The Samsung Galaxy S5 is the latest challenger from the South Korean brand to launch into an ever more crowded market, but at least this time the phone has focused on what users might actually want rather than useless gimmicks.
The Galaxy S4 was a strong phone in spite of the insistence that being able to wave your hands over a phone or scroll with your eyes was a good thing.
The Galaxy S5 takes the DNA of that handset and improves on it in most areas. It's a quiet improvement though, which may disappoint a lot of people looking to see the world's highest-res display and an all new metal chassis, but it's one that at least delivers where consumers need it.
If you're looking for a phone that reinvents the smartphone again, in the same way the Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Desire or iPhone 4 managed, you're going to be rather disappointed with what's on offer from South Korea.
However, if you're after a better camera, a brighter screen, a faster processor and a more solid design, then the Galaxy S5 will mostly deliver all you'd be looking for.
The company explained to me what it considered to be the core tenets it stuck to when creating the Galaxy S5, and they show a renewed focus over the predecessor: a better camera, faster connectivity for web browsing, personal fitness tracking, protection, and a 'modern and glam' look (its words, not mine).
Design
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.
The overall construction is again more solid, but the device is markedly bigger compared to the Galaxy S3 and S4. There's a lot more Note DNA in the Galaxy S5 than ever before, that's for sure.
In fact, the design of the Galaxy S5 is one that evokes the S2 more than anything else, as it's more rectangular in shape. It's certainly a departure from the 'inspired by a blade of grass' creation of the S3.
It's actually pretty disappointing on the design front, as I kept thinking I was looking at the first two Galaxy models when taking pictures of the larger device - if you held the first model from 2010 and then picked this one up, you'd think Samsung had done very little with its evolution in that time. The original Samsung Galaxy S
But the main thing to answer is how it feels in the hand – and the good news is it feels solid, well made and less cheap than ever. Samsung will have disappointed many by not releasing a full metal version, and it's true that this isn't what I was hoping to see, but it's more than adequate.
The other big deal is that the Samsung Galaxy S5 is waterproof and dustproof to an IP67 rating, which means it's almost completely resistant to dust and waterproof to a depth of 1m for 30 minutes – more than enough time to fish it out when thrown down a toilet.
Yes, it's not a new trick, but the only port cover on show is the one holding the USB 3.0 socket closed – it's got a nice lip to it as well so it's very easy to open.
What's more impressive is that this phone still packs a removable cover and battery – while yes, it is a really fiddly cover to clip back on, to be able to access the power pack and microSD card slot is a really good move.
The only worry I've got, and it's a fairly big one here, is that the cover will show small gaps if you've not got it absolutely flush to the back and totally clipped in. It's very easy to miss a clip, which could make things a trifle wet if you throw it in a pint to impress friends.
There are a lot of bests out there—best summer movies, best places to live, best pizza joints within two miles of your current location. Our 10Best award is not one of those. These are cars we’re talking about, people. We actually test these things.
For a full week each fall, we lock the office, turn off our phones, and engage in the most comprehensive and focused driving in the car-evaluation business.
Editors flog a dozen cars a day on the street and the track to determine everything from turn-in fidelity to the quality of a seat latch. What emerges is the fullest picture extant of the best cars on the market for under $80,000. These are the vehicles that offer the most value, that elegantly and comprehensively fulfill their missions, and that engage their drivers in spirited conversation. They are not always the newest or the trendiest, but they are the consistent overachievers. Cars like these don’t escape from manufacturer focus groups all that often.
Which is why this year is so special. Five all-new cars replace a few stalwarts, redefining excellence for the entire industry. And fully half of our awardees start under $25,000. The following pages tell the whole story—how we drove and how we argued over and how we finally determined the winners. We think you’ll find that most are available within a two-mile radius of your location.
“The S6 is a leather-covered cannonball.” –DANIEL PUND
“I initially feared that the 4-series might be mere marketing posturing. Is there any substance here? Answer: Yes. Oh, God, yes.” –JOHN PHILLIPS
“This thing feels nothing at all like anything else in its class—or any other class. The CTS is the ballsiest car here.” –JARED GALL
“If I tried in the C6 what I just did on a wet road in the C7, I’d be in a tree right now.” –EDDIE ALTERMAN
How the prosaic Fiesta gets turned into the winning ST.
“The Accord Sport is still a more gratifying car to heel-and-toe shift than most sports cars you could mention.” –DANIEL PUND
“Everywhere you look, selling out seems like the future. And then this happens. It’s heartwarming how great the 3 is.” –JARED GALL
It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.
“If every car were a Cayman, we would achieve world peace.” –JEFF SABATINI
“I like the GTI better than the Focus ST in much the same way most adults prefer the sound of vinyl to an MP3.” –EDDIE ALTERMAN
Owner description FREE ENTRY TO ALL VISITORS --- Darshan is not really a 'museum' in the conventional sense of the term. Although it does... more »Owner description FREE ENTRY TO ALL VISITORS --- Darshan is not really a 'museum' in the conventional sense of the term. Although it does what every museum does, keeps alive a memory, but at Darshan, it's done through 3D Holographics, Life-Like Statues, Realistic Sets, Hi-Def Audio, HD Video, Theatrical Lighting and much more!Darshan is the next step in story-telling. The visitor literally 'walks' into a scene and the scene 'plays out' before your eyes! Each scene is brought to life through realistic sets, and within the set are various props that help to recreate the scene before you. For the first time in the country has 3D Holographics been used in a show! Characters appear in thin air and act out scenes before your very eyes! A truly magical experience!Darshan tells the beautiful story of a Saint of Modern India, Sadhu T L Vaswani. He was a visionary, an educationist, a spiritual giant, a poet and much, much more! His life bore witness to the universal ideals of Unity, Brotherhood of all life, Compassion, Love for all, Peace. He inspired many to work for the cause of the independence of India alongside with Gandhi, he worked for women upliftment years before modern society did it, by starting a Women's Education Movement called the Mira Movement in Education. The Mira Movement in Education has now spread to many cities and thousands of young girls benefit from it. He was an animal rights activist, his birthday, 25th November, is celebrated as Animal Rights Day and crores of people pledge to abstain from food of violence on this day every year! He was a spiritual giant. He spread the Eternal Message of the Saints and Rishis amongst the common man and made the Divine accessible to everyone. Ever a believer in the Unity of All Life, He promoted no one religion but taught that all religions lead to but One Goal. The Paths are Many but the Goal is One! His spiritual poetry has been compiled into the largest compilation of Spiritual Poetry by a single author in the world! It is called the Nuri Granth and is revered by his followers as a storehouse of spiritual wisdom and knowledge.We invite you to come and experience His simplicity, His wisdom, His purity, His unique life at Darshan! « less
Pune Okayama friendship garden is a symbol of Indo-Japanese friendship between partner cities of Pune and Okayama. The park is spread over an area of 10 acres. It is based on... more »
