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  • solipsism - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    Waterproofing is a great idea but my devices won't be protected against accidental submersion if I have to use a rubber USB flap every time I have to charge it.
  • fokka - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    i'd like to think that it should be possible to implement ports (headphones, usb) that don't need to be covered to be waterproof. doesn't the z2 at least sport a waterproof headphone jack without a flap?
  • duffie - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link

    Even the Z1 does that.
  • gvaley - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - link

    My understanding is that rubber covers are there to stop dust and other mechanical particles (the first IP digit) from coming in, not water (the second IP digit). Imagine going to the beach or on a mud-spilling ATV drive. The charging port can collect sand or dirt and when you try to plug the charger in you can damage the plug or even be prevented from plugging it in altogether.
  • Solandri - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    The wireless Qi charging back cover is just $30, a charging pad another $25 (assuming you don't already have one). If you're going to be using the phone in a way where submersion is a significant risk, then get it and you'll only have to remove the rubber flap while rooting the phone.

    If you don't have a substantial submersionn risk, then save yourself $55 and just use it like a non-waterproof phone. it still resists water being spilled on it better than a non-waterproof phone. (Though I'd still recommend getting the Qi charger and back. It's very convenient just to put the phone down to charge it, instead of having to fiddle with a cable and plug.)
  • Guspaz - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    Replacing the back cover would invalidate the waterproofing, since it presumably wouldn't have the rubber gaskets...
  • WackyDan - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    This link to the Qi back seems to show a gasket there. http://www.phonedog.com/2014/04/05/samsung-galaxy-...
  • Impulses - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    I would hope that's not the case, particularly if you buy Samsung's own replacement cover... After all, inductive charging is used in other waterproof services (electric toothbrushes etc).
  • ESC2000 - Thursday, April 24, 2014 - link

    And that's why wireless charging is so great. You won't have to open that port every day. You can also transfer data via the cloud or another wireless method.
  • PrinceGaz - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    Apple's advanced iOS7 software device shutdown protection when water is detected is far superior than what Samsung have done, as it does not involve annoying rubber flaps which affect day to day use. Yet another reason why Apple is so much better than Samsung and probably always will be.
  • squirrelboy - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    The iPhone turns off when it detects water, while the GS5 stays completely usable even when submerged. How is apple's solution better?
  • Lonyo - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    Why respond to what must be an obvious troll. Either that or it's a miracle he can use a computer.
  • shaolin95 - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link

    And not even decent at trolling either...pretty pathetic. lol
  • Alexey291 - Saturday, May 3, 2014 - link

    but but but the iphone turns off! Its magical...
  • joos2000 - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    Samsung's water protection scheme is easily foiled by human laziness/forgetfulness. What if you forget to plug one of the jacks, or one falls off in your pocket? Apple's system takes the fallible meatbag somewhat out of the equation.
  • poisonsnak - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    I'm pretty sure that feature is fake http://www.phonearena.com/news/Bogus-Apple-ad-conv...
  • LordOfTheBoired - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link

    Apple is the only company willing to inspire their users to invent imaginary features. Samsung settles for what's actually possible. And that's why they'll NEVER be better than Apple.
  • niva - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - link

    Nicely done.
  • Ahnilated - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - link

    Because Apple fan boys are struggling to find something to say negative about the Galaxy S5 phone
  • tipoo - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    ಠ_ಠ
  • HexiumVII - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link

    Lol don't know how true this is, regardless iphone 5 up HATE water. Pretty much they are toast if they get drowned. iphone 4 have MUCH better chance at being saved. (I've recovered many at work)
  • ESC2000 - Thursday, April 24, 2014 - link

    Also apple's implementation failed. I've already known a couple people who have lost their ios 7 devices to water damage and it's only been half a year since we got iOS 7. I'd rather have waterproofing than faulty software.
  • az06093 - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    Where's the video analysis section?
  • BoneAT - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    I can give you one. Video quality is spectacular, 4k is insane, 8MP single frames have print quality details. HDR and 60FPS works well, albeit limited to 1080p, as well as software stabilization. Sound and low-light image is good, not great, biggest setback is the lack of OIS.

    Here are some 4k frame captures via VLC from my S5 4k videos:
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/111873126@N06/sets/7...
  • az06093 - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link

    Thanks!
  • r3loaded - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    All we need now is an Xperia Z2 review to compare both of these phones with!
  • Solandri - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    I'm very surprised Samsung isn't pushing Google to add color profile support to Android. That's pretty much the solution to all their AMOLED color woes. With a profile, the superior gamut of the display can be toned down for perfect sRGB reproduction. And they can equip stores which sell Samsung phones with a colorimeter for generating new profiles. Just have customers come in after a year or two to generate a new profile which will correct for different degradation rates in the blue, red, and green phosphors.
  • BoneAT - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    Your suggestion make a lot of sense for OLED degradation, but as far as accuracy goes, "the Galaxy S5 Cinema Mode has the most accurate colors for any Smartphone or Tablet display that we have ever measured." DisplayMate

    It really is a damn fine screen. Very impressive under the sunlight.
  • MykeM - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link

    The problem with Samsung Super AMOLED display still persists regardless of how well it measures. Displaymate's test definitely doesn't take into account display clarity and white balance (when displaying white background).

    Compared to IPS/LCD, the display on the S5 like that on the S4, has an ever-present graininess on screen that only goes away if the background or the screen itself is black. I'm not sure if it's the pixel arrangement or the inherent feature of OLED, but having used IPS/LCD mostly, I can't get used to the graininess. It's like viewing object underneath a fine grain of sand.

    Then there's the green tinted white. Not a problem if you do most of your reading at night using dark/night mode. But on anything grey of white , it becomes apparent that AMOLED is a still a pretty compromised technology.
  • BoneAT - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link

    Of course they are measuring white color temperature, at 6,755K it' almost perfect and one of the best ever.
  • Solandri - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link

    Just to clarify, color calibration is much more encompassing than just color temperature. See the triangle in the CIE color chart in the article? Balancing color temperature just means the geometric mean of the three outermost dots at the corners lies at the center of the triangle. Color calibration means every dot lands in or close to the square it's supposed to be in.

    In this particular chart, the color temperature is fairly good (center dot lands very close to the center square). But you can see from the dots (measured results) vs squares (ideal results) that cyan and yellow are skewed towards green, green skewed towards yellow, and magenta is skewed towards red. Color calibration fixes those errors.
  • az06093 - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link

    I really don't get why DisplayMate said that; it's definitely not if you read Anandtech's review. Apple and Google are both ahead in terms of accuracy. Not to say that it isn't great; it's a huge improvement over the previous generations and I loved it when I played it with it, but it's definitely not the most accurate screen ever.
  • tipoo - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    Is there a way for you guys to test touchscreen response times? The M8 was recently tested as the fastest for that, the Note 3 had the last record, both beating the iPhone which held it since Android was a baby.
  • TimeLord84 - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    This phone is really awesome. Highly recommend.
  • AbRASiON - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    "Both phones definitely feel too big now, especially compared to the One (M7) and Galaxy S4, which were phones that I found to be perfectly usable and not significantly harder to use than the 4.3"-screened phones of 2011 and and 4.8"-screened phones of 2012. I sincerely hope that the size creep occurring here comes to an end now, or even regresses."

    I couldn't have said it better - the S4 was the absoloute limit of my hands abilities, I simply couldn't even go .5mm larger, simply not possible. The S4 infact was a tiny bit too big. I've regressed to an S3 (Long story, worked out profitable for me) - I just want something about 4.7" - very very nice quality screen, good shape to one hand it and high performance :/ AND with a damn physical home button.
  • SilthDraeth - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link

    Your hands should be hired as a micrometer. Can tell if something is just half a millimeter to large. Damn!
  • AbRASiON - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link

    My hands are quite small so every mm on a phone counts.
    I ride public transport, so holding on to a pole with 1 arm, 1 handing my phone in the other is way important.
  • piiman - Saturday, April 26, 2014 - link

    Just wrap your arm around the pole and you can use both your hands. :-)
  • Coup27 - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link

    The S4 is the same as the S3 in height, but smaller in width and depth. I don't understand how therefore you could find an S3 easier in hand than an S4.
  • bradleyg5 - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link

    I've found pointing a fan at the phone completely eliminates thermal throttling as well. Little more practical when you are gaming and don't want to lose FPS :D
  • Notmyusualid - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link

    I have had an S5 for a week now. I also have a HTC One (M7).

    I can say the following:

    GS5, you can notice it is snappier than the HTC One's (M7) Snapdragon 600 cpu. But then, I can sense if my RAM speed is reset to default when the bios eff's up on my PC.

    The fake leather wallet-type case is great. And about to cry now that I heard there is a wireless charging one too.

    It is a bit ugly. The M7 is gorgeous. No getting around that.

    I can tell the battery life is noticeably better on the GS5. Charge time is better too. I may fit a large-back-battery-cover, which was not an option with M7. I am used to carrying spare batteries you see...

    Speaker is well, poor on GS5. SpeakerS on M7, much more acceptable. Seems illogical to do any other way somebody once said. I'm missing calls again, like I did with my GS2.

    M7 screen colour / quality more accurate in my opinion.

    I NEVER thought I'd ever use a fingerprint unlock feature. But I love it.

    GS5 16GB - wtf? Can't even restore one device to the other with such small storage.

    Beware the Exynos Octo-core version. If they had it in stock last Sat, I would have bought it. Luckily they didn't. Reason being it has NO 4G.

    HTC One, loads of cool ROMs, GS5, no cool roms (yet), so GS5 loaded with bloatware (very annoying).

    I was out to sea on the boat today, and did not care at all as water splashed up over the side.... this has to be the future....

    Samsung, if GS6 has no front facing speakers, I'll be buying HTC again. Are you listening? Or you can't hear me, because I have only one speaker (small) now, and it is on the back again!

    :)
  • TheSailorMan - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link

    iAnandTech , never rest.
    LOL
  • Streamlined - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link

    The S5 scores a 4.3 on Calman? That's worse than the iphone 5 (3.59), let alone the 5S(2.96) or HTC One(3.36).
  • ESC2000 - Thursday, April 24, 2014 - link

    Your gifs don't compare the finger print scanner to pattern unlock... They only show you unlocking it using the scanner. I think pattern unlock is the best method of phone unlocking and I actually want to see it compared to a finger print scanner. It's my hunch that between the lag after you swipe and are waiting for the software to determine whether it matches and the failed attempts it is not any faster than pattern unlock, which takes a few milliseconds longer to input than the finger print but there is no lag in matching the pattern and the failure rate is much lower. Even the finger print defenders say they're so much happier with touchID now that the failure rate is only one in 20 (apparently before updates it would only work like 10% of the time)... Well the failure rate of pattern unlock for me is like one in a 100. BTW everything I'm saying, including the lag between swiping your finger and the home screen appearing is true of touchID not just Samsung's device. If apple would have just included pattern unlock a long time ago there would have been no need for this. I understand the need for something other than a pin or pw, especially given the iPhone's tiny cramped keyboard.

    Anyway so if you'd like to make a gif that actually shows pattern unlock v finger print scanner that would be great. It wouldn't be conclusive proof since it'd just give us a subjective impression about which was faster that wouldn't take into account failure rate
  • DemianTikal - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link

    Are you joking? I hope, for your sake, that you're joking.

    http://www.phonearena.com/news/Bogus-Apple-ad-conv...

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