Samsung Galaxy S5 G-S900I Smartphone.
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| Figure 1: Samsung Galaxy S5 Gold |
RECOMMENDATION: Not for everyone
ALTERNATIVES: HTC ONE M8
In a word “CHEAP”. Not the price tag but the feel of it. Cheap
is what I would describe the Brand New Samsung Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone
and it’s a phone you would prefer not to be seen with.
For those that understand the value of $894 let alone $894
for a mobile phone, you’ll soon understand the phrase “NOT value for money”.
Firstly I am a big Android fan and somehow Samsung seems to
do it for me better than the other brands such as HTC, Nexus, Sony and LG. The Samsung
Galaxy S3 was one of the greatest android smartphones I’ve ever used. I eventually
upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and has stuck with it ever since.
Samsung worked for me primarily due to the ease of the User
Interface (UI); yes it’s easier to use than Pure Google Nexus, the physical
home button that other android smartphones lack, the long battery life and the
incorporation of numpads on top of the keyboard. Samsung’s camera was also
somewhat better or as good as the other top flagships like the HTC ONE and Sony
Xperia Z1.
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Figure 2: Harvey Norman selling the Samsung Galaxy S5 16GB for $894 (Harvey Norman, 2014) .
Samsung tried to spruce up the value of its flagship
smartphone with useless gimmicks for the S4 like the smart scroll that doesn’t
work for nuts. The air view/air gestures are useless in low light conditions
and the addition of a TV infrared remote control in a smartphone though was
impressive at first for showing off but soon became obvious that its just
something for kids and impractical but none the less, the S4 was still the one
that worked better for me than the rest of the android smartphones.
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| Figure 3: The Samsung Galaxy S series from left to right, Samsung Galaxy S5, S4, S3, S2 |
Now with the new S5, Samsung has repeated its mistakes and
possibly made the phone somewhat even worse. Holding a Samsung S5 doesn’t make
it feel special in any way, in fact it makes you wonder at the back of your
head if it’s a fake phone. Samsung is claiming that despite its physical
appearance its operating system combined with the new software’s included makes
it something to be marvelled at.
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Figure 4: Samsung Galaxy S5 User Interface (UI)
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Samsung also claims that it is better than other smartphones
including that of iPhones because it is water resistant (because they can’t
make it waterproof like SONY), it has a heart rate monitor (for which
“EVERYONE” has a use for and other companies was incapable of putting it in
their flagships) and added security with a fingerprint scanner (for which
iPhone has already marketed).
Samsung then further made “impressive progress” with its UI
by putting in so many more icons for each function of the phone that it no
longer takes a short time to access the settings but longer.
At this point the only competition the S5 has is the HTC ONE
M8. I would have to say if I’m going to spend $894 on a phone, I would look at
the HTC ONE M8 first. It’s not without flaws either but it’s a much better
option to the S5.
In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is somewhat a
disappointment. I’m not sure if this was one of the main reasons that led to
the firing of Samsung S5’s chief designer. I would highly advice you to check out the HTC ONE M8 or just stick with the S4.
Works Cited
1. Cyberzone. (2014, May 25). Samsung Galaxy S5 Review.
Retrieved May 25, 2014, from Samsung Galaxy S5 Review:
http://www.smcyberzone.com/reviews/4850
2. Harvey Norman. (2014, May 25). Samsung Galaxy S5
16GB Smartphone - Black . Retrieved May 25, 2014, from Samsung Galaxy S5
16GB Smartphone - Black :
http://www.harveynorman.com.au/samsung-galaxy-s5-smartphone.html
3. Notebooks.com Inc. (2014, May 25). Gotta Be Mobile.
Retrieved May 25, 2014, from ANDROID GALAXY S5 MOBILE SAMSUNG New Verizon
Samsung Galaxy S5 Release Planned:
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/05/07/verizon-samsung-galaxy-s5-release/
4. Redmond Pie. (2014, May 25). Samsung Galaxy S5 vs
S4 vs S3 vs S2 vs S [Size Comparison]. Retrieved May 25, 2015, from
Samsung Galaxy S5 vs S4 vs S3 vs S2 vs S [Size Comparison]:
http://www.redmondpie.com/samsung-galaxy-s5-vs-s4-vs-s3-vs-s2-vs-s-size-comparison/
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