Samsung Galaxy S5 vs S4 vs Note 3: specs comparison

posted by Victor H. / Feb 24, 2014, 1:47 PM

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs S4 vs Note 3: specs comparison

The much-hyped Samsung Galaxy S5 has just arrived and it’s a gradual evolution over last year’s Galaxy S4, and an even milder one when compared against the Galaxy Note 3. Samsung says it has gone back to the basics when creating the Galaxy S5, and this effort resulted in two big new features - a fingerprint scanner built right in the home key (hello, iPhone 5s) and a heart rate monitor positioned right below the rear camera.

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

Display

Display size

5.1 inches

5.0 inches

5.7 inches

Resolution

1080 x 1920 pixels

Pixel density

432 ppi

441 ppi

386 ppi

Technology

Super AMOLED

Screen-to-body ratio

69.76 %

71.91 %

74.78 %

Camera

Rear

Single camera

Main camera

16 megapixels

13 megapixels

Hardware Features

Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Phase detection autofocus

Autofocus, CMOS image sensor, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Specifications

Aperture size: F2.2; Focal length: 31 mm; Sensor size: 1/2.6"; Pixel size: 1.12 μm

Aperture size: F2.2; Focal length: 31 mm; Sensor size: 1/3.06"; Pixel size: 1.14 μm

Aperture size: F2.2; Focal length: 31 mm; Sensor size: 1/3.06"; Pixel size: 1.12 μm

Video recording

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps)

1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (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

2.1 megapixels

2 megapixels

Video capture

1920x1080 (Full HD)

1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)

Design

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)

4.59 oz (130 g)

5.93 oz (168 g)

Materials

Back: Plastic

Resistance

Water, Dust; IP 67

Biometrics

Fingerprint (swipe)

Features

Touch sensitive control keys, Interchangeable covers, Notification light

Notification light

Stylus, Interchangeable covers

Hardware & Performance

System chip

Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974-AC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 8974

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974

Processor

Quad-core, 2500 MHz, Krait 400, 32-bit, 28 nm

Quad-core, 1900 MHz, Krait 300

Quad-core, 2300 MHz, Krait 400

GPU

Adreno 330

Adreno 320

Adreno 330

RAM

2 GB LPDDR3

3 GB LPDDR3

OS

Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.2), Samsung TouchWiz UI

Android (5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.2, 4.3, 4.2.2)

Android (5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4, 4.3)

Battery

Capacity

2800 mAh

2600 mAh

3200 mAh

Talk time

21.00 hours

25.00 hours

Stand-by time

16.2 days (390 hours)

22.0 days (528 hours)

Talk time (3G)

21.00 hours

17.00 hours

21.00 hours

Stand-by time (3G)

15.4 days (370 hours)

17.5 days (420 hours)

Stand-by time (4G)

13.3 days (320 hours)

15.8 days (380 hours)

Music playback

67.00 hours

62.00 hours

84.00 hours

Video playback

13.00 hours

11.00 hours

13.00 hours

Related phones

View Full specs

PhoneArena Rating:

9.1

Read Full Review

User Rating:

9.3

Based on 71 Reviews

Display 5.1" 1080 x 1920 pixels

Camera 16 MP / 2.1 MP front

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, Quad-core, 2500 MHz

Storage 32 GB + microSDXC

Battery 2800 mAh(21h 3G talk time)

FEATURED VIDEO

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43 Comments

1. hellonerds

Posts: 334; Member since: Aug 27, 2013

I like my note 3 better.. anyone know where I can get that lockscreen wallpaper from the GS5?

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 1:49 PM 3

12. Droid_X_Doug

Posts: 5993; Member since: Dec 22, 2010

+1. It seems that the Note series is getting the improved technology goodies. I guess I will be waiting until the Note 4 drops.

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 2:02 PM 2

27. jcdz89

Posts: 78; Member since: Mar 01, 2013

Note 3 all da way..s4 & s5 really disappointed me a lot.. I think z2 is a good alternative to s5 because at least it cover most of things well + sexy waterproof device

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 2:52 PM 0

41. DetroitTech

Posts: 66; Member since: Nov 02, 2011

Note 3 is solid. But, if you haven't tried a Moto X I suggest you do. It's pretty slick. Only downside is camera quality. Note 3 and Moto X are two totally different phones but best in each class IMHO. Only thing that sucks is I can't use my Galaxy Gear with the Moto X. :(. Not easily and smoothly anyway... As far as the GS5 goes though. Meh. Ruggedness is nice but that's the only substantial benefit over the GS4. IMHO.

posted on Feb 25, 2014, 8:17 AM 0

43. obitobi

Posts: 2; Member since: Mar 26, 2014

ww.androidguys.com/2014/03/01/get-samsung-galaxy-s5-look-wallpapers

posted on Mar 26, 2014, 10:11 PM 0

2. RohanM

Posts: 141; Member since: Jan 15, 2013

no 2k display & only 2800 Mah battry.. better go for G2.

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 1:49 PM 4

3. techaman unregistered

It's the same f*cking screen is the s4 why would anybody buy this

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 1:51 PM 2

11. IliyaBeshkov

Posts: 261; Member since: Jul 09, 2012

are f*cking retard, why do you want a 1440p display, when you will not see the difference from a 1080p display ?!

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 2:01 PM 6

18. av911 unregistered

That's 'cause your eyes suck.

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 2:05 PM 1

20. IliyaBeshkov

Posts: 261; Member since: Jul 09, 2012

OMG! So what you are a guy with 10x magnifying glass? P.S.: Do you had in hand Nokia 1616 to call that you see pixels? :)

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 2:07 PM 1

29. techaman unregistered

i have 13/20 15/20 vision and if i am getting a new device i want the new tech not old crap my s3 has 2 gig ram this s5 has 2 gig ram that means the random access memory it uses to open and communicate will be slow still with touchwiz and no 64 bit core its a waste of money on a device they just shot themselves in the face with is wanna be nothing phone

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 3:06 PM 0

32. IliyaBeshkov

Posts: 261; Member since: Jul 09, 2012

You know that you have a choice from other companies, right. Wait for Z2, One(2014) and G3 and then compare them and choose. Simple isn't it? :)

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 3:25 PM 0

13. KingDingaLing

Posts: 324; Member since: Oct 11, 2013

Guess they are trying to attract the S3 peeps. Doesn't seem to be a huge boost from the 4. Hopefully the next Note won't be as disappointing.

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 2:02 PM 2

14. alan_1230

Posts: 86; Member since: Apr 22, 2012

lol like you can tell the difference between a 2k display and a 1080p just stop lol

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 2:02 PM 1

19. av911 unregistered

1080p can be considered 2k.

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 2:06 PM 1

33. fanboy1974

Posts: 1345; Member since: Nov 12, 2011

I have the bigger Note 3 and I see no pixels whatsoever. At some point every phone 6" and below will hit this threshold. Our hands can't get any bigger and our eyes can only see so much.

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 3:29 PM 0

42. JEverettnow

Posts: 228; Member since: Mar 11, 2013

I see the difference between my note3 and LG G2 screens. The g2 is incredibly crisp. I have perfect vision though.

posted on Feb 25, 2014, 1:03 PM 0

4. sipha

Posts: 440; Member since: May 12, 2012

RIP Samsung

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 1:56 PM 1

5. Achilis

Posts: 65; Member since: Oct 05, 2013

Samsung messed it up big time. The screen is bettered by just 0.1 inches but Dimensions and weight is considerably larger than S4. There is no mention worthy improvement other than 16MP camera which is still behind last year's sony and Nokia flagships.The battery is also not improved that much if you compare it with Z2. Its a total failure.

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 1:58 PM 4

17. ihavenoname

Posts: 1693; Member since: Aug 18, 2013

We'll see. This is overall improved and shrunken-down Note 3. Very fantastic phone, lots of new stuff, but unfortunately design... Meh, I like more the Black Edition GS4.

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 2:04 PM 0

23. synthetic_llama

Posts: 26; Member since: Jan 06, 2013

Messed up big time? This has a finger print scanner. Improved Camera tech besides the 16MP , Ultra power mode that can potentially keep your phone on standby for 24hours at 10%. Ah I forgot, waterproof too.

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 2:11 PM 4

30. techaman unregistered

any battery app can do that is water resistant cant be under water for long time he said that so no taking video under water not water proof camera tech you cant tell dif on because the screen is less ppi then the s4 and will big time lag because the 2 gig ram and battery is really the same.

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 3:09 PM 0

6. ihavenoname

Posts: 1693; Member since: Aug 18, 2013

Great device, but I think that I keep my Note 3. Still the best device for me.

posted on Feb 24, 2014, 1:58 PM 3

22. networkdood

Posts: 6330; Member since: Mar 31, 2010

oh yeah, totally agree - I mean, i like the look of the back, at least of this SGS5, but, if I had a Note 3...I would pass on this - would be a downgrade...