not a single task that the device cannot cope with.
To work with graphic images, the developers installed the Adreno 330 coprocessor. This model is perfect for working with a screen with Full HD resolution. Most games run smoothly, and the user can select high graphics settings.
Memory
The capabilities of the gadget are also characterized by RAM. Productivity will directly depend on its volume. In this model, the developers used two gigabytes. However, it is worth considering that about half is already used by system processes, so in fact, users only have one gigabyte left.
Unfortunately, with the size of the built-in storage, not everything is so rosy in the Samsung Galaxy S5 16Gb. From the name it is already clear that its volume is limited to 16 GB. The pre-installed software takes up about 5 GB, so there are only 11 left for installing applications. Is this enough? Each owner will decide for himself. For those who need additional memory, the option to install an external drive is offered. The device supports flash drives up to 128 GB. There is a separate slot for them.
Platform
This smartphone is controlled by the fourth Android. The original firmware of the Samsung Galaxy S5 has the proprietary TouchWiz interface. The developers did a good job on the shell. They changed the design and made the interface as clear as possible. The updates affected the settings menu and some applications.
With the advent of the fifth version of the operating system, owners of this model are invited to update their gadget. To do this, simply connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi and activate the corresponding menu item.
The phone has a lot of pre-installed software. It includes popular services from Google, social networks, weather, office programs, players and more.
Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy S5 meets the needs of the most advanced users. To verify this, just look at the characteristics of the main camera. The manufacturer did not skimp and installed a 16-megapixel matrix. But this is not the only advantage of optics. It was in this model that the developers implemented a completely new automatic focusing system. To take a high-quality photo, simply point the viewfinder and press the shutter. In any lighting, bright and clear shots can be taken with the Samsung Galaxy S5, reviews confirm this. The menu has many settings that can be adjusted manually. The flash copes well with the assigned tasks. Videos are recorded in high resolution 4K UHD. With this quality, the maximum frame rate is limited to 30. You can increase the speed to 60 fps by changing the resolution to 1080p.
What do owners say about the front camera? Unfortunately, it cannot boast of flagship capabilities. It is based on a sensitive sensor with a resolution of 2 megapixels. From these characteristics it is already clear that dreaming of a high-quality selfie is pointless. The only thing this module is suitable for is video communication.
Battery Specifications
When choosing a phone, battery life is a mandatory criterion. It is provided not only by the battery, but also by the energy efficiency of the hardware platform. First, let's look at what battery the developers chose for the Samsung Galaxy S5? The battery is removable and made using lithium-ion technology. Has a capacity of 2800 mAh. Compared to its predecessor, this model shows better results. To complete the picture, it is necessary to take into account the large high-resolution touch screen and a fairly powerful hardware platform. With all this, the Galaxy S5 is able to work with an average load for about a day.
It is worth paying attention to the energy saving mode. The device features the Ultra Power Saving function, with which you can significantly extend the “life” of your smartphone on a single charge. When activated, the color of the image is turned off, and the multifunctional device turns into a simple “dialer”. In this state, as the manufacturer assures, the phone consumes no more than 10% in 24 hours.
Samsung Galaxy S5: reviews
To assess the real capabilities of a gadget, it is not enough to know only the technical characteristics. In this matter, you must also listen to customer reviews. The comments not only talk about the positive aspects of the smartphone, but also discuss the negative ones in detail. The biggest complaint was the ROM size. Currently, advanced users do not have enough memory of 16 GB in order to fully use the potential of the gadget. And if you consider that not the entire volume will be available, then it’s unlikely that anyone will be able to do without external drives. The plastic body can also be considered a disadvantage, especially if you rely on modern trends. Nowadays even state-priced phones are produced with an aluminum case, which significantly increases the level of reliability of the device.
In principle, the Samsung Galaxy S5 has no critical flaws. Users, by and large, in their reviews mainly highlight only the strengths. What is the indisputable advantage of this gadget?
- Degree of housing protection. With this model, the manufacturer has implemented the IP67 standard, so you don’t have to worry that the phone will break down if it gets wet.
- User-friendly interface. Of course, it is impossible to call the fourth Android a fresh version, but the number of compatible office and entertainment applications is so large that the user will in no case experience restrictions. The most advanced ones are invited to change the firmware in the Samsung Galaxy S5 to a newer one.
- Resolution of the main camera. The device has a high-quality model, with which it is easy to take excellent pictures. Let us remind you that you can do them even under water.
- Current characteristics of the hardware platform. The equipment allows this model to be competitive even after two years.
- Decent battery life. During the day, the device operates at an average load. And if you activate the Ultra Power Saving mode, the smartphone will use the battery resource very economically, due to which the operating time will increase significantly.
Samsung Galaxy S5 mini and Galaxy S5: main differences
For lovers of small smartphones, the manufacturer has released a smaller copy of the Galaxy S5. The appearance of the phones is practically the same if you do not pay attention to the sizes. The dimensions of the device with the mini attachment are 131 × 65 × 9.1 mm. Let's compare them with the “older” version. As for the height and width, they have decreased compared to the Galaxy S5 by 11 mm and 8 mm, respectively. However, the thickness of the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini, no matter how strange it may sound, has increased by 1 mm. The differences don't stop there. For some reason, the developers significantly underestimated the technical characteristics of the “younger” version. This is not the first time that buyers have observed such a trend. Let's look at the differences in detail.
| Galaxy S5 mini | Galaxy S5 | |
| Display Specifications | 4.5' (diagonal reduction by 0.6') HD (resolution degraded) 326 ppi (pixel density decreased by 106 ppi) | 5.1″ Full HD 432 ppi |
| Hardware | Snapdragon 400, frequency 1400 MHz, coprocessor - Adreno 305 | Snapdragon 801, 2500 MHz, graphics accelerator - Adreno 330 |
| Random Access Memory (RAM) | 1.5 GB | 2 GB |
| Autonomy | 2.1 thousand mAh | 2.8 thousand mAh |
| Optics capabilities | 8 and 2.1 MP | 16 and 2 MP |
Conclusion
From the review it is clear that the manufacturer did a good job on the Samsung Galaxy S5. The price of a smartphone with flagship hardware varies from 6,500 to 10,700 rubles. The device perfectly implements all the functions necessary for comfortable work. Surprisingly, even three years after its release, the technical characteristics of this model are still relevant to this day, so the purchase will be completely justified.
