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

[jackiescivic]

I don't have that problem with the volume rocker, or charging slot. For the power button, I typically would use my left hand but I've learned to use the thumb on my right hand. I constantly see people putting their phone into safe mode because of the button/rocker placement

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

[Ghostwheel]

For the power button, I typically would use my left hand but I've learned to use the thumb on my right hand. I constantly see people putting their phone into safe mode because of the button/rocker placement

Maybe I should post an image of my issue..

 

[pdoyle]

Love the GS5 responsiveness; no lag time at all, far superior to my latest motorola Maxx HD and Razr Maxx. Does everything quicker and 'the way it should work'; connecting to bluetooth, wifi, doesn't drop a call in deadzones, able to find a weak Verizon signal where motorola couldn't. Screen is amazingly clear. Camera; I don't see it as superior despite the reviews, to my Maxx HD which also had difficulty with low-light. Great daylight shots. Great two camera feature allowing for skype.
Bad; the directional guidance voice volume is much louder than music volume and doesn't have a separate control; so very annoying that guidance comes on blaringly loud during a song. Have to turn the volume of music down so much, it's not enjoyable.
Bad: haven't found a program to transfer playlists and songs from itunes to phone; so as with the motorolas, i'm stuck with google play music which is inconsistent and out of control, downloading multiple versions of songs, losing them, then downloading more versions. Don't know how many times Appetite for Destruction will have to be downloaded to the phone before it remains. Then, I have 10 copies of Appetite on the phone.
Bad; gs5 loses my ringtone sometime soon after setup. Changes from ringtone, to "call coming from John Doe"....
Bad: phone is just a bit too large for one-handed operation, cannot reach the entire keyboard. The one-hand operation is a great feature; but reverts back after display times out. Why not engineer it to stay in one-hand operation after timeout? would have been a huge advantage; now, the one hand is just too frustrating to even bother using cuz it takes several swipes to activate it. This point is such an obvious drawback that could have been corrected but it wasn't.
But overall, I'm very pleased to switch from motorola after many years, to GS5. Guess I'm a perfectionist. And what they say is correct; different phones are strong in different features, so it really depends on what's important to the user.

 

[Jeffrey]

Thanks for sharing @pdoyle.

 

[mountainbikermark]

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.

Try this
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...+lock&pcampaignid=APPU_Th-sU6HhDaTM8wHHjoCIDg
for your sleep and if memory serves the tapping the home button should wake the phone, at least that's what happens with my Note2 and Note8 when I tap the home button when it's asleep.

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

 

[dlwhtrose]

I have had just about every Droid out there dating back to the OD. I've also had 2 different iPhone. I can tell you that first Android beats apple hands down in my book especially if you like to tweek your phone. As for the GS5 this is an awesome device. I agree with the complains over the charging door but it is manageable. I am not having any of the issues with my camera that have been spoken of. I do remember turning off the delay (I would have to look at my phone to give you the exact setting) . The battery life is beyond compare. I will tell you I am using a third party launcher not touch wiz and I love the phone even more. There are plenty of tweeks available out there that do not need root and do not require you to do anything crazy with your phone.

Hope this helps with your decision to get a GS5.

 

[Ghostwheel]

Today I realized that if I cut my fingernails too short, it makes it a lot tougher to charge my phone.

 

[cr6]

Well folks, two weeks in owning my S5 and I have to say I am absolutely blown away by this device! The speed, the screen, the battery life are all so much better than I had hoped for. Even Touchwiz is a huge improvement, so I haven't even bothered installing Apex. (Although I probably will eventually simply because I'm missing some of the gestures and app drawer features) The camera takes amazing photos, though indoor low light shots take a second longer to focus than outdoor/natural lighting. Speaking of outdoor, viewing this device in direct overhead sunlight is great and I have yet to experience a phone that can compete in this area. My only real complaint was the flap that covers the charging port. It's taken some getting used to but it's gotten much easier to handle and the good thing is the little flap doesn't feel like it could easily snap off, so that's a plus. Overall I'm glad I stuck with the Galaxy line as it's a huge improvement over my S3. If anyone is still on the fence about buying the S5, I can assure you, you will not be disappointed.

tap'n on my S5

 

[bocabean]

I have had GS5 for roughly a week now, as well. Generally speaking, I am enjoying it, although I am very hesitant to go the root route just yet. I switched from a Droid Razr Maxx which was rooted, running the Aviator Rom. Although I did not find the root process difficult (and I do miss my Titanium backups and other root required apps), I am just a bit concerned about how things will work in the KitKat world. Plus, I think that I should use the device in stock form for at least a good 3-6 months until I am really ready to go root again.

In the interim, my biggest complaint is obviously the issues with the SD card, which ironically, will be the #1 reason for me to rethink just how long I will be willing to wait to root. I have pretty much recovered all of the important apps and data that I needed, so for now, I will just complain about the silly USB flap like everyone else. Battery seems fine and I am now getting used to the AutomateIt app which I installed to replace the Moto Smart Actions app.

I weighed the pros and cons of waiting just a bit longer for the LGG3 to come out, as well as the HTC (not to mention the upcoming Sony X...) but at the end of the day, and after having read countless articles, threads, etc., the S5 was the right choice for me. I'm glad that I got it.

 

[cr6]

Don't hesitate with root! It literally takes 5 seconds and just as long to return to stock. It's a very cut and dry process which you can't screw up. There's no need for a Rom on this device. Just root, titanium backup and the AdFree app. Throw in Xposed if you want to mod a bit further and you're set.
Let me know if you need a hand with anything.

tap'n on my S5

 

[dfwtexan]

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.

I agree, too long to capture a picture. Also, the private mode access if you lose or forget your password no one, as of now, has an answer on how to retrieve or reset password without hard reset to phone.

 

[pdoyle]

Love the GS5 responsiveness; no lag time at all, far superior to my latest motorola Maxx HD and Razr Maxx. Does everything quicker and 'the way it should work'; connecting to bluetooth, wifi, doesn't drop a call in deadzones, able to find a weak Verizon signal where motorola couldn't. Screen is amazingly clear. Camera; I don't see it as superior despite the reviews, to my Maxx HD which also had difficulty with low-light. Great daylight shots. Great two camera feature allowing for skype.
Bad; the directional guidance voice volume is much louder than music volume and doesn't have a separate control; so very annoying that guidance comes on blaringly loud during a song. Have to turn the volume of music down so much, it's not enjoyable.
Bad: haven't found a program to transfer playlists and songs from itunes to phone; so as with the motorolas, i'm stuck with google play music which is inconsistent and out of control, downloading multiple versions of songs, losing them, then downloading more versions. Don't know how many times Appetite for Destruction will have to be downloaded to the phone before it remains. Then, I have 10 copies of Appetite on the phone.
Bad; gs5 loses my ringtone sometime soon after setup. Changes from ringtone, to "call coming from John Doe"....
Bad: phone is just a bit too large for one-handed operation, cannot reach the entire keyboard. The one-hand operation is a great feature; but reverts back after display times out. Why not engineer it to stay in one-hand operation after timeout? would have been a huge advantage; now, the one hand is just too frustrating to even bother using cuz it takes several swipes to activate it. This point is such an obvious drawback that could have been corrected but it wasn't.
But overall, I'm very pleased to switch from motorola after many years, to GS5. Guess I'm a perfectionist. And what they say is correct; different phones are strong in different features, so it really depends on what's important to the user.

Two months later update: I've gotten pretty much used to the size of the screen and learned to stretch my fingers farther, so I don't even bother with the 'small screen' setting which doesn't stay past the sleep mode anyway. Really enjoying media monkey which allows file storage of mp3 to the sd card, so better alternative to google music. (dont they have any real users on their design team???) Surprisingly, the flimsy port flap has not broken off yet. Fast charger is a godsend. Screen still fantastic. connectivity to both wifi and LG3 and LG4 is the best; I've never dropped a call, even in dead zones. I'm more happy with this phone the longer I use it.

 

[Jeffrey]

Thanks for the great input...

 

[mslaceyrose]

Thanks from me too, pdoyle. It's always nice to hear real user's initial impressions of a device, but when someone is still happy with it once the "honeymoon" period is over, that's
an even better endorsement.

 

[rudywilliams]

I have had mine a couple of months now. That USB door didn't last a week, but I bought another from Amazon and installed it. It was poorly designed by a left handed designer. Solved the door problem by going to Wireless Charging including in the car, but if you don't want that, flip it upside down to open the door right handed. I hope they improve the Car Mode app to drop when the bluetooth pairing is dropped. I have tried Car-Home app for that and like it for the most part, may wind up using it instead.