Galaxy S 5, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Jeffrey

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Now that we have a fair amount of Galaxy S 5 users here at DF, share your thoughts. We want to know about what's good, what's bad and what's ugly.
 

bsweetness

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The Good
- Amazing screen
- Great battery life
- Ultra power saving mode is fantastic when needed
- IP67 rating
- Camera in bright light (it can take some stunning pictures)
- Some useful Samsung software features (muli window, air view, one-handed operation, toolbox)
- Expandable storage
- Removable battery

The Bad
- Camera in anything other than bright light (it takes too long to capture photos - which often leads to blur, and low light shots often look like oil paintings due to over processing)
- Some lag now and then that really shouldn't happen (not a major issue)
- Cluttered menus and toggles (they're much better than previous Samsung devices though)
- USB port flap (a minor annoyance I'm more than willing to deal with though for the IP67 rating)

The Ugly
- Nothing really. I have yet to find anything glaringly wrong with the phone.


A few closing observations:

- The biggest disappointment for me is the camera in low light situations. It's too slow to process, and even if the phone is sitting perfectly still, the results just aren't that great many times.
- I know a lot of people knock the build quality of Samsung devices, but I have no problems with them. Plastic makes the phone lighter, and it's also far more forgiving in a drop. I like the feel of the back cover.
- Many people also avoid Samsung devices because of Touch Whiz. While I'm not a Touch Whiz fan in the slightest, it is scaled back a bit on the S5 (although it's still a far cry from being great). But Nova solves a lot of the problems with the look of it and with speed.
- The fingerprint scanner is fine, but having to hold it just right and swipe just right takes more time than a pattern unlock. Knock Apple all you want, but Touch ID works incredibly well and is exactly how a fingerprint scanner should be implemented on a smartphone.

Overall, I'm quite happy with the phone.
 
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Jeffrey

Jeffrey

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Awsome. Thanks for sharing.
 

ferret57

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The only bad part I have experienced is 1. needs more ram 2. the cover for the hdmi/micro usb is poorly made. Not even 2 months and the hinge broke off. Called Samsung and they want you to send the phone in or repair, could take up to a month to get it back.
 
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Jeffrey

Jeffrey

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The only bad part I have experienced is 1. needs more ram 2. the cover for the hdmi/micro usb is poorly made. Not even 2 months and the hinge broke off. Called Samsung and they want you to send the phone in or repair, could take up to a month to get it back.
Thanks for sharing.
 

Claudzion

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I love my S5. Only things I find annoying is the 'menu' button gone and the fact that you can't control notification volume along with ringing volume.
Love the screen, love the camera, love most features!
One of the best! ... yet. :D

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mslaceyrose

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Thanks for this thread. These are exactly the real world user reports that I'm looking for in making my decision. Thanks for sharing your observations and conclusions, people. Looking forward to more :)

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WTF??

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Would like to hear more.... thinking of upgrading!


Your feedback please!
 

jackiescivic

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I absolutely love everything about the S5. I've been using it for a month now and really don't have any major complaints. The camera is phenomenal in every condition I have put it through, even low-light. Signal seems to keep up with my Motorola in my house, which is practically a dead zone for Verizon. I do agree about the fingerprint scanner though, it just isn't very accurate.

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ferret57

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Would like to hear more.... thinking of upgrading!


Your feedback please!

Loving the S5. The only thing I am not fond of is the little door that gives it the water resistant rating. BUT, did find out they do sell them over Ebay and really easy to take off and/or put on. I purchased the wireless charging back (had 50 % off for registering with Samsung) and a Qi charging pad, generic and it's working great. Remember if you go from iphone to android, make sure you unsubscribe from imessages or your won't get your regular text messages at all.
 
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Jeffrey

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Thanks for sharing ferret.
 

Ghostwheel

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My only minor quibbles after a week with my S5 are:

- That flimsy little charge port cover. I just know it's going to come off eventually, no matter how careful I am.

- Placement of power button opposite the volume rocker. In order to get a firm press on the power button, my fingers naturally grip on the opposite side for leverage - right where the volume rocker is, which leads to constantly accidentally adjusting the volume when turning on/off my screen.
 
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