Thinking about getting the S5

[TextMeMaybe]

I'm currently have the S3, which I really liked. And now I think it's time for an upgrade. How do you all like your S5? Any problems?

Thanks

 

[anon(9013794)]

You wont be disappointed, very fast charging with 3.0 usb , water resistant, bright beautiful display and very good camera

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[TexasS5]

I recently changed from an iPhone 5 to the s5 and I love it don't regret in a bit

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

 

[ABOSWORTH007]

It's definitely a lot nicer than the S3 but won't be so different that you're scratching your head on how to use it. I would highly recommend this device. It really is an awesome phone. Definitely check out the G3 and the M8 too though. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the three.

 

[Rok Svab]

You won't be disappointed at all. This is an amazing phone. I have had may different phones, but I like S5 best so far.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Fisherman559]

I recently changed from an iPhone 5 to the s5 and I love it don't regret in a bit

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

Same here. I don't believe in slamming phones that are different than mine but I can't believe how much more I like this screen and camera.

 

[DCBrinkley]

Don't do it ....... not yet. I just upgraded my S3 to the S5 and was plagued with Bluetooth problems. If you don't use Bluetooth, then go for it, however with everything moving to Bluetooth streaming, connectivity it definitely caused major problems for me and I plan on returning mine this week. Replacement...I guess I'll wait for the LG G3 to release.

 

[TexasS5]

I use my S 5 to connect to Bluetooth speaker in the shower ,have had no problems at all

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

 

[ABOSWORTH007]

I have absolutely no problems with Bluetooth either. I use it in my car almost every single day.

 

[Murphy5111]

I would imagine if you like your s3 you'd be fine. There were too many places where I dropped calls with my s3 or couldn't send texts. My guess is that the s5 would have the same problems. I would love to get the s5 but have to stick with Motorola or something else with better radios.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Haalcyon]

The S5 is a nice phone indeed, I have one. However, truth be told, unless the water/dust-proofness is what's desired there are better options in the G3 and M8.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

[enfuego44]

S5 was a nice upgrade from the S3 for me. Much better battery life, faster, and it just takes what I loved about the S3 and multiplies it by 10. Very responsive and all the issues that I had with the S3 were fixed

 

[JellyJamStudios]

The new TouchWiz Interface is very clean and intuitive there's actually not a lot of bloatware that you cannot disable. On the hardware side of things it has the best display on the market even when being compared to the Galaxy S5 LTE- model or LG G3, it has a heart rate monitor that give information faster than the apps on the store, it has a great 16mpx camera and shoots 4k and the fingerprint sensor is Great. A majority of phone drops happen when people are unlocking their devices, but since you have to use both hands to unlock it's a lot safer, well that's what I concluded . On the software side of things S Health is a beast fitness app, you can change the way your display looks if you don't like the oversaturated display change it in the settings and make it look more natural, air wake up is useful, the camera is less complicated and over all it's has a clean software experience! The speakers are also good.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[shanghaichica]

I've got a pair of samsung Bluetooth earphones and a Bluetooth speaker and both work perfectly fine with my S5. I think if you've been happy with your S3 you should like the S5. I'm a bit of a Samsung galaxy fan girl lol I've gone from the original note to the S4 to the the Note 3 and now the S5 and I've been happy with each upgrade. If something aint broke then why fix it?

To be fair I briefly tried the iPhone 5S and the LG G3 but they didn't suit me like galaxy phones do at the moment.

Posted from my S5

 

[nerue]

I feel fingerprint authentication is better than iphone 5S.

 

[Haalcyon]

I feel fingerprint authentication is better than iphone 5S.

Really? How so?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

[FrancaV]

Hi, all - I, too, am thinking about getting the S5. Unlike a lot of people here, I am not upgrading from a previous Samsung phone so I'm aware that it will be quite new and different for me and I'm prepared for the learning curve. A brief history: I have had only two smartphones, both Motorola Droids. My first one really was great (for its time) but I've had a decidedly love-hate relationship with my second one for the past few years and am thinking of ditching it soon. My husband just got the Samsung S5 and thinks it would suit me very well. I've done the research (looked into the HTC One M8 and Sony Xperia Z2 as well) and in principle I agree ... in almost every instance the Samsung S5 has the features I most need and want. It's powerful and fast (with a few exceptions that don't bother me because anything is faster than my current Droid), has a great camera, a removable battery with reportedly excellent battery life, and a beautiful display, to name just a few. Metal instead of plastic would be nice but I'll take the better camera over the metal case.

I do have a few concerns, though, in no particular order:

1. I am very spoiled by the use of Gorilla glass on my Droids. The stuff is amazing - incredibly durable. Neither of my old Droids has ever seen a screen protector and both are as scratch-free as the day I bought them. While I've seen some anecdotal claims that the S5 has Gorilla glass, it does not show up in any spec list. Does it or does it not have Gorilla glass? If not, I'm wondering how much I'll miss it. I hate screen protectors and I can't tell you how many friends have cracked or smashed their non-Gorilla glass phone screens.

2. Whenever I check the Google Play Store for reviews before installing or updating apps, I see more complaints about things not working from Samsung Galaxy users than any other single brand. Is this purely because of market share or do the Galaxys tend to have more problems with new (or newly updated) apps than other phones?

3. This one is an Android OS problem - not specifically a Samsung Galaxy problem - but I will encounter it if I buy an S5 right now.
There are known issues with the way KitKat handles external SD cards. I understand the reasoning behind it and approve of it from the security POV, but unfortunately it's going to create big hassles for awhile. For one, I already know that I will not be able to use the App Backup and Restore app that totally saved me from tearing my hair out over my last replacement phone fiasco. I installed it on my husband's S5 thinking it would be a good thing for him to have and it doesn't work because the app thinks his phone doesn't have an external SD card. This may just be a deal-breaker for me until the various apps affected by this have a chance to address the issue in future updates - unless there is some kind of fix to help apps out right now? Long shot, I know, but just thought I'd ask.

 

[Haalcyon]

Hi, all - I, too, am thinking about getting the S5. Unlike a lot of people here, I am not upgrading from a previous Samsung phone so I'm aware that it will be quite new and different for me and I'm prepared for the learning curve. A brief history: I have had only two smartphones, both Motorola Droids. My first one really was great (for its time) but I've had a decidedly love-hate relationship with my second one for the past few years and am thinking of ditching it soon. My husband just got the Samsung S5 and thinks it would suit me very well. I've done the research (looked into the HTC One M8 and Sony Xperia Z2 as well) and in principle I agree ... in almost every instance the Samsung S5 has the features I most need and want. It's powerful and fast (with a few exceptions that don't bother me because anything is faster than my current Droid), has a great camera, a removable battery with reportedly excellent battery life, and a beautiful display, to name just a few. Metal instead of plastic would be nice but I'll take the better camera over the metal case.

I do have a few concerns, though, in no particular order:

1. I am very spoiled by the use of Gorilla glass on my Droids. The stuff is amazing - incredibly durable. Neither of my old Droids has ever seen a screen protector and both are as scratch-free as the day I bought them. While I've seen some anecdotal claims that the S5 has Gorilla glass, it does not show up in any spec list. Does it or does it not have Gorilla glass? If not, I'm wondering how much I'll miss it. I hate screen protectors and I can't tell you how many friends have cracked or smashed their non-Gorilla glass phone screens.

2. Whenever I check the Google Play Store for reviews before installing or updating apps, I see more complaints about things not working from Samsung Galaxy users than any other single brand. Is this purely because of market share or do the Galaxys tend to have more problems with new (or newly updated) apps than other phones?

3. This one is an Android OS problem - not specifically a Samsung Galaxy problem - but I will encounter it if I buy an S5 right now.
There are known issues with the way KitKat handles external SD cards. I understand the reasoning behind it and approve of it from the security POV, but unfortunately it's going to create big hassles for awhile. For one, I already know that I will not be able to use the App Backup and Restore app that totally saved me from tearing my hair out over my last replacement phone fiasco. I installed it on my husband's S5 thinking it would be a good thing for him to have and it doesn't work because the app thinks his phone doesn't have an external SD card. This may just be a deal-breaker for me until the various apps affected by this have a chance to address the issue in future updates - unless there is some kind of fix to help apps out right now? Long shot, I know, but just thought I'd ask.

1. Yeahp, not just Gorilla glass but Gorilla glass 3 (unless I have my facts severely twisted).

2. That's just market share, in my opinion. My S5 served me quite well and was widely compatible with the plethora of apps I fed her.

3. You can still backup to and restore from the cloud via your Samsung account, amongst others.

The S5 is nice kit but I'm not certain it's the very best choice considering the LG G3 and HTC M8. Furthet, that water/dust-proof charger cover might also annoy after a while unless you're planning to delve into wireless charging.

The Note III

 

[FrancaV]

1. Yeahp, not just Gorilla glass but Gorilla glass 3 (unless I have my facts severely twisted).

This is what I read from a few users but it is unconfirmed in any technical specs I've looked at. Anybody else know for absolutely sure? The guy in the Verizon store thought not but IMO really had no clue.

2. That's just market share, in my opinion. My S5 served me quite well and was widely compatible with the plethora of apps I fed her.

Good to know!

3. You can still backup to and restore from the cloud via your Samsung account, amongst others.

Ah, but I'm moving from a Motorola Droid and don't have a Samsung account. When I tried using Verizon's backup I ran out of free space, plus I'm not sure how good the app backup is. I'm not so concerned about contacts, email (Google takes care of those) or photos and music (I can back those up to my computer) but I would like to preserve all of my apps in their current versions on my phone in case I don't like the latest versions. There are some apps whose latest versions I would really like to avoid if KitKat will let me.

The S5 is nice kit but I'm not certain it's the very best choice considering the LG G3 and HTC M8. Further, that water/dust-proof charger cover might also annoy after a while unless you're planning to delve into wireless charging.

I haven't delved into wireless charging yet so I don't know if it's something that I want or not, but I don't think the cover will bother me much. Thanks for the warning, though - I'll mess around with it on my husband's phone a bit to be sure.
I looked at the reviews and specs for the LG G3 and HTC M8 - aside from aesthetics (not that important to me), why do you think they are better choices than the S5?

 

[Haalcyon]

I like the camera, screen, and larger size of the G3 better than the S5 (which I had up until this past Friday). I've heard good things about the M8's Sense 6 UI vs. the S5's touchwiz. You also have the M8's great audio vs. the S5's not-so-great rear-facing mono speaker. You also have that METAL build quality of the M8. However, with the S5 you have a spectacular camera, water and dust-proof, removable battery and removable storage.

The Note III