We’ll take a separate look at these two, but one thing we’re particularly curious is just sheer performance. With no Quad HD (QHD) display on board, some of the excitement about the Galaxy S5 will die down, but fact remains that it’s a powerful smartphone on par with the top competitors out there.
Some of these competitors are Samsung’s own devices - the preceding Galaxy S4 and the 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 3 phablet. How much of an improvement is the Galaxy S5 over them? Take a look at the table below to find out.
Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 3
| Design | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Android (6.0, 5.1, 5.0, 4.4.4, 4.4.2), TouchWiz UI | Android (5.0, 4.4.2, 4.3, 4.2.2) | Android (5.0, 4.4.4, 4.4, 4.3) |
| Dimensions | 5.59 x 2.85 x 0.32 inches (142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm) | 5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches (136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm) | 5.95 x 3.12 x 0.33 inches (151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm) |
| Weight | 5.11 oz (145 g) the average is 5.4 oz (155 g) | 4.59 oz (130 g) the average is 5.4 oz (155 g) | 5.93 oz (168 g) the average is 5.4 oz (155 g) |
| Materials | Main body: Plastic | Main body: Plastic | |
| Features | Fingerprint (swipe), Touch sensitive control keys, Interchangeable covers | Stylus, Interchangeable covers | |
| Rugged | Water, Dust resistant | ||
| IP certified
IP certified - The IP code indicates the degree of protection against dust and water. The first number represents dust protection, while the second represents water protection. In IP67, for example, 6 means a completely dust-tight device, while 7 means the device can stay immersed in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. In IP68, a higher level of water protection is expected, but exact numbers aren't specified: both depth and continuance are specified by the manufacturer on per device basis. | IP 67 |
| Display | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical size | 5.1 inches | 5.0 inches | 5.7 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels |
Pixel density
Pixel density - The pixel density of a display represents the number of pixels over an area of one inch. It’s measured in “pixels per inch”, or ppi. The higher the number, the more detailed and good-looking the display is. | 432 ppi | 441 ppi | 386 ppi |
Technology
Technology - There are two main screen technologies currently used in phones and tablets: LCD and AMOLED. The former usually features a light source and liquid crystals, while the latter is based on organic light-emitting diodes. Newer LCD variations like IPS-LCD and Super-LCD allow for very accurate color reproduction and very wide viewing angles, where no significant image quality loss is observed. Current AMOLED screens differ in such a way that they can exhibit much more saturated colors (sometimes too much) and incredibly high contrast levels, which is due to black color being completely black in AMOLED displays. | Super AMOLED | Super AMOLED | Super AMOLED |
Screen-to-body ratio
Screen-to-body ratio - Shows what part of the frontal area of a phone its screen occupies. | 69.76 % | 71.91 % | 74.78 % |
| Colors | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 |
| Camera | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | 16 megapixels | 13 megapixels | 13 megapixels |
| Flash | LED | LED | LED |
| Aperture size
Aperture size - The aperture of a camera is the opening through which light travels before it reaches the camera sensor. The smaller the number is, the bigger this opening is, allowing for more light to pass. | F2.2 | F2.2 | F2.2 |
| Focal length (35mm equivalent)
Focal length (35mm equivalent) - The lower (shorter) the focal length number, the wider the shot will be. Conversely, longer focal length cameras produce narrower frames, which can be used for telephoto (zoomed-in) purposes. | 31 mm | 31 mm | 31 mm |
| Camera sensor size
Camera sensor size - A bigger camera sensor is able to capture more light, and thus produce better photos. | 1/2.6" | 1/3.06" | 1/3.06" |
| Pixel size
Pixel size - The size of an individual pixel on a camera's sensor. The bigger, the better. | 1.12 μm | 1.14 μm | 1.12 μm |
| Hardware Features | Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) | Autofocus, CMOS image sensor, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) | Autofocus, CMOS image sensor, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) |
| Software Features | Digital image stabilization, Touch to focus, Smile detection, Face detection, Voice activation, Self-timer, Digital zoom, Geo tagging | Digital image stabilization, Touch to focus, Face detection, Smile detection, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, Self-timer, Voice activation | Digital image stabilization, Touch to focus, Smile detection, Face detection, Self-timer, Digital zoom, Geo tagging |
| Camcorder | 3840x2160 (4K) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) | 3840x2160 (4K) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (720p HD) (120 fps) |
| Recording format | MPEG4, H.264 | ||
| Features | High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Continuous autofocus, Digital image stabilization, Video calling, Video sharing | Digital image stabilization | Continuous autofocus, Video light, Digital image stabilization, Video calling |
| Front-facing camera | 2.1 megapixels | 2 megapixels | 2 megapixels |
| Video capture | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) |
| Hardware | |||
|---|---|---|---|
System chip
System chip - Most modern handsets use an advanced chip that includes many of the device’s hardware modules like the processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and sometimes even the wireless radio. This field shows what particular system chip (or System-on-a-Chip) is used in the phone. | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974-AC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 8974 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 |
Processor
Processor - The processor is the main computing component of a phone and is a major factor when it comes to the overall speed of the device. Some more powerful smartphones use dual-core and quad-core processors designed to deliver greater performance. | Quad-core, 2500 MHz, Krait 400 | Quad-core, 1900 MHz, Krait 300 | Quad-core, 2300 MHz, Krait 400 |
Graphics processor
Graphics processor - The graphics processor is important for the smooth operation of the system and especially in games and other applications that may involve complex graphics and animations. | Adreno 330 | Adreno 320 | Adreno 330 |
System memory
System memory - System memory, or RAM memory is the type of memory that the device uses to temporarily store data from the OS or currently-running apps. The more RAM available to the device, the better the performance will be when multiple or heavier programs are running. | 2 GB RAM (Dual-channel) / LPDDR3 | 2 GB RAM (Dual-channel) / LPDDR3 | 3 GB RAM (Dual-channel, 800 MHz) / LPDDR3 |
Built-in storage
Built-in storage - Bigger storage capacity allows you to keep more content saved onto your device, such as more applications, photos or video. Games and video content typically take up the biggest amount of storage space. | 32 GB | 64 GB | 64 GB |
Storage expansion
Storage expansion - Some handsets allow you to expand their storage capacity by using a memory expansion card – most often microSD. Expansion memory is mostly suitable for media storage, such as photo, video or music content. | microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC | microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC | microSD, microSDHC |
| Battery | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Capacity
Capacity - The bigger, the better! However, battery capacity is not the only factor that has an effect on battery life. Those include the chipset in use, the software running on the device, as well as the consumer's unique usage pattern. | 2800 mAh | 2600 mAh | 3200 mAh |
| Wireless charging | Optional | Optional | Optional |
| Talk time | 21.00 hours the average is 20 h (1190 min) | 25.00 hours the average is 20 h (1190 min) | |
| Stand-by time | 16.2 days (390 hours) the average is 19 days (463 h) | 22.0 days (528 hours) the average is 19 days (463 h) | |
| Talk time (3G) | 21.00 hours the average is 18 h (1071 min) | 17.00 hours the average is 18 h (1071 min) | 21.00 hours the average is 18 h (1071 min) |
| Stand-by time (3G) | 15.4 days (370 hours) the average is 25 days (606 h) | 17.5 days (420 hours) the average is 25 days (606 h) | |
| Stand-by time (4G) | 13.3 days (320 hours) the average is 21 days (511 h) | 15.8 days (380 hours) the average is 21 days (511 h) | |
| Music playback | 67.00 hours | 62.00 hours | 84.00 hours |
| Video playback | 13.00 hours | 11.00 hours | 13.00 hours |
| Multimedia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen mirroring | MHL | DLNA, Wireless screen share, MHL | DLNA, MHL |
| Cellular | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| GSM | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz |
| UMTS | 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz |
| LTE (FDD) | Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20 | Bands 18, 5, 8, 3, 1, 7 | Bands 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 17, 18 |
| Data | LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS | LTE Cat 3 (100/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS | LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS |
