Samsung has officially revealed its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5! The Galaxy S5 definitely appears to be the phone to beat of 2014, thus far anyway. Equipped with a fingerprint sensor, heart-rate monitor, water and dust resistance plus so much more Samsung has definitely set the standard for smartphone companies for the year. To see how the device compares to the competition we decided to compare it to one of the heavy-hitters in the mobile market, Apple’s iPhone 5s.
Design
The winner here isn’t really cut and dry, it’s all about preference. Samsung and Apple both have kept the same design aesthetic with each new version of their flagship smartphones. However, Samsung keeps pushing for bigger screen sizes with each generation of the Galaxy S models. This time the S5 features a 5.1-inch body, same oval home button and a new textured back to help avoid accidental slipping. The S5 also comes in four beautiful colors.
On the other hand Apple kept the same 4-inch body for their iPhone 5s device. The smartphone also is wrapped in a soft metal that feels like it should be expensive to the touch and is slightly lighter than its predecessor. The 5s comes in three colors.
Battery Life
Apple has claimed that their iPhone 5s supports 10 hours of talk time, 250 hours of standby time, eight hours of Internet browsing on 3G and 40 hours of audio playback. However, when the phone shipped many users complained of battery problems claiming the smartphones battery would drain too fast, especially if certain settings weren’t disabled. In comparison the Samsung Galaxy S5 offers 10 hours of Internet usage on LTE and 12 hours of video playback. It is worth noting that manufacturer’s estimate of battery life will differentiate when used by real people plus the Galaxy hasn’t been released just yet so it’s hard to know exactly what the battery of the device is capable of.
Specs
While Apple offers some great specs with the iPhone 5s, the Galaxy S5 is a powerhouse! The S5 features a 2.5Ghz Snapdragon 801 processor with 2GB of RAM and a 432ppi 1080 display. The device also offers users options for expandable storage, which Apple’s 5s does not. The iPhone 5s is packing a 64-bit processor and only 326ppi Retina display. While the device lacks on paper it is still a worthwhile device but falls short when compared to the specs of the Galaxy S5.
Camera
While Apple’s iPhone 5s lacks in the specs department it definitely makes up for it in the camera! For a long time now Apple has been at the top of the list with impressive camera capabilities in smartphones but perhaps Samsung has changed enough to challenge Apple. The S5 will feature a 16MP camera that definitely trumps Apple 8MP sapphire glass-covered camera. Samsung is also offering new features like Live Preview, which allows the user to see hipster filters, HDR, and other improvements in real time before the photo is taken.
However, Apple updated the 5s camera with a special two-stage flash that works together to create the best light temperature for the photo you are taking. Apple’s photos take less space on internal storage than Samsung’s phone but ultimately it’s about the experience. The winner is whatever lets the user have a friendly and simple experience and it seems that Samsung went back to the drawing board and is giving fans just that.
Operating System
This always comes down to the same Android vs. iOS argument and it’s always the same question. Which do you prefer? The Samsung Galaxy S5 will run Android 4.4.2 KitKat when it launches next month while Apple’s iPhone 5s runs iOS 7. It is all about the user experience in this situation. Android offers users the ability to use their smartphone the way they want while Apple uses iOS 7 to offer users a streamlined experience with access to all of your individual experiences.
Price
Despite all the fancy bells and whistles this is usually more important for many potential customers. However, this case is a little tricky seeing how Samsung didn’t actually announce the price when they announced the release date. T-Mobile’s current retail price for the S4 is $624, while Best Buy is selling the device for $749.99. If you base the price of the S5 by the price of the current model we could be looking at a slightly more expensive phone the iPhone 5s, which is currently priced at $648 for a 16GB. But with all the features the Samsung Galaxy S5 offers, the price difference may be worth it.
Surprisingly, the two flagship smartphones are very similar but there are features that make Samsung’s Galaxy S5 stand out even more. These features that distinguish the S5 from the 5s are things that point towards the smartphone battle of the future -- wealth, health, security and wearability.
Both devices feature a fingerprint sensor but Samsung’s has an edge because the S5 offers features like “Private Mode” browsing and payment integration along with security features. The S5 also has a heartbeat sensor which works in conjunction with Samsung’s latest Galaxy Gear 2, Gear Neo and Gear Fit. And did we mention that the Galaxy S5 is also water-resistant?
Even with the similarities it is hard not to notice how the Samsung Galaxy S5 triumphs in comparison. Perhaps when Apple announces their sixth iteration of the iPhone it will be more competition but for now the winner is the Galaxy S5!
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