Samsung Galaxy S5 First Impressions

Samsung announced the successor in the Galaxy S line, the Samsung Galaxy S5 at MWC in Barcelona.
Btw, congrats to +Samsung Mobile for selling over 200 million Galaxy devices as of February 2014!

The key points highlighted by Samsung in the Unpacked event were:

• Design
• Camera
• Performance
• Connectivity
• Security

Key features of Samsung Galaxy S5 are:

• LTE Category 4
• Capacitive button for Menu is gone. Multitasking it is!
• Wifi 802.11AC with MIMO(Multi input multi output)
• Camera features (Advanced HDR, Improved UI, Fast Focus)
• Built in heart rate sensor
• IP67 Water and dust resistant
• Samsung Knox security
• New Ultra Power Saving Mode.

New UX:

• Inspired by Prism effect
• Clean
• Big icons in App drawer
• Settings has new layout.

Display:

• 5.1" Full HD Super AMOLED display
• Super dimming and bright screen 2-500 cd/m^2(depending on situation)
• Adaptive display.

Camera:

• Fast Auto Focus
• Advanced HDR
• Selective Focus:Similar to DSLR cameras
• 16 MP sensor
• 0.3 seconds auto focus: fastest on a smartphone
• HDR in video recording
• Real time HDR.

Speed/Connectivity:

• Advanced LTE (Category 4) with all carriers
• USB 3.0 port instead of microUSB for fast data transfers similar to the Note 3
• Wifi 802.11AC with MIMO: first in Smartphones (also in the Google Nexus 10)
• Download Booster: Use LTE with Wifi for enhanced download speeds.

Ultra Power Saving Mode:

• Turn screen to black and white (possible due to the AMOLED display)
• Only essential feautures are enabled: Calls and SMS
• 10% battery can last 24 hours on standby.

Security:

• Fingerprint scanner on the home button
• Make payments by swiping finger on screen
• Private mode: secret files and folders.

Kids mode:

• Only enabled apps.

Heart rate monitor:

• Placed below the camera, the first in a smartphone
• Keep your finger on the sensor for 1-2 seconds and it scans your heart rate.

Colors:

• Electric Blue, Shimmering White, Charcoal Black and Golden(named Band Aid edition by MKBHD) in specific markets

Availability:

• Starting to sell from 11th April in 150 countries. No info on pricing.

Specs:

• Android 4.4.2 Kitkat
• 2.5 GHz Quad core / 2.1 GHz Octa core depending on variant
• Adreno 330 GPU
• Sensors: : Accelerometer, RGB Ambient light, Geomagnetic, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer, Temperature & Humidity, Fingerprint Scanner and Heart Rate Sensor.
• 2 GB RAM
• 5.1" Full HD Super AMOLED display
• 16 MP main camera
• 4K video recording
• 2.3 MP front camera
• 2800 mAH battery with 20% better battery life than the Samsung Galaxy S4
• Dimension-wise, the Galaxy S5 is 142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm and weighs 145g

Verdict:

I think the Samsung Galaxy S5 is not bad at all. It builds on what worked for the Galaxy S4. It all depends on the price now. Let me know in the comments whether you liked it/buying it or hated it :P

Samsung Galaxy S5 hands on video:

Samsung Galaxy S series evolution:

So that's it guys, hope to see you soon. If you liked this article, please also read my other articles which are listed on the right and share it with your friends who love Android too! Also, if you want to make sure you are one of the first persons to get notified when we write more awesome stuff like this, add me in your circles, +1 or follow the blog via e-mail!