Which android for samsung galaxy c5. Samsung Galaxy S5 - Specifications. Sound and video playback

Samsung goes to evolution after revolution ... again.

Our verdict

Powerful, durable, with a new interface. It's a shame that Samsung hasn't gone further with the design of its new device.

Device characteristics

• Built-in memory: 16 GB
• Main camera resolution: 16 Megapixels
• Battery talk time: 21 hours
• Screen resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Processor: Quad Core (4 Cores)

The Samsung Galaxy S5 can be summed up in one word: evolution.

The camera has been improved for sharper and faster footage. The fitness capabilities of the S5 have been enhanced over the more powerful S Health app and built-in heart rate sensor. Also in the most secure phone Galaxy of all the existing ones has been added a fingerprint scanner.

The battery capacity is larger, the screen is wider and brighter, the processor is faster, and the design has been redesigned.

The list of characteristics of the device is definitely pleasing: 2.5 GHz quad-core CPU, 2 GB of RAM, a removable battery of 2800 mAh, 16/32 GB of internal memory (expandable up to 128 GB using a slot for a microSD card), one of the brightest screens in the world, 5.1 inches, and biometric features have also been added.

However, when you first pick up the Galaxy S5, it will be difficult for you to single out any one function that will attract a potential user.

A lot that doesn't matter, as Samsung has as many fans as its rival Apple, and many of them will not hesitate to pick the new Galaxy without looking at its competitors.

But now you can forget about it. Released that has more, much more functions for that.

The S6's design is more impressive: its metal-glass body makes it more iPhone-like than previous Samsung models. But the S5's design is definitely an improvement over its predecessors.

The newer phone is more powerful, but it lacks a microSD card slot and a removable battery, and it is also not waterproof. If all this is important to you, then it is better to buy the S5, as the prices for it have dropped.

It's a wise pricing choice, but if the cost shocks you Samsung Galaxy S5, then, apparently, you did not pay attention to the previous flagship models. In fact, in some countries it costs a little less than before. Prices have dropped relatively recently and the SIM-free option is now priced at £ 370 in the UK.

As you understand, offers with contracts are now almost everywhere, in this version the Galaxy S5 has the same price as the HTC One M8, but it is cheaper than the iPhone 6.

Samsung has taken note of information from galaxy users S5, but focused not on something new, but on what makes the phone special for the consumer.

The company promised a "stylish" and "shining" design, a camera that works the way you want it, and waterproof.

A small hint - there is information that a version of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime will probably be released in February with more RAM, faster processor and a QHD display.

However, this statement was withdrawn (possibly due to problems with the creation of the new screen), and it was only in South Korea that the Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A version appeared. It has a Snapdragon 805 CPU, WQHD display, and all the high-end features you could wish for. In short, this is a terrific phone and I would love to see Samsung sell it globally.

You can always look at the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, a smaller phone that has the same power as the Galaxy S5, but with a lower 720p screen resolution. It has metal edges as Samsung has again relied on light weight over weight and ergonomics.

This phone has high power, sky-high price and low-res screen and premium design that rivals the new iPhone 6.

But if you want something smaller then the Galaxy S5 Mini. It is the same as its bigger brother, but it has slightly fewer functions. It is not nearly as powerful, but it has an aesthetic design and a heart rate sensor. It's a great choice if you don't want to spend a lot of money.

But enough comparisons: let's take a look at one of the key questions that Samsung has to answer with its Galaxy S5: is it good enough for the market to compete with the latest high-end smartphones?

The simple answer, which you can give in a second, is no, because the design is not on the same level as Apple and HTC.

While this is only a small part of the story, under the hood Samsung continues its game by applying the latest technology and optimizing it so that it doesn't drain the battery quickly.

Is this phone good enough to beat Apple on the best-selling lists? Yes, but this is largely due to their marketing policies around the world. But even that won't translate into huge sales for the new phone.

Samsung needs it to be the last phone to speak the same design language (like the Alpha and Note 4). Galaxy S6 should be dawn new era for a South Korean company, a device whose design will make consumers crave it.

And the new iPhone 6 was a real winner with a focus on design. If shoppers haven't fallen in love with the S5's large screen, then their desire for Apple is getting stronger (although you'll probably consider many great Android phones before then).

Samsung recently reported that it sold 40% fewer S5 phones than Galaxy S4 phones in the same period life cycle devices.

The South Korean giant responded to these events with plans to take a closer look at the strategy of this smartphone and focus on pricing rather than high-end devices.

What does it mean? Well, tentatively we can expect some price cuts in the near future, which will make the Samsung Galaxy S5 more attractive.

Significant for this review: The Galaxy S5 seems to be very little talked about, but that's not bad for a company accused of using useless innovation on last year's model.

Design

I've always been careful when I talked about the design of a Samsung phone. The Galaxy S2, the company's first breakthrough, was primarily made of plastic, but was one of the few five-star phones.

Thus, year after year, Samsung failed to bring something new, some kind of wow effect, while other competitors confidently stepped onto the battlefield.

HTC is leading the way here with its one-piece metal One M8, and Apple has solidified its position with a refined design, the best since the iPhone 4, and has taken a big step forward with the iPhone 6.

Sony's efforts to develop the Z line have been rewarded with the Xperia Z3 with a modern design, and even Nokia has played with aluminum to give some of its devices a premium look.

All of this leaves me wondering: why is Samsung refusing to give customers what they want ... called a metal case?

Presumably, there are several reasons: the cost of production is too high, especially in the volume in which Samsung produces them, the company likes the lightness of the devices, it can be quite difficult to make a waterproof device out of metal.

However, none of these reasons have to do with reality, as Apple does all the same, but with metal phones. Devices with a certain weight are better than light ones, and a ruler Sony Xperia Z seamlessly combines metal and water resistance.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is definitely more solid than the Galaxy S4 and looks more ergonomic thanks to its wider bezel, better grip and ribbed battery cover.

However, it doesn't look like a cutting edge smartphone. With its metal frame, it looks a lot like the Galaxy Note 3 and S4, and I subconsciously start looking for the S Pen.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha is an interesting proposition, which has a polycarbonate body and a metal frame similar to the Nokia Lumia 930. It seems Samsung hasn't thought to do the same with the S5 - it has little in common with a new concept that could boost its sales.

Its rear panel is also underwhelming. Although it seems to me that the comparison with a sticky patch would be a bit rough, it does give a "medical" feel, especially its white color.

The blue and copper options seem more appealing, but still not quite as exciting as the HTC One M8.

Despite the large screen, Samsung still does a great job of proportioning. Although the body has gotten larger, it hasn't been incredible. But if you switched to this device after old iPhone, you may find it somewhat difficult to manage.

Those who have been fans of the Samsung Galaxy line before will find a lot to enjoy. The home button, which has a fingerprint sensor in it, is large enough to be easy to press, while the launch button, located on the right side of the phone, is raised slightly higher for easier pressing.

The same can be said for the volume control button on the right. As the device has grown in size, it has become a little difficult for me to reach this area when I want to change the volume level while listening to music while walking.

One of the key changes to the Galaxy S5 is its water resistance, it is IP67 certified, which means you can spill some water on it, but it is not advised to swim with it.
It's also dustproof, which makes the bare headphone jack even more impressive, as the S5 doesn't need a cap to cover the port.

A USB 3.0 connection, which may seem superfluous to some, but the same was used in the Galaxy Note 3 for faster charging using standard microUSB cables with an increased IP rating and some rigidity.

The gap designed for you to insert your nail there is small enough and perhaps the only thing that annoys those who want to get their hands on the best galaxy phonedo not care about its waterproofness.

The touch buttons are still next to the home button, but they are now slightly different. The menu button has been replaced with a multitasking button, which seems to be a Google favorite on Android 4.4.

You can still use it as a long-press menu button, but it doesn't work intuitively and is hard to reach on the right side.
It's not a bad system, and the physical home button, even less necessary than before, is still pleasant to the touch.

Another design win for the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the removable battery. It's mainly for peace of mind given the S5's battery life, but if you're worried about it breaking then this is a good option.

It also means that the ugly FCC stamp will be visible and you don't need a special tool to remove the SIM, and it's easier to insert the microSD card.

The lid is a cause for concern when considering waterproofing, as it can sometimes be difficult to make sure that all the fasteners fit into the grooves when closed.

A warning message appears on the screen reminding you of this, but you may need to check a few times before you make sure everything is closed.

If you look under the back panel, you will see that the battery is protected by a dense rubber coating, which means that if you drop your phone in water, you will be a little embarrassed, there is a large amount of water in the phone, but it will probably be all right.

I started to get worried when I noticed that sand got into the home button, but after an hour or two, it disappeared from there by itself, although it made me think about its dustproofness.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S5's design is likely to be the part that gets the most criticism, and for good reason.

When resting in your hand, you don't feel like it's a premium device like many other high-end smartphones on the market, and while many talk about high quality the polycarbonate used in it, it still pales in comparison to the competition.

Yes, it's lighter, and probably more rigid (less likely you'll need a Galaxy S5 case, for example), but that's Samsung's biggest problem, something it tried to fix with the Galaxy S6.

Key features

Last year, it was difficult to talk about all the new elements of the Galaxy S4, as most of them brought almost nothing new, except for technological stuff.

Things like Air Browse still exist, they are still in the settings, and that's a complaint against Samsung, which still hasn't removed them.

Although the company has tried to make the Galaxy S5 phone more useful, it still retains what customers use every day. Let's now take a look at the new features:

S Health

One of the most obvious things about the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the heart rate sensor on the back next to the camera.

It is designed in such a way that it will allow you to get more out of your daily activities, using the so-called quantified self applications that reflect all the data about daily activities.

S Health 3.0 is a nice update, and fills in a lot of fields that other apps don't. You can install the best elements that S Health has to offer, such as My Calorie Counter, which calculates calories, but for convenience it is better to use it with the main application.

The pedometer, like most phones, is largely useless because it sets the number of steps you have to take daily, which you can only do if you glue the Galaxy S5 to your thigh.

It's not as accurate as what you wear on your wrist or shoes, and Samsung has put a lot of effort into designing wearable gadgets, which seems to be more novelty than useful.

You can track your exercise progress on your phone as it adds data to a centralized system. Again, there are better apps for recording running, like the Adidas MiCoach, Runkeeper or Endomondo, but it's a good app for beginner runners too, although it doesn't take the running goal into account.

New to S Health this year on the Galaxy S5 is a heart rate sensor located on the back of the monitor next to the camera, so you can take your heart rate whenever you want.

But here's the thing: why do you need this? It's one of those elements that seems to be here just like that, because Samsung was trying to think about what it could add to the S5 to make it feel new and interesting.

And it, by and large, worked. But it is far from being as reliable as some gadget located on the wrist or chest (I found that it manages to calculate my heart rate every 3-4 attempts), in addition, the question arises when you want to use it ...

Ideally, if you remember that you want to measure your heart rate when you wake up, when you are relaxed and able to measure your heart rate at rest.

And maybe it will also be useful at certain moments of stress during the day, so that you can know the required fitness time, provided you use the app correctly.

But, in fact, you should remember to do it at the right time, that is, your average heart rate will depend on what you do during the day.

I know one person who has heart problems. I asked her what she thinks about this feature. She said the feature is indeed useful for those who need to measure their heart rate throughout the day, or simply check how fast their heart rate increases with exertion (although this is not enough for medical purposes).

Thus, S Health is a great app for those with certain medical conditions and do not require very accurate data (the Galaxy S5 sensor is not intended to replace the corresponding medical equipment). But for the rest of the people, this thing falls into the "pub competition at lower heart rate" category.

Samsung, like many other big phone makers, are trying their best to extend battery life as it usually runs out by the end of the day.

As you've all seen in the battery graph, the Galaxy S5 is a great choice if you want to spend more time away from charging your phone, and this new tool makes you feel more confident when your battery starts to run low.

This feature starts working when you activate it, and not constantly. The screen turns black and white, the power decreases, there is still access to a limited number of applications - to 6 that you choose.

The choice is not so great (so you don't just waste battery power when you really need it), but includes Twitter and an Internet browser. This surprised me.

In this mode, the phone will only consume power when the screen is active, which means that you will not receive background notifications, etc. It is not a good idea to use the browser or other applications that consume the battery in this mode, so it immediately loses all meaning.

For example, at 7% charge, I activated this mode, the phone informed me that the battery is now enough for 21 hours. An hour later I decided to see how much was left again. However, I spent 3 or 4 minutes using my browser and then checked a couple of tweets. As a result, only 2% of the battery remained.

However, the good news is that if you have 100% battery, you will laugh, as in this mode it will last for many days if used wisely.

In fact, I advise you to use this mode wisely. Don't do something that drains your battery, just use your phone as a way to make a call or send a text message when you're not at home and need more battery power.

I was quick to call this mode useless when I first met it in Barcelona, \u200b\u200band saying that you might as well just turn off your phone. But it's actually a good idea, and it works better than the similar feature on the HTC One M8, which doesn't set the screen to black and white.

Switching from normal to saving mode will take about 15 seconds, which is a bit long and tedious, so get ready to just activate it and put your phone in your pocket. If it were faster, then I would just turn the phone on and off as needed. Unfortunately this is not an option.

Camera and selective focus

I'll talk more about the camera a little later in this review, but here are some high-end specs worth talking about now, as this is one of Samsung's biggest achievements.

Selective focus (or background focus, whichever you want to call it) is an important thing for smartphone makers this year, as Sony, LG and HTC have joined Samsung to take a photo by giving it “ pro-effect ”by defocusing the background with a bokeh effect, but keeping the subject in place. Nokia started doing this back in 2013.

HTC is better others have brought this to life by adding an appropriate sensor to give more depth of information needed for such an effect.

Unfortunately, Samsung seems to be the worst at this task, as the method used here often fails.

After you have turned on the camera, you need to select "Selective Focus" on the left side. Then, hope that the subject you want to shoot matches all the S5 parameters, as I often came across the message that the effect could not be applied because the subject in the foreground was not found.

The phone takes a few pictures and then processes them, again, not quickly. Then you go to the gallery and click on the icon to start processing the image, which will take a few more seconds. And if everything is in order, then you can choose a blurred foreground or background, but there is no way to keep both options.

In general, this is a very clever feature, Samsung did a great job and is worthy of respect, but HTC did a great job with it in its One M8. It's a shame that the South Korean company did it later.

Fortunately, the rest of the camera's functions are better refined better: a more powerful sensor and instant autofocus are the main things users are interested in.

It seems the company hasn't done enough work on the software flaws as the camera is slow to start up, especially from sleep mode.

I also noticed that autofocus is fast, but the picture is not always sharp, so Samsung's claim that the phone is great for taking any kind of image is not entirely true.

If the lighting is good and you know what you want to photograph (and the camera is ready to shoot), then this is a good system ... but most of the times we use the camera in a different way.

In addition to the biometric features in the phone, this is a topic that can be infuriating as many companies install it just to be.

Apple has done this for the first time with TouchID (accuracy issues aside) and companies in the industry have quickly begun to do the same.

The HTC One Max had a scanner on the back of the huge phone, but it was impossible to reach. Samsung at least placed it on the home button, which is more conveniently located, but the accuracy is not as high as the Apple version.

It's not bad, and definitely the second on the market, but the Galaxy S5 asks you to swipe vertically down instead of a normal swipe.

The good news is you can slide your thumb over the button from side to side and it will work, but the accuracy is low. Only one of 7-8 attempts will be successful, and if your hand is slightly crooked, then you will easily exhaust all 5 attempts.

I found that it started to work worse after a few days, since it is possible to add up to three prints there, I deleted my first try and tried again, sliding my thumb down and from corner to corner. The sensor seemed to like it better, and the phone unlocking accuracy improved.

I usually deleted the last attempts when there were problems, but I watched the subsequent deterioration in performance, and most users would not even think about making new prints. As I said, after taking prints of the same finger in two different ways, I saw a change in accuracy, but maybe that's not the only thing.

Download accelerator

Download accelerator is one of better ways destroy your traffic if you leave it enabled. I'm kidding, it won't hurt you if you have 4GB of extra bandwidth.

The point is simple: you have 4G, but you are connected using Wi-Fi and want to download a file from the magic cloudy world of the Internet. Instead of using one speed, the forces combine to create super speed.

If something happens to one connection, the second will take over the load and continue downloading, which means that by downloading files that weigh more than 30 MB, you will have tremendous speed.

One thing is not clear - is it possible to use high-speed download when the LTE / 4G connection is disabled. The app says only next-generation super-fast mobile connections are available, but the icon at the top of the screen still says 3G.

However, this does not work, so it can be assumed that this is another Samsung mistake.

Display

Samsung display The Galaxy S5 is one of the best on the market and the best feature on the phone. You can talk about additional innovation whatever you want, but if the phone has a big battery, a great camera and a good screen, then this is a winner.

I love what it offers - it's brighter than LCD panels, looks richer at full power than the HTC One M8. Plus, it can be darker than the rest (Samsung knows that many of us read in bed), but stay crisp.

According to DisplayMate, the Full HD Super AMOLED display is 22% brighter than the Galaxy S4 without requiring more power. Now you can go ahead and see what this stunning screen is capable of.

But here's the bottom line: The days when the Super AMOLED display was a color mess are over. Samsung has provided the Galaxy S5 with all sorts of customizations so you can find the exact balance of what you love. And functions such as adaptive display are essential so that even in bright light, the information on the screen is clearly visible.

Unfortunately, this last mode cannot be used with all applications, only with basic ones such as browser, gallery.

Good brightness, high definition and better color reproduction (by most opinions) will impress everyone except the highest standard seekers, and if you spend a lot of time watching movies, surfing the Internet or just flipping through photos, then this 5.1-inch screen with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 would be the best choice.

It's frustrating that the best option exists on both the LG G3 and the Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A version, as it makes the screen sharp and bright and can improve even the best display. But those technical fans always want something more.

If you're thinking about which Samsung phone to buy, it's worth noting that the Note 4 also has an improved display, one of the best recognized on the market by DisplayMate.

Interface and performance

The interface on the Samsung Galaxy S5 has been pretty much improved over the S4 and previous versions of the Galaxy family.

This is mainly due to the new round icons and geometric layout, allowing everything to look a little more premium and fluid. You can argue that he is a bit skeuomorphic, but this is a hint that he is trying to emulate Apple, although I don't think so.

At least I hope not. I don’t want to write any more about any court cases.

Screen lock gets first place. Now it displays the weather and the pedometer with the number of steps taken.

There is also a shortcut to the camera icon in the corner, allowing you to easily enter the application without having to unlock your phone (although it can be difficult to get into if you clicked the icon incorrectly). This is especially useful functionif you have a fingerprint screen lock set.

One of the best parts of the new home screen is the speed boost in TouchWiz. I was not the only one who noticed the lag in the interface, but S5 users say it is faster.

The animation of the desktop transitions is still a bit slow as the pages get stuck at the top of each other, but this is not significant.

The notification bar is one of the features that has undergone significant changes, it now has the rounded font I mentioned earlier and looks much nicer.

The settings menu is the same, but has been split into more sections for quicker access to what you want. Although, if you are already familiar with Android, it will take a while to get used to it.

Android Lollipop was launched not too long ago and Samsung has already started implementing it in the Galaxy S5. The update brings new features including LockScreen, Top Notifications, MirrorLink and an improved fingerprint sensor, and new material design elements for the TouchWiz interface. But as of this writing, a lot of people are still waiting for an update for their phones.

Going back to the phone itself, it's worth noting Samsung's clear tendency to gather news on other devices and continues to do so in the Flipboard with My Magazine, which lives on the left side of the main home screen.

Basically, the app takes Flipboard articles and integration methods and displays them in various categories, and this is not the most impressive improvement at all.

Once you've opened it, you will be asked to select topics that might interest you ... but what is News and Noteworthy Articles? What news does the "Sport" section cover? It is impossible to determine, so I instantly ran into an abundance of content that did not interest me.

If you dig a little deeper, you'll find that Flipboard's Magazine has an interface that lets you set custom feeds and more, which is much better.

Flipboard's Magazine interface

This is a very controversial thing about Samsung, and My Magazine still needs a lot of work to be worthy, but for now, let me turn it off.

The quality of news collected from most sources is not very good and intuitive, but I see in the not too distant future that the application will find content that interests me. So it would be nice if Samsung got this message.

But that doesn't mean Samsung doesn't have other new features that I love: for example, the Toolbox icon, which looks like a floating circle on the screen, allows you to select five apps that can be accessed by tapping on it, wherever you are. in phone.

I don't want it to be active all the time, but you might run into situations where you need quick access to things like a calculator or a voice recorder, and this is a great way to do it.

Multi-window mode is still all over the place, but I suggest you turn it off. The point is, if you are trying to watch a video, the main application will not let you do this ... you can only preview some of the videos, and the one that you choose can only be viewed in the second half of the screen.

The same thing is repeated with internet browser and apps, and it's really annoying when you don't want it.

Overall, I'm a little disappointed with the Galaxy S5's interface. There's power: 2.5 GHz CPU from the excellent Qualcomm 801 chipset, which was the market leader when it came out and remains impressive now, but I still found a lot of slowdowns in some places.

The camera app takes a long time to launch, powerful games like Real Racing 3 have low frame rates, many cars freeze (although a reboot fixed this issue a bit), and opening the gallery takes a very long time if you have cloud storage.

It seems Samsung hasn't optimized its software in these areas as the phone overheats when using advanced features such as RR3, which means the phone can't wake up effectively from sleep mode.

I've also noted multiple instances of the S5 freezing and crashing, ranging from Facebook to Gmail and SwiftKey. But now we have received a software update that has improved the situation somewhat, so this is not as bad as it was in the beginning.

This disappointment is compounded by the fact that when testing GeekBench 3, the phone received a decent 2909, which is slightly better than the HTC One M8.

It should be noted that HTC, unlike Samsung, has added a “high power mode” that allows these applications to get better performance. It's the same on both iPhones, which means that nowadays, the differences between high-end smartphones disappear.

There are very few differences between these four phones in terms of overall speed, but the issue with speed in gaming matters. Gallery loading speed has been an issue for a number of Samsung models, so I doubt that will change. But for a phone with a fast camera, something has to change.

I would like to pay special attention to memory, given that Samsung has come under criticism for the weight of its operating system in the Samsung Galaxy S4. Out of 16 GB of internal space, you get over 11 GB for personal use, which is comparable to the best on the market.

This has been helped by the fact that Samsung has removed some of the less essential apps and made them available for download from its app store, which means you have more control over the internal space.

Battery and essential functions

Here's what I want to say: the battery life of the Samsung Galaxy S5 is amazing. If you don’t want to keep reading, I don’t blame you.

There are two reasons for the improvement: first, you now have a larger 2800mAh battery, which obviously extends the life of the device. Second, you also get the fast Snapdragon 801 processor, which does everything more efficiently and conserves battery life.

On top of it all, the screen, also made much more efficient at the same brightness as the Samsung Galaxy S4, was quickly draining its battery.

This needs to be put in context: in our video battery drain test, when watching videos for 90 minutes at full brightness, the Galaxy S5 only lost 16% of its charge, which is comparable to the iPhone 5S, which has a slower processor, smaller screen and fewer pixels. ...

It beats the 23% drop on the HTC One M8, which, if you've read this review, is a good device in terms of battery life, so now you know how happy I was when I saw the more impressive results.

In fact, only LG (of the major manufacturers) seems to be more adept at optimizing the battery life of their devices, so it's odd that it couldn't beat Samsung with the LG G3, but it has a QHD display that's hard to fight against.

The battery on the Samsung Galaxy S5 was so good that I started thinking about all the things eating up battery power quickly enough, so I checked the Maximum Power Saving Mode again. The phone lasted an hour or two of shooting, Real Racing 3 games (that's what really eats up the battery) and 2 hours of video playback before 25% left.

This figure has been surpassed by several other phones recently, such as the competitor Sony Xperia Z3, but it is still the best.

These two power saving modes (maximum save mode and normal) work quite well. With normal power saving mode, there is also the option to turn your screen to black and white, which means you don't have to worry too much about the battery (again, you don't want to keep looking at your phone, which will also save battery power).

There is no way to reduce the power consumption of these apps, but perhaps this is a feature that Samsung will add at a later date.

Mandatory functions

It's worth recalling that at the heart of the Samsung Galaxy S5 is still a phone with some of the best features on the market.

For example, the company has combined social media with contacts. The smartphone has tons of decent apps and widgets (we're still glad the flashlight widget is just one icon) and generally knows how to get the best out of its phones based on credentials.

Calls

Call from using Samsung The Galaxy S5, like most of its Galaxy siblings, is very enjoyable. It delivers clear and crisp sound. The reason we relegated it to the “essentials” category is simply because most phones are good at it, but Samsung is still at the top in this regard.

There are also old familiar touches, such as the ability to see the last message you exchanged with whoever you are calling, and the ability to call back or send a message while the call is on hold.

The Galaxy S5's network coverage is more than acceptable, although not the best I've seen. This is a bit disappointing because I expected more clarity from the connection to the towers. cellular communication phone, with a polycarbonate case.

Still, this phone does a great job of making calls to other people, and if that's what matters to you (other than, perhaps, the amount of money spent on such a high-end smartphone) then things could be much worse.

Posts

Phone messaging has come a long way in recent years, and apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger pose a real challenge to SMS today.

Luckily Samsung is stuck with its messaging app, and isn't forcing you to use Hangouts on Android 4.4, which Google is aiming to get more people into, urging you to use the texting app the first time you download it.

With the new TouchWiz interface, Samsung has added another smart feature in the form of Priority Senders at the top of your mailbox... This means that the people you most often communicate with will always be available with a single tap in an open application.

The keyboard on the Galaxy S5 has mixed feelings. I always check the quality of the keyboard like this: do I want to download SwiftKey (one of the best keyboard apps on the Android Play Store) right away or not, or can I work with what is.

In this case, I think you could continue to use samsung keyboardif you don't have to use a lot of commas. It only has one full, visible, lettered stop key, which means you'll be frustratedly hitting it over and over again.

The keyboard also needs to match your style, but remember, there were times when it refused to type in a word I typed that was not in the dictionary.
Yes, I can say that I practically praise this keyboard, because Samsung does add terrible options, but you will probably still be happy to try out some of the other features. It's still not as good as the rest of the market.

Browser

Like most smartphones today, Samsung offers two browsers to choose from: its own and Google Chrome. If you are using the latter as your desktop browser, then you probably won't want to change it because it stores all your stories and passwords.

It would be a shame, because Samsung has given a really good option that not only looks good but is also very fast.

The interface is straightforward, with URL and navigation keys that go to the side when you start flipping through web pages. It has all the standard Chrome features like Incognito Mode and Desktop, so you don't miss a thing by switching between them.

The bookmarking system works intuitively and the saved pages work great in Pocket style.

As you might have guessed, most Android smartphones have the best browsers available today, but Samsung's solution with a download bar at the top of the page is very good.

Child mode

You might argue about the need for it, but for those looking to keep their kids out of their smartphone entertainment, the Galaxy S5's Kids Mode will come in handy.

This is standard procedure: you activate it, enter the code, show a photo of the child and set his age, so your boy or girl will know that it was done especially for them.

Then you can choose the apps they can use (which look like gifts on the home screen ... "Dad, look, this is Escape Zombie Land! Thanks!" "Uh ... sorry, give me a phone. This is not for kids." ) and you can also set the amount of time for games.

From being able to click on terrain and search for hidden treasures to drawing, recording your voice, or viewing pre-approved media. This is a good app to take into account and add to others.

I try to pretend that I do not accidentally play this mode for half an hour during testing. I can not. There's an app that lets you record your own voice and play it backwards like a robot.

Camera

The camera on the Samsung Galaxy S5 is one of the most powerful on the market, with Isocell and 16MP.

It has a number of other features that many will love, for example, real-time HDR allows you to see how your photo can be improved before you start shooting.

But the more interesting thing that grabs the attention of Samsung buyers is the fast autofocus, which can adjust the image clarity in 0.3 seconds.

It's fast, and there is no doubt that he can actually set it up so quickly. However, I got a couple of complaints before I talked about it.

I already mentioned this, but for some reason, it can take a few seconds for the camera to load, which is slightly longer than the competition. If you are trying to take a “quick snapshot” from the lock screen, it can take even longer, since it is easy to think that you only clicked on the icon when in fact you get far enough.

It takes the camera 3 seconds to start shooting, which means if you are trying to capture a sudden moment, you will probably miss it.

The autofocus, which I mentioned earlier, is fast and often focuses on exactly what you want, especially when the composition is right. However, there were a few cases where I had to wait to take a picture and autofocus was lost, although the subject was still blurred.

This is a non-standard situation - I wiped the lens or went into the settings to see what was happening, but I found nothing.

At least the HDR mode works well, and it's very nice to see it next to selective focus as one of the main options. You do get some of the best real-time HDR shots, and they don't take very long to process, which is a plus.

Selective focus is something of a mixed picture. On the one hand, it can work in macro mode, which means you can take multiple shots at close range and the background will be blurred. This is what you wanted (some competitors may not).

On the other hand, the device told me too often that it does not accept the image I took, and the image cannot be changed after it has already been taken.

The result was not blurry enough for me. If you compare it to the HTC One M8, which has a weak sensor but faster shutter speeds, better defocusing and better low-light shots, you know it's a minor feature for Samsung ... or at least it seems so.

But if it sounds like I'm opposed samsung cameras Galaxy S5, I apologize. This is not true. It's a good and powerful sensor, but it takes more effort to get stunning images.

The larger sensor takes a little longer to process the photos (we are talking about nanoseconds for normal photos in automatic mode) and autofocus is not as sharp as we would like, but line up your shot and you will definitely get the best image.

If you are trying to photograph by candlelight, then the S5 would be the best option. If you have a mesmerizing landscape, you will get better color reproduction with the S5.

Nevertheless, the modes are a little overkill, as there is no GIF animation before, I don't even find the desire to use any of the modes.

Samsung has typed these modes en masse since the overly complex S4, and it really helps. The Touch Up beauty mode never ceases to scare me, and although I love the Virtual Tour, I just can't seem to find the time to want to walk around my house.

This is one of only a few devices on the market with 4K video recording capabilities, however I think we won't need such a feature for at least a year or two. In addition, it will of course require more memory to shoot in this high aspect ratio.

The Galaxy S5's camera is competitive because it's powerful - it's not as good as the Nokia Lumia PureView sensor, but again, it's more responsive than the HTC One M8 if you're willing to put in the time.

Still, the One M8 is the best choice for everyday shooting, the sharpness is actually comparable to many of the S5's, but they are not as pleasant as I thought they would look when viewed on screen.

Sample camera photos

Now let's take a look at additional shots to show how the S5 handles fast action.

Media

We've almost reached the point where there is very little that can be done with the phone in terms of music playback, video viewing and games.

Music

Samsung doesn't have the same hardware as HTC or Apple in terms of dedicated amplification, meaning your headphones will have to work less to get rid of the output noise from your ears.

However, the volume of the Galaxy S5 is such that I would be surprised if there was nothing amplifying the sound from the software side.

The sound output, especially when paired with headphones, is amazing. I hear every little thing, every bass.

The music player interface is simple and straightforward - you can view all the music that the S5 collects from all over the phone at once. You can choose an album, song and playlist, plus a musical mood.

It was never something I used correctly - no one wants a playlist that goes from slow to energetic music, but it's a good way to listen to music with a kind of progression.

The sound coming out of the single speaker on the back of the phone isn't quite as powerful as from HTC's Boomsound or the Xperia Z3's front speaker, but it's okay for most purposes if you put it on your desk and let the sound spread.

In short, the sound from the Galaxy S5 is very good whether you're listening to radio broadcasts or the built-in music player. And the ability to switch between tracks on the notification panel or from the locked screen is a very useful feature.

Video

Samsung line Galaxy has always been one of the best for watching movies. Every year Note comes out with new improvements, and in the next S version it will already be a regular technology.

A lot has changed since the release of the S3, and DisplayMate found these changes in movie viewing - the S5 is almost perfect with its colors and white balance. I cannot disagree.

The test showed that the iPhone 6 is the same color and screen quality as the S5, and the Note 4, with its QHD screen, simply explodes the imagination when it comes to clarity. But that doesn't mean the S5 has a bad display.

Thanks to the infinite contrast ratio of the Super AMOLED Full HD display, everything looks deep and rich, and if you watch Netflix on your way to work, a bright morning won't interfere with your viewing even in direct sunlight.

OLED displays used to be unsuitable for this. This is an amazing achievement for Samsung and should be applauded for it.

The video player is very easy to use: it first shows the video in a small window, before you want to watch it in full size by clicking on it.

The only problem is if you have multi-window mode enabled, as I mentioned earlier: the split screen is annoying and cannot be removed until you disable this option.

Also make sure you are only viewing local content. If you add to Dropbox, you have access to tons of movies that will be difficult to host if you upload all of your content.

It would be nice to see social media, something that brings together videos of friends posted on Twitter and Facebook, everything possible to see more content on this screen.

Games

The Galaxy S5 should be very enjoyable to play, but as I said earlier (I'm starting to worry about repeating myself), games that require power sometimes freeze.

When clearing the cache with a reboot, the problem seems to be resolved. If you're going to play casual games, the S5 has a large screen on which to do so.

But be careful when using GPUs, especially in sleep mode, as the pleasure can be overshadowed by low frame rates.

Gallery

Samsung allows you to view content from Picasa / Google+, Facebook and Dropbox from the gallery, but, unfortunately, all this is quite slow and clogs the internal memory.

Opening a gallery containing not much content is not a problem, but if you have a microSD card, then everything slows down significantly and you have to wait a few seconds before the selected image opens.

This may not seem like a big deal, but if you can't get a quick look at the photos, it gets annoying.

Competition

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is a phone that definitely shouldn't be discounted, but how does it perform in the competition?

Remember, you're going to pay enough money for it, so will it have the power to be the best?

The obvious threat to the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the HTC One M8. Their specs are very similar: both have Snapdragon 801 CPU, microSD card slot, 2GB of RAM, Full HD display and excellent Android 4.4.2 (soon to be updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop).

However, there are a few differences: the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a much more powerful camera, although that's not what you would like to see in daily use.

The One M8 takes pictures faster, more in focus, but you will see that they have a lower quality when you open them on the big screen.

HTC has gone to great lengths to refine the design - it's amazing how nice an aluminum case can be in your hand, but Samsung still continues to use boring plastic. Even the fact that it is waterproof doesn’t make up for my frustration every time I pick it up.

What's new in the iPhone 6 that its predecessors didn't have? In fact, a lot. Best design. Faster processor, larger screen, higher resolution. In short, it solved many of the problems that its predecessors had.

But is it better than the Samsung Galaxy S5? Depends on what you are looking for. The S5 is stronger, thanks to the IP67 certification, it has a larger and more impressive crisp screen with excellent color reproduction.

However, he does not have iPhone quality, and we will never get the answer to the question which is better than iOS or Android. iPhone 6 has a simpler OS than TouchWiz (and we're not even talking about weird Magazine on the home screen). Other versions of Android, such as those found on the LG G3, are better and are worth a look.

Sony has done very well in the smartphone world, from the Xperia Arc to the new Xperia Z3, in an incremental trajectory.

It has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU (unlike what we saw on the Z2), a microSD card slot, and it's much more water and dust resistant. It is much better than the Z2. Although not quite suitable for 99% of users, it gives a sense of reliability and confidence.

Both have a large and bright screen and the ability to record 4K videos, although this feature is virtually useless. They have different designs: a modern metal case for the Xperia Z3 and plastic for Samsung.

The upgraded Z3 has a larger battery capacity and a brighter screen than its predecessor. The contract price is the same as the S5, so it just depends on whether you like the stylish Sony or not.

The Samsung Galaxy S6, as you already know, is the successor to the Galaxy S5. Spoiler alert: we like it. You saw a lot of criticism in this review regarding the new device, especially regarding the design.

The device has a new proprietary Exynos 7420 processor at 1.4GHz and 2.1GHz, as well as an impressive 3GB of RAM. MicroSD has been replaced with a larger storage capacity of 32, 64.128 GB. It also has an amazing 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with 1440 x 2560 resolution and 577 ppi.

At the back is its main advantage - a 16-megapixel camera that can take really amazing photos, no matter where you are.

Samsung made the odd choice of removing the Galaxy S5's water resistance, but it did fix the fingerprint sensor issue by making it better than the Galaxy S5.

Thus, it turned out to be a little larger. You will have to pay £ 599.99 for the 32GB version or £ 640 for the 64GB version.

Output

Something while writing this review made me think that Samsung MUST introduce a new premium model next year.

Now we have it, in form Samsung Galaxy Alpha, which rivals the iPhone 6 in screen size and resolution, but not in power.

But this is not the premium model I would like to see, which means that Samsung should turn the Galaxy S6 into a more interesting device in 2015. The company still sells millions of Galaxy S5 models, but we have to admit that it missed out on a chance to rise to the top.

What I liked

Samsung products are still in the market and they are amazing. This means the screen is amazing, bright, and a pleasure to watch movies in HD or SD quality.

The output sound is also amazing, it gives you the most when listening to music, talking, you can even hear everything when you are driving in noisy vehicles. I do not recommend adding too much sound all the time, it is already great.

The 16MP Isocell camera takes the brand a step further. It may not always take great pictures, but overall the images are very good, especially when you have time to focus.

I will never tire of praising the microSD card slot and the removable battery. And I'm impressed that Samsung has succeeded in this.

The battery is also great, and if you are looking for something that can last for a long time no matter what, then you should take a closer look at this smartphone.

What did not like

Despite the fact that Samsung has sold a record number of Galaxy S5 devices, I can't help but wonder if I am missing out on something in another plastic creation. Take it whatever you want, but the S5 looks cheap, and if it came out as an unbranded smartphone, it would be perceived as uninteresting. We only discuss it because it is advertised.

There must be something else, because HTC and Sony have the same price, but they also have a great design. Samsung needs to move up a notch.

I was not particularly impressed with the speed of the phone - the camera takes a while to load, games sometimes lag, and opening the gallery has always been a stumbling block for me.

Not much is wrong with the Samsung Galaxy S5, but it feels like a Galaxy S3-S-S ... another similar design and power boost, while needing a reboot after the S4, which added little to the Galaxy lineup.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is a terrific phone, but the problem is that we live in a world where great smartphones have become the norm.

Samsung seems to have gone for broke, knowing that there will still be people who want to buy this device no matter what, while still getting a nicer design.
Some might think I exaggerated my disappointment with the S5's design, but that's part of the criticism in the buying process. You cannot rely on a recognizable brand and loyalty to it if rivals make designs that are envious.

And I don’t know which verdict to take: if you like what Samsung does, then you will like this phone. The company has definitely put a lot of effort into making it more useful and adding features that you will be using, such as improved, more fast camera and health information.

But if you are unsure or are iPhone fans, then it will be easy for you to come to terms with the fact that this is some kind of update from what came before, offering uninteresting design and features that cannot make it a winner in this competition. At the same time, the iPhone 6 again took a big step forward.

Samsung has put enough effort into making the Galaxy S5 a good smartphone for 2014, and I still recommend it as a solid, if not impressive, smartphone that lacks a little something.

This is a 4.5-star phone, mainly due to its stunning screen, great battery and high-end performance coupled with a strong camera. But now there are many other smartphones to choose from besides this one such as Sony, HTC, LG and Apple.

If you are a Samsung fan, then this is a phone that you should take a closer look at, as its cost is slightly lower (although not by much), but it depends only on you which you prefer. You might want the sleek Galaxy Alpha and the surprisingly powerful Galaxy Note 4.

Contents of delivery:

• Phone
• Charger with USB cable
• Instructions
• Wired stereo headset

Positioning

A parity situation has arisen on the world market - de facto the market was divided by two players, Apple and Samsung. Each company has its own flagship, for Apple this is actually the only product - the iPhone, in the calculation of old models or the iPhone 5c, which appeared in 2013, you can not take. For Samsung, the product portfolio is much larger, but the focus is on the Galaxy S, the top-selling phone that competes with the iPhone. In 2013 galaxy sales S4 came close to the iPhone 5, in some countries they even exceeded the iPhone by several months, but then a new model came out, and everything returned to normal. Samsung quite rightly believes that the Galaxy S4 has become a successful product, although dreams that its sales will exceed those of the iPhone did not come true. Moreover, the potential of this device is very high, until today its versions are being released that will live on the market for at least another year and a half. And then Samsung fell into exactly the same trap as Apple before them - the previous models began to look more attractive than the new ones. Let me remind you that with the release of the iPhone 5 and the new version of iOS 7, many people suddenly began to buy the iPhone 4s, since the design of this device, its characteristics seemed to them better. There was no difference in the quality and size of the screen, there were no significant, big differences either. This happened for the first time for Apple, when the old model, unexpectedly after the release of the new one, did not become a niche, but occupied up to half of sales.

For Samsung model from Apple is not quite suitable, it is difficult to draw direct parallels - so after the release of S4, sales of S3 remained high and noticeable, but these were products of completely different price classes. Unlike Apple, Samsung's flagships are constantly getting cheaper throughout the year, with a total loss of 33 percent in original value. Therefore, Apple will not be able to shift the situation, the companies are in different positions. But it's safe to say that the Galaxy S5 tried to keep all the features of the previous device, as well as not make it a competitor to the Note 3, plus keep the sales of all S4 variants. Despite all the public announcements, sales plans and the like, we can safely say that the Galaxy S5, despite its flagship status, does not play such a role for Samsung. Perhaps this is due to the release of an older version of the device, the presence of which is denied in the company, or the release of Note 4 in September, to which the focus is gradually shifting. Of course, the sales volume of this model will be at least at the S4 level, possibly 10-15 percent higher. But sales will be boosted by the cheaper S4 variants, which are at stake, as well as the Note line. This happened for the first time and looks like a deliberate decision, from which all the characteristics of the flagship follow.

For the first time in the Galaxy S5, the technical characteristics do not exceed those for the Note line model, in our case it is Note 3. Formally, we can talk about an improved camera, but it does not offer any striking differences in the quality of photos, the processor is about the same performance, the amount of memory, including the RAM, less in S5. These are clearly products of different classes, and Note 3 looks very advantageous against the background of S5, it was clearly breathed a second life with this announcement.

For the buyer, this means that the purchase of the Galaxy S5 is not at all as profitable as it might seem at first glance, as its alternatives look extremely attractive and interesting. First of all, this is Galaxy S4, secondly - Note 3. It is curious that there is almost no reason for choosing the S5 in front of these devices - all these reasons are insignificant, and their combination will not be the outweighing factor for most. While it is possible that many consumers will change their phones by inertia, this group of buyers has remained unchanged for many years. As an unclear factor remains the date of the release of the new iPhone, if it takes place in the summer, it will affect the choice of many people. It is also obvious that by increasing the screen size, Apple will eliminate one of the most serious complaints about these smartphones. These factors will certainly have an impact on S5 sales and choices.

Many software chips from the Galaxy S5 may not come to the previous models, not because of the possibility of their implementation, but for purely marketing reasons, it is necessary to show the difference in the devices, to draw attention to the new product.

An interesting question is whether it is worth changing the Galaxy S4 to the S5. Such a replacement will be pleasant (a faster machine, better camera, there are different chips), but you won't notice much difference. Although there is still a certain sense in this. But replacing Note 3 with Galaxy S5, in my opinion, definitely makes no sense, these are products of a different class. However, let's take a look at what the S5 is.

Design, dimensions, controls

Samsung tries not to experiment with the design of its devices, it remains unchanged from year to year. While testing the Galaxy S4 Black and S5 for the duration of the work, I kept confusing which phone was in front of me. It is almost impossible to distinguish them from the front panel at a quick glance. You will succeed much better in the pictures, but in life they are completely similar - even slightly different sizes are not striking.

The phone measures 142x72.5x8.1 mm and weighs 145 grams. Let me remind you that the S4 had these parameters 136.6x69.8x7.9 mm, 130 grams. Slightly higher, slightly wider. In the hand, the difference is not felt in any way, exactly the same grip - it easily fits in any pocket.

Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Galaxy S4

Designers have come off on the back cover of the device - it has a skin-like structure with uniform dots applied to the surface. Initially offered in 4 different colors.

Two years ago, I had an X-Drago Dash Dot case that had almost the same design as the back cover in the S5.

I cannot recall a case when a manufacturer would copy someone else's case when creating its flagship. This is another indicator of the crisis of ideas that is on the market - the same solutions are chewed by many companies.

Feeling from back cover strange, it is a little oily, as if impregnated with some kind of solution. When you hold the device in your hands, your fingers begin to sweat on this lid (it is possible that this is an individual reaction of my body, but others also noted this after asking a question about their feelings).

Another characteristic feature is the warning that you need to tightly close the cover of the charging connector, it appears after each charge. There are no sensors here, just common sense, suggesting that to charge the device, you opened the connector. Also, after opening the case, you are asked to check its tightness.

On the left side surface there is a paired volume control key, on the right - an on / off button. At the top there is a 3.5 headphone jack, it is moved to the right (on the S4 on the left and next to the second microphone), this is done so that the microphone is not blocked when the headphones are on. There is also an IrDA window.

Samsung Galaxy S5 and Apple iPhone 5S

Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Above the screen you can see a 2-megapixel front cameraas well as a proximity sensor. The physical key under the screen is adjacent to two touch-sensitive buttons - everything is unchanged here, except that the key assignment has changed in accordance with the way it is done in KitKat.

Display

Perhaps this is the biggest disappointment - for the first time Samsung decided not to increase the screen resolution for its flagship, but only slightly increase the diagonal - now it is 5.1 inches at 1080x1920 pixels (432 dpi, in the S4 - 441 dpi). It is impossible to see individual pixels of the screen, the resolution of the human eye does not allow this. There are no barriers for superhumans, and they see pixelation even on this device. Screen type SuperAMOLED, displays up to 16 million colors.

One of the user's misconceptions is that Super AMOLED screens are too bright, saturated and unnatural. In the screen settings, you can choose any display option, including those typical for screens from other manufacturers (dimmer, natural colors). It is interesting that the screens of other manufacturers give the maximum possible, and it is impossible to make them brighter, more contrasting, and the colors richer. At Samsung, the flexibility is maximized.

Just like the S4, there is an "Optimize Display" option. This is the most interesting setting, since the device analyzes the level of illumination around and, depending on the conditions, sets the contrast, brightness, plus adjusts the colors on the screen. It turns out that white looks white in almost all conditions. Another setting is "Professional photography" (formerly called Adobe RGB), but it has almost no effect on the image display quality, the latter does not change noticeably compared to other settings (I could not notice this).

The screen looks great in the sun, there are no problems, the readability has increased slightly, this is due to the change in the screen itself, which I would like to say separately. So, for the first time testing the video playback time on this device and the S4 Black Edition at maximum screen backlight, I noticed the white backlight on the S5, the picture looked much worse. This was a clear step backward.

After playing around with the settings, I discovered a rather funny thing - the picture quality is excellent and completely comparable to the S4 with automatic backlighting (default setting), but an attempt to turn the brightness up instantly leads to negative consequences. Also, the quality of the Adaptive Display is such that it is focused on the power saving mode, the colors are muted. To get a picture like on S4, you should choose one of the other display modes.

With brightness, everything became clear in the sun, with automatic adjustment, it twists up in these conditions, readability in direct sunlight increases dramatically. Although I could not notice much difference in Moscow with the same Note 3 (Samsung Galaxy S5 in the photos above).

I have a strong feeling that the default settings are in favor of some scenario in which people want not very bright, muted colors and medium backlighting - plus, it saves battery. You should choose these parameters for yourself.

And here are some pictures of the screen comparison with the S4. Let me remind you that the screen in the S4 was and remains the best on the market, in the S4 review there was a large comparison of displays, the situation has not changed in a year.

Comparison with Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy S5 from below:

Comparison with Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy S5 from above:

Fingerprint scanner

The feature is quite curious and appeared in response to the fingerprint scanner in the iPhone 5s, where you need to put your finger on the button. Unlike Apple's implementation, in the S5 you just need to swipe in the center of the screen and touch the center key. In the settings, you can register up to 3 prints, it is very inconvenient to hold the phone with one hand. Someone, perhaps, will contrive, and it will work, but it does not work for me - therefore, only with two hands. Apple only has one hand - and the device itself is smaller.

The scanner almost always works perfectly, detects the fingerprint quickly and unlocks the phone. During operation, several times I saw a message that the surface of the device is wet, I was asked to wipe it. Apparently, a sensor is involved here, which is already in the S4 and measures the ambient temperature and humidity.

It's difficult to say anything special about the scanner, everything works and raises no complaints.

Battery and power saving modes

The phone has Li-Ion battery capacity of 2800 mAh (in S4 it costs 2600 mAh), the manufacturer specifies for the device up to 390 hours of standby time, up to 21 hours of talk time, as well as up to 10 hours of watching videos and about 45 hours of listening to music. Out of touch with reality, these results are impressive, but you and I know very well that in practice, most Android smartphones do not live so long and show completely different results.

Before discussing the operating time of the device, let me remind you that initially only the S5 version, built on the Qualcomm chipset, appears on the market, the Exynos version will be later - so we are talking only about this version of the phone. But there shouldn't be much difference.

Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Galaxy S5

So, the most in a simple way was to take the same FullHD movie in X.264 and see how long the Galaxy S4 can play it (I took the Black Edition version on Qualcomm). Video playback software - MX Player, no hardware decoding. The result with maximum screen brightness, mute and offline mode turned out to be typical - about 9.5 hours.

For most modern smartphones this is an unattainable result, for example, MTK devices play a similar video for about 4-5 hours (with a comparable battery capacity). Testing the S5 revealed a curious moment - the device worked for about 12 hours and 40 minutes. Unfortunately, during the playback, it went to the main menu once, so it was necessary to restart the playback - but the impact of this incident is minimal, it can be ignored, since the screen time shows how long the video was spinning.

Many people are impressed by the “naked” numbers, but how often do we watch videos non-stop and do not use other features? Of course, not often, because the phone is a universal harvester, in which we use literally all the possibilities. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate in aggregate how the battery works, how long it allows the phone to last. Here we can say that the S5 does not differ much from the S4, the operating time is comparable - with heavy use of the device, it will sit down by about lunchtime (3-4 hours of screen operation and a couple of GB of data). With not very strong exploitation, it will be able to live until the evening. Unfortunately, I could not notice much difference from the S4, the device definitely loses to the same Note 3, which remains the record holder in terms of power consumption and calmly lives up to the evening with any use profile.

However, in the phone's settings, two more were added to the existing power saving modes, and also a quick power button was created for them. There is a usual power saving mode, in which you can limit the background work of applications, enable gray colors for the screen (for AMOLED this is a chip - gray color consumes almost no energy). Moreover, you can work in gray scale almost everywhere, even watch a video - but it will be gray, which is not very pleasant and convenient.

I was interested to see if you can live a whole day in this power consumption mode. I managed it calmly, we can say that the device will last for two days, but it won't give you pleasure. There are hardly any people who will use the screen in such a color scheme. There is also another limitation - in Whatsapp and other programs that use a background connection, work stops, you stop receiving messages. For social networks that Samsung and the SNS program know, as well as with the access permissions obtained on the phone (Facebook, Instagram, 4square, Twitter), you receive push messages from the Samsung service. That is, the power saving mode also has a software chip - instead of push messages from different services / programs, they come in a certain interval from only one. This interval cannot be configured, all settings are hidden from the user. Look at the graphs of phone usage in this mode.

This saver mode is good when you run out of battery, but you need all the features of your phone. Then, on 10 percent of the charge, you can safely live for about two hours, practically denying yourself nothing. Two hours is an active use of the device, just in a pocket it can live much longer.

In the early firmware of the device, the startup widget for the power saving mode showed the approximate operating time in two modes - normal and maximum. The first mode was removed for the commercial version, it can be activated from the menu, but you cannot see the estimated operating time.

The maximum mode of limiting power consumption cuts almost everything, with 35 percent of the battery charge, the phone can work in standby mode for at least 4 days. But, of course, it all depends on how you use it. The gray scale also turns on, but all communications are cut off, the list of running applications is limited only to those that you allowed, all background processes turn off. This is a very deeply revised procedure, since many system functions are disabled, you cannot take a screenshot in this mode, many built-in options will be unavailable (but you don't need them).

I liked this mode because when the battery runs out, activating this mode with one touch, you can safely live until the evening - SMS and voice will be available to you.

The bottom line is that we have a fairly typical and gluttonous Android, which, however, works quite comparable to the iPhone 5s on the same tasks. To avoid unnecessary disputes and battles, I want to emphasize that each of us has our own set of applications, work profile, backlight brightness, and so on. The phone, which will work for one person for two days, will sit down for another person for lunch. Therefore, it is not worth giving the operating schedules of your devices, they do not say anything at all, you need to compare devices simultaneously, with the same load. For the S5, you should focus on a full day of work, taking into account the fact that you will use certain energy saving chips, without denying, however, all the pleasures of this device.

Camera

A separate material is devoted to the camera, in which you can find out everything that is possible about it.

Hardware platform, memory, performance

The phone uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8974AC chipset, also called the Snapdragon 801. This is the fastest chipset from Qualcomm so far, its previous version MSM8974AB was used in a device like the LG G2. Quad-core processor, maximum frequency 2.45 GHz, graphics coprocessor clocked at 578 MHz (previously 450 MHz). Also, the LPDDR3 memory bus frequency was overclocked - from 800 to 933 MHz. In many ways, this is what gives an increase in productivity.

The amount of RAM is 2 GB (after downloading, half is free), built-in memory is 16 GB (there is a 32 GB version, but it is unlikely to be widely available on the market). The amount of memory occupied by programs is about 4 GB. Memory card - up to 64 GB.

In synthetic tests, the device shows excellent results, outperforming the same Note 3, despite the smaller amount of RAM.

Before the commercial firmware appeared, the performance was lower, the device was outperforming the Note 3. Now it is slightly higher in performance. But these are synthetic tests that are of interest to fans of virtual parrots. For them - a few more tests.

In the usual, everyday life the speed of the device is excellent. The interface is extremely responsive and fast. Those who can see the brakes will see them everywhere - but at the moment this is one of the fastest devices. There is no difference with the iPhone 5s in terms of operating speed.

USB, Bluetooth, communication capabilities

Bluetooth... Bluetooth version 4.0 (LE). When transferring files to other devices that support this technology, Wi-Fi 802.11 n is used, and the theoretical transfer speed is about 24 Mbps. Testing the transfer of a 1 GB file showed a maximum speed of about 12 Mbps within three meters between devices.

The model supports various profiles, in particular Headset, Handsfree, Serial Port, Dial Up Networking, File Transfer, Object Push, Basic Printing, SIM Access, A2DP. Working with headsets does not raise any questions, everything is routine.

USB connection... For some reason, Android 4 abandoned the USB Mass Storage mode, leaving only MTP (there is also a PTP mode).

The USB version is 3, the data transfer rate is about 50 Mb / s.

When connected via USB, the device is charged.

The microUSB connector also supports the MHL standard, which means that using a special cable (available from electronics stores), you can connect your phone to a TV (to HDMI output). In fact, the standard describes the ability to connect via microUSB to HDMI. This solution looks preferable to a separate miniHDMI connector on the case.

The maximum data transfer rate in LTE is 150 Mbps.

Wi-Fi... Supports 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac standard, the wizard is similar to that for Bluetooth. You can remember the selected networks, automatically connect to them. It is possible to set up a connection to the router with one touch, for this you need to press a button on the router, and also activate a similar button in the device menu (WPA SecureEasySetup). Of the additional options, it is worth noting the setup wizard, it appears when the signal is weak or disappearing. You can also configure Wi-Fi to work on a schedule.

Also for the 802.11 n standard, the HT40 operating mode is supported, which allows you to double throughput Wi-Fi (requires support from another device).

Wi-Fi Direct... A protocol that aims to replace Bluetooth or compete with its third version (it also uses Wi-Fi version n to transfer large files). On the menu Wi-Fi settings select the Wi-Fi Direct section, the phone starts looking for devices around. We select the desired device, activate the connection on it, and voila. You can now view files on another device in the file manager, as well as transfer them. Another option is to simply find the devices connected to your router and transfer the necessary files to them, this can be done from the gallery or other sections of the phone. The main thing is that the device supports Wi-Fi Direct.

NFC... The handset has NFC technology, which can be used with various additional applications.

S Beam... A technology that allows you to transfer a file of several gigabytes to another phone in a few minutes. In fact, we see in the S Beam a combination of two technologies - NFC and Wi-Fi Direct. The first technology is used to bring up and authorize phones, but the second is already used to transfer the files themselves. A creatively redesigned way of using Wi-Fi Direct is much easier than using a dual-device connection, file selection, and so on.

Infrared port... It is necessary to use the phone as a control panel for various household appliances. Automatically adjusts for almost any vehicle model.

Software features - some chips and kids mode, S Health

I described all the features of the new version of TouchWiz, preinstalled programs and all the new features in a separate and voluminous article. This is done on purpose so as not to be repeated here.

The Galaxy S5 has given a lot of attention to new modes of operation for people with impaired motor coordination, hearing or vision impairments. In terms of a set of built-in capabilities, this is one of the most powerful models, along with technology from Apple. But usually during the test you skip this menu (it appears at the first boot), and then you do not go there. However, one more non-trivial function appeared in it, this is a baby monitor. You can put the phone next to the baby, and then he will catch his cry, and then the camera flashes will inform you about it. Since my children have already grown up, I could not test this function in practice. The phone does not respond to the recorded crying of the baby, and if you want to watch how Murtazin howls, then watch the video below - this device also did not respond to my howl. This does not mean that the baby monitor is not working, but most likely, it is useless.

It is highly unlikely that the flagship of 2014, the Samsung Galaxy S5, received an official update to Android 7.0 Nougat. If you want to install something newer than Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow on your phone, then you have to take matters into your own hands. We will naturally help you by creating a step-by-step guide for installing custom firmware based on the seventh version of Android on the Galaxy S5.

Note: The firmware in question will only work on Snapdragon variants of the Galaxy S5 (klte), including SM-G900F, SM-G900T, SM-G900M, SM-G900P, SM-G900V, SM-G900FD, SM-G900MD models. SM-G900K, SM-G900L, SM-G900S and some others. If you have the Exynos variant (SM-G900H), then it should disappoint you that Android Nougat is rather unstable for it at the moment. However, according to this instruction, you can install it on your device and test it (the download link can be found on the forum on this site).

Do you really need to change the official firmware to a custom one?

Without regular platform security updates, you expose yourself to a huge risk of being compromised, which could lead to theft of data or even money. If you are still getting the Android security patches promised by Samsung and the software you are using suits you, then I think you should not reflash.

Installing Nougat on the Galaxy S5: First Steps

The first thing to do is create a data backup. In most cases, your phone contacts are already synced with your Google account. You can make a backup of all data on your phone using our instructions, which will allow you to do it quickly and correctly.

Keep in mind that after flashing, the data of many programs and games will be lost. Photos and videos can be uploaded to Google Photos. One way or another, during the installation of custom firmware, you can choose to clear the phone's memory or not.

Also make sure your smartphone is at least 60-70% charged, but it's best to fully charge it before installing the firmware.

Connect the Galaxy S5 to your computer

Unfortunately, to prepare for the firmware, we need a utility that works only from under Windows. If you have not yet installed the drivers, you can download them from the official Samsung website. Also download the ODIN utility itself from this link. Install the drivers and unpack the ODIN archive to any place convenient for you, such as “Documents”.

Download mode on Galaxy S5

Restart your phone to download mode. To do this, turn off the Galaxy S5 completely, and then press and hold the following buttons at the same time for a few seconds: Volume Down, Home and Power On. A warning should appear on the screen, which must be skipped by pressing the “Volume up” key.

Launch the ODIN that you downloaded and unzipped earlier and connect your phone with a USB cable. This program should detect the device and if this happens, then an inscription will appear on the top left, as you can see in the screenshot below. And below in the block with logs the message “Added” will appear, which means that everything is in order, S5 is ready to work.

If the phone is in download mode, but does not appear in ODIN, then you need to install other drivers - ADB Driver Installer. Then we move on to the next step.

Install custom recovery (TWRP Recovery)

To install custom android firmware 7.1.1 Nougat for Galaxy S5, first need to be replaced stock recovery, which is available in all Android devices, to a custom one. As you might have guessed, stock recovery works only with official software, and custom recovery works with modified software.

Download version TWRP Recovery for your smartphone model from this link. Make no mistake with the model number, go to the Primary (Recommended) section and download the file latest version exactly in .tar format to your computer.

After that, in the ODIN program, you need to select the just downloaded recovery. Click the “AP” button, find this file and click the “Select” button. Make sure your phone is connected to your computer as described above and then click on the “Start” button. Within a few seconds, the process should complete and the Galaxy S5 should reboot.

Download and install Android 7.1.1 Nougat on the Galaxy S5

After installing custom recovery, go directly to android installation 7.1.1 Nougat on Samsung Galaxy S5. First, download the firmware from the official Lineage OS website (formerly known as CyanogenMod). Click on the latest build (always at the very top) and the ZIP archive will start downloading automatically. So far, only so-called "nightly" builds are available, which are updated every day, but after a while, software improvements will appear in stable versions.

Nowadays it is hard to do without Google services, such as the Play Store, so we also download a ZIP archive with Google applications. The easiest way to do this is through the Opengapps.org resource. We go to the site, select the platform (in this case, ARM) the version of Android and also the set of applications that you are going to use. I recommend choosing the minimal set “pico” or “nano”, but by clicking on the icon next to the name, you can see a complete list of all the applications that are included in the package.

Then click on the red download button below to download.

Setting up the device for the first time

After starting up your phone, you will have to go through the process of first setting up your phone as if it were brand new. Connect to Wi-Fi, sign in with your Google account and install all the necessary apps and app store. The Samsung Galaxy S5 will receive regular Android updates, including the latest security patches.

Pros and cons of LineageOS 14.1 on Galaxy S5

The firmware works very well, no problems have arisen for months of use. Everything works, including NFC and a fingerprint scanner. The only drawback is the lack of HDR function in the phone camera, but even without it the photos are very high quality.

With this software this device seems completely new and faster than ever. If you still buy a new battery, then it can delight you for several more years. The Samsung Galaxy S5 could get Android O in the same way - the next expected update from Google.

It just so happened historically - simply due to the fact that Korea has recently become a developed and high-tech country - that Samsung has always been in the role of catching up, whichever product direction you take. And she has always adhered to the approach of "overtake and overtake", and, as a rule, not so much in the sense "we have better", but in the fact that "we have more." Good or bad is an open question, but this approach has always worked and eventually allowed Samsung to become one of the largest and most influential companies in the difficult and changeable high-tech market.

It seems that Koreans themselves are still at a loss about this and do not fully understand what to do. Because it is one thing to be successful and dynamic “number two”, and quite another to try to orchestrate the market, come up with new ideas, develop hitherto non-existent directions and stuff like that. This is not to say that Samsung is not trying to do it - they are even trying. But so far, with varying success: Korean notions are often very artificial.

Apparently, Samsung decided to slow down a little with the usual quantitative approach. It's not like giving it up altogether - of course, the Galaxy S5 has a certain amount of "more", "higher" and "more often" - but you still feel an attempt to do serious work on mistakes: to do not only "a lot", but also "well".

⇡ Appearance and ergonomics

Design - subtle matter. When it comes to the company's products, which are sold in millions of copies - and therefore, obviously, are very popular with a huge number of people, then everything is quite complicated. Here we must speak carefully about design: either good or nothing. Otherwise, there will be darkness for the people, indignant with value judgments. So what about the aesthetic component, sorry, this time we just keep silent and focus on the facts. The facts are: compared to the Galaxy S4 new smartphone acquired a more square shape, got a corrugation on a metallized rim, the back panel is now decorated with a leatherette coating, and the dimensions have grown significantly. As a result, the S5 looks more like the Galaxy Note 3 than the Galaxy S4. Is that instead of a "line" on the back - "perforation".

Structurally, the S5 does not differ at all from all previous Samsung devices with serious price category... Inside there is a magnesium frame, which plays the role of a strong and rigid frame, outside there is an exclusively plastic "body kit". Either the plastic panels in the S5 have become a little thicker than in the S4, or the vibration isolation has been strengthened, but the “sonority” of the case characteristic of the previous flagship Samsung has seriously decreased. The case still vibrates when tapped, but much less noticeably.

The main innovation of the Galaxy S5 is the appearance of protection against moisture and dust. Koreans have already tried their hand at this genre, but earlier separate models of smartphones were created for experiments. This is the first time that Samsung uses this feature in the "regular", "main" flagship.

Moisture and dust protection is implemented according to the IP67 class. This was not without a marketing gimmick: in the eyes of an uninformed person, IP67 is obviously more and "better" than IP58, which claims for its sony flagships... In fact, this is not at all the case: the fact is that the Ingress Protection rating (the very abbreviation IP) consists of two numbers independent of each other. The first number speaks about dust protection and only about it - accordingly, in terms of water protection, the IP6x class is no better than IP5x.

The second distinguishing feature of the Galaxy S5 is the presence of a fingerprint sensor. Like Apple, the sensor is built into a single physical button on the bezel. But it works in a completely different way: you can turn on the iPhone with a button and hold your finger on it for a fraction of a second and unlock the smartphone. In Samsung Galaxy S5, these actions are divided into two independent operations: you must first turn on the smartphone, and then slide your registered finger from the mark on the display to the sensor.

Fingerprint sensor built into the Home button

The sensor works quite well - it recognizes a finger quite stably, even if it is held at all sorts of unnatural angles, except that it does not work upside down. But the process itself is less convenient than Apple's and takes a little longer. However, even in this form it turns out much faster than with entering a password or a pattern of dots. Additional actions can be assigned to the fingerprint sensor - up to authorizing transactions with PayPal.

There is only one "loud" speaker in the Samsung Galaxy S5, it is located at the back. Sounds pretty nice and very loud

However, it should be borne in mind that, as in iPhone case, the defense has already learned to bypass: for this it is necessary to take some actions, which are not quite simple, but still by no means quantum mechanics. So it is worth minimizing the risk: do not tie the most valuable and easily "monetized" logins-passwords like banking ones to "fingers", and also use those fingers for identification, good prints from which, most likely, will not remain on the glass of the front panel - with a little finger or nameless.

The third unusual feature of the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the built-in heart rate sensor. It is located in a small niche on the back side of the body, the camera flash is placed in the same niche. The sensor consists of a pair of elements: a diode that illuminates the finger, and a simple camera that reads the pulsation.

Due to the protected design, the case has grown significantly. At the same time, the display has increased purely formally - by 0.1 inches. So there is no talk of any new level of comfort when working with the screen, but you have to reach for the necessary elements much further. Visually, the Galaxy S5 does not give the impression of a large device - the shape smoothes out the dimensions a lot - but in fact it almost caught up with the Xperia Z1. And far ahead of the LG G2, equipped with a larger screen.

However, this is the problem with most modern flagships: they are all too big. We are already accustomed to this: long ago we learned to stretch our fingers to such distances that it was difficult to imagine before, and also to quickly intercept the tubes from a comfortable grip to such that it would be easier to reach the button with your finger.

⇡ Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S5 (SM-G900F)
Display	5.1 inches, 1920x1080, AMOLED
Touch screen	Capacitive, up to 10 simultaneous touches
Air gap	No
Oleophobic coating	there is
Polarizing filter	there is
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AC v3: four Qualcomm Krait-400 (ARMv7) cores, 2.46 GHz; process technology 28 nm HPm
Graphics controller	Qualcomm Adreno 330, 578 MHz
RAM	2 GB LPDDR3-1600
Flash memory	16 GB (about 12 GB available) + microSD
Connectors	1 x micro-USB 3.0 (MHL) 1 x 3.5mm headset jack 1 x microSD 1 x micro-SIM
cellular	2G / 3G / 4G Qualcomm MDM9x25 modem (built into processor), WTR1625L transceiver + WFR1620 receiver One SIM card micro-SIM
Cellular 2G	GSM / GPRS / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Cellular 3G	WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz DC-HSPA + (42.2 / 5.76 Mbps)
4G cellular	LTE FDD band 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20 (2100/1900/1800/850/2600/900/800 MHz) LTE Cat. 3 (150/50 Mbps)
Wi-Fi	802.11a / b / g / n / ac, 2.4 and 5 GHz
Bluetooth	4.0
NFC	there is
Infrared port	there is
Navigation	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
Sensors	Light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer / gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), barometer, fingerprint sensor, heart rate sensor
Main camera	16 MP (5312x2988), Samsung S5K2P2 1 / 2.6 '' back-illuminated CMOS sensor with ISOCELL technology, 1.12 micron element size autofocus, diode flash
Front-camera	2 Mp (1920x1080), Samsung S5K8B1YX03 CMOS sensor 1 / 7.3 '' with back illumination, element size 1.12 microns without autofocus, without flash
Nutrition	Removable battery 10.78 Wh (2800 mAh, 3.85 V) Battery built-in NFC antenna
The size	142x73 mm Case thickness: 8.3mm (9.7mm with camera)
Weight	145 g
Water and dust resistant	IP67
operating system	Google Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) Own shell samsung TouchWiz
recommended price	29,990 rubles
* Also available with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage

⇡ Iron and communication

In past years, Samsung flagships first appeared with their own Exynos processors and only then, in connection with the special wishes of American cellular operators, versions on Qualcomm chips were released. The turning point occurred at the launch of the Galaxy Note 3: for this model, versions on both Exynos and Qualcomm Snapdragon were simultaneously announced.

For Galaxy S5, the version (or rather, “versions” - there are quite a few for different markets) on American processors will become the main one. Modifications on Exynos also exist, but already as secondary, auxiliary, for some special markets - it is not yet clear for which ones, they have not yet gone on sale. One way or another, in the Russian market, the SM-G900F version, equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with the uncomplicated model name MSM8974AC v3.

The American chipmaker introduced a fair amount of confusion into his the lineup, so it makes sense to provide a table that shows the differences between different Qualcomm SoCs.

	Maximum CPU frequency	Maximum GPU frequency	ISP	eMMC	Dual SIM Dual Active	Memory interface
Snapdragon 800
MSM8974VV v2	2.2 GHz	450MHz	320 MHz	4.5	No	800 MHz
MSM8974AA v2	2.3 GHz	450MHz	321 MHz	4.5	No	800 MHz
MSM8974AB v2	2.3 GHz	550MHz	322 MHz	4.5	No	933 MHz
Snapdragon 801
MSM8974AA v3	2.3 GHz	450MHz	323 MHz	5.0	Yes	800 MHz
MSM8974AB v3	2.3 GHz	578MHz	465 MHz	5.0	Yes	933 MHz
MSM8974AC v3	2.5 GHz	578MHz	465 MHz	5.0	Yes	933 MHz

So, MSM8974AC v3 is the most powerful Qualcomm chip in existence today. It is still quad-core and 32-bit using the Krait-400 architecture, running on the ARMv7 instruction set. But compared to the "normal" 800th a new version Perceptibly overclocked: the maximum frequency of both the computing cores themselves and the graphics adapter built into the processor is higher, the chip can work with faster memory, even the ISP, the unit responsible for working with cameras, is overclocked.

In addition, new versions of Qualcomm's flagship chips have support for a faster interface for connecting flash memory eMMC 5.0, as well as support for two SIM cards in Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) mode. The latter, however, is not relevant for our version of the Galaxy S5 - there is only one SIM card in it, of the "micro" format.

The amount of RAM has not changed compared to that in the Galaxy S4 and is still 2 GB. The memory type is apparently the same as in the Galaxy Note 3 - LPDDR3-1600. As for the flash drive, there are versions with 16 GB of built-in memory (about 12 GB are available), and with 32. Of course, microSD cards are supported, Samsung prefers not to limit the user in the desire to expand the storage capacity.

By and large, everything is still the same: the Snapdragon 801 has the same MDM9x25 modem as the Snapdragon 800, which can work with any existing networks of the second and third generations, and also supports work in LTE networks of category 4. Support for faster LTE Cat. 6 (recall that in Moscow such a network is already operating within the Garden Ring) will have to wait until the next generation of the modem, MDM9x35. And first, this modem will be external and only by the release of Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 will move to the SoC.

As for the RF part, everything is more interesting: the Samsung Galaxy S5 uses a new WTR1625L transceiver, equipped with a WFR1620 companion chip, which is an additional receiver and is designed to implement carrier frequency aggregation technology. The Galaxy S5 also has the QFE1100 chip, which is responsible for the Envelope Tracking technology. All of this additional hardware can, in theory, improve data transfer rates and lower power consumption.

The slots for micro SIM and memory card in the Samsung Galaxy S5 are located “sandwich”. And the NFC antenna is built into the battery

With a set of supported ranges, alas, everything is not as great as we would like. Samsung prefers to differentiate markets, including the support of cellular networks. This is good for sellers in local markets, but not very pleasant for those who travel frequently and want to enjoy fast data transfer anywhere in the world. SM-G900F is the European version of the device, and in Europe there will be no problems with communication. However, it does not work well for other regions: many of the popular 3G / 4G bands in the US are not supported. Not to mention China.

The micro-USB 3.0 connector is hidden under the cap. Each time to charge it will have to be opened, the ability to connect a docking station is not provided, but you can purchase a rear panel with wireless charging - of course, for extra money

For a wired connection, a micro-USB 3.0 interface with MHL support is used. Wireless interfaces - a complete set: the user also has a dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac adapter, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC. There is also an infrared port - so that the smartphone can work as a universal remote control. Among other things, this can be useful if you want to turn down the volume of your TV in a public place.

The Qualcomm iZat Gen8B module built into the processor is responsible for working with navigation satellite networks, exactly the same as in Snapdragon 800. Recall, in addition to the GPS and GLONASS systems that have already become standard, this module and the WTR1625L transceiver already mentioned above also support chinese Beidou... Moreover, Samsung Galaxy S5 has become, it seems, the first "global" smartphone, for which Beidou support is declared in the official specifications and is really implemented - for the first time we managed to catch Chinese satellites on SGS5.

Test of GPS / GLONASS / Beidou-receiver Samsung Galaxy S5. From left to right: 15 seconds after the start; a minute after the start; in room

Navigation works very quickly: even without access to the Network, the Galaxy S5 literally in a matter of seconds finds a dozen satellites and confidently determines the coordinates. This is the fastest navigation smartphone we have ever seen - the speed is amazing.