Smartphone Galaxy S6. It became one of the most important events of the Mobile World Congress. Generally speaking, it is obvious that the Galaxy S6 is more powerful and more functional than its predecessor. But it is much more interesting to find out what exactly is the superiority of the novelty, which, as we already know, has lost a removable battery and a slot for memory cards. The clock frequency of the processor cores has also decreased, and the battery capacity of the new phone has become smaller. These four new qualities of Samsung's 2015 flagship are its main shortcomings. In all other respects, it was a step forward compared to the S5.
The specifications of current and last year's Samsung flagship phones were compared by tom's GUIDE in a wonderful illustrated review published by this resource. The novelty has become better in almost every respect.
Specifications
The Galaxy S5 is based on a 2.5GHz quad-core processor. Last year's smartphone has two gigabytes of RAM and 32 or 64 gigabytes of storage, depending on the version. It was based on the Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system.
Galaxy S6 is based on an eight-core processor - four 2.1 GHz cores and four more 1.5 GHz cores. In theory, this will allow the new phone to handle more applications. The new smartphone of the South Korean electronics giant has three gigabytes of RAM. The volume of the drive will be 32, 64 or 128 gigabytes. The Galaxy S6 runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. For Galaxy S5 users, the Lollipop operating system is an upgrade.
At the same time, reduced processor speed can negatively manifest itself in graphics-intensive applications and ported games for consoles. As already noted, the Galaxy S6 lacks a microSD card slot, and those users who need a large drive will have to pay extra. Galaxy S5 memory card support.
Screen and dimensions
Dimensions Galaxy S5 (mm) - 142 (H) x 72.5 (W) x 8.1 (D) The Galaxy S6 is a bit narrower, but not so much that it's noticeable. Its dimensions (mm) are 143.4 (H) x 70.5 (W) x 6.8 (D). Galaxy S5 has a 5.1-inch screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with an image density of 432 pixels per inch. The screen size of the Galaxy S6 is the same, but the resolution is much higher - 2560 x 1440 pixels. The same resolution screen LG G3. Since the screen size of the S6 is relatively small, the density is 577 pixels per inch. Thus, the screen resolution of the novelty exceeds the standard HD quality. Both devices have Super AMOLED screens.
Accumulator battery
At this time, it's hard to say if the Galaxy S6's battery is inferior to the S5's in terms of actual battery life. It should be noted that the novelty has a capacity of 2550 mAh, while the S5 boasts a 2800 mAh battery.
It should be noted that reducing the volume of the battery does not necessarily mean a reduction in the operating time of the device from it. This is also affected by the power consumption of the phone. It may even turn out that the S6 will have to be charged less frequently than the S5. But nothing definite can be said about this at the present time.
Camera
For selfie enthusiasts, the Galaxy S6 has a 5-megapixel camera on the front. Compared to the 2-megapixel camera for selfies and video calls that the S5 has, this is a big improvement. But the main cameras of the Galaxy S5 and S6 are characterized by the same "megapixel". Both are 16 megapixels.
The camera software on the Galaxy S6 has been improved to take better pictures than its predecessor. The S5 features dynamic range, selective focus, and a virtual shooting function that allows you to take 360-degree photos.
The Galaxy S6 has improved these features, adding quick launch and low-light video, improved zoom, dynamic white balance, and fast and slow motion modes. For users who want to make their own photo settings, a professional mode is provided.
Services
The S6 retains Google services, but also adds new features from Samsung, including S Health 4.0 and Samsung Pay. The phone allows you to pay for goods and services using NFC wireless technology.
What remains the same?
Both phones support 4G LTE, have significant sets of video and audio codecs, as well as sensors, including an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, barometer and fingerprint scanner, as well as a heart rate monitor. If something was in S5, then it is likely to be in S6.
Was it a strong disappointment that the new phone has a built-in battery, but memory cards are not supported? Or does the new design, rear panel and increased hardware characteristics of the device allow you to forget about these flaws? Or maybe removable batteries and memory cards are a thing of the past?
After all the rumors, leaks, teasers, hints and expectations, we were shown not just the Samsung Galaxy S6, but two flagship smartphones at once, which continued the popular Galaxy S series. I think that many more of you not only remember perfectly, but also use the Galaxy S3 so far. The Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 picked up interest in the lineup, although things did go wrong last year. Fortunately, Samsung has found a balance point and the Galaxy S6 looks like a real champion, but let's compare it with last year's model anyway.
(banner_context_socialmart)
Design
Between the two flagship models, not just a dividing line has already passed, but a whole abyss, since Samsung decided to change a lot of design elements. Even the tactile feel of the Home button has become completely different, more pleasant. On the other hand, the scheme remains the same - all the same familiar features, all the same buttons for turning on and controlling the volume. However, there are still differences, and considerable ones. Most of the ports and connectors, or rather all of them, are already located at the bottom of the case. There is just one point at once, which is impossible to remain silent about - the Galaxy S5 had a plug on the MicroUSB port due to water / dust protection. The Galaxy S6 is back to the classic, that is, the lack of protection by default. Now be afraid to drop your smartphone into the water.
The most noticeable difference from the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the use of completely new materials. The Galaxy S6 has finally received the necessary changes - this is not a plastic S5. This is a real premium flagship with a metal frame and glass front and back panels.
However, we have to admit that the dimensions of smartphones have remained almost the same, although the Galaxy S6 has become more compact, retaining a 5.1-inch display. All this thanks to the new body materials.
Since there have been so many complaints about Samsung for the fact that both the design and the quality of the materials leave much to be desired (to put it mildly), the necessary changes have taken place, albeit not without compromises. The Galaxy S6 no longer received a removable battery or microSD connectors. You know how often this could be helpful. But now the case has become stylish, thin, comfortable.
Display
As I mentioned above, the display size remains the same - it is a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED screen, but the resolution has increased by ... you will see for yourself when you pick up the Samsung Galaxy S6. The difference between Full HD and Quad HD is just fabulous, although not everyone can distinguish it with the naked eye. As a result, the dot density has also changed - an increase from 432 to 576 ppi.
As always, Super AMOLED offers us deep blacks, vibrant colors, great viewing angles. You know, it's worth a lot even the fact that DisplayMate calls the Galaxy S6 screen the best, although the Galaxy Note 4 used to have this title. But wouldn't Quad HD resolution be redundant for a 5.1-inch screen? Some will agree, others will doubt. But we admit, the difference between the screens is very big. Evolution, you know.
Processor, memory, performance
Samsung always releases its flagship smartphones with the best processors you can find. This applies to both the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S6. Except the S5 is powered by a Snapdragon 801 or Exynos 5 Octa quad-core processor (depending on region) with 2GB of RAM.
There was no processor from Qualcomm for the Samsung Galaxy S6, and there are serious reasons for that, which we talked about a lot before the presentation. As a result, the new flagship runs on an eight-core 64-bit Exynos 7420 processor with 3GB of RAM. Once again I want to say that the performance of the smartphone is simply fantastic, which is also worth saying thanks to the TouchWiz optimization. Other hardware specifications include a minimum of 32GB of memory (in the absence of microSD support). However, it is worth adding a powerful graphics accelerator to the performance, which many people forget about. Galaxy S6 also has a fingerprint scanner, which has been improved and made touch-type. Easier, better, more accurate, more productive and faster - this is the whole new scanner. By the way, if you do not have enough additional protection against water / dust, then you can wait for the Galaxy S6 Active. It will appear a little later this year.
As for the battery of the Galaxy S6, it has "shrunken" from 2800 to 2550 mAh when compared with the Galaxy S5. It would seem that this can become a problem, especially since it cannot be replaced at any time. But still, technology is not marking time, especially with Samsung. The battery can be charged almost instantly - 10 minutes is enough for 4 hours of work. There is also support for wireless charging and it doesn't matter what type it will be. The battery life has not exactly decreased - the productive Exynos 7420 is energy efficient, as is the memory. Surely Samsung Galaxy S6 will be able to work longer than S5. Let's wait for the test though.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S5 and its 16 megapixel ISOCELL camera are known to many for fantastic colors, sharp details without noise. In general, one can only praise it, but the Galaxy S6 appeared, albeit also with a 16-megapixel module. Here are just a new camera, although taken from the Galaxy Note 4, but it offers a lot of new features, updated functionality and better performance, of course, with better quality. The camera app on the Galaxy S6 has become easier, no need to "flip through" the menu. Everything has been simplified for the sake of convenience. The choice of shooting mode is almost instantaneous. The Galaxy S6 also offers several new features. It is worth pressing the Home button twice (double tap), and the camera is ready to work in 0.7 seconds. The main camera, by the way, received a new feature called "tracking autofocus", that is, tracking autofocus - no problem shoot any subject in motion without blur. In addition, the new HDR auto mode is now enabled automatically when the camera deems it necessary.
Software
The Samsung Galaxy S5 came with Android 4.4 KitKat and Lollipop update and is not available to everyone. We talked about this the day before, indicating the reasons. Of course, the smartphone has a TouchWiz shell. YES, it is good, multifunctional, interesting, but still overloaded with features that may not even always be used. There is support for numerous gestures and other branded "chips", but all this overloads the interface, which is why it lags.
The Samsung Galaxy S6, on the other hand, is the result of some serious bug fixing - the latest version of TouchWiz, which runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop, is now much simpler, missing many apps that you can easily download from the app store. This "diet" proved to be beneficial. TouchWiz has become faster, more responsive, and everyone has been waiting for this for more than one year. But it's still too early to tell, as the Galaxy S6 is still running beta firmware.
Conclusion
Both the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 have already been left behind. It is especially a pity to part with S4 and you will probably agree with me. But the Samsung Galaxy S6 was really what we were waiting for - the best flagship, with the best stuffing, with the best design (this is subjective here). This is still all the smartphone that fits into the Galaxy S line, but it is ahead of its time - competitors seem to be “gray”. I hope that the prices will not scare off buyers, although almost 50 million pre-orders suggest otherwise.
Throughout the year, at the very top, among the leaders of the mobile world, was and continues to be the Galaxy S5. With its unparalleled feature set, extraordinary performance, and stunning, stylish design, it has gained recognition in today's mobile technology market. Despite the fact that the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Alpha were made by the same Samsung company, the Galaxy Alpha dominates the well-known Galaxy S5 in its qualities.
Samsung Galaxy Alpha vs Samsung Galaxy S5 - ComparisonComparison of Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy S5
Samsung Galaxy design
The Galaxy Alpha is one of the best tech smartphones Samsung has to date, which pushes the Galaxy S5 down a notch. So Samsung Galaxy Alpha is positioned as a "designer flagship". With its solid construction, which features a metal side bezel that wraps around the screen and white stripes around the edges, the Galaxy Alpha has become the most attractive model. At the same time, it is very compact and comfortable, which makes it easy to hold in one hand, since its weight and dimensions are smaller. But nevertheless, the Galaxy S5 model, despite the plastic case, has a water-resistant element, unlike the Galaxy Alpha.
Of course, both phones are feature rich and share many of the same features. Such as a heart rate monitor and a rather handy fingerprint scanner that allows you to register on sites with a simple tap of a finger, like a microSD card slot and an IR transmitter.
Specifications
Of course, the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Alpha are true Samsung smartphones.
The diagonal of the Samsung Galaxy Alpha screen is 4.7 inches, 720 x 1080 pixels, which gives a fairly clear image of the Super AMOLED display, which means that the colors on the display are bright, rich, contrasting, and the viewing angles are almost maximum, there is an HD resolution, which makes colors more balanced than the Galaxy S5. Unique black color display that allows you to admire them for a long time.
The Galaxy S5 has a larger, higher pixel density 5.1-inch 1080 x 1920 Super AMOLED display that delivers richer colors. Both models allow you to choose a color profile for any situation, there is an auto-brightness setting. The display does not fade in the sun and supports operation with gloves. Both smartphones have an ultra-saving mode of operation.
Interface and functionality
While the Galaxy Alpha has a new interface and TouchWiz, the Galaxy S5 has a couple of software tweaks tucked away that expand the capabilities of the smartphone.
Of course, both phones share many of the same software specs. For example, thanks to Multi-Window, you can simultaneously view the content of different applications with a slight movement of your finger. Despite their similarities, the Galaxy S5 has a little more features. For example, to view images in the gallery or web pages, Air Gestures is used, thanks to which you can scroll through the content with a hand movement without touching the screen.
Later, the Galaxy S5 will be released on a newer version of the platform, so this smartphone will soon boast the same updated TouchWiz interface as the Alpha. There is no doubt that the platforms of both phones are similar, but the Galaxy S5 has a little more goodies.
Processor and Memory
Both phones share the same chipset - a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor at 2.5GHz, 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 GPU. Comparing performance, smartphones are equally good at handling tasks.
The Galaxy Alpha has more storage for content at 32GB, while the Galaxy S5 only has 16GB. However, the Galaxy S5 has a microSD card slot, while the Galaxy Alpha comes without storage expansion.
Internet and connectivity
Smartphones provide the ability to use a 4G LTE connection. Since the phones are designed for worldwide use, you will have no problem unlocking both smartphones abroad. The smartphones also have GPS with global navigation satellite system (Glonass), Bluetooth 4.0, dual-channel 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and NFC.
Samsung Camera
The Galaxy Alpha takes sharp photos, but the quality is inferior to the Galaxy S5.
The megapixel war continues and is not going to end anytime soon. The Galaxy Alpha has a 12-megapixel camera, while the Galaxy S5 has a 16-megapixel camera. In addition to high resolution, both smartphones have identical camera apps filled with extensive manual shooting options.
Comparing photos from both phones, it's hard to pick a favorite, but a closer look takes the palm of the Galaxy S5's camera. Of course, the difference is quite hard to replace for regular users, but the Galaxy S5 conveys a few more details. Color rendition is almost the same. However, the difference is striking when looking at photos taken in low light conditions. The Galaxy S5 also wins here.
Although this is not the final victory for the Galaxy S5. Video recordings are rather uneven. Both smartphones offer similar qualities: smooth continuous autofocus, decent exposure settings, and mostly clear audio. In addition, both phones shoot in 4K quality.
Multimedia Samsung Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy S5
The Galaxy S5 has a larger screen and a more powerful speaker than the Alpha. It is an ideal choice for users who use the phone mainly for entertainment.
Since in both cases we are dealing with the TouchWiz interface, the audio players are identical to each other. The Galaxy S5 speaker is more powerful and delivers better tones, while at maximum volume, the Galaxy Alpha speaker begins to sound strained.
Watching videos on the Galaxy S5 is more comfortable, mainly due to the larger screen, higher resolution, and iridescence. Plus, these smartphones allow you to watch a movie and work with other applications at the same time.
Call quality
To be honest, call quality isn't perfect on either phone. For example, the Galaxy S5 sins with a muffled sound, and in a conversation through the Galaxy Alpha, the voices at both ends of the line sometimes take on a robotic color.
Battery
Surprisingly, the Galaxy Alpha's smaller 1860mAh battery lasts a little longer than the Galaxy S5's larger 2800mAh battery. When testing phones, the Alpha battery, taking into account the active use of the phone, "lived" 7 hours and 50 minutes, but the Galaxy S5 was not far behind and lasted 7 hours and 38 minutes in similar conditions.
Outcome
In the US, you can purchase any of these smartphones along with a 2-year contract for $200. It is rather difficult to recommend from the bottom of my heart to buy the Galaxy Alpha instead of the more functional Galaxy S5, which the Alpha is still inferior in many aspects.
However, on the other hand, the Galaxy S5 is quite large, and if you want a smaller smartphone, feel free to take the Alpha. If you are not confused by the size of S5, then buy this phone, it will not disappoint you.
Both phones in question cost about the same. Hence the question: with an equal budget, which smartphone should be preferred? To do this, we need to compare their hardware. This is what we'll do.
Parameter table
| iPhone 5s | Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
| Price | 17-18 thousand rubles | 19-20 thousand rubles |
| Display | 4 inches, 1136x640 | 5.1 inch FullHD |
| CPU | Apple A7 | Snapdragon 801 |
| Graphics | Adreno 330 | |
| RAM | 1 GB | 2 GB |
| Disk | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| rear camera | 8 MP, f/2.2 | 16 MP (details below) |
| Battery | 1560 mAh | 2800 mAh |
| Peculiarities | Fingerprint scanner | Fingerprint scanner, IP67 protection |
We have completely different phones, between which there is nothing in common. Therefore, the comparison is more relevant than ever.
Displays
The first obvious difference after the appearance is the display. iPhone phones have always been famous for their cool Retina displays with maximum viewing angles, high durability, brightness and color reproduction. The 5s model is no exception, and the screen here is really cool, which is typical of all iPhone flagships. It is quite another thing that there are no revolutions here, 4 inches diagonal is often not enough for a comfortable Internet - you have to constantly scale the text. And if anyone is dissatisfied with the resolution, it's in vain. 1136x640 at 4 inches is more than enough. Pixelation is excluded, the load on the CPU and battery is small. So that's just a plus.
But the Galaxy S5 has a 5-inch screen with FullHD (1920x1080) resolution. It is impossible to see individual pixels here, because their density is 432 dpi. But even at HD resolution, it was impossible (or extremely difficult) to see them, which casts doubt on the need for a FullHD resolution matrix. After all, it "eats" the battery and requires more CPU resource.
But it's worth paying tribute: the AMOLED screen is simply magnificent, and in terms of color saturation, brightness, viewing angles it is not inferior to the Retina display of the iPhone. Even in the sun it looks good, and in direct sunlight the text can be read.
It is difficult to determine the winner in this pair by part of the screen. But we will give the victory to Samsung because of the larger diagonal. Definitely, 5.1 inches is better than four.
Hardware performance
The Apple A7 processor cannot be called powerful today. While the iPhone 7 Plus is equipped with the cool Apple A10 Fusion and breaks performance records, the Apple A7 can be called obsolete, but in its time it was the best. If you compare the processor of the iPhone 5s with the chipset of the 4th smartphone, then iPhone 4 users will be delighted, because the 5s is just a reactive device compared to the 4.
The Antutu performance test speaks for itself - the iPhone 5S scores 62,000 points.
Now let's talk about Qualcomm's Snapdragon 801, which is used in the Samsung Galaxy S5. The chip is quad-core, the maximum core frequency is 2.45 GHz, there is an Adreno 330 coprocessor with a frequency of 578 MHz (responsible for graphics).
The CPU was also one of the best in its time, but it falls short of the A7 level. In the same Antutu benchmark, the device scores only 36,700 points, which is good for a smartphone in 2014, but bad for 2017.
So the winner in this comparison in terms of power is the Apple A7, on the basis of which the iPhone 5s was assembled.
cameras
iPhones have always been known for their amazing image quality. While other manufacturers played marketers and advertised phones with cameras with huge resolutions (20 or more megapixels), Apple paid attention to photo quality. At the same time, the resolution did not change much. The iPhone 5S has a resolution of only 8 megapixels, but the quality of the images is a cut above that of competitive smartphones. Of course, the iPhone 5S is superior in photo quality to many digital cameras, not to mention smartphone cameras.
Even at dusk, the photos are of high quality, but even this is a trifle. The 5S introduced slow motion mode (the famous slo-mo video).
Sample photos on iPhone 5s
Now let's talk about the Galaxy S5 camera. It uses a proprietary matrix from Samsung with Isocell technology, which should provide a sharper picture. The pixel size is small - 1.12 microns, f / 2.2 aperture (standard), ISO settings in the range of 100 to 800. Note that compared to cameras in early models (s4, for example), the image processing algorithm has been redesigned due to the wider capabilities of the processor. This is especially evident when using the HDR mode, in which the frame is taken instantly, although previously the Note 3 smartphone waited for the shooting to complete.
Sample photos on Samsung Galaxy S5
Subjectively: the winner of this comparison is the Galaxy S5. Visually, the picture quality seems to be better in photos taken with the Galaxy S5. But this is just a subjective opinion. All photos above are clickable. Zoom in and decide for yourself which camera takes better pictures.
conclusions
A larger screen with Full HD resolution, high battery capacity, protection against temporary submersion under water and dust, and a camera are the advantages of the Galaxy S5 smartphone compared to the fifth iPhone. The latter boasts better performance, which is largely due to cool iOS 9 software optimizations.
Video review of iPhone 5s
Video review Galaxy S5
The new flagship smartphone Galaxy S5 was officially announced the day before and, of course, we are happy about this. Someone may not quite like the new design, but the smartphone has now become at the same time similar to its predecessors, but at the same time it has big differences. However, its characteristics are too typical for the flagships that are already on the market, but not for the flagship of the coming months. What has changed in comparison with the Galaxy S4? We give an overview of this.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 has the same features as the Galaxy S4, but that doesn't mean it's just an upgrade from a previous flagship. Now we have a heart rate monitor that will help you play sports and track loads online. If you wish, you can purchase accessories for convenience (Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo or Gear Fit) to be less limited in movement.
As for the technical characteristics themselves, here many of you will see too many similarities. To a large extent, the screen in the S5 is the same as in the S4 - the diagonal has increased by only 0.1 inches, and the resolution remains the same - Full HD, due to which the pixel density has changed from 441ppi to 432ppi. The processor also remains quad-core, although it is already a Snapdragon 800 with a frequency of 2.5GHz, and not 1.9GHz, as in the S4 with its Snapdragon 600. But 2GB of RAM is still there.
The battery also received a slight increase - from 2600 mAh to 2800 mAh. The camera has also grown a bit from 13 megapixels to 16 megapixels. The front camera has remained almost the same - an increase from 2 megapixels to 2.1 megapixels. The only thing we get immediately is LTE support, which will work great due to the new type of MIMO antenna.
And now about the size of the flagships. The Galaxy S4 is 136.6 mm long versus 142 mm for the Galaxy S5. Although before that, the S4 had not grown a millimeter relative to the Galaxy S3. The S5 has also grown in width - up to 72.5 mm (S4 has 69.8 mm). In thickness, we observe the same situation - Galaxy S5 "recovered" by 0.2 mm - from 7.9mm to 8.1mm. The new flagship has become heavier by 12 grams (133g versus 145g).
At launch, the Galaxy S5 does not have a huge selection of models that differ in color, but still enough for 4 options. The S5 also comes with Android 4.4.2 KitKat.
Overall, the Galaxy S5 is a decent upgrade in the Galaxy S line.
