Meet how the new Samsung Galaxy S5 measures against the competition

The Samsung Galaxy S5 certainly looks like a great piece of hardware, but despite the fanfare of a new launch, we must not forget that other manufacturers already have some pretty great handsets on the market. Let’s take a look at just how well the Galaxy S5 compares with other flagship smartphones.

Nuts and Bolts

First, let’s deal with the major pieces of kit, the display and the processor that powers everything you’ll be doing on your new smartphone.

	Display	CPU	RAM
Samsung Galaxy S5	5.1 inch Super AMOLED, FullHD (1920x1080), 432ppi	2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800	2GB
HTC One	4.7 inch IPS LCD, FullHD (1920x1080), 469ppi	1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600	2GB
iPhone 5S	4.0 inch IPS LCD, Retina (1136x640), 326ppi	1.3GHz dual-core Apple A7	1GB
LG G2	5.2 inch IPS LCD, FullHD (1920x1080), 424ppi	2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800	2GB
Nexus 5	4.95 inch IPS LCD, FullHD (1920x1080), 445ppi	2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800	2GB
Moto X	4.7 inch AMOLED, HD (1280x720), 312ppi	1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro	2GB
Samsung Galaxy S4	5.0 inch Super AMOLED, FullHD (1920x1080), 441ppi	1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600	2GB
Sony Xperia Z1	5.0 inch TFT, FullHD (1920x1080), 441ppi	2.2Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 800	2GB
Sony Xperia Z2	5.2 inch IPS LCD, FullHD (1920x1080), 424ppi	2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801	3GB

Display

Whilst many may have been anticipating the arrival of QHD displays and a big bump in resolution, the Samsung Galaxy S5 offers up the same FullHD display resolution that handsets have been using for the past year. The Galaxy S5 is one of the larger handsets on the market, at 5.1 inches, which means that the same 1920×1080 pixels aren’t going to go quite as far as the slightly smaller 5 inch Galaxy S4 or the 4.7 inch HTC One, but you probably won’t be able to notice. The display’s pixels per inch sit right in the middle of the field, so your choice of display will probably boil down to your preferences for AMOLED or LCD.

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 5S - Quick Look [4:38]

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy Note 3 - Quick Look [5:00]

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy S4 - Quick Look [3:46]

SoC

Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will feature a quad-core 2.5Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC, ever so slightly one-upping the previous generation of handsets which made use of the popular Snapdragon 800 clocked around 2.3GHz.  Apart from the clock speed increase, the hardware looks surprisingly similar to existing top-tier smartphones, Samsung also hasn’t seen the same need as Sony to up the RAM count to above 2GB. This also means that Samsung is still using the same Adreno 330 GPU seen in other handsets.

Performance wise, we’re looking at an ever so slight improvement over existing top of the line handsets, like the G2 and Nexus 5, and an even larger performance boost over last generation’s Galaxy S4. There’s no move to 64-bit processing here, Apple’s currently the only company offering up a 64-bit chip, but there’s no need to make the jump yet anyway. Overall, Samsung’s latest hardware effort really just plays catch up to other premium Android smartphones.

Consumer features

	Storage Options	Camera	Battery	Waterproof?	Fingerprint Scanner?
Samsung Galaxy S5	16/32GB + MicroSD	16 Megapixels rear, 2.1MP front	2800 mAh	Yes	Yes
HTC One	32/64GB	4 Ultrapixels, 2.1 MP front	2300 mAh	No	No
iPhone 5S	16/32/64GB	8 Megapixels rear, 1.2 MP front	1560 mAh	No	Yes
LG G2	32/64GB	13 Megapixels back, 2.1 MP front	3000 mAh	No	No
Nexus 5	32/64GB	8 Megapixels back, 1.3 MP front	2300 mAh	No	No
Moto X	32/64GB	10 Megapixels rear, 2 MP front	2200 mAh	No	No
Samsung Galaxy S4	16/32/64GB + MicroSD	13 Megapixels rear, 3MP front	2600 mAh	No	No
Sony Xperia Z1	16GB + MicroSD	20.7 Megapixels rear, 2MP front	3000 mAh	Yes	No
Sony Xperia Z2	16GB + MicroSD	20.7 Megapixels rear, 2MP front	3200 mAh	Yes	No

Although the Galaxy S5 packs some high-end performance hardware, practical features are equally important when considering a phone purchase. Samsung has taken note of Sony’s success and has decided to leap straight in with waterproofing on its main flagship model, rather than releasing another spin off product like the Galaxy S4 Active. The fingerprint scanner also makes its first appearance on Android with the Galaxy S5, bringing Samsung up to date with Apple. But perhaps everyone won’t make use of these options, let’s compare some more critical features.

Samsung Galaxy S5 – waterproof and dust resistant. The USB connector is protected by a small flap.

Storage

Storage options are very much in keeping with existing handsets on the market, although the Galaxy S5 will only come in 16GB and 32GB variations. Most other handsets can be found in 64GB versions in some regions. However, Samsung continues to set itself apart from the crowd by offering extra storage courtesy of a MicroSD card slot, which is sure to appease those who require lots of storage space for music and video.

Camera

Samsung has again upped its game in the camera department, squeezing in 3 more Megapixels than the Galaxy S4. Only Sony has managed to fit in more than Samsung’s 16 Megapixels into a smartphone image sensor. Speaking of Sony, 4K video capture is a big new feature for both of the company’s new flagship devices, with the Xperia Z2 and Galaxy S5 both managing to capture 4K video at 30fps, although Samsung’s efforts are limited to just 5 minutes of recording.

Of course it’s not just Megapixels that count towards image quality. Image sensors, like Sony’s Exmor, are equally as important. Samsung’s new smartphone camera showcases the company’s new ISOCELL technology, which should result in clearer, more colourful images than ever before. If you’d like a breakdown of ISOCELL, how it works, and what improvements it brings to traditional BSI sensors, check out this detailed post.

Battery

Finally, a good battery is essential when we’re dealing with large display devices. The Galaxy S5 is pretty much at the top of this category too, albeit just beaten out by Sony’s new flagship Xperia Z2. Samsung also continues to be one of the few manufacturers to offer a replaceable battery with its smartphones, something that’s definitely worth considering if you’re planning to keep your handset for a long time.

Overall, the Galaxy S5 sits exactly where you’d expect it to, right at the top of almost every hardware category, but perhaps it’s not as far ahead of the pack as many may have expected. Although the device won’t be the first to ship with a QHD display, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a stellar smartphone for those looking to get their hands on the latest and greatest pieces of mobile hardware.