Is the S5 still relevant?

[GerGa]

Hi,
My S4 has been a bit slow for a while now, I also broke it twice since I did not have a case for a long time. It hasnt been very durable. I got the S4 when it was released on att.
So between the S4 being slow I assume because its old and not powerful enough for the latest app updates etc, and that the screen flickers when dimmed down low, I will need a new phone.
A galaxy S5 just went for sale for $210 by someone who recently bought it and realized they wanted to stay with apple phones.
My concern is that the phones processing power will not be enough, if not now then in the near future and make me want a new phone after not a long time of ownership.

For 210 should I take it or are there other phones that will be a better choice that I should wait to be on sale by lrivate sellers?

Thanks

Ps i dont have upgrade through my att plan which is why i am buying a phone in this fashion.

 

[ironass]

Hi,
My S4 has been a bit slow for a while now, I also broke it twice since I did not have a case for a long time. It hasnt been very durable. I got the S4 when it was released on att.
So between the S4 being slow I assume because its old and not powerful enough for the latest app updates etc, and that the screen flickers when dimmed down low, I will need a new phone.
A galaxy S5 just went for sale for $210 by someone who recently bought it and realized they wanted to stay with apple phones.
My concern is that the phones processing power will not be enough, if not now then in the near future and make me want a new phone after not a long time of ownership.

For 210 should I take it or are there other phones that will be a better choice that I should wait to be on sale by lrivate sellers?

Thanks

Ps i dont have upgrade through my att plan which is why i am buying a phone in this fashion.

Hi GerGa!

First and foremost, which of the 42 models of Samsung Galaxy S5 is actually for sale? It does make a big difference in the U.S. with their fragmented network.

The Galaxy S5 is currently having the latest version of Android, Marshmallow, being rolled out to it , so you will be fine for at least another year. After that is anyone's guess but if it is a rootable model, (not AT&T or Verizon), you would be able to flash custom ROMs for say, Android N.

My neighbour has my 5 year old Galaxy S2 and is happily running it on a custom Marshmallow ROM.

 

[GerGa]

It is an att model so will work for me since they are my provider(i didnt think of that at first). Just curious will other version work on my att network?

Edit: just realized what you said about the rootable models, so i really cant run a rom if its an att model?

 

[ironass]

It is an att model so will work for me since they are my provider(i didnt think of that at first). Just curious will other version work on my att network?

AT&T models of the S4/S5/S6/S7 all have mega locked down bootloaders that preclude rooting... so disregard that in my previous post. Obviously, the AT&T model, G900A, will be compatible with your AT&T network.

Personally, if I were looking to get a cheap model of Galaxy S5 that received frequent updates, had an unlocked and rootable bootloader and was fully compatible with the AT&T network, I would be looking to get the Latin/South American regional model... SM-G900M.

 

[shadowsjc]

$210 seems like a high price. I bought a refurb S5 (Verizon) last September for $180. I think it's a solid phone - you won't find many (or any?) current phones that are:

- water resistant
- removable battery
- SD Card slot
- upgradeable to marshmallow.

if you can get a better deal on it, I would say it's a good phone to hold you over until the next gen phones come out. This was my rationale for buying the S5 - I knew I didn't want the S6, so it was meant to be a temporary stop until the S7 came out. Unfortunately, since I'm not 100% sold on the S7, I will have to now wait for the S8

 

[sdeeter19555]

I prefer my personal S5 over the company S6 (I have both side by side), the S5 is on AT&T and the S6 is a Verizon.

The S6 I have has no option for an sd card which limits you to 32gb...my S5 is only 16gb, but I have a 64gb card installed. The S6 is quirky where the S5 is stable. I'm not a power app user, but I see no difference in performance between the two.

For what it's worth, I upgraded for less than $20 to the S5 from the S3 at at&t and could not be more pleased.

 

[sdsubball23]

Hi GerGa!

First and foremost, which of the 42 models of Samsung Galaxy S5 is actually for sale? It does make a big difference in the U.S. with their fragmented network.

The Galaxy S5 is currently having the latest version of Android, Marshmallow, being rolled out to it , so you will be fine for at least another year. After that is anyone's guess but if it is a rootable model, (not AT&T or Verizon), you would be able to flash custom ROMs for say, Android N.

My neighbour has my 5 year old Galaxy S2 and is happily running it on a custom Marshmallow ROM.

Actually, the Verizon model has not too long ago had its bootloader unlocked, but you have to have a CID of 15 (I don't know what that is, but I can help you figure it out). CM 13 is available for the Verizon s5 and maybe stock android N will be in the future.