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Samsung Galaxy S5 specifications: top 5 goodies and top 5 baddies

Samsung finally announce the Galaxy S5, a successor of Galaxy S4, during the Unpacked 5 event during MWC 2014 in Barcelona last week.

So, all Galaxy S5 rumors settled down.

Samsung Galaxy S5 did not bring much surprise to us. It is an incremental update for the almost-one-year-old Galaxy S4.

Apparently, Samsung learnt from the failures of Galaxy S4. Galaxy S5 is their attempt to go back to basics. Galaxy S5 does not pack so many fancy features, but just a few very practical features. Of course, apparently, all features are tested well, not half-baked as in Galaxy S4.

Quick overview of Galaxy S5 specifications

Here is the specification sheet of Samsung Galaxy S5:

Display: 5.1″ full HD (1920*1080) AMOLED (not rumored 2K display)
CPU: Snapdragon 801 Quadcore at 2.5GHz; Exynos variants in some regions for 3G models.
GPU: Adreno 330 with maximum GPU frequency of 578MHz
RAM: 2GB (not rumored 3GB)
Storage: 16GB/32GB
OS: Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Battery: 2800mAh, removeable
Rear camera: 16MP censor with phase detection autofocus
Front camera: 2MP
Fingerprint scanner
Color options: black, white, blue and gold
WiFi: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, MIMO(2×2), DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
USB: USB 3.0
Bluetooth 4.0, ANT+, NFC, and IR Remote
Dimension: 142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm
Weight: 145g
IP67 certified – dust and water resistant
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Sensors: proximity, compass, barometer,RGB ambient light, gesture, accelerometer, gyro, heart rate sensor

Galaxy S5 specifications: top 5 goodies

Latest hardware and software, as expected

Samsung always puts the latest hardware in Galaxy S flagship phones. Galaxy S5 is not an exception. The Galaxy S5 specifications clearly state this is 2014 smartphone.

Galaxy S5 is the first smartphone that comes with Snapdragon 801,which is a performance upgrade to Snapdragon 800. The 2.5GHz quadc0re processor should provide sufficient (actually more than sufficient) processing power for Galaxy S5. The upgraded Adreno 330 GPU can achieve 578MHz. This makes it possible for Galaxy S5 to get higher quality imaging, utilize faster camera sensors and improve photo post-processing.

The 5.1″ full HD AMOLED display is one of the best screens you can get for a smartphone. Even for AMOLED haters, it is hard to deny AMOLED is very comfortable to watch on a smartphone screen.

Galaxy S5 will come with Android 4.4.2 (KitKat), the latest version of Android. This is not a surprise to anyone.

Fingerprint scanner

Fingerprint scanner in Galaxy S5 is not a surprise after iPhone got it last year.

But what surprised us is that this feature is actually polished so well that it is far better than that in iPhone, LG G2 and HTC One Max.

It is not half-baked (as features in Galaxy S4). The promised integration with PayPal makes this feature extremely useful.

It seems Samsung finally understands the specification sheet does not need to be long.

Dust and water resistant

Another surprise of Galaxy S5 specifications is the IP67 certified dust and water resistant feature. This may be not new for smartphones because Sony … Read the rest

From square to round: UI changes in Galaxy S5

By simon 2 Comments

Following the teaser of the galaxy S5 launch date, Samsung now teases us with a new picture related to the unpacked event.

This time, one prominent element in the teaser is the round shape of app icons.

Of course, this does not just mean shape changes in icons of apps: from square to round.

It probably hints some radical changes in TouchWiz, which is widely criticized as a Gingerbread-age Android UI.

Actually, there are no major changes in TouchWiz in last 3-4 years.

In January, when Samsung revealed the giant tablets (Galaxy Note Pro and Galaxy Tab Pro) , we noticed the new user interface for TouchWiz. But the controversial Magazine style UI is obviously not suitable for a 5″ device.

The old-fashioned, bloated and bloodily-slow TouchWiz really needs a revamp.

The purported image confirms:

This is a Galaxy S5 event. This is unarguable. No Tizen devices yet. This is not a Galaxy S5 rumor.
Very likely, Samsung will launch more than one Galaxy S5. A few variants of Galxy S5 will be revealed as well. Some rumors suggest there are premium and standard versions at least. Maybe there will be 3 variants of Galaxy S5 to be launched.
A new UI with refreshed TouchWiz. But how new? At least it is more than a simple icon shape change. My guess is a more or less an evolutionary revision. Don’t expect too much.
Don’t expect so many fancy (and useless) new features as in Galaxy S4. Samsung started to correct the errors in Galxy S4 when launching Galaxy Note 3. Instead of introducing so many useless or half-baked features, Samsung now is trying to polish existing Samsung-specific features and introduce a few new and impressive features.

What actually are the changes in Galaxy S5 UI? We will only know them on February 24.

Anyway, the Galaxy S5 launch will determine the destiny of Samsung in mobile market.

… Read the rest

Samsung Galaxy S5 launch date: February 24

By simon 4 Comments

Samsung just announced that they will host an “Unpacked 5” event at Mobile World Congress on 24th February.

Surely, this is an event for Samsung Galaxy S5. Galaxy S5 launch date will be February 24, 2014.

This is not another Galaxy S5 rumor.
Now Samsung reveals the Galaxy S5 launch date. The next question is when the handset will be available.

If we check the release history of Samsung Galaxy S, S2, S3 and S4, it is not difficult to estimate Galaxy S5 will be released in late March to early April (4-6 weeks after the Galaxy S5 launch date).

Due to the lackluster sales of Galaxy S4, it is understandable that Samsung desperately wants to release Galaxy S5 as early as possible. Naturally, this Galaxy S5 launch date is a bit earlier than that of Galaxy S4.

Although Samsung is the No.1 Android phone manufacturer, and they can easily maintain this position in next one or two years, the margin for error becomes less and less thanks for the competition from Apple, LG, Motorola (now owned by Lenovo, which has very deep marking pocket), HTC, Sony, and maybe even Nokia.

Samsung climbed to the top position through Galaxy S2 and S3. Galaxy S4 is more or less a failure. Galaxy S4 packed so many half-baked features. Some users try to disable some of them once they get the handset. Galaxy Note 3 made some corrections on this.

The Galaxy Note Pro and Galaxy Tab Pro introduced a new Magazine UI. As both of them will be available after February 13, we have no chance to test it for real usage.

So, Galaxy S5 very likely continue the correction by releasing a few prominent, not just bling-bling, features. The UI will very likely follow Galaxy note 3, not Galaxy Note Pro.

The Galaxy S5 launch date is critical for Samsung. After this launching event, we will have a clear picture whether Samsung starts to go downwards or upwards.

So, book your calendar for February 24, Galaxy S5 launch date.

As usual, the event will be live-streamed through YouTube.

… Read the rest

Galaxy S5 Rumors

By simon 4 Comments

Samsung Galaxy S5 probably will be one of the most exciting, or the most disappointed, smartphones in 2014. We will know it once it is released.

But for now, let the rumor mills run. I will share with you some Galaxy S5 rumors. Please read it as entertainment, not a technical report.

Anyway, you should already know this post is about Galaxy S5 rumors, not technical review of galaxy S5. Just to confirm.

What is the Galaxy S5 release date? When will the release date be announced?

Just for laypersons. Release date means you can buy the product on that day. The product usually is announced or launched (it is usually demoed as well in the event) before the release date. For Samsung, most flagship smartphones and tables are released once month after they are announced.

Just for comparison, Samsung’s best buddy, Apple, usually release new products one week after the announcement.

This one month, or one week, usually is calculated by some marketing genesis. If it is too long, people already forget the announcement. If it is too short, the message or the goodies, has not been spread like virus.

Apple fanboies are generally loyal to their lord and spread the message very fast, so Apple usually chooses one to two weeks between release date and the launching date. Samsung does not have such loyal fans, so their marketing guys need time to spam the world for the announcement. This surely take longer.

Come back to the Galaxy S5 rumor, Samsung very likely release Galaxy S5 in Q1 2014, slightly earlier than the release date of Galaxy S4 in 2013. Samsung executives may want to release Galaxy S5 early, but product development cycle may stop it.

The sales of Galaxy S4 is not as good as expected. But don’t get it wrong. Samsung still plans to sell over 100 million Galaxy S4. In some regions, Galaxy S4 was just released. If Galaxy S4 has not released in your region (yes, there are still a few such regions!), just wait for Galaxy S5 because S4 will never be released there.

Samsung will surely have a big and exclusive event for Galaxy S5. So do not expect that Galaxy S5 will be announced during the major events in January to March 2014 , e.g., MWC2014. Such events are for small players. Have Apple announced any products in such vents in last 7 years? Samsung now thinks themselves as an Android apple.

So, when? Probably even Samsung’s top earners do not know the exact date yet. Samsung enjoys the rumor. Rumor may help them decide when to stop the Galaxy S5 rumors.

Updated: Samsung almost confirmed the Galaxy S5 launch date is February 24

Will Galaxy S5 be plastic or metal? Definitely not wood (as Moto X)!

There is no secret that Samsung loves plastics. They are expert of plastics. They can make plastics like leather (in Galaxy Note 3).

The two most common excuses to avoid other materials are: plastic … Read the rest

Will Galaxy S5 use curved screen (flexible display)?

By simon 1 Comment

As the releasing date for Galaxy S5 is closing, more and more rumors are circulating around. Just like any other hi-tech products, some rumors are proven to be correct eventually, because technology is predictable.

For such rumors, you my check our live post on latest Galaxy S5 rumors.

One of the most important aspects of today’s smartphone is the display. A vivid screen is essential for the success of flagship smartphones.

Samsung does have an edge over other smartphone manufacturers on the smartphone screen, due to its dominance in OLED technology. Although there are some critics on OLED display on its over-saturated colors (i.e., unnatural), most consumers still enjoy the vivid color it provides. Samsung has never been shy on putting OLED panels on almost all flagship smartphones.

So, there is almost no question that Galaxy S5 will use OLED panel. The size will be around 5-5.25″. The resolution will surely be at full HD or even QHD (2560*1440)

The question that bugs many geeks is whether Samsung will use curved display for Galaxy S5.

Is flexible display for smartphone new?

Flexible display is not new. But using it on smartphones is just starting.

Samsung claimed the title of the first smartphone with a curved screen (flexible display) in early October. However, Galaxy Round is available in very limited regions. And it is not well-polished.

For Samsung, claiming the title is more important than fine tuning the product. LG G Flex probably is better tuned with the curved screen.

Now Samsung has time to catch-up in using flexible display on smartphones. Samsung is good at following, not at leading. Galaxy Round is an example; Galaxy Gear is another example.

Although Samsung has the technology, and may have the yielding capacity in the factory as well, but very unlikely Samsung will use flexible display in Galaxy S5 for following 3 reasons.

1. Samsung still does’t know how to re-invent smartphone with a curved screen

Changing from flat screen to a curved screen is not an incremental iteration. To benefit from the flexible display, re-invention of smartphone is needed. Otherwise, most users will not see the need for such a crived screen.

Galaxy Round is just one experiment for Samsung to test curved screens. It is a Galaxy Note 3 without S Pen. It is an enlarged Galaxy S4 with curved display. Essentially, Samsung has no idea how the flexible display should be used.

LG G Flex uses the curved screen to address the durability issues (with the help of the flexible back cover). But it apparently distorts the content noticeably.

So, Samsung will continue to experiment flexible display on more sizes. But they will use it on mainstream products only when someone else comes out with a revolutionary idea.

2. There is not enough competitive pressure on taking the risk

Samsung is now unarguably the king of Android phone. They are comfortably enjoying the success of Galaxy S series.

There are many critics on Samsung’s lack of innovation. … Read the rest

Galaxy S5 manual

By simon Leave a Comment

This is a place-holder for Samsung Galaxy S5 manual.

We will add the official Galaxy S5 user manual in this page when they are available. You can download the PDF version of the manual in your own language and read it later, or read the manual online with the embedded PDF viewer.

A link to the online HTML version of Gaalxy S5 manual will be provided once it is ready.

Stay tuned.

Please check this official Samsung Galaxy S5 user manual page in all languages.

… Read the rest

Galaxy S5 Guide is live now!

By simon 7 Comments

girl-holding-samsung-galaxy-s5 Samsung Galaxy S5 will arrive very soon. GalaxyS5Guide.com is a platform for all discussions on this smartphone.

If you have any questions on Galaxy S5, you may ask here. We will try to answer. The community will answer. The community is for you.

If you need the Galaxy S5 manual, you can find it in the user manual section. Even better, we will collect the manual in your own languages because Galaxy S5 will be slight different in different regions.

If you cannot decide whether S5 is suitable for you, you may check the S5 buyer guide section (coming soon..). You can find the comparison of Galaxy S5 with other flagship Android phones.

Of course, you will find teh Galaxy S5 accessories guide section. The common accessories and coolest gadgets for Galaxy S5 will be covered.

As the best guide site for Galaxy S5 owners, most importantly, you will surely find the best quality guides, tips and tricks, for your Galaxy S5.

Galaxy S5 Forum is up now! Discuss your thoughts on Galaxy S5 in the forum!

Want to get the Galaxy S5 update earlier than others? Sign up for our Galaxy S5 Guide newsletter NOW! It is free.

… Read the rest