Samsung Galaxy S5 hands-on, first impressions

We finally got a more time with the elusive Samsung Galaxy S5 today during the tutorial hosted by Samsung in their SM Aura Store. The smartphone is scheduled to be released on April 11 but the media launch is already set for tomorrow, April 3.

We’ve had several short encounters with the Galaxy S5 since the MWC in Barcelona and in all those occasion, we’ve always mistaken it for the Galaxy S4.

Of course, there are some tell-tale signs that it’s the S5 and the most obvious one is the dimpled back panel.

We suggest watching this short hands-on video to get acquainted with it:

The Galaxy S5 is more powerful and Samsung made sure that’s evident. It has a monster of a specs with additional features we’ve also seen elsewhere.

Samsung Galaxy S5 specs:
5.1-inch Super AMOLED display @ 1080×1920 pixels, 432ppi
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 8974-AC 2.5GHz quad-core processor
Adreno 330 Graphics
16, 32GB internal memory
up to 128GB via microSD card
LTE 150Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
NFC
IP67 water & dust resistant
Fingerprint scanner
GPS with aGPS, GLONASS
16 megapixel camera with AF, LED flash
1080p @ 30, 60fps, 4K @ 30fps
2 megapixel front-facing camera @ 1080p
2,800mAh removable battery
Android 4.4.2 KitKat with TouchWiz UI

So one of the first things we did was to take some benchmarks of the handset.

The Antutu Benchmark score was thru the roof at 34,053. A similar Snapdragon 801 chip (with lower 2.3GHz clock speed) on an Xperia Z2 got a score of 31,659 the last time we tested it.

In Quadrant Standard, the Galaxy S5 got a score of 22,633.

What we were a bit surprised is the frame rates it got with Nenamark 2 which is just 50fps. The full HD resolution could be the culprit.

While there were a lot of jokes going around about the back panel of the Galaxy S5, we think it wasn’t a bad idea after all.

Besides, with an IP67 rating, making the handset water-proof means it should not have the same faux-leather design as the one on the Galaxy S4 Black Edition or the Note 3.

Then, during those times that it has to be submerged or soaked in water, the dimpled back cover allows for much better grip. In essence, Samsung actually created the Galaxy S5 around the design principle they executed with the Galaxy S4 Active.

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

8 Comments

S3User says:

11 years ago

Hi Abe,

Been watching videos of S5 hands on, but there is still no proof that there is a Led Notification.

Is there a led notification in the S5? I’m hoping that there is one.
- Reply
Barista says:

11 years ago

How much?
- Reply
Lance says:

11 years ago

Sana kumuha naman kayo nang magandang nag vovoice over sa videos nyo. He was obviously reading from a script and has a noticeable skewed accent. Or sanan tinagalog nalang. :) just a thought..
- Reply
awdog says:

11 years ago

Screen is drop dead gorgeous! I was able to compare side to side s5 with the note 3. Definitely, the screen look much better and brighter.

Also the perforated back feels nice and soft just like the Note 3’s. But the sides dont look nor feel nice to me. Anyhow it wont matter because you will be staing constantly on the screen.

The bezels they dont look nice in pics but i didnt seem to notice them that much when i held the s5, just like what I felt with the OG HTC One. I thought the bezels were to huge. Theyre alright in person.

Anyhow, this is still a wonderful phone. ITs a great phone. The look and feel its amazing.
- Reply
Bluepillow says:

11 years ago

Hi. Abe do you have an idea regarding the availability of colors on april 11?
- Reply

Abe Olandres says:

11 years ago

Only the black and white colors are available at launch.

mang kanor says:

11 years ago

baka naka power saving kaya 50 fps lang nakuha mo. di ba tinanggal na nila ung “run forest! run!!” mode nila sa mga benchmark apps.
- Reply