Samsung S5, how goes it?

[RionDunn]

Hey community!

Wondering how everyone's experience is going with the Samsung Galaxy S5?! Any issues to report? Battery life? OS? Daily use? How is it for business use? Gaming? Navigation?

The reason I ask is because I'm considering making the jump over to the handset. I know it has its bloat ware and all but I have found ways to install the Google launcher to the handset that the Nexus 5 offers. Which, the launcher, is amazing in my mind btw!

I love my Nexus 5, but I'm it's killing me regarding the battery life. Mainly when I play games, even just plant vs zombies, the battery gets destroyed, even with scrabble as well! I have done everything humanly possible to minimize the battery usage in the background but I believe it's mainly the screen that drains the battery. Heard from numerous people the battery on the S5 is great, two days at best. My Nexus is done by 5pm, and that's just regular daily usage with phone calls and email.

Let me know your thoughts on the S5!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[killakumes]

Hey community!

Wondering how everyone's experience is going with the Samsung Galaxy S5?! Any issues to report? Battery life? OS? Daily use? How is it for business use? Gaming? Navigation?

The reason I ask is because I'm considering making the jump over to the handset. I know it has its bloat ware and all but I have found ways to install the Google launcher to the handset that the Nexus 5 offers. Which, the launcher, is amazing in my mind btw!

I love my Nexus 5, but I'm it's killing me regarding the battery life. Mainly when I play games, even just plant vs zombies, the battery gets destroyed, even with scrabble as well! I have done everything humanly possible to minimize the battery usage in the background but I believe it's mainly the screen that drains the battery. Heard from numerous people the battery on the S5 is great, two days at best. My Nexus is done by 5pm, and that's just regular daily usage with phone calls and email.

Let me know your thoughts on the S5!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

I definitely reccomend making the jump. As I'm typing this I'm coming up on 16 hours of heavy use and still have about 10% battery life. Couldn't be happier with how far I can stretch this battery if I need to.

I definitely reccomend that you don't use this forum as a barometer for the functionality and reliability of this phone. You'd think every phone lags, overheats and glitches out all the time.

For me personally, after using the phone for about a week I have to say i couldn't be happier. Touchwiz is running silky smooth, the battery is a beast, the camera is fantastic , and all of the features are wrapped in a ip67 certified device that still allows you to change out batteries and expand the memory. And honestly those are features that any tech/android enthusiast can appreciate and enjoy.

The specs give me the productivity I need for work and play every game or video smoothly when I want to relax. You can't go wrong with this phone.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[RionDunn]

I definitely reccomend making the jump. As I'm typing this I'm coming up on 16 hours of heavy use and still have about 10% battery life. Couldn't be happier with how far I can stretch this battery if I need to.

I definitely reccomend that you don't use this forum as a barometer for the functionality and reliability of this phone. You'd think every phone lags, overheats and glitches out all the time.

For me personally, after using the phone for about a week I have to say i couldn't be happier. Touchwiz is running silky smooth, the battery is a beast, the camera is fantastic , and all of the features are wrapped in a ip67 certified device that still allows you to change out batteries and expand the memory. And honestly those are features that any tech/android enthusiast can appreciate and enjoy.

The specs give me the productivity I need for work and play every game or video smoothly when I want to relax. You can't go wrong with this phone.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Wow, I did not expect this reply to be so amazing. You've really got me curious now. I expected a answer like, it's OK or meh.

When you are playing a game on the S5, for every 15 minutes, how much battery drains from the handset. I swear, it's almost 1 percent per minute for my Nexus 5. Or worse shaky now that I think about it.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[RionDunn]

Wow, I did not expect this reply to be so amazing. You've really got me curious now. I expected a answer like, it's OK or meh.

When you are playing a game on the S5, for every 15 minutes, how much battery drains from the handset. I swear, it's almost 1 percent per minute for my Nexus 5. Or worse shaky now that I think about it.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

This is my battery as of right now. I have been on AC Forum app mainly. And it's dropping quickly....

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[killakumes]

Wow, I did not expect this reply to be so amazing. You've really got me curious now. I expected a answer like, it's OK or meh.

When you are playing a game on the S5, for every 15 minutes, how much battery drains from the handset. I swear, it's almost 1 percent per minute for my Nexus 5. Or worse shaky now that I think about it.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

Obviously it depends on the how demanding the game is on the hardware. As an example, today I've been playing games and watching HD videos, all while browsing and keeping up with messages through the entire day ( with my screen's brightness on max) and I never came close to being disappointed by how much battery drained. I averaged about a 5% drain every hour throughout the course of the day. The standby battery life is ridiculously good.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[Greg C]

I made the jump from the Nexus 4 to the S5. The Super AMOLED HD 1080P display is absolutely stunning. I haven't experienced any lag and my battery is by far the best of all my previous smartphones. But...really...you won't believe how stunning the display is. The HTC One (M8) can keep it's front speakers and "pretty" metal body...I'll go with that Super AMOLED display any day.

 

[neonworm]

I made the jump from the Nexus 4 to the S5. The Super AMOLED HD 1080P display is absolutely stunning. I haven't experienced any lag and my battery is by far the best of all my previous smartphones. But...really...you won't believe how stunning the display is. The HTC One (M8) can keep it's front speakers and "pretty" metal body...I'll go with that Super AMOLED display any day.

Glad you like the display. When I saw the S5 at the AT&T store, I instantly fell in love with the display. It is super vibrant, which I love. I am still having a hard time deciding between the S5 and the Note 3.

 

[Greg C]

I've heard the Note 3 is better at multitasking because of the 3GB of RAM.

Glad you like the display. When I saw the S5 at the AT&T store, I instantly fell in love with the display. It is super vibrant, which I love. I am still having a hard time deciding between the S5 and the Note 3.

 

[zipro]

I've heard the Note 3 is better at multitasking because of the 3GB of RAM.

yes, and it's generally faster because of this.

 

[neonworm]

I've heard the Note 3 is better at multitasking because of the 3GB of RAM.

Yeah. That is one of the reasons that I am leaning more toward the Note 3.

 

[rockitdog23]

My experience with the S5 has only been so-so. The battery life is amazing. But little quirks are driving me nuts. Like how you have to have your GPS enabled to get the stock weather app/widget to work (should work off wife/ network w/out GPS) and how the LED still lights up even when blocking mode is on. The stupid flap the covers the charging port is a major annoyance too. I'm just waiting for mine to break off. That good old touchwiz lag still exists too, don't let anyone tell you differently. A 2014 flagship device should not have any lag on it at all!

 

[atishc]

I think the stock weather widget works with wifi/network only. The issue is that the "Location" button in the quick settings in the notification bar toggles all location services (GPS and WiFi/network) whereas in earlier versions of TouchWIz it only toggled GPS. In order to have only WiFi/network location services on, you have to go into the settings.

Transitions are a bit faster by turning off animations in the developer options, but it wouldn't surprise me if other 2014 devices are more instantaneous in certain actions. The charging port is particularly annoying to try to open and plug in in the dark. From a Nexus, it would definitely be a process to go through the many many pre-installed apps and figure out what it is safe and reasonable to inactivate and delete. Otherwise, I am highly enthusiastic about the S5 and would recommend it strongly.

My experience with the S5 has only been so-so. The battery life is amazing. But little quirks are driving me nuts. Like how you have to have your GPS enabled to get the stock weather app/widget to work (should work off wife/ network w/out GPS) and how the LED still lights up even when blocking mode is on. The stupid flap the covers the charging port is a major annoyance too. I'm just waiting for mine to break off. That good old touchwiz lag still exists too, don't let anyone tell you differently. A 2014 flagship device should not have any lag on it at all!

 

[PsychDoc]

I definitely reccomend making the jump. As I'm typing this I'm coming up on 16 hours of heavy use and still have about 10% battery life. Couldn't be happier with how far I can stretch this battery if I need to.

I definitely reccomend that you don't use this forum as a barometer for the functionality and reliability of this phone. You'd think every phone lags, overheats and glitches out all the time.

For me personally, after using the phone for about a week I have to say i couldn't be happier. Touchwiz is running silky smooth, the battery is a beast, the camera is fantastic , and all of the features are wrapped in a ip67 certified device that still allows you to change out batteries and expand the memory. And honestly those are features that any tech/android enthusiast can appreciate and enjoy.

The specs give me the productivity I need for work and play every game or video smoothly when I want to relax. You can't go wrong with this phone.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

What he said!!!

Having said that, however, I'd still recommend replacing TW with the excellent Nova launcher and shutting off animations in developers options. With those two changes it's buttery smooth.

 

[jaleesag88]

I'm debating on taking mine back honestly. I love the phone, but the little issues are driving me crazy. I've done numerous factory resets, so maybe I just got a bad phone? The software is super buggy even before I download any applications to the phone. The camera takes quite a few seconds to load, then it takes a few seconds to capture a picture (so my perfect moments are gone by the time the picture is taken). I love the battery life and the camera once I get to take a picture though. The waterproof aspect is also pretty nifty. I can listen to music in the shower again . But I think I'm going to take it back to AT&T and see what they suggest. The worst thing that happens is I suck it up and take the $35 restocking fee and hold on to upgrade a little while longer. I upgraded through the Next program and I can't justify paying monthly for a phone that's buggy. But I really do see the potential for the phone! I just can't get past all the little things I am finding bothersome.

 

[wookiee2cu]

I can only post in regards to the battery. I'm coming from being an iPhone user for the last 5 years (I know, I know) and this is my first Android. I have been on this sucker all day long since I got it last week and I have yet to kill the battery. I'm constantly browsing around trying to get familiar with apps, how the phone functions, where things are located, installing apps and all the usual stuff associated with getting a new phone. No way would my iPhone 5 battery have gotten me through half a day with all the stuff I've been doing on the Galaxy 5S. The only thing I noticed is that it got quite warm at one point but to be fair I was messing around with the 4K video recording and then downloaded a 600mb app and played the game (Need For Speed) for a good 15 minutes, I think this would have caused any phone to get warm. In regards to the post above concerning the camera, mine launches very fast, acquires focus quickly and takes the shot... possibly just a bad unit? I did check out the Note 3 but felt it was slightly too big but if I were using this phone for business then I would suck it up and go for the Note 3. All in all I'm really liking this phone and glad I made the switch, I love being able to customize my phone to how I want it.

 

[psp1232171]

My experience with the S5 has only been so-so. The battery life is amazing. But little quirks are driving me nuts. Like how you have to have your GPS enabled to get the stock weather app/widget to work (should work off wife/ network w/out GPS) and how the LED still lights up even when blocking mode is on. The stupid flap the covers the charging port is a major annoyance too. I'm just waiting for mine to break off. That good old touchwiz lag still exists too, don't let anyone tell you differently. A 2014 flagship device should not have any lag on it at all!

I use HD widgets weather. Never turn in my GPS- ever.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[psp1232171]

I'm debating on taking mine back honestly. I love the phone, but the little issues are driving me crazy. I've done numerous factory resets, so maybe I just got a bad phone? The software is super buggy even before I download any applications to the phone. The camera takes quite a few seconds to load, then it takes a few seconds to capture a picture (so my perfect moments are gone by the time the picture is taken). I love the battery life and the camera once I get to take a picture though. The waterproof aspect is also pretty nifty. I can listen to music in the shower again . But I think I'm going to take it back to AT&T and see what they suggest. The worst thing that happens is I suck it up and take the $35 restocking fee and hold on to upgrade a little while longer. I upgraded through the Next program and I can't justify paying monthly for a phone that's buggy. But I really do see the potential for the phone! I just can't get past all the little things I am finding bothersome.

Take it back. The camera on Auto should be instant.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[debdroid1a]

My experience with the S5 has only been so-so. The battery life is amazing. But little quirks are driving me nuts. Like how you have to have your GPS enabled to get the stock weather app/widget to work (should work off wife/ network w/out GPS) and how the LED still lights up even when blocking mode is on. The stupid flap the covers the charging port is a major annoyance too. I'm just waiting for mine to break off. That good old touchwiz lag still exists too, don't let anyone tell you differently. A 2014 flagship device should not have any lag on it at all!

I'd have to say just the opposite of everything, except battery life.
I don't worry about the GPS enabled, I like the weather app/widget. It doesn't effect my battery or anything else.
The flap cover over the usb isn't bad for me, I had a dumb phone that had that. No problem. On my dumbphone it never came off in the 2 years I had it.
I never used touchwiz but haven't noticed a lag. Of course my last phone was over 2 years old so it probably had the same "lag" as this one. I was going to change screen's to ADW, which I had before and loved, but this one is great.

I'm really enjoying this phone.

 

[debdroid1a]

I'm debating on taking mine back honestly. I love the phone, but the little issues are driving me crazy. I've done numerous factory resets, so maybe I just got a bad phone? The software is super buggy even before I download any applications to the phone. The camera takes quite a few seconds to load, then it takes a few seconds to capture a picture (so my perfect moments are gone by the time the picture is taken). I love the battery life and the camera once I get to take a picture though. The waterproof aspect is also pretty nifty. I can listen to music in the shower again . But I think I'm going to take it back to AT&T and see what they suggest. The worst thing that happens is I suck it up and take the $35 restocking fee and hold on to upgrade a little while longer. I upgraded through the Next program and I can't justify paying monthly for a phone that's buggy. But I really do see the potential for the phone! I just can't get past all the little things I am finding bothersome.

If you take off Picture Stabilization your photos will be faster. I put mine on "off" (I did the same with video). Yes you have to make sure you have it steady. Or just take another quick photo. It's there to stablize close ups or low light photos.

 

[tonyron227]

If you take off Picture Stabilization your photos will be faster. I put mine on "off" (I did the same with video). Yes you have to make sure you have it steady. Or just take another quick photo. It's there to stablize close ups or low light photos.

Hi I'm new to the Android experience, after being with Blackberry for years. My last one was a Z10 (I loved it) but I wanted to try something new and I hate the iPhone, period. Thanks for this tip about the camera...it works a lot better now for me. I hope to be able to get more tips from all of you in the future...Loving my S5!!!

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