Happy with the S5?

[danoffset]

Hi guys,

I see a lot of people comparing the S5 the the M8. I just brought the S5 after a boring/painful experience of owning the iPhone 5S for a few months. (always been on Android before that, just thought I'd see what all the hype was about)

I have to say I really happy with the S5. I know both the S5 and the M8 have their pros and cons, but you have to ask yourself what's more important. For me I have a family and take a lot of pics, and to be honest the rear speaker doesn't bother me (it's just for notifications, if I want better quality I just stick some decent ear phones in). Build quality is actually quite good (better than it used to be) and to be fair which ever phone I had it would have a case on anyway.

Surely you're not all disappointed in choosing the S5?

What was the deciding point for you?

Cheers guys

 

[Cobravision]

The camera is as good as advertised. I haven't had the opportunity to really use the waterproofing, but it was the biggest reason I upgraded from the S4. But what's given me the biggest thrill so far is the fingerprint scanner. It works flawlessly now - I can unlock it one handed with the first thumb swipe 90% of the time, and by the second swipe 99% of the time. I haven't had to enter my password since I made an adjustment to the swiping motion. I'm glad it's the same password I use for one of my computers, because there's a good chance I might forget it from disuse.

Also, the screen has very high readability in full sunlight. It was sunny and clear yesterday, and yet I didn't once need to cup my hand over the screen to read it. SwiftKey flies on the S5 over to the S4, which is sluggish in comparison (of course, it never felt sluggish when I was using the S4).

I walked into the S5 expecting no real changes other than waterproofing and camera. But there are lots of big and little things that heighten the experience. I haven't been as excited about my phone since the S2.

 

[fdnj48]

I'm not disappointed with my choice of the S5 at all. I really like this phone a lot. My biggest deciding factor was I'm a new phone junky lol! But really I liked the idea of it being waterproof and the upgraded camera.

 

[something1965]

My opinion may not count since I was not an android user, I just defected from Blackberry after many many years but I have to say I am impressed with it. I even got the Gear 2 Neo which made it even sweeter.
So for BB users reading I am glad I finally made the switch.

 

[saltyduck]

Thus far I am very pleased. The main reason I chose it is that I have had my Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone for almost 3yrs and put that phone through the ringer. I do equestrian (ranching, trail riding) sports, rock climbing, hiking, sky diving, and a bunch of other things that makes my doctors and family members cringe - so I need a durable phone. The Nexus was not advertised as a durable phone, but it was. So when this one WAS advertised to be a durable/resilient phone, it definitely made me go for it. I also take A LOT of photos and the camera on the Nexus was great and I read about how great the camera was supposed to be on this one so I chose it. The other things (battery, screen, etc) are nice to have as well. I do not regret my decision at all.

 

[EWyatt]

Best smartphone I've had so far -- after using 5 others.

 

[mistaj33]

Been through quite a few Android devices over the years, starting with Android 1.5. This new Galaxy S5 blows them all away. Build quality is solid and the device runs lag free no matter what I throw at it.

Love the fact that it's waterproof and the camera is substantially better than even the one on my S3.

Previous devices: HTC Droid Eris, HTC Incredible, HTC Incredible 2, Samsung Galaxy S3, and a Nexus 7.

 

[Mittar]

The camera is as good as advertised. I haven't had the opportunity to really use the waterproofing, but it was the biggest reason I upgraded from the S4. But what's given me the biggest thrill so far is the fingerprint scanner. It works flawlessly now - I can unlock it one handed with the first thumb swipe 90% of the time, and by the second swipe 99% of the time. I haven't had to enter my password since I made an adjustment to the swiping motion. I'm glad it's the same password I use for one of my computers, because there's a good chance I might forget it from disuse.

I'm interested in what adjustments you made to make it 1 hand operable. Did you just scan the side of your thumb when setting it up, like you would when unlocking it?

 

[Cobravision]

Here's my technique:

1) Hold the phone with the pinky supporting the bottom of the screen.
2) Rest your thumb over the home button at a natural angle, with the upper inside corner of the home button touching in the middle of your thumb.
3) Flick your thumb downwards.
4) When setting it up, make sure to slightly vary your angle and speed each time. If you use a consistent speed and angle, it will only register that specific speed and angle. You are given ten examples per finger -- take advantage of it.
5) To increase my chances further, I mapped the same thumb on two profiles. The third one is for the same thumb when I'm holding it in my other hand.

The results are very accurate. Like I said, 90% of the time on the first swipe, 99% by the second, and 100% by the third.

 

[victek]

Build quality is actually quite good (better than it used to be) and to be fair which ever phone I had it would have a case on anyway.

Surely you're not all disappointed in choosing the S5?

What was the deciding point for you?

I agree that build quality is fine. I came from the HTC Droid DNA which also has a 5" screen and quad-core CPU. The main difference is the S5 has a noticeably brighter screen which makes it much easier to view in the sunny outdoors. By the way, the auto-brightness keeps the screen too dim. I use Lux for auto-brightness and it does a better job of varying screen brightness in both bright and dark environments.

 

[axel_2078]

I've only had mine for a little more than a week, but I like it a lot. I find it much more enjoyable to use than my iPhone 4s was.

 

[bhageman]

I upgraded from an S4 to an S5 when I moved from Verizon to T-Mobile. I am very happy with the S5, but there are a couple of things:

-I use Cover and NovaLauncher, so I never see much of the TouchWiz interface
-Battery strength was ok until I turned off all the Samsung bloatware and unnecessary TouchWiz garbage. Then it was great. Probably bumped by battery life by 20-25%. Currently at 84% charge showing 25 hours remaining (wifi and GPS on). 31 hours when I turned both off. Also, from completely dead to fully charged in well under an hour.
-T-Mobile didn't block the Samsung DownloadBooster like Verizon did. Really cool when I'm getting 40Mbps from T-Mobile and 50Mbps on wifi.
-New Google Camera (downloaded separately) really rocks. Focus feature is super cool.

If I wasn't changing service providers, I would have stayed with my S4. I don't think there is enough different to justify the move unless you have to be on the bleeding edge.

 

[victek]

-I use Cover and NovaLauncher, so I never see much of the TouchWiz interface
-Battery strength was ok until I turned off all the Samsung bloatware and unnecessary TouchWiz garbage. Then it was great. Probably bumped by battery life by 20-25%. Currently at 84% charge showing 25 hours remaining (wifi and GPS on). 31 hours when I turned both off.

-New Google Camera (downloaded separately) really rocks. Focus feature is super cool.

Can you say more about which apps you disabled? I also use Nova and can likely do without TouchWiz features as well.

I'll have to checkout Google Camera

 

[bhageman]

Can you say more about which apps you disabled? I also use Nova and can likely do without TouchWiz features as well.

I'll have to checkout Google Camera

BlurbCheckout
Bubbles
ChatON
EpsonPrintService
Flipboard
GooglePlayGames
HP Print Service
MobilePrintSVC
My Magazine
Photo Screensavers
Samsung Print Service
Smart Remote
Studio
Travel Wallpaper
WFDS Print Service

 

[jack58]

Love mine. Had the Note 2 & S3 before.

You know what gets me... all the reviews bashed the "plain Plastic" looks of the S5.
It doesn't look or feel cheap at all to me. Feels very solid. If you drop it, Samsung plastic is more durable then the alum or metal finishes on the other phones.

Here the thing... all the reviews rave about how the HTC & iPhone looks... well most people go and put a case of some kind on and then all that hype is moot.

 

[victek]

Here the thing... all the reviews rave about how the HTC & iPhone looks... well most people go and put a case of some kind on and then all that hype is moot.

Agreed, I think it's silly to put so much focus on the appearance when most people wisely put a case on to protect the phone. Reviewers also go on about the UI when it's equally easy to use different launchers and apps. For me it's enough that the hardware is solid and the OS is stable. So far the S5 has worked well for me.

 

[slomosavygirl]

The camera is as good as advertised. I haven't had the opportunity to really use the waterproofing, but it was the biggest reason I upgraded from the S4. But what's given me the biggest thrill so far is the fingerprint scanner. It works flawlessly now - I can unlock it one handed with the first thumb swipe 90% of the time, and by the second swipe 99% of the time. I haven't had to enter my password since I made an adjustment to the swiping motion. I'm glad it's the same password I use for one of my computers, because there's a good chance I might forget it from disuse.

Also, the screen has very high readability in full sunlight. It was sunny and clear yesterday, and yet I didn't once need to cup my hand over the screen to read it. SwiftKey flies on the S5 over to the S4, which is sluggish in comparison (of course, it never felt sluggish when I was using the S4).

I walked into the S5 expecting no real changes other than waterproofing and camera. But there are lots of big and little things that heighten the experience. I haven't been as excited about my phone since the S2.

Thanks, for the input. this really helped! I've been really hyped up on getting the S5! Can't wait to try it out!

 

[AZgl1500]

I have had and used the Galaxy S Fascinate since it was released.

The change from that to the S5 while not a shock, did lead to a hell of a lot of frustration with the menu system. Trying to find simple things to set them like I want. Samsung changed the naming.... and hidden things in sub-set menus way deep.

I have since learned to just simply use the Search feature to find the setting that I want and life is better now.

I have disabled most of the Samsung crap apps so they don't clutter up the view. I have turned off all of the animation, motion gestures, Air View, Air Browse options. Those only lead to lots of "What the Hell?" exclamations when trying to use the phone out on the job.

The phone seems to be pretty rock solid, the camera satisfies me very well. Instant point and shoot does a great job. I have a Sony DSLR if a technical photo is needed. I don't carry the DSLR anymore, the phone is good enough for 99.8% of most people's needs.

The single biggest frustration was trying to find the Menu Key when an application is running. It has been removed from the S5 (as visible), but in reality it is still there, you just have to hold the Menu key down a long time, and the application menu will then come up. Took me a week to find that damn thing.... lots of internet searching.

Samsung did a piss poor job of writing a manual for the S5.

Overall, I will eventually learn everything I need to know and life will go on.

Setting the phone to answer with either the Power Button, or the Menu Button has helped a lot...

The Bluetooth capabilities are far improved over the 'S' Fascinate phone, in reliability and sound quality, and good solid connects, AND best of all, when turning on my Blue Parrot headset the 'beep connected' does not occur. Damn, the Bluetooth is turned off on the phone.... The dialer now shows Bluetooth right on the keypad, that is a very well received feature. Bravo!


.

 

[Phandroid Phan 1]

Here the thing... all the reviews rave about how the HTC & iPhone looks... well most people go and put a case of some kind on and then all that hype is moot.

I agree. I used to have the iphone 5, then 5c, and honestly Im not the BIGGEST fan of the way the S5 looks (mainly the silver frame it has), but I just put this case http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IK4BKD4 over it anyways, so whats the big deal?

Besides that, I really like the new S5. Took a while to get used to android over ios, but overall, no complaints.

 

[Phandroid Phan 1]

I've only had mine for a little more than a week, but I like it a lot. I find it much more enjoyable to use than my iPhone 4s was.

I agree, I had the iphone 5c before this, and it was very boring to use. This is ,uch more interesting and feels more user friendly.

 

[wookiee2cu]

New to Andorids (been using iPhone since 3G... about last 5 years), got tired of the iPhone being so locked down. I looked at both the M8 and S5 and ended up with the S5. I do prefer the metal body of the M8 but the S5 camera won me over plus I always get a case for my phones so when that is taken into consideration the metal body is moot point. So far I'm loving the phone, had an initial issue with the UHD video (played back at half speed) but did a factory reset and that took care of it. I love the customization of the Androids!

 

[jack58]

The phone seems to be pretty rock solid, the camera satisfies me very well. Instant point and shoot does a great job. I have a Sony DSLR if a technical photo is needed. I don't carry the DSLR anymore, the phone is good enough for 99.8% of most people's needs.

True. I am a pro photographer and use my Nikon D3 for important stuff only now... huge difference and weight! Like when I go to Disneyland next week, I will leave the Nikon D3 at home, use my S5 most of the time and the Nikon D5200 if needed.

I don't worry about these modern phones putting me out of business as it still takes Composition/Lighting/patience and sometimes a long lens in my line of work as a wildlife/nature/mountain photographer. If you want to check out my website, here it is:
Moskovita Photography, WildLife Photography, Nature Photography