# Samsung Galaxy S5 to be announced on 24th Feb 2014



## editor (Feb 11, 2014)

There's only an icon teaser up so far but it will be interesting to see how Samsung follows up its phenomenally popular S range.


----------



## ChrisC (Feb 13, 2014)

Samsung's new phone will have Android. Good news, I thought it was going to be Tizen. 

http://www.sammobile.com/2014/01/13...axy-s5-mini-and-s5-zoom-also-in-the-pipeline/


----------



## dervish (Feb 13, 2014)

It would have been quite a risk to use Tizen, it's not mature enough to go on their flagship product, too many people would expect it to run the latest version of android and get pissed with samsung when they couldn't download angry birds.


----------



## editor (Feb 13, 2014)

*threads merged

Here's the _claimed_ leaked specs from that link: 


> - QHD (2,560×1,440) Super AMOLED display
> - Exynos 6 / Snapdragon 805 processor
> - 16-megapixel camera
> - Android 4.4 KitKat
> - Plastic/metal versions





> As expected, the Galaxy S5 will sport an *AMOLED display of 2,560×1,440 resolution*; we were unable to confirm the size, though it should be around 5.25-inches as has been rumored often. The back of the phone will sport a *16-megapixel camera*, though it’s unclear if it will have hardware optical image stabilization (OIS). Underneath, the Galaxy S5 will either be powered by the *Exynos 6* processor or a *Snapdragon 805*, depending on whether it’s LTE-enabled or not. On the software front, the S5 will run on Android 4.4 KitKat, which is unsurprising.
> 
> While the Exynos 6 CPU was expected - which will likely be capable of operating all eight cores simultaneously - to power the handset, it’s only just been confirmed that the S5 will become one of the first smartphones to sport the Snapdragon 805 CPU, which should offer considerably higher performance than the Snapdragon 800 in the Galaxy Note 3, especially in the graphics department. It’s unclear what factors will decide what processor Samsung uses on which model – the metal version will likely have 64-bit support with the Exynos 6 processor, while the plastic model could be powered by the Snapdragon CPU (we’ve been told that LTE isn’t an issue for the Exynos CPU anymore, so we could see a change in tradition and find the plastic version of the phone with only the Snapdragon CPU in every country.)


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Feb 13, 2014)

Metal version eh? Step up from the wafer thin plastic they use at the moment.

Wonder if SD slot and removable battery will stay?


----------



## Fez909 (Feb 13, 2014)

2,560×1,440

4 times the resolution on my laptop


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Feb 13, 2014)

Metal eh? About bloody time.


----------



## editor (Feb 13, 2014)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> Metal eh? About bloody time.


The S4 has a metal frame. I see no particular advantage in a metal back.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Feb 13, 2014)

editor said:


> The S4 has a metal frame. I see no particular advantage in a metal back.


For me it's as much about the feel of it in your hand over any particular structural reason. I like stuff to feel solid, especially if I'm paying such a high price for it. The plastic just feels cheap.

Not entirely logical I know, but... *shrugs*


----------



## editor (Feb 13, 2014)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> For me it's as much about the feel of it in your hand over any particular structural reason. I like stuff to feel solid, especially if I'm paying such a high price for it. The plastic just feels cheap.
> 
> Not entirely logical I know, but... *shrugs*


Can't say the S4 feels cheap to me - and at least a plastic back means it's not going to get smashed like a pointlessly 'stylish' glass back.


----------



## stupid dogbot (Feb 13, 2014)

Wow. It only seems about 5 minutes ago they released the S4. That's probably just me, though.

And re: latest version of Android, of course, some of us Samsung users (Galaxy Note 2) are still waiting to be upgraded from 4.1.2.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Feb 13, 2014)

I never really liked metal phones. Plastic is fine. For me the lighter the better. One of the reasons I wouldn't get an HTC One or an iPhone 5S is the unnecessary weight and sharp edges. Give me an S4 or iPhone 5c over either of them.

For my money if they could produce something in two sizes, one for the large screen enthusiasts and one for people who prefer compact size devices - both which carry the same spec - then they'd be onto something. Sony have the right idea in this regard with the Xperia Z and the Xperia Z Compact.


----------



## editor (Feb 13, 2014)

stupid dogbot said:


> Wow. It only seems about 5 minutes ago they released the S4. That's probably just me, though.


It'll be released around a year after the S4, so it's pretty much within the usual product cycles.


----------



## zenie (Feb 13, 2014)

skyscraper101 said:


> I never really liked metal phones. Plastic is fine. For me the lighter the better. One of the reasons I wouldn't get an HTC One or an iPhone 5S is the unnecessary weight and sharp edges. Give me an S4 or iPhone 5c over either of them.
> 
> For my money if they could produce something in two sizes, one for the large screen enthusiasts and one for people who prefer compact size devices - both which carry the same spec - then they'd be onto something. Sony have the right idea in this regard with the Xperia Z and the Xperia Z Compact.



Don't Samsung already do that with the mini series?? 

Is there a side by side comparison s4 vs s5 anywhere???


----------



## skyscraper101 (Feb 13, 2014)

zenie said:


> Don't Samsung already do that with the mini series??
> 
> Is there a side by side comparison s4 vs s5 anywhere???



No. They've massively reduced the spec on the S4 mini so what would've been a great phone is seriously compromised. HTC did the same with the One Mini. The only company who've kept the same spec for both sizes was Sony with the Xperia Z Compact.


----------



## stupid dogbot (Feb 13, 2014)

editor said:


> It'll be released around a year after the S4, so it's pretty much within the usual product cycles.



I did say "seems" and "probably just me"...


----------



## Fez909 (Feb 13, 2014)

skyscraper101 said:


> I never really liked metal phones. Plastic is fine. For me the lighter the better. One of the reasons I wouldn't get an HTC One or an iPhone 5S is the unnecessary weight and sharp edges. Give me an S4 or iPhone 5c over either of them.
> 
> For my money if they could produce something in two sizes, one for the large screen enthusiasts and one for people who prefer compact size devices - both which carry the same spec - then they'd be onto something. Sony have the right idea in this regard with the Xperia Z and the Xperia Z Compact.


Isn't the iPhone light as a feather?


----------



## zenie (Feb 13, 2014)

skyscraper101 said:


> No. They've massively reduced the spec on the S4 mini so what would've been a great phone is seriously compromised. HTC did the same with the One Mini. The only company who've kept the same spec for both sizes was Sony with the Xperia Compact.



Oh that is a bit shit then. Idiots.


----------



## Fez909 (Feb 13, 2014)

Just checked: it's lighter than an S4.


----------



## Fez909 (Feb 13, 2014)




----------



## editor (Feb 13, 2014)

I don't like phones when they're _too_ light.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Feb 13, 2014)

Fez909 said:


> Isn't the iPhone light as a feather?



The iPhone 5c is lighter than the 5s and doesn't have those sharp metallic edges. It's pretty much the perfect weight and feel for me. But I want an Android OS.

Edit... actually it's not. I just checked. The 5s is a bit lighter than the 5c. I think I was getting confused because nearly everyone I know seems to have a 5s with a case bolted on making it seem way chunkier. I still have issues with the sharp edges anyway.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Feb 13, 2014)

editor said:


> The S4 has a metal frame. I see no particular advantage in a metal back.



I can deal with plastic phones, but I'd rather theyd made the back of the note out something thicker then 1mm plastic flexes when you take the back of. Hardly screams premium product to me.


----------



## souljacker (Feb 13, 2014)

Will it have TouchWiz, be full of Samsung bloatware and be updated by Samsung's shitty dev team? If so, I'm out.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Feb 13, 2014)

I still dig my Orange San Francisco (ZTE Blade). Nifty litle number that can be gripped with one hand so easily and barely noticeable your jeans its so small. If they could build a highly spec'd phone with those dimensions I'd be interested. I'm so over mega size phones.


----------



## editor (Feb 13, 2014)

souljacker said:


> Will it have TouchWiz, be full of Samsung bloatware and be updated by Samsung's shitty dev team? If so, I'm out.


I think even Samsung has realised that punters aren't so keen on all that junk.


----------



## souljacker (Feb 13, 2014)

editor said:


> I think even Samsung has realised that punters aren't so keen on all that junk.



I'm not sure that's true. My hatred of Samsung comes from the poor way they handled the jelly bean update last year. And why did they rush out a shite untested release? So that the s3 would be compatible with their shitty watch thing. They don't give a flying fuck about their customers I'm afraid.


----------



## ChrisC (Feb 14, 2014)

And Apple do? Sorry that was a cheap shot at the iOS 7 roll out, which wasn't perfect either.


----------



## ChrisC (Feb 14, 2014)

So does anyone know if there will be a removable battery and microSD card slot?


----------



## ChrisC (Feb 14, 2014)

Delete that last post it was a mistake. Not used to this Tapatalk yet. Sorry about that.


----------



## souljacker (Feb 14, 2014)

ChrisC said:


> And Apple do? Sorry that was a cheap shot at the iOS 7 roll out, which wasn't perfect either.



Apple are shit too, yes, but in different ways. At lease they have the decency to acknowledge their customer issues, even if they don't necessarily fix it quickly.


----------



## ChrisC (Feb 14, 2014)

Fair comment.


----------



## editor (Feb 14, 2014)

souljacker said:


> Apple are shit too, yes, but in different ways. At lease they have the decency to acknowledge their customer issues, even if they don't necessarily fix it quickly.


Apple are often legendarily slow to acknowledge any kind of issue with their products.


----------



## souljacker (Feb 14, 2014)

editor said:


> Apple are often legendarily slow to acknowledge any kind of issue with their products.



They usually acknowledge it, but respond by saying that the user is using it wrong! See the iphone 4 antenna issue for instance.

Samsung, however, say nothing......


Anyway, this thread is about Samsung. Who are shit and wankers.


----------



## RedDragon (Feb 18, 2014)

Rumours have it it'll feature a breakthrough fingerprint reader


----------



## editor (Feb 18, 2014)

RedDragon said:


> Rumours have it it'll feature a breakthrough fingerprint reader


Ah, like the Motorola Atrix from 2011.


----------



## Radar (Feb 19, 2014)

souljacker said:


> Will it have TouchWiz, be full of Samsung bloatware and be updated by Samsung's shitty dev team? If so, I'm out.


It's about time Google started pushing manufacturers/licencees to release google editions simultaneously with the customised versions,  let the punters decide.


----------



## editor (Feb 19, 2014)

Radar said:


> It's about time Google started pushing manufacturers/licencees to release google editions simultaneously with the customised versions,  let the punters decide.


There is talk of them compelling manufacturers to release new phones running the latest OS.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 19, 2014)

I see Samsung are innovating again by adding a finger print scanner. Clever.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 19, 2014)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> Metal eh? About bloody time.



Yep, their plastic phones are horribly cheap feeling.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 19, 2014)

editor said:


> I don't like phones when they're _too_ light.



Said no one ever.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 19, 2014)

Fez909 said:


>



The iPhone 5/S is shockingly light, much prefer a lighter device than a heavier one tbh....


----------



## editor (Feb 19, 2014)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Yep, their plastic phones are horribly cheap feeling.


Sure they are. And that's why they sell in their tens of millions.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Feb 19, 2014)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Said no one ever.



Not consciously, but goes with the cheap feeling you mentioned. Doesn't bother me enough to stop buying them as all my phones go in decent cases, but Samsung especially feel like they need one. Still what's spending 30 quid case where your paying 500 quid for the smart phone.


----------



## RedDragon (Feb 24, 2014)

<Popcorn> check. <deckchair> check

The Verge and TWiT doing live coverage.


----------



## editor (Feb 24, 2014)

Here it is: 

 



> The Galaxy S5’s design is a minor evolution of the Galaxy S4 — in fact, the two are almost indistinguishable from the front. The S5’s display is ever so slightly larger at 5.1 inches, but it’s still a 1080p, Super AMOLED panel that doesn’t look very different from the S4’s screen. Below the display is a new home key with integrated fingerprint scanner and capacitive keys for multitasking and Android’s back button.
> 
> Samsung has retained the familiar metal-looking plastic surround on the S5, though the charging port (now USB 3.0) comes with an integrated port cover for waterproofing. The S5 is IP67-rated for water and dust resistance, meaning it can be submerged in 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes at a time.



http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/24/5441668/samsung-galaxy-s5-announcement-launch


----------



## editor (Feb 24, 2014)

Heart rate monitor sounds interesting, the finger print scanner half baked. 



> Samsung didn’t ignore the other vital components of the S5 — it has a faster, 2.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a larger battery with the promised 20 percent better stamina, as well as a new low-power conservation mode to get the most battery possible when you’re running low. The S5 is as fast as you’d expect — Samsung has ensured that its flagship phone is one of the most powerful on the market for a number of years now, and the S5 is no different.
> 
> The camera has been upgraded to a 16-megapixel sensor with 4K video capabilities, and it now supports real-time HDR processing for better photos in mixed lighting. It’s now possible to apply Samsung’s unique camera effects after a picture has been taken, so you don’t have to worry about what mode you’re in when shooting pics. Samsung has also greatly simplified the camera interface, and in our brief tests, it was pretty snappy and responsive.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Feb 24, 2014)

I quite like the blue one 

Looks like a pretty nice phone, although their fingerprint thing sounds like it's missed the point entirely. The health stuff seems to be the "next big thing" and will no doubt be a big draw for some people.

As always though, it would be so much better running stock Android with none of the Samsung bloatware on it.


----------



## Corax (Feb 24, 2014)

FFS. I've only just upgraded my HTC Sensation to an S4, and was enjoying being one of the cool kids for a bit. Wankers


----------



## RedDragon (Feb 24, 2014)

a bit of a walled garden with the fitness stuff.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Feb 24, 2014)

Waterproof 

Not sure how a HR monitor will be of practical use, I can't see me strapping it my chest when I go for a run and you can already get bluethooth ones that work with existing phones.


----------



## Corax (Feb 24, 2014)

Global Stoner said:


> Waterproof
> 
> Not sure how a HR monitor will be of practical use, I can't see me strapping it my chest when I go for a run and you can already get bluethooth ones that work with existing phones.


I just can't see myself going for a run.


----------



## editor (Feb 24, 2014)

Fuck me - look at the size of the launch


----------



## editor (Feb 24, 2014)

RedDragon said:


> a bit of a walled garden with the fitness stuff.


Not sure what that's supposed to mean but I use the pedometer/S health combo on my Samsung S4 every day, but I'm still free to install any other tracking app I like.


----------



## RedDragon (Feb 24, 2014)

editor said:


> Not sure what that's supposed to mean but I use the pedometer/S health combo on my Samsung S4 every day, but I'm still free to install any other tracking app I like.


I was thinking more in terms of needing a Galaxy phone to use the Gear 3 curve wrist watch.


----------



## editor (Feb 24, 2014)

Ah good. There's a microSD slot handling cards up to 128GB.


----------



## editor (Feb 24, 2014)

RedDragon said:


> I was thinking more in terms of needing a Galaxy phone to use the Gear 3 curve wrist watch.


You're deep in a niche there.


----------



## editor (Feb 24, 2014)

Fingerprint thing.


----------



## RedDragon (Feb 24, 2014)

editor said:


> You're deep in a niche there.


Just think how much of a challenge Gear3 if it were open, it could've been a 'gateway' device for iFolks buying their phones. 

Interesting Android wasn't mentioned, just a given.


----------



## editor (Feb 24, 2014)

RedDragon said:


> Just think how much of a challenge Gear3 if it were open, it could've been a 'gateway' device for iFolks buying their phones.
> 
> Interesting Android wasn't mentioned, just a given.


The only watch I'm interested in - possibly - will be the Google Now one (if it exists).


----------



## skyscraper101 (Feb 24, 2014)

editor said:


> Fingerprint thing.




God what a load of faffing around. I'm not really a fan of fingerprint unlocking anyway but I have to say the action of sliding looks way more problematic than the iphone method of just placing a finger on the home button.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Feb 24, 2014)

editor said:


> Fingerprint thing.



So, almost impossible to do one handed. Fail.


----------



## editor (Feb 24, 2014)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> So, almost impossible to do one handed. Fail.


At least if you drop it in the toilet it'll survive.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Feb 24, 2014)

skyscraper101 said:


> God what a load of faffing around. I'm not really a fan of fingerprint unlocking anyway but I have to say the action of sliding looks way more problematic than the iphone method of just placing a finger on the home button.


I thought it would be a bit of a gimmick when I got my 5s, but now I find myself wondering why my ipad isn't unlocking when I turn it on  It's also great not having to type in my password every time I want to buy something.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Feb 24, 2014)

editor said:


> At least if you drop it in the toilet it'll survive.


A definite plus


----------



## Stanley Edwards (Feb 24, 2014)

> “Everyone wants to be healthier, but must don’t have enough time for it, so the S5 can now do it for you,” said Kyle Brown, head of technical product management at Samsung UK talking to the Guardian.



Brilliant. Will the S6 be capable of drinking, smoking and lung/liver replacement?


----------



## RedDragon (Feb 24, 2014)

So, which shall I get the S5 or the 5s?


----------



## Chz (Feb 25, 2014)

I have to say that's a bit of a let-down when a lot of us were expecting something... Well, new. S4 with a spec bump and some gimmicks. Only thing that sounds pertinent is that it'll be water-resistant. Which is certainly a nice thing, but hardly something that screams "upgrade to me now!".

I think I'll hang on to my One S when the contract's up at the end of spring and hold on for the Nexus 6 or whatever they call it.


----------



## RedDragon (Feb 25, 2014)

I liked the idea of being able to pass protect sections of the phone and the "kids' mode. No news on price as yet.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Feb 25, 2014)

If they could do a dinky sized version like the S4 mini, without compromising on the specs like the Z1 compact, then I would be very interested.


----------



## MBV (Feb 27, 2014)

I'm keeping my eye out for an S4 deal or HTC One deal now the new versions have been announced.


----------



## Hocus Eye. (Feb 27, 2014)

Oh dear, I don't like the look of that fingerprint reader as demonstrated in the video. It matters to me as I am thinking of upgrading my S3. Perhaps the guy doing the demonstration was being a bit cack handed. Why you would have to slide the finger over the spot rather than just touch it baffles me.


----------



## RedDragon (Feb 27, 2014)

Hocus Eye. It's a slide-your-finger reader.


----------



## Hocus Eye. (Feb 27, 2014)

RedDragon said:


> It's a slide-your-finger reader.


Yes a case of sleight of hand I suppose.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Feb 27, 2014)

Apparently the fingerprint reader/data will be open to 3rd party apps. Not too sure I'd be happy about that myself.


----------



## editor (Feb 27, 2014)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> Apparently the fingerprint reader/data will be open to 3rd party apps. Not too sure I'd be happy about that myself.


Depends on the devs, surely?


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Feb 27, 2014)

I've had the sliding finger reader  on a couple of think pads  and I really like it

much securer that the press finger print reader


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Feb 28, 2014)

editor said:


> Depends on the devs, surely?


The fact external apps can access it means hackers/malware could, no? I'll deserve judgement film someone with more tech knowledge than me can tell more.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Feb 28, 2014)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> I've had the sliding finger reader  on a couple of think pads  and I really like it
> 
> much securer that the press finger print reader


How is it more secure


----------



## dervish (Feb 28, 2014)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> The fact external apps can access it means hackers/malware could, no? I'll deserve judgement film someone with more tech knowledge than me can tell more.



The permissions model *should* mean that only apps that you are aware of should be able to access the reader. Besides just because the app has permissions to use the reader it doesn't mean it has access to the data it holds. eg. If an app wants to use the reader all it needs to do is activate it and then wait for the processes response, this will either be a pass or a fail, the app doesn't need to see the fingerprint, just if it passed security or not.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Feb 28, 2014)

dervish said:


> The permissions model *should* mean that only apps that you are aware of should be able to access the reader. Besides just because the app has permissions to use the reader it doesn't mean it has access to the data it holds. eg. If an app wants to use the reader all it needs to do is activate it and then wait for the processes response, this will either be a pass or a fail, the app doesn't need to see the fingerprint, just if it passed security or not.


Presumably though this depends on how/where Samsung store the actual data?


----------



## dervish (Feb 28, 2014)

I'm not sure but I seem to remember that Google added fingerprint reader security to android so it would be managed by play services. But I don't know how Samsung implemented it so I couldn't say for sure.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Mar 1, 2014)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> How is it more secure


the press down ones  can often be fooled by placing  a blank up against the surface


----------



## dogroughzine (Mar 6, 2014)

I really want to be excited by this, but as others have said it's only the water resistant thing that would really be of any use to me. Still using an S3 LTE and couldn't be happier.

Luckily my upgrade isn't till October so I've got plenty time to decide!


----------



## kraepelin (Mar 6, 2014)

I'm disappointed, but is this to  expected apart from the introduction of the fingerprint reader. Have we reach the point with smartphones that we reached years ago with desktops. 

Apart from battery life. Can anyone think of any idea that would be a worthy introduction.

On reddit it seemed that real upgrade in battery technology is at least 5 years away

The apple implementation of the fingerprint reader is really giving be pause to switch brand.


----------



## Corax (Mar 6, 2014)

Have they fixed the fucking SD card spontaneously ummounting issue for the S5?

It's becoming a wee bit irritating on the S4. They've only had ever since the S2 to sort it out FFS...


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Mar 7, 2014)

skyscraper101 said:


> God what a load of faffing around. I'm not really a fan of fingerprint unlocking anyway but I have to say the action of sliding looks way more problematic than the iphone method of just placing a finger on the home button.



That's incredibly faffy. Samsung use to be much better at ripping off Apple than this...


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Mar 7, 2014)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> The fact external apps can access it means hackers/malware could, no? I'll deserve judgement film someone with more tech knowledge than me can tell more.



Yep, this approach is riddled with security risks for the consumer. Samsung should protect the people that earn them billions in profit.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Mar 7, 2014)

Kid_Eternity said:


> That's incredibly faffy. Samsung use to be much better at ripping off Apple than this...



It's not even ideal on the iPhone yet, even the extra half second it takes to recognise the finger annoys me. But it is more preferable to punching in a code or drawing a pattern so I'll switch it on if I'm out of the house. Nevertheless the action of placing a finger is still much more preferable than sliding a finger. I think Samsung have deliberately just done it like that so as not to engage in another apple patent dispute. TBH.

Let's not forget 'facial recognition' on the Galaxy Nexus. Actually, lets.


----------



## editor (Mar 7, 2014)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Yep, this approach is riddled with security risks for the consumer. Samsung should protect the people that earn them billions in profit.


So exactly what evidence do you have of these real-world security risks compromising customers? Anything? Or is it just rabid fanboy ranting?


----------



## Chz (Mar 7, 2014)

Corax said:


> Have they fixed the fucking SD card spontaneously ummounting issue for the S5?
> 
> It's becoming a wee bit irritating on the S4. They've only had ever since the S2 to sort it out FFS...


The SD card is a bit of a hack, with Google not really supporting it in the OS any more. Don't expect miracles there.


----------



## editor (Apr 14, 2014)

This whole queuing up for a phone thing continues to baffle me, but it looks like Samsung has managed to hype up an Apple styled one in London for their S5 launch. Happily, there were no reports of borg fuckwits running around high fiving the queues.







http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-experience-stores-uk-see-big-line-ups-galaxy-s5

This phone has already broken the early sales record for the S4 apparently.

http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/April2014/samsung-galaxy-s5-hits-new-sales-record.html


----------



## Radar (Apr 14, 2014)

It's all a bit meh tbh.

I see the S4=>S5 upgrade decision similar to the one I faced for the S2=>S3. 

Not really worth the financial hit as there are no "must have" features or performance/longevity improvements that would make it worthwhile. That's without considering the cost of buying off contract.


----------



## editor (Apr 14, 2014)

The bits I'm interested in are the faster camera - that's quite a compelling thing for me - and that clever black and white power saving mode.


----------



## pesh (Apr 14, 2014)

editor said:


>



why would you hang a giant LED screen above your front door to display the company logo, then stick a load of branding in front of it.

muppets.


----------



## editor (Apr 14, 2014)

pesh said:


> why would you hang a giant LED screen above your front door to display the company logo, then stick a load of branding in front of it.
> 
> muppets.


Um, I imagine that thing in front just went up in advance of the launch day.


----------



## pesh (Apr 14, 2014)

if only they had some other means of displaying the branding that would have created less of a visual clusterfuck.


----------



## editor (Apr 14, 2014)

I can't say it's something I'm particularly bothered about.


----------



## editor (Apr 15, 2014)

I'm pretty impressed with the ultra power saving mode where everything goes to black and white. Real bit of useful innovation that.


----------



## Chz (Apr 15, 2014)

Power saving mode comparisons now!
http://www.androidpit.com/galaxy-s5-vs-htc-one-m8-power-saving-modes


----------



## The Octagon (Apr 15, 2014)

Chz said:


> Power saving mode comparisons now!
> http://www.androidpit.com/galaxy-s5-vs-htc-one-m8-power-saving-modes


 
They tested everything except how long the respective phones stay 'alive' when in the power saving modes


----------



## Chz (Apr 15, 2014)

I can't imagine there's a fair way to do that if the S5 allows an internet browser in it. What I'd guess is that they'd both last a day at least (from 10% charge) checking the odd text or email and the S5's life would get nuked if you used the browser much.


----------



## editor (Apr 15, 2014)

OK, now I'm getting tempted. 



> *Galaxy S5 scores amazing on our battery life test: the longest-lasting flagship has the endurance of a tablet*
> 
> Are you sitting down? You'd better be, as we have a new king of our battery life test, and it is none other than Samsung's Galaxy S5. It managed the whopping 8 hours and 20 minutes of screen-on time in our grueling battery endurance run, which is the best result we've seen so far from any flagship. It actually stopped just a few minutes shy of the Xperia C, or it would have been the phone with the longest battery life we've ever tested. For comparison, it closes in on the most enduring device we've measured - the Galaxy NotePRO, iPad Air, and iPad mini 2, but those are tablets, with the respective gigantic battery capacities.
> During the phone's unveiling event, Samsung promised up to 10 hours of Internet browsing, 12 hours of HD movie watching, or 21 hours of 3G talk time on a charge, and we can attest that the Galaxy S5 meets and exceeds those promises. Manufacturers, as well as most third party services, measure battery life with the screens set at about 150 nits of brightness, while our routine script is run at 200 nits, and features mixed browsing and media display patterns. Those include a lot of white background, too, which AMOLED screens draw the most power to display, and still the S5 managed to break the flagship record. How has Samsung done this, though?
> ...


----------



## Chz (Apr 15, 2014)

Grain of salt, ed. Most other reviews have the S5 sharing the top of the phone chart with the LG G2, Xperia Z1 and HTC M8, varying by which benchmark they're using. It's certainly got very good battery life, but nothing we haven't seen before. Anandtech noticed that one reason it does better in certain battery benchmarks is because the processor thermally throttles more often than in the G2 or M8. It's not good at bleeding heat and slows down accordingly. Good for battery life, poor for performance.


----------



## editor (Apr 15, 2014)

Both the HTC and S5 have class-leading battery lives overall, with the Samsung having one *almighty* advantage: that replaceable battery. 



















http://www.anandtech.com/show/7903/samsung-galaxy-s-5-review/5


----------



## Chz (Apr 15, 2014)

I will never, ever understand your thing for user-replaceable batteries. But with that in mind, isn't the Galaxy your *only* choice anyhow?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 17, 2014)

Chz said:


> I will never, ever understand your thing for user-replaceable batteries. But with that in mind, isn't the Galaxy your *only* choice anyhow?



Even if you don't want to carry round a pocket full of the things, After you've owned it a year, you can have a nice little boost in how long your phone lasts by getting a new one.


----------



## editor (Apr 17, 2014)

That camera continues to persuade...


----------



## editor (Apr 17, 2014)

Chz said:


> I will never, ever understand your thing for user-replaceable batteries.


What's so hard to understand? It's a lot easier to put a few small, cheapo spare batteries in your pocket than mess about with chunky charger units and USB leads.


----------



## Chz (Apr 18, 2014)

My spare battery is the size of an AA cell with a USB port welded to it. Because that's what it is, probably. Nothing bulky about it and it takes less pocket space than my wife's spare battery. Though I'll admit if there's a particular shape you want, phone batteries are thin, long and wide, whilst AAs are the opposite.

Why would it need a "clunky charger unit"? It's USB. A spare phone battery is what needs a charger, unless you're going to swap batteries all the time. It does need a cable to charge the phone but - here's the kicker - it doesn't actually need to be attached to it the whole time. I can unplug it if I want to use it during the 2 hour charge cycle. Unless you've got an external charger for your phone batteries, isn't it a pain to keep all of them charged up?

Advantages to replacement batteries:
No need to cable up during charging.
If you keep a phone 3+ years, a new battery can improve battery life. (Mine's 2 years old and reports 91% of its original life)

Advantages to an external battery:
Charge it via USB anywhere. No need to regularly swap to maintain a charge.
Can be pretty much any size, from smaller than OEM to considerably larger, depending on the capacity you desire.
No need to power down, prise off back, switch battery and reboot phone. This is non-trivial, it does take a few minutes of time during which you'd rather be answering that email. (because I certainly only notice I'm running low when I really, really need to answer an email)
Can top up your charge at any time. There's no wasted capacity using it before you're at 5% charge. Hook it up for 10 minutes in your pocket while changing trains to get a boost from 70%-80%.
You can use it to charge _anything_ that will charge off USB. 3 different phones in the house does not mean having 3 different types of battery.
Mine has an LED flashlight in it, too. 

So you can see why I'd have an external battery even if my phone did allow for battery swapping. (the previous one did, never used it there either)


----------



## pesh (Apr 18, 2014)

the removable battery is literally the only thing i like about my S3. fitted a Zero Lemon 7000m/ah extended battery to it and it lasts almost a week between charges now.


----------



## Mr Retro (Apr 23, 2014)

I'm due an upgrade from my iPhone 5 and I was going to try this S5 for a change but now I'm not sure. I think the iphone 6 in 6 months time might be worth the wait and then decide. 

I'm wondering if the iWatch that will be released at the same time might be the best available for what I want so I don't want to end up kicking myself. It's interesting Nike are going to pull out of the wearable market, I bet there could be a cool tie in with Apple iWatch


----------



## editor (Apr 23, 2014)

Mr Retro said:


> I'm due an upgrade from my iPhone 5 and I was going to try this S5 for a change but now I'm not sure. I think the iphone 6 in 6 months time might be worth the wait and then decide.
> 
> I'm wondering if the iWatch that will be released at the same time might be the best available for what I want so I don't want to end up kicking myself. It's interesting Nike are going to pull out of the wearable market, I bet there could be a cool tie in with Apple iWatch


I predict that the Google watch prove more useful.


----------



## editor (Apr 23, 2014)

Chz said:


> My spare battery is the size of an AA cell with a USB port welded to it. Because that's what it is, probably. Nothing bulky about it and it takes less pocket space than my wife's spare battery.


Really? And including the cable? What make is this wonder battery? How about the all-important battery capacity? Is it as cheap as £5?


----------



## Mr Retro (Apr 23, 2014)

editor said:


> I predict that the Google watch prove more useful.


Really? I'm into the more health side of it. I fucking love my Nike FuelBand and it more or less does nothing. I'm really excited about a potential tie in


----------



## editor (Apr 23, 2014)

Mr Retro said:


> Really? I'm into the more health side of it. I fucking love my Nike FuelBand and it more or less does nothing. I'm really excited about a potential tie in


There'll almost certainly be health info every bit as good -and probably better - than the Nike Fuel. That already lags behind some of the competitors.


----------



## Chz (Apr 23, 2014)

editor said:


> Really? And including the cable? What make is this wonder battery? How about the all-important battery capacity? Is it as cheap as £5?


Really.
No.
No idea.
2600mAh. (oddly enough, the capacity of a good AA Li battery)
£6, delivered.


----------



## Mr Retro (Apr 23, 2014)

editor said:


> There'll almost certainly be health info every bit as good -and probably better - than the Nike Fuel. That already lags behind some of the competitors.


It's shite compared to some of what's out there now but I'm excited about the future and I think there will be a big tie in with the iPhone6. Could have that all wrong though.


----------



## pinkmonkey (Apr 23, 2014)

Chz said:


> I will never, ever understand your thing for user-replaceable batteries. But with that in mind, isn't the Galaxy your *only* choice anyhow?


I do, I go to a lot of foreign trade shows - get the red eye flight, leaving home at 4am, arrive at show at 10am, spend the whole day at the show, go out to dinner and arrive at hotel at 10pm, checking email, using phone and Google maps to find hotel and restaurant and there is never any opportunity to charge phone up in all that time - I have an old Galaxy Note 1 and I use three batteries on a day like this.


----------



## joustmaster (Apr 23, 2014)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Yep, this approach is riddled with security risks for the consumer. Samsung should protect the people that earn them billions in profit.


do you have any links? i am interested from professional point of view


----------



## editor (Apr 23, 2014)

Chz said:


> Really.
> No.
> No idea.
> 2600mAh. (oddly enough, the capacity of a good AA Li battery)
> £6, delivered.


Still having trouble believing that an external USB battery pack can somehow be smaller than a replacement battery, unless you're not comparing like with like. I've got loads of USB chargers and every one of them is at least 2x or 3x bigger than the equivalent battery.


----------



## editor (Apr 23, 2014)

joustmaster said:


> do you have any links? i am interested from professional point of view


I asked the same question ages ago. Still unanswered.


----------



## Idaho (Apr 23, 2014)

dfm said:


> I'm keeping my eye out for an S4 deal or HTC One deal now the new versions have been announced.


The price of previous versions actually goes up a little when the new model is launched. Big Data fact of the day.


----------



## MBV (Apr 23, 2014)

There is this deal: http://www.directmobiles.co.uk/24-months/18.99-sp-27111.php but I'm suspcious of it.


----------



## Chz (Apr 23, 2014)

editor said:


> Still having trouble believing that an external USB battery pack can somehow be smaller than a replacement battery, unless you're not comparing like with like. I've got loads of USB chargers and every one of them is at least 2x or 3x bigger than the equivalent battery.


They're batteries. Items of a similar capacity will have a similar volume _given the same materials/technology_. Small external packs tend to be based on AA (though I've seen AAA, but wonder what the point is), so they're significantly deeper than an OEM battery, but shorter and thinner. They do pay a volume penalty for the USB port, but that's quite small overall. I do have an external pack that's as deep as an OEM, but hugely wider and longer. It's also 10Ah. (or 10000mAh) Making them hugely larger for a similar charge is lazy design (or pure cheapness), but you'll get that buying replacement batteries too, if you don't get the OEM ones. I've seen off-brand Blackberry batteries people have bought at work struggle to go a day when mine lasts most of the week. The problem with a lot of external packs is that they're aimed at the iPhone crowd and so only come in two flavours - ineffective and cheap, or hugely expensive but quite good. There are cheap and good ones out there though. This is why I italicized that bit in the first sentence. I've seen people pay for battery packs that contain 1800mAh NiMH batteries in them, poor bastards.

I suppose that one very good thing about replacement batteries is that so long as you buy OEM, you don't have to put up with that shit. Start buying 3rd party and all bets are off though.

(Pardon how rambling that is, I've got an inner ear infection and the anti-nausea stuff makes me a bit loopy)


----------



## editor (Apr 23, 2014)

Chz said:


> They're batteries. Items of a similar capacity will have a similar volume _given the same materials/technology_. Small external packs tend to be based on AA (though I've seen AAA, but wonder what the point is), so they're significantly deeper than an OEM battery, but shorter and thinner. They do pay a volume penalty for the USB port, but that's quite small overall. I do have an external pack that's as deep as an OEM, but hugely wider and longer.


But if you're comparing like with like, the battery pack CAN NOT be smaller given that it has to contain the post and you have to lug about the cable - which is an extra thing to forget. That is all.


----------



## Chz (Apr 23, 2014)

I don't recall claiming it to be so, merely that a USB connecter and cable are insignificant bulk versus the other advantages. I did say it's overall smaller than my wife's battery, but hers is a Huawei and I suspect not the top end in tech.


----------



## editor (Apr 24, 2014)

Chz said:


> I don't recall claiming it to be so, merely that a USB connecter and cable are insignificant bulk versus the other advantages. I did say it's overall smaller than my wife's battery, but hers is a Huawei and I suspect not the top end in tech.


Right here:


Chz said:


> My spare battery is the size of an AA cell with a USB port welded to it. Because that's what it is, probably. *Nothing bulky about it and it takes less pocket space than my wife's spare battery*.


----------



## Idaho (Apr 24, 2014)

You are obsessed with spare batteries.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 24, 2014)

Idaho said:


> You are obsessed with spare batteries.



It's frustrating to be limited. Most people don't bother, so it leaves Samsung as the only choice if you want one.


----------



## Chz (Apr 24, 2014)

Wow, ed. I posted two sentences and you couldn't be bothered with the second one? Those aren't like for like, and I'll freely say so. It *is* smaller, but the Huawei's battery is gigantic for it's capacity (and it's got a smaller capacity than the spare cell) and I don't want to go around using that as a standard. At no time did I claim that for an external cell to be smaller for the same/greater capacity was to be _expected_. I didn't list it in my pluses for them, just that there's a wide variety of sizes/capacities.

For the record, even though I'm obviously not big on replaceable batteries as a "big deal", I'd rather phones did have them and there was a choice in the matter. Looks like the only top end option is Samsung now for those who really want it. Maybe if there's enough market pressure? HTC did add an SD slot back in, despite Google's repeated efforts to kill them off.


----------



## Idaho (Apr 24, 2014)

I can't imagine either being away from a plug point long enough, or finding it that critical that my phone runs out of power.


----------



## Chz (Apr 24, 2014)

Personally, it's exceedingly rare that I need a power boost but it's really, really nice to have in those circumstances.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 24, 2014)

So it look like work will be send me away next week, so three days away from power and a need for the Internet and of course phone calls/texts. I've got a 13,000 mha pack, but it would be nice if they could crack the two days of useful battery life before we get even more pixels.


----------



## editor (Apr 24, 2014)

So I've been reading more reviews about the S5 and I had a play one one. It's a lot bigger than the S4 and it seems that the low light camera performance is not as good as the Nexus 5.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 24, 2014)

If the S5 is that much bigger I wonder what the Note 4 will be like?


----------



## editor (Apr 25, 2014)

Global Stoner said:


> If the S5 is that much bigger I wonder what the Note 4 will be like?


Size of a tea tray, probably.


----------



## Idaho (Apr 25, 2014)

I thought the s5 was going to be smaller for some reason.


----------



## Mr Retro (Apr 25, 2014)

editor said:


> Size of a tea tray, probably.


A feature of the s7 will be it's so big but with a flexible screen it can be rolled up and used to club your way out of trouble.


----------



## Radar (Apr 29, 2014)

Is there a new S5 in the offing ?? Korean media banging on about a "S5 Prime"


----------



## editor (Apr 29, 2014)

Radar said:


> Is there a new S5 in the offing ?? Korean media banging on about a "S5 Prime"


That's the rumour but I doubt such a thing will be appearing in the next month or so,


----------



## Callum91 (Apr 30, 2014)

The S5 ''Prime'' rumours do sound juicy. Higher res screen, uber fast processor and metal construction. Hope it comes to fruition.

Edit: Also, not to derail the thread at all but I've not heard much/if any mention of the Nokia Lumia 930 on the forum? Unless I'm blind?


----------



## editor (Jul 21, 2014)

This looks impressive - and handy for festivals too -



> We put the Galaxy S 5 with Ultra Power Saving Mode to the ultimate challenge -- a coast to coast road trip without recharging.
> 
> The results: 3504 miles driven, 7 days on the road, 150 hours traveled, 86 texts sent, 119 photos taken, 4+ minutes of video, 16+ minutes of talk time, 13 states visited.


----------



## Redeyes (Jul 22, 2014)

editor said:


> This looks impressive - and handy for festivals too -




What's the difference between this and the extreme power saving mode on the HTC one?


----------



## Idaho (Aug 29, 2014)

Got an s5. But don't find a new phone exciting any more. I only got it so I could give the old s3 to my son so he can play with app development and roms.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Aug 29, 2014)

Idaho said:


> Got an s5. But don't find a new phone exciting any more. I only got it so I could give the old s3 to my son so he can play with app development and roms.



I'm similar. I'm always curious when someone gets a new one, but seen nothing that would make me want to swap from my Note 2. It runs the apps I need well and the net is limited by the speed of the connection. 

I think this is a good thing. People upgrading there phones every 18 months for the sake of it seems wasteful.


----------



## MBV (Aug 29, 2014)

It's nice upgrading when you have skipped a couple of generations. I went from an S2 to a Nexus 5 and definitely appreciate the improvements.


----------



## Idaho (Sep 7, 2014)

Had the s5 for a week now. Very nice gadget.  Fast, good battery, great connectivity. The stock ROM is fairly meh. Don't like the interface. I'll root and rom at some point.


----------



## Idaho (Mar 30, 2015)

And 7 months later I finally root and rom! 

The Samsung bloatware meant that the device didn't have enough room to run the lollipop update.

Working like a charm now.


----------



## TheHoodedClaw (Mar 30, 2015)

Idaho said:


> The Samsung bloatware meant that the device didn't have enough room to run the lollipop update.



Seriously? That's a bit alarming if it's true.


----------



## Idaho (Mar 31, 2015)

TheHoodedClaw said:


> Seriously? That's a bit alarming if it's true.


I couldn't move the bloat to sd and couldn't delete. It was pretty ridiculous. Samsung are like Sony. Decent hardware, abysmal software.


----------



## ohmyliver (Mar 31, 2015)

I find that hard to believe, as there's 8.4gb free on the internal drive (assuming a 16gb) without any other apps/photos/etc, and the download is just short of a gb, and needs 3gb of free space to install.


----------



## Idaho (Mar 31, 2015)

Then you will have to remain in disbelief.


----------

