The Samsung Galaxy S 5 delivered top-notch performance in many key areas of our tests. The Galaxy S 5 is built to handle immersion for up to 30 minutes in up to 1 meter (3.28 feet) of water. We put the Galaxy S 5 through its paces, submerging it in about three feet of water for about 30 minutes. It continued to work, and we saw no visible signs of water intrusion or damage. Along with an array of gesture- and sensor-based tools to help you access and share the content you create and capture on your phone, it has an excellent quality 5.1-inch, high-definition (1080p) touch-screen display sensitive enough to use with gloves on-a handy option to have during the cold winter months, or while wearing work gloves. In addition, the display is easy to see in bright light. Even the phone's menus have been improved. For instance, the Settings menu now includes a search tool, similar to the one on the Note 3, so that you can quickly jump to the control you want without wading through the phone's considerable list of options. There are also more ways to customize the layout of the Settings menu according to your preferences. But gone is a feature we liked on earlier models: The On/Off toggle switches, in settings, for WiFi, Bluetooth, and more, which we found very convenient.
The Galaxy S 5 has an abundance of other features and capabilities that include:
Safety assistance. This mode will automatically blast SOS messages to emergency responders and personal contacts. This is a feature designed to help if you're in a car accident or other emergency situation. It worked as promised. Pressing the Galaxy S 5's power button three times triggers several actions that will be transmitted as five separate messages to multiple contacts of your choice, including 911. They include messages that indicate your location on a map and with coordinates, photos taken with the front or rear camera, and an audio recording. The screen can also be changed to a black theme to reduce battery consumption.
Multi window. A convenient feature that lets you run two apps simultaneously in a split-screen view. For instance, you can watch a video while viewing an e-mail, or you can use Google Maps and Messaging. Multi window also lets you interact with two apps on a screen simultaneously, so you can drag a photo from the gallery into a text message to attach it, for example. Or you can open up two of the same apps, such as two Web browsers. To activate Multi window, press and hold the back key, then just drag and drop two apps onto the home screen.
My Magazine. A view of social-network activity, message alerts, and news feeds that's a flowing grid of captioned, tile-like photos and other graphic elements that you can reasonably easy tailor to your preferences.
Toolbox. A handy feature that allows you to group up to five frequently used apps into a single dropdown list of small icons you can launch with a single tap.
Air Gestures. This lets you accept a phone call, move to another Web page, flip through photos, or skip to the next song on your playlist by waving your hand in front of the phone. You can also preview e-mails, videos, photos, Web pages, and other content just by hovering your finger over them on the page. However, these and other gestures might take some getting used to.
Smart Stay. The front-facing camera monitors your eyes while you're reading a Web page or other document to prevent the screen from timing out.
Smart Remote. The Galaxy S 5 comes with an IR blaster and its Smart Remote app, like a universal remote, can be programmed to control HDTVs and set-top boxes (you can even initiate DVR recordings) from a host of different makers. It also shows you local cable listings, program details, and reminders geared to your preferences.
S Beam. This is an upgrade to Android Beam, a technology common on many new smart phones that uses Near Field Communication (NFC) to beam Web links, contact information, and other small files between devices after you tap the two devices together. Samsung's S Beam pairs this feature with a WiFi connection (via a technology known as WiFi Direct) to let you wirelessly share larger files, such as a hi-res photo or video, between two compatible phones. NFC technology also allows the phone to read Samsung's Tec Tiles, or other items that have NFC capability in them. Eventually, NFC technology could allow you to pay by phone at the register.
Pop-up Player. This feature lets you play a video on the phone's screen while you perform other tasks, like browsing the Web or replying to e-mails. You can also resize the video.
There are also numerous features and capabilities that let you wirelessly connect nearby compatible Galaxy phones or other devices to share pictures, music, documents, and more.
The Galaxy S 5 has two home screen modes: an easy experience mode for new Android users and a standard experience mode. The Easy mode has icons and widgets that are larger and simpler, and there are "+" icons users can push to easily add an app to the phone's desktop or add a contact. In the Standard mode, the Galaxy S 5 has intuitive navigation that provides easy access to all its main functions via a highly responsive touch screen that supports up to seven home screens of apps, programmable shortcuts, as well as a home button flanked by recent apps and back keys. The recent apps key lets you see a stack of screen shots of your most recently used apps. Tap any one of them, and you can jump to that app. Pressing and holding the recent apps key launches an easy way to customize the home screens. Also, pressing and holding the home button directly launches the search function. The phone allows you to launch the camera directly from a locked screen without the need to first unlock the screen. You do this by swiping upward on the camera icon that is visible on the locked screen. The Galaxy S 5 lets you perform Google searches by voice command and lets you download applications, services, games, and more from the Google Play Store. Its multi-touch screen lets you zoom in and out of photos or Web pages using two fingers (for instance, your thumb and index finger). A handy on-screen drop-down status bar alerts you to and takes you to new messages, upcoming appointments, and other items that need your attention, even when your screen is locked. Its Android OS offers better text editing tools and controls for managing data usage, and enhanced voice-activated navigation and dictation. The Galaxy S 5 supports a "4G" LTE network (some models HSPA+ too), allowing fast streaming, downloading, and uploading of high-definition videos and other large files. The fast network also facilitates better Web browsing experiences. The WiFi connection provides another way to access the Web, e-mail, and other Internet-based content, without using your data plan allowance. But the one-handed operation shrinks just the screen on the display, rather than an individual function, like a keyboard or keypad.
MESSAGING: The virtual keyboards were excellent to use. In portrait orientation, it features five rows (a rarity among phones) with dedicated keys for numbers across the top row. A useful feature is the trackpad-like cursor control on the Samsung virtual keyboard which makes it easier to change text. You can move the cursor by just sliding your finger across the keyboard. The virtual keyboard may support Swype, a method that allows users to type words without lifting a finger-literally. You enter a word by dragging your finger across the screen from letter to letter. Though it's initially awkward to use, we eventually had a lot of success "typing" quickly and accurately with Swype. The virtual keyboard has an advanced voice command feature that supports text fields, allowing you to dictate e-mails, text messages, Tweets, and other normally typed forms of communication. This phone comes with common preset text messages and allows you to create your own custom preset messages for your individual special situations or frequent use. Excellent e-mail readability and attachment capabilities. This phone allows you to create and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets out of the box, which can come in handy when working on the go. The Galaxy S 5 also supports Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for work e-mail. When connected to Windows or Macintosh computers, this phone can appear on the computer as another drive. You can then transfer data to and from your phone as you could on a regular drive.
PHONE: We tested the Galaxy S 5 under a variety of conditions to simulate environments ranging from the quiet indoors to noisy roadsides. We found voice quality good when talking and listening. Talk time, overall, was an ample 20 hours, including measuring more than 24 hours of talk time in one of our tests. Its Ultra Power Saving Mode can squeeze out even more battery life by adjusting the screen from color to use the more efficient grayscale and limit access to your applications, such as sending and receiving voice calls and texts. The phone has an excellent mixture of controls and features for making and taking calls. Excellent keypad readability under most lighting conditions, even bright light. Its voice command allows you to conveniently dial numbers from your phone book by speaking the name, without the usual training. You can also dial numbers by pronouncing the digits. It has Bluetooth for wireless hands-free voice communication. Some models can simultaneously be on a phone call and an Internet-based connection over the cellular network. Can be used internationally.
MULTIMEDIA: The 15.9-megapixel camera has a very short shutter lag, and produced good-quality pictures at ISO settings up to 800. The camera performed very well under low-light conditions. There are many features and capabilities of the camera. For instance, its dual camera lets you shoot simultaneously with the front and rear camera, including moving and resizing the frames. Shot & more, a burst shot mode, takes a series of photos to combine with other effects that can be applied right after taking the pictures. These effects include Best photo, Best face, Eraser, Drama, and Panning shot. Its Eraser mode, a still-camera mode, automatically deletes bystanders who wander into your photo, saving you the trouble of fiddling with settings or editing. You can also manually delete a person or any other undesirable object. Its Best face feature allows you to take a burst shot of group of people, and then choose the best individual facial expressions from the different shots to form one "perfect" picture. Its Drama mode takes multiple images of a moving subject and creates one image. The camera's built-in flash and ISO-setting controls help improve your chances of taking better pictures under low-light conditions. Its face detection comes in handy when you're snapping pics of children or other fussy subjects. Its touch focus feature lets you override the autofocus by tapping on any subject on the screen. Also, the camera can shoot a series of photos in rapid-fire succession while in camera mode, as well as snap a still picture at any moment while shooting a video. The camera took very good 1080p video, on par with what you'd get with the better pocket camcorders. You can also record in slow, fast, or smooth motion. The Galaxy S 5 can record in Ultra HD (4K) video format, which has benefits when viewing on an Ultra HD TV, giving you more detail for extra clarity. But the file size in Ultra HD is about three times the size of HD, and you are limited to 5 minutes per recording. The front-facing 2.1-megapixel camera allows easy self-portraits, and can support video chats. It can also record at 1080p.
The music player has the capabilities and controls of a typical stand-alone MP3 player, including an equalizer, music shuffle and repeat controls, and options for sorting music by album, artist, etc. This model also supports Bluetooth stereo headsets, and can download music over the phone network. Its Bluetooth data support enables the phone to wirelessly share pictures, contacts, and other files with compatible printers, computers, and mobile devices.
GPS navigation capability provides spoken turn-by-turn directions and automatic re-routing. The Galaxy S 5 also supports the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard. This lets the phone connect via WiFi to share content with other compatible certified devices such as a TV, printer, and computer.
The Galaxy S 5 can act as a mobile hotspot for up to 10 WiFi-enabled devices. It has 16GB of built-in memory and supports memory cards of up to 128GB. Its memory capacity is beneficial for storing music, videos, pictures, and other types of files. But the memory card is hard to access. The phone's USB 3.0 jack provides fast file transfers and battery charging.
