The Samsung Galaxy S5 has gone on sale today in the UK, offering one of the most advanced and well-rounded smartphones currently on the market. Unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February, the phone will be available to buy at many major retailers, as well as direct from Samsung.
But if you still need convincing, here are five reasons why the Samsung Galaxy S5 should be your new phone…
It looks fantastic
Closely resembling its predecessor (although that it no bad thing), the Samsung Galaxy S5 differs from most new devices by offering a waterproof plastic, rather than metal, body, available in four different colour schemes. The major change is the dimpled back of the device, which gives you extra grip and security, and should mean it shouldn’t slip out of your hand like a metal phone might.
Samsung has also kept with an AMOLED screen design, which offers an amazingly wide colour palette without washing out the display. The screen itself is 5.1 inches, and measures in at 1920 x 1080 px, equating to a pixel density of 432ppi, meaning you will get a vibrant and sharp display no matter what you’re up to, with several different display modes meaning there should be something for everyone.
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The Galaxy S5 also comes with a 16MP camera offering image stabilisation and an LED flash, making it one of the most powerful offerings out there today. Samsung has also redesigned its camera app to provide increased HDR focus to provide more detailed image, as well as a Selective focus mode, which lets you re-focus on a particular part of the image after the photo has been taken.
It’s pretty darn powerful
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is one of the most powerful phones available today, being powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor capable of running at 2.5GHz. This is accompanied by 2GB of RAM, meaning you should be able to run several demanding programs or downloads all at once, without worrying about overloading the device.
But don’t worry; all this power won’t drain the battery, as Samsung has ensured that the Galaxy S5 has several tricks to ensure a longer life. The device comes with a 2800mAh battery which Samsung says is good for 21 hours of talk time, 12 hours of video, and 10 hours of web browsing. The Galaxy S5 also comes with several power-saving modes which look to eke out the phone’s battery life. These include a regular power saving mode switching off background apps, the option to switch to black-and-white view, removing the colour display which often drains batteries, and finally the ultra power saving mode, which switches off everything except essential apps such as Phone, Messages or Internet.
It’s the most intuitive phone available today
The Galaxy S5 is particularly focused on mobile health, with a number of interesting features looking to help users monitor their wellbeing. The most unique is a heart rate sensor built into the back of the device, which can send data to the phone’s S Health software, which can monitor the user’s health over time. S Health acts as your personal fitness tracker, measuring steps taken, distance travelled, and calories burnt, so you can always keep track of your activity.
One of the main features Samsung is pushing with the Galaxy S5 is the fingerprint recognition system, which is built into the device’s Home button and is used as an extra layer of security or for payment verification with PayPal or your Samsung account. This feature is already available in the Apple iPhone 5S, and may well be indicative of Samsung looking to keep on track with its rival.
Alongside this, the Galaxy S5 also has the Air View and Air Gesture tools, which lets you swipe through apps or displays without touching the device, and the facial recognition unlock features seen in its predecessor, making it one of the most intelligent devices around.
It has lots of special features
As we’ve covered previously, the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a collection of special features which make it stand out from all the other smartphones out there today.
Asides from the fingerprint scanner and health tracker we’ve mentioned above, the Galaxy S5 can also act as a baby monitor, tv remote or even a notepad, as its advanced stylus support means you can use a regular pencil to write notes on the device, as you would with a plastic stylus.
The clever new Toolbox feature lets you select five of your favourite apps, which are then kept in a button that stays on the home screen, allowing you quick access without having to navigate back to the homepage.
Samsung has also announced a ‘premium’ range of accessories for the Galaxy S5, including a plush new version of the S View case and a wireless charging kit, which can be used to charge up to three devices at once.
It comes with some really cool accessories
Samsung is making a major push into wearable technology, as its Galaxy Gear smartwatch was one of the first on the market by a major manufacturer. The Galaxy S5 is going on sale at the same time as the company’s updated Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches, along with a new fitness tracker, the Gear Fit, showing that Samsung is hoping customers will use the devices together.
The main purpose is obviously for health and activity tracking, as data gathered by the watch when out running or cycling can be sent to the smartphone for collation and tracking, but the devices will also work together to deliver notifications and call alerts.
