Text, Images, Videos and complete review of Samsung Galaxy S5
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It's actually a little redundant to talk about all the technology inside a phone before dealing with the key question: does it look attractive?Yes and no. You can't call it ugly, because Samsung does know how to put a phone together well. But at the same time it's the same tired story on the design front: taking some elements from the predecessor, adding in some bits from the current Note and calling it all new.The 'metal' surround is almost identical to the Note 3, to the point I was looking for an S Pen to start poking out. But the back is the main change, and I'd go as far as saying it's lovely.
No more shiny plastic or laughable attempts to make it look like a leather notebook – while it is still plastic, it's a lot more grippable and feels a lot, lot nicer in the hand.
Will it be a success?
Of course it will. This is Samsung we're talking about, and the unstoppable marketing machine means it could rebadge a carrot with a shiny screen and it would still get modest sales.
But that would do a disservice to this phone. The Galaxy S5 is the result of a company going back to the drawing board, scrapping the pointless gimmicks that so infuriated on the Galaxy S4 and bringing out a smartphone based on the tenets it reckons users really want.
- Samsung Galaxy S5: What it means for business
The battery life looks to be pretty good - the 2800mAh battery is a little on the low side, but if the extra features work to extend the life by turning off unnecessary elements, then that will at least get you through the day comfortably.
What Samsung has produced is a phone that's devoid of any standout feature, an incremental update that's played it safe in order to make the the whole greater than the sum of the parts.
Early verdict
If you read the few paragraphs above, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a boring phone. It very much isn't - it's got lots of elements that users can dig into - but if you were hoping for something that provides a bar for the rest of the competition to aspire to, you'll be left wanting.
The Galaxy S5 has a great camera, strong screen, impressive packaging, a waterproof casing and a blazingly fast engine pumping things along.
But it doesn't have an amazing camera, incredible battery life, stunning design or genuinely innovative feature, and that cause a few people to wait and see what the competition brings before deciding that this (likely pretty pricey) handset is for them.