Samsung Galaxy S5 2014

he Samsung Galaxy S5 is official - and it's not what we expected. Rumors got a few details right, but not the whole picture, obviously. After so many updates and sequels to the S4, it's perhaps not all that surprising that the S5 feels like a small step forward.

Samsung Galaxy S5 at a glance:

• Form factor: Water-resistant bar phone, IP67 certification
• General: 2G, 3G and 4G LTE connectivity
• Dimensions: 142 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145 g
• Display: 5.1" 16M-color Super AMOLED HD capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (431ppi)
• Chipset: Snapdragon 801 MSM8974-AC
• CPU: 2.5GHz Krait 400
• GPU: Adreno 330
• RAM: 2GB
• OS: Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
• Memory: 16/32GB storage, microSD card slot
• Still camera: 16 megapixel auto-focus camera
• Video camera: UHD (2160p) video recording
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 3.0 with MHL, GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC, Infrared port
• Battery: 2800mAh
• Heart rate monitor
• Fingerprint scanner
• Additional sensors: humidity sensor, temperature sensor

The screen grew up only a bit and it kept the 1080p resolution rather than going to QHD.

The camera does, however, record UHD video - Samsung's initial information was for 1080p, but we can now confirm it's really 4K UHD (2160p).

Samsung does maintain the clockspeed advantage with a rare Snapdragon 800 chipset and while the fingerprint scanner was no surprise, the heart rate monitor certainly is.

TouchWiz was a bit of a surprise too. We got pumped up for a brand new flat version of Samsung's custom UI, but the reality is closer to what we saw on the new Galaxy Pro tablets.

   

Samsung Galaxy S5

The back of the device is a new iteration of Samsung's leather-like plastic, with what looks like perforated holes. It only looks like it though, the Galaxy S5 is IP67 certified - we don't expect to see a Galaxy S5 Active.

Like we said, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is in part what we expected and a bit of a surprise. What is it though that sets it apart from the Galaxy S4 Advance with the leather back?

Samsung Galaxy S5 hands-on: hardware

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is nearly 6mm taller and 3mm wider than the S4, it's even a tad thicker. It has also put on 15g of weight. Those values seem too high for a mere 0.1" increment in screen size, but we suspect water-proofing the device took its toll on the bezels (think of Xperia Z1's bezels).

In terms of design, the Galaxy S5 looks more rectangular - closer to the Note 3 than the Galaxy S4. Samsung kept the hardware buttons below the screen, only replacing the Menu key with the App Switcher.

  

Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S5 side by side

Note that the Home button now contains a fingerprint scanner, which will be used for securing the phone but apps can also use it to provide secure verification for their services. You need to swipe your finger over the scanner (not just hold it).

The buttons under the screen now have an App Switcher instead of Menu

It's really the back that has changed the most. The plastic still has a leathery texture, but goes after the perforated leather look and there's no stitching. This makes it look more like a plastic back rather than a leather imitation, but the material still feels good to the touch.

Here is the new 16MP camera with no optical image stabilization and 2160p video capture. Samsung claims the Phase Detection Auto Focus tech is the fastest on a phone, but we'll have to test it for ourselves.

Right under the camera is the flash with two odd looking sensors for heart rate monitor, which is a first on a smartphone. With the S5, Samsung is putting an even stronger emphasis on a fit lifestyle.

   

16MP camera with LED flash and heart rate monitor

The screen is a 1080p Super AMOLED unit that has grown a bit since the last generation, but the difference in surface area is less than 5%. Samsung enabled dynamic adjustments to the screen based on ambient light, but the poor lighting at the event masked any difference that could have made.

Galaxy S4 vs. Galaxy S5 size comparison

The silvery plastic that encircles the sides of the phone is still in place and here you can see the usual suspects, including an IR blaster at the top. Samsung has moved to microUSB 3.0, just like on the Note 3. The port is covered under a flap to prevent water damage, while the 3.5mm audio jack on top is left uncovered.

   

Silver strap on the side • IR blaster on top • USB 3.0 port with watertight flap

The back cover is removable as usual. Below it is a 2,800mAh battery (also removable) and a microSD card slot to supplement the 16/32GB built-in storage. The slots supports the new 128GB microSD cards, so you won't run out of storage any time soon.

Samsung will offer more color options out of the gate - the standard Black and White models, a Blue one (a much brighter blue than the original S4 Arctic Blue) and a Copper version (which we suspect will become better known as "gold"). Note that the color versions are region dependent.

   

The four color versions of the Galaxy S5

Galaxy S5 software: new TouchWiz

The teasers from Samsung lead people to believe that TouchWiz on the Galaxy S5 will have a flat, Holo-like design. The reality is much closer to what TouchWiz is today - some elements have indeed gotten flatter, like the notification area, but we already saw that on the Galaxy Pro tablets.

   

Good ol' TouchWiz looks

Here's a short video demo to get a taste of TouchWiz. The Settings screen especially, with its circular icons is more what we expected.

The notification area has gotten a little more cluttered with S Finder and Quick Connect shortcuts, though hopefully those can be disabled just like the brightness slider. My Magazine is on board, which has become a TouchWiz staple.

   

The new notification area feels a little cluttered • My Magazine UI

Finally, here's a quick look at the new camera interface - several commonly used features are now immediately accessible, so you don't have to dig in the Mode or Settings menu.

Galaxy S5 camera

The Samsung Galaxy S5 features a 16MP camera with a 16:9 sensor. That's right, you get full resolution 16MP samples if you shoot in 16:9 (the Galaxy S4 and most other phones crop and lose resolution when making widescreen shots).

Samsung also confirmed that the sensor itself is bigger than what was in the Galaxy S4 camera, but we have no exact size yet.

We managed to snap several samples with the Galaxy S5, here are three Normal mode shots. The lighting at the venue wasn't particularly favorable, but given the circumstances, the Samsung Galaxy S5 did a pretty solid job.

   

Camera sampes shot with the Galaxy S5

Samsung was particularly proud about the progress the Galaxy S5 makes when it comes to HDR photos, or as the Koreans call those - Rich tone photos. Check out how much extra dynamic range the Galaxy S5 is able to squeeze compared to the Galaxy S4.

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy S4 HDR mode

And here's an HDR sample we captured:

HDR sample taken with the Galaxy S5

In the internal memory of the S5 unit we found these photos too, they are paired Normal mode and HDR mode:

   

   

   

 

Samsung Galaxy S5 camera samples

Update: the Galaxy S5 records 4K UHD video, despite early information to the contrary. That's 3840 x 2160 video at 30fps.

We've recorded a couple of short videos to demonstrate the UHD recording capabilities of the S5. Note that you'll need a relatively beefy computer to play 4K at its native resolution (YouTube will play a lower resolution by default, don't forget to change to UHD!).