I Stand Corrected....

[PsychDoc]

...When the Galaxy S5 was announced I was entirely underwhelmed. I just saw it at my local Verizon store and the thing is just amazingly beautiful. The screen is brighter and more vivid than my HTC DNA and the whites are even whiter (something I didn't think was possible). The camera is nothing short of incredible and can now easily hold it's own against the mighty iPhone camera (for years the best phone camera BY FAR). The speaker was just passable but other than occassionally speaking to someone using the speakerphone function...not a big deal. This thing is a freakin' home run!!!

 

[freddyttt]

...The speaker was just passable but other than occassionally speaking to someone using the speakerphone function...not a big deal. This thing is a freakin' home run!!!

That's the deal breaker for me.... I use navigation , talk through speaker , and listen to music most of the day at work....

 

[katmandoo122]

Yeah, I am really pleased with my gray model. It is, in a word, elegant. I wish the chrome were metal but other than that, I actually REALLY like the back. Speaker is just OK but I use headphones and it is more than sufficient for navigation, ringtones, and the like. Plus, the speakerphone mic pics up voice really well, which mitigates much of the problem.

 

[edgefever]

Speaker is pretty loud, more than s4.

Sent from my SM-G900V using AC Forums mobile app

 

[PsychDoc]

That's the deal breaker for me.... I use navigation , talk through speaker , and listen to music most of the day at work....

If built-in audio is your prime criteria then the HTC One M8 is your go-to phone. The screen is not as nice, however and they cut off the bottom half inch of the screen with on-screen home/menu/back buttons. The G2 does that too and it's a HUGE turn-off for me. You design a world class 5" screen and then squander the bottom 1/4" - 1/2"???

Bizarre if you ask me.

 

[rahxephon]

That's the deal breaker for me.... I use navigation , talk through speaker , and listen to music most of the day at work....

I wish I had your problem, then my next would've been decided!

 

[planoman]

I am not getting an S5 but also stopped in to actually look at one today at att. That screen was amazing! I was pretty impressed with the screen and the lightness. The M8 felt like a brick in comparison. Not slamming the M8 but I do not want a device that weighs that much.

Not a big speaker fan on phones since my car plays through Bluetooth and we have several Bluetooth speakers around the house, but the Galaxy series need to start having dual speakers IMO.

You all enjoy your S5's and I might...be back once the 32GB models hit the scene!

 

[Adranalyne]

I bought a black S5 today along with the Gear Fit. It's definitely a big improvement over the S4 and easily outclasses the M8 despite hilarious reviews from places like Engadget that reference the M8 every other sentence. Coming from a Nexus 5, I'm impressed. This display is absolutely gorgeous.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[cmhsam]

I bought a black S5 today along with the Gear Fit. It's definitely a big improvement over the S4 and easily outclasses the M8 despite hilarious reviews from places like Engadget that reference the M8 every other sentence. Coming from a Nexus 5, I'm impressed. This display is absolutely gorgeous.

Posted via Android Central App

Coming from the nexus 5 I too am amazed with the screen quality. I bought a fit as well but will be going back tomorrow as a return. Wasn't impressed with the size compared to the other fitness devices

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Tina Williams s5]

Whyis some peoples SM 900A and others different

Posted via Android Central App

 

[ryanr509]

I thought the same thing when I saw the announcement. I had a droid maxx at the time which I loved but the microphone went out on it 3 times in a row so I got a free upgrade to the s5. Loving it so far. Battery seems OK but coming from the maxx I would be disappointed in most phones. Other than the battery life and the active display on the maxx the s5 blows it out of the water in every other way no questions asked!

Sent from my SM-G900V using AC Forums mobile app

 

[GrooveRite]

If built-in audio is your prime criteria then the HTC One M8 is your go-to phone.

He had been contemplating which device to get. Its now obvious which device he went with.

 

[zipro]

If built-in audio is your prime criteria then the HTC One M8 is your go-to phone. The screen is not as nice, however and they cut off the bottom half inch of the screen with on-screen home/menu/back buttons. The G2 does that too and it's a HUGE turn-off for me. You design a world class 5" screen and then squander the bottom 1/4" - 1/2"???

Bizarre if you ask me.

Yeah, that's the main problem I'm having with the M8. We have both at home now and the M8 loses a huge chunk of screen real estate because of the on-screen buttons. Of course, the screen's already smaller to begin with. Apart from that it's a very nice device and much better made than the S5, though. And it feels a lot more fluid, too.

 

[zipro]

I am not getting an S5 but also stopped in to actually look at one today at att. That screen was amazing! I was pretty impressed with the screen and the lightness. The M8 felt like a brick in comparison. Not slamming the M8 but I do not want a device that weighs that much.

The M8 weighs only 15g more - there's absolutely no way a human being can actually feel such as small difference in weight. My wife has an M8, I have an S5 - if you loft them both at the same time, they feel very much the same.

 

[zipro]

Coming from the nexus 5 I too am amazed with the screen quality. I bought a fit as well but will be going back tomorrow as a return. Wasn't impressed with the size compared to the other fitness devices

Posted via Android Central App

I also had an N5 (returned it twice because of bad speakers and ended up asking for a refund in the end) and the screen is much worse than on the S5, I agree.

 

[dwd3885]

The M8 weighs only 15g more - there's absolutely now way a human being can actually feel such as small difference in weight. My wife has an M8, I have an S5 - if you loft them both at the same time, they feel very much the same.

15g is a lot actually.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[nestafaria]

15g is a lot actually.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

.5 ounces is a lot?! That's absurd.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[ysbg]

If built-in audio is your prime criteria then the HTC One M8 is your go-to phone. The screen is not as nice, however and they cut off the bottom half inch of the screen with on-screen home/menu/back buttons. The G2 does that too and it's a HUGE turn-off for me. You design a world class 5" screen and then squander the bottom 1/4" - 1/2"???

Bizarre if you ask me.

On-screen buttons can be hidden by apps in android 4.4 (along with the notification bar, this is called immersive mode). Pocket recently implemented that for example. Also since they are on the screen, you could always reprogram them, put them somewhere else when you turn your phone, etc.

Also think about the overall size of the phone. If you don't put buttons on the screen then you'll have less space to use for the screen in order to fit the physical buttons.

Finally I think that the less mechanical parts you have on a phone the better. Eventually buttons all become less responsive.

Frankly I never want to get another phone which doesn't have on-screen buttons. That said the S5 seems to me like the best choice out there, while waiting for the g3 and the next nexus.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[ab304945]

On-screen buttons can be hidden by apps in android 4.4 (along with the notification bar, this is called immersive mode). Pocket recently implemented that for example. Also since they are on the screen, you could always reprogram them, put them somewhere else when you turn your phone, etc.

Also think about the overall size of the phone. If you don't put buttons on the screen then you'll have less space to use for the screen in order to fit the physical buttons.

Finally I think that the less mechanical parts you have on a phone the better. Eventually buttons all become less responsive.

Frankly I never want to get another phone which doesn't have on-screen buttons. That said the S5 seems to me like the best choice out there, while waiting for the g3 and the next nexus.

Posted via Android Central App

Most people have their phones for 2 years. I had my s3 for 21 months. I used the home button allot, and it is just as responsive as it was the day I got it.

Having a physical home button doesn't take away space for the screen. Look at all the wasted space on the m8 that could be used for the screen. I rather not have on screen buttons.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[planoman]

The M8 weighs only 15g more - there's absolutely no way a human being can actually feel such as small difference in weight. My wife has an M8, I have an S5 - if you loft them both at the same time, they feel very much the same.

??? Really! That is a huge difference to me. I had a Lumia 1020 for a week which weighed - yep 160 grams. It was very noticeable in my front pocket between any other device I have. I returned it for the lumia 925 which is 140 or so grams. The S5 and M8 were next to each other in the ATT store and even with the security lines attached I could feel the difference. Just me though never said I was human!