How to distinguish samsung s5 original from fake. How to distinguish a fake Samsung Galaxy s5 from the original

Previously, scammers only faked the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series. In 2018, fakes of any series appeared, including A and J.

What is the difference between an original device and a fake

Quality of components

Original smartphones and tablets are made from components highest quality. Samsung puts the best components on flagship devices at the time of their release: displays, processors, cameras, memory modules and other details. Most of them are the company's own developments. Thanks to this, Samsung devices receive many awards and high customer ratings every year.

Fakes are made from obsolete and cheap parts. As a result, copies of flagship devices perform worse than original budget Samsung devices.

Software quality and security

Samsung carefully checks software for their devices: first by their own testing department, and then with the help of Google, the creator of Android. Thanks to this, smartphones and tablets work quickly, they can safely use mobile banks, add cards to payment services and store personal photos. Samsung continues to take care of software updates on its devices after they are released: it releases new firmware and security updates.

Fraudsters do not worry about the quality of the software - as long as the device turns on. Nobody prevents them from installing spyware or phishing software on a fake that will steal photos, contacts, bank card details, passwords and other data. Fakes do not pass any certification. No one updates them and no one monitors the security of the software.

Corporate services and functionality

The original devices have branded services, many of them have no analogues. For example, Samsung Pay, which allows you to link a bank card to your smartphone and pay for purchases through almost any terminal.

Not a single branded service will work on fakes.

Availability of a guarantee

All original Samsung devices have a guarantee: factory defects will be fixed free of charge.

There is no guarantee for a fake: it will not be replaced or repaired, even if it breaks the next day after purchase.

Where do they sell fakes?

Mostly fakes are sold by hand and on free classifieds sites.

Hand selling

Near subway, train station, big store a person comes up to you and offers to buy a smartphone or tablet at a clearly underpriced price, explaining the discount as an urgent need for money. Usually there is even a receipt and a warranty card. The seller is in a hurry, constantly talking to you, does not allow you to concentrate and examine the device properly. He can tell that all the money and documents were stolen from him, the children are waiting for him, he is late for the plane. In general, makes every effort to make you feel the need or awkwardness and quickly give the money.

Sale on sites of free ads

You find an ad on the site with a very low price. The price is often explained by the fact that the device was given as a gift, but you already have a smartphone or tablet. On the phone, they can say that there is already a buyer or come up with another legend that will push them to buy. Questions are answered in general terms or evasively. They are found near the metro, shopping or business centers, almost never give the addresses of residential buildings. They rush when meeting. After the sale, the number is turned off or blacklisted.

The photo below is a typical scammer ad.

1. The average price of such a smartphone at the time of viewing this ad is 45,000 rubles. Thanks to such a low price, the ad has almost 400 views in a few hours.

2. You can already see from the photo that this is a fake - there are no such inscriptions on the original smartphone.

3. Seemingly logical motive. Immediately there is a feeling that I won the lottery and I need to take it as soon as possible.

Another ad, almost a carbon copy. And there are hundreds of them.

Sale in stores

Of course, fakes are sold both in regular and online stores.

The photo below is one of these online stores.

At the time of this writing, the Galaxy Note 9 had not even been announced, and it was already being sold by scammers.

How to recognize and not buy a fake

Fakes are made in different Chinese and Taiwanese factories, so they all differ from each other. There are no guaranteed signs by which you can visually distinguish a fake from the original device: some fakes may differ in case elements, others in the display, and still others in the way the inscriptions are applied. The main difference is in the filling, which is difficult to assess for an unprepared person. You need to know how the original device works: understand the versions and manufacturers of processors, screens, shells, benchmarks, etc.

Therefore, the only way to distinguish a fake from the original is a visual inspection of the device by a competent specialist. For example, it can be an engineer in a company service center.

There are comments where users demand to make some kind of service or protection that cannot be bypassed. It is impossible to make such protection: at the moment there are no such technologies. I would also like to remind you that they successfully fake everything, no matter what the protection: money, documents, medicines, cars, spare parts, jewelry, smartphones, tablets, headphones, clothes, shoes, watches, software. Even products are counterfeited.

However, despite all the difficulties with fakes, there are some tips that can help you when buying.

Pay attention to the quality of translation of menu items

On the original devices, the translation is of high quality, without errors, the inscriptions are only in English and Russian.

On counterfeit devices, menu items may use Chinese characters, the translation itself may be conspicuous, and the phrases look illogical. For example, the lock screen might say "Drag to Unblock".

Every day, counterfeit smartphones are harder and harder to distinguish from original devices. Fake manufacturers master new materials and make copies as similar as possible to the original. Undoubtedly, Apple accounts for most of the counterfeit copies, but the Korean company Samsung also suffers from dishonest Chinese smartphone manufacturers. Since the launch of the smartphone samsung galaxy S5 companies from the Middle Kingdom began to rivet similar smartphones and sell them to naive buyers. How to distinguish a Samsung Galaxy S5 from a fake and not fall for the bait of scammers?

Chinese manufacturers of non-genuine phones are trying in many ways to reduce the final cost of the device. Smartphones are equipped with weak cameras and low-resolution screens, and budget SoCs from MediaTek are used instead of eight-core processors.

You should not buy Samsung Galaxy S5 in little-known stores and trading floors in the Internet. Savings of 2-5 thousand rubles can result in the purchase of a fake or defective device. You should not believe the low cost, since such a smartphone can be either non-original or “gray”. Buy electronics only in well-known stores, for example, in Svyaznoy or Euroset.

What to do if you already have a smartphone in your hands? How to distinguish the original Samsung Galaxy S5 from a Chinese fake? First of all, pay attention to the presence of a fingerprint scanner. In fakes, it simply cannot be, since the cost of the sensor is quite high.

It would be useful to investigate the quality of the camera. As a rule, weak cameras are installed in fake versions of smartphones. The original Galaxy S5 camera has a "Dual camera" feature as well as an HDR mode.

It is worth taking a look at the menu of the smartphone. There should be no Chinese characters anywhere. If any application starts with a splash screen in Chinese, then you can be sure that you have a fake Galaxy S5 in front of you. Each "fifth Galaxy" has a set of pre-installed branded applications from Samsung: Samsung Wallet, S Health, Content Viewer.

In addition, the non-original smart does not have a heart rate monitor, which is located on the back of the case under the camera flash, as well as unique gesture control functions (Smart Stay).

Of course, fakes are getting better every day, but it is quite possible to distinguish a real Samsung Galaxy S5 from a fake without looking at the smartphone menu. The back of the S5 has a special grooved structure, and the USB plug has "USB" written on it. On top of that, the original Korean smartphone has an IP67 degree of protection. You can safely lower it into the water, and it will continue to work. As for the Chinese copy, then, most likely, after meeting with moisture, it will quickly cease to function.

Learn more about the differences between fake and original Galaxy S5 in this video:

An amazing and unpleasant surprise was that almost immediately after the official debut of the Galaxy S5 flagship in China (and other countries), mass production of clones of the new Android smartphone started. So already on the second day after the announcement in Barcelona, ​​there was news that the Chinese had quickly created the Goophone S5 - a fake Galaxy s5. That is why all those who decide to make an excellent purchase in the near future in the form of mobile operator, this article and the tips indicated in it are dedicated. Following them, the buyer will be able to determine whether the phone in the store is original specifications Galaxy S5, avoiding the purchase of a fake.

How to distinguish a fake s5?

In reality, the Goophone S5 appears to be identical to the original Galaxy S5 only from a distance, as the poor quality of the materials is immediately noticeable upon close inspection. For those who do not care, the characteristics of a fake will be enough to show off a couple of times to friends. But in such fakes, the user will never find those proprietary features that were introduced by Samsung this year (including IP67 protection and a fingerprint scanner).
The second clone of the Galaxy S5 was not long in coming - this is the S7, all from the same Chinese manufacturers GizChina. Turning out to be of higher quality, the fake even received moisture protection, which is present in the original Galaxy S5. This is what was limited. And the very degree of protection, for that matter, in the flagship Samsung is still higher. Clone No.1 S7 is equipped with a 13-megapixel camera with auto focus, 1GB of RAM and an MT6592 octa-core processor with a frequency of 1.7GHz and. USB support is available here, there is a microSD slot. The 5.1-inch display has Full HD resolution. It's just that the fake Galaxy S5 works on Android 4.2.

If it is not possible to get acquainted with the technical parameters of the phone that is in your hands, do not be too lazy to read the points below as carefully as possible, which will help you distinguish the fake s5, and then subsequently follow them. In this case, most likely, it will be possible to avoid purchasing a fake Galaxy S5:
Take a couple of shots with the camera and look at the result. Note the presence of new features such as real-time HDR or selective focus. Most likely, such opportunities will not be in a fake.
You won't find the Galaxy S5's fingerprint scanner on the fake, nor the heart rate monitor under the camera flash.
Clones are not able to perform such specific "smart" functions as Smart Stay and respond to other gestures for control. All this is in the settings.
It is likely that there will not even be access to the market on a fake Google Play. It would also be a good idea to check for branded applications - S Health, Samsung Wallet, ChatOn, SideSync 3.0, and Samsung Content Viewer.
Instead of the standard USB 3.0 port for the model, there will most likely be USB 2.0. It is very easy to distinguish it visually - it is 2 times narrower than USB 3.0.
There should not be any Chinese characters in the name of applications and settings!
And, of course, any smartphone model simply cannot appear on sale before the official start of sales, just as the price cannot be lower than the price declared by the manufacturer.

Now you can distinguish fake samsung Galaxy s5 from the original. Remember, all these rules and verification methods apply to other smartphones. It is always better to buy a smartphone from an official supplier, avoiding contact with dubious intermediaries.

Many were surprised by the fact that almost immediately after the official presentation of the flagship Galaxy S5 in China (and not only) they began to stamp clones of the new Android smartphone. Recall that already on the second day after the announcement in Barcelona, ​​we already reported that the Chinese managed to create the Goophone S5. So if you're planning to buy a Galaxy S5 from a non-carrier soon, which might sound like a great idea, then you're advised to take a look at some tips so you can determine if your future purchase is an original Galaxy S5 or a knockoff.

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The Goophone S5 might actually look like the original Galaxy S5, but only from a distance, as the quality of the materials is very different from the Korean one up close. Although, if you don’t care, then the characteristics of a fake may well be enough to show off once or twice to friends. However, these fakes do not feature any of the branded features that Samsung introduced this year (including a fingerprint scanner and IP67 protection).

Another Galaxy S5 clone appeared a little later - this is No.1 S7, which was also released by the Chinese manufacturer GizChina. However, this fake still has moisture protection, like the original Galaxy S5, but no more. The original Samsung flagship still has a higher degree of protection. The No.1 S7 clone has a 13MP autofocus camera, 1.7GHz octa-core MT6592 processor and 1GB RAM. On the other hand, it also has USB 3.0 support and a 5.1-inch Full HD display as well as a microSD slot. But this fake works on Android 4.2.

Original Galaxy S5 vs fake

If you cannot look into specifications phone that you hold in your hands and intend to buy it, then you definitely need to take a closer look at several points. This can help you avoid buying a fake Galaxy S5:

• Take a few photos to see the result, and check out specific new features like real-time HDR and selective focus. Surely a fake will not have such opportunities.
• Also, there will be no fake fingerprint scanner, as on the Galaxy S5, there will be no heart rate monitor under the camera flash.
• Clones do not have such specific “smart” features as Smart Stay and support for other gestures for control. You can see them in the settings.
• Perhaps even the Google Play market will be missing on the fake. Also check for branded apps from Samsung - S Health, ChatOn, Samsung Wallet, SideSync 3.0 or Samsung Content Viewer.
• Also, a fake will most likely have a USB 2.0 port, and not USB 3.0, which is visually immediately different - it is 2 times wider than USB 2.0.
• Application names and settings may be partially in Chinese.
• You are allegedly buying the Galaxy S5 before April 11, although the official start date for sales has come only today.

The same goes for any other smartphone. It will be better if you buy a smartphone from an official supplier, and not from a dubious intermediary who cannot confirm the originality of the device.

What do you think about fakes of popular devices? Do you think that this is bad or is it better to buy a fake than to spend money on a branded smartphone?

Detailed testing of one of the most anticipated smartphones of the new season

Of course, one of the most long-awaited and expected new products among mobile devices of the coming year is the next update of the flagship line. Samsung smartphones— Galaxy S5. The novelty does not need a special introduction - in recent years, the Korean company Samsung Electronics has managed not only to become scandalous due to countless litigations with the competing American Apple, but also to take one of the leading positions in the world market for the sale of tablets and, of course, , smartphones.

From left to right: Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S5, Galaxy S4, Apple iPhone 5s

By the way, in recent years, Koreans have firmly accustomed users to the idea that Samsung always has two flagship smartphones on the market at the same time. They are representatives of two top product lines moving in parallel courses - Galaxy Note and Galaxy S. Not so long ago, another update of the tablet phone line happened - the Samsung Note 3 smartphone went on sale, about which we wrote so much in our time. Now it's the turn to update a series of smartphones with a more "civilized" design.

Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4

Smartphones of the Galaxy S series have always been very different from their semi-tablet counterparts from the Note line precisely in size - they were rather elegant devices in size. However, with the release of the Galaxy S5, it must be admitted, the distance separating them is shrinking more and more. And not only the size of each next representative of the Galaxy S line is getting larger, but in the Note line they are consistently decreasing. The Galaxy Note 3 has become the smallest among its brothers, and the Galaxy S5, on the contrary, has become so large that it’s time to think about it: what, in fact, is the difference between the modern representatives of the two lines? Their performance is absolutely the same, the design is similar, the price is the same, but we have already said about the dimensions. Does the whole difference now lie only in the presence or absence of an electronic pen?

Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 3

In any case, a special technological breakthrough from the new flagship of the Galaxy S line should not be expected. No new technological discoveries have yet been made, and everything that has been discovered has already been put into practice, and now they are finishing, finishing, polishing - improving functionality. And it's not just about Samsung devices - the whole market is now in anticipation of something new. This, by the way, is clearly seen in the example of the last two world IT exhibitions that took place at the beginning of the year in Las Vegas and Barcelona. The products of the Korean company are no exception: hardware and technically, the new flagship does not differ much from the previous one (Samsung Galaxy S4) - now the focus is on improving functionality. Ultra-fast data transfer capabilities, an updated camera control interface, a wide range of fitness apps, a heart rate monitor, a fingerprint scanner, and agreements with the world's leading content and service providers to pre-install a variety of applications with a long-term prepaid subscription - that's it. , which Samsung is currently working on. Gigabytes and gigahertz somehow suddenly faded into the background, which is probably for the better. Surprisingly, the Koreans did not even add RAM to their new flagship - the Galaxy S5 still has 2 GB of RAM, although the new product still has some changes in terms of hardware.

Key Features of Samsung Galaxy S5 (Model SM-G900F)

	Samsung Galaxy S5	LG G2	TCL Idol X+	Lenovo Vibe Z (K910)	Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (N9005)
Screen	5.1″ Super AMOLED	5.2" IPS	5" IPS	5.5" IPS	5.7″ Super AMOLED
Permission	1920×1080, 432 ppi	1920×1080, 424ppi	1920×1080, 440ppi	1920×1080, 400ppi	1920×1080, 386ppi
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4x Krait 400) @2.5GHz		MediaTek MT6592 (8 ARM Cortex-A7 cores) @2.0 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (4x Krait 400) @2.2GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (4x Krait 400) @2.2GHz
GPU	Adreno 330	Adreno 330	Mali 450MP4	Adreno 330	Adreno 330
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	3 GB
Flash memory	16 GB	16/32 GB	16 GB	16 GB	16-64 GB
Memory card support	microSD	—	—	—	microSD
Operating system	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.3
Battery	removable, 2800 mAh	non-removable, 3000 mAh	non-removable, 2500 mAh	non-removable, 3050 mAh	removable, 3200 mAh
cameras	rear (16 MP; video 4K), front (2 MP)		rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP, video 1080p)	rear (13 MP, 4K video), front (2 MP, 1080p video)
Dimensions	142×73×8.1mm, 145g	139×71×8.9mm, 143g	140×69×7.9mm, 120g	149×77×7.9mm, 147g	151×79×8.3mm, 168g
average price	T-10725078	T-10505130	T-10632117	T-10516952	T-10545574
Samsung Galaxy S5 offers	L-10725078-10

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC), 4 cores Krait 400, 2.5 GHz
• GPU Adreno 330, 578 MHz
• Operating system Android 4.4.2 Kitkat
• Touchscreen display Super AMOLED, 5.1″, 1920×1080, 432 ppi
• RAM(RAM) 2 GB, inner memory 16 GB
• Support for microSD memory cards up to 128 GB
• 2G, 3G, 4G networks (LTE Cat.4, up to 150/50 Mbps)
• Bluetooth 4.0 BLE / ANT+
• USB 3.0, OTG, MHL
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO (2×2), Wi-Fi hotspot
• NFC, infrared
• GPS (A-GPS), Glonass
• Camera 16 MP, autofocus, LED flash, video UHD (4K) 30 fps
• Camera 2 MP (front)
• Accelerometer, gyroscope, distance sensor, compass, barometer, Hall sensor (magnetic field), ambient light, gestures (infrared), fingerprint scanner, heart rate sensor
• Dust and moisture protection according to IP67 standard
• Li-ion battery 2800 mAh
• Dimensions 142×72.5×8.1 mm
• Weight 145 g

Appearance and usability

As already mentioned, the new model of the Galaxy S series has become much larger in size than the previous one. It feels like in the hand, the smartphone has finally crossed that invisible line called “a little more, and it will be too much”: now the device has become really bulky and surprisingly heavy. For the breast pocket of a shirt, for example, this is now certainly an inaccessible guest, although, of course, people who have firmly decided to follow the path of life with a “shovel” at the ready will not feel anything unusual in the size of the new Galaxy S. Still, it is smaller than the Galaxy Note 3, although the difference is already minimal. Nevertheless, it is still not clear why it was necessary to make a new model so much larger than the previous one with almost identical screens. In the Galaxy S4, for example, the side frames are only 3 mm wide, while in the Galaxy S5 they suddenly grew to 4 mm, the same applies to the upper and lower parts of the frame - they also suddenly became much wider, although the screen itself is practically the same in size. has changed.

As for the appearance, here the developers clearly adhere to a single design line: metal and leather, leather and metal - they are now used in all mobile devices companies (including numerous wearable gadgets). The only pity is that at the exorbitant prices at which the current flagships are sold, the company was greedy to provide real skin - maybe then these devices would look really stylish. But no, as in previous times, ordinary molded plastic is used here to create the appearance that the back wall of the smartphone is made of leather. Texturing on plastic differs from that of the Galaxy Note 3: a sort of pseudo-embossing was used here, as if a pattern of numerous dots was squeezed into the skin. It looks nice and fresh, at least better than the glossy plastic that has long adorned the surfaces of all the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note.

As for metal, it is not here either: the shiny “chrome” bezel around the entire perimeter of the case (exactly the same as in previous models, only with a different pattern) is sprayed onto plastic, not real metal. This bezel, by the way, has also become much wider and even thicker, adding weight to the smartphone as a whole.

The surface of the rim is quite slippery - due to it, as well as due to the considerable mass, it is quite inconvenient to lift the device from the surface of the table, since the fingers do not feel confident grip.

The back cover can be easily removed from the case and just as easy to put on - it is traditionally fastened on several plastic latches, there is a barely noticeable ledge for hooking with a fingernail. Under the cover are hidden slots for SIM-cards and memory cards, located "sandwich" one above the other.

Below, they arranged a compartment for a removable battery - it supports the cards, but the memory card can still be replaced “hot”. The device uses only one SIM card, Micro-SIM format, a microSD memory card can be used here up to 128 GB.

At the back of the smartphone there is a square window of the camera module, it is quite large in size, next to it is an LED flash. Below, in the recess, the eyes of the sensor for measuring the pulse are visible. The heart rate sensor camera is recessed into the body, and it also has its own backlight - a small LED element illuminates the vessels of the finger attached to the camera, while it counts heartbeats. Even lower is a hole for sound output from the ringing speaker with a twig slightly curved outward, and the silver chrome-plated company logo adorns all this.

The front panel has not undergone significant changes - it is a completely recognizable element of all Samsung mobile devices. It stands out, first of all, with its oblong mechanical key under the screen, which this time has received additional functionality. This button is also responsible for scanning the fingerprint - now no one can blame the Koreans for not having a golden smartphone with a fingerprint scanner. Unlike the iPhone scanner, here you can’t just put your finger on it: you need to swipe it along the key, and even at the right speed - if you hurry, you can fail. In this regard, the iPhone scanner looks preferable: not only do you not need to move your finger, but you can also put your finger on the button at any angle, which allows you to hold the device with any comfortable grip. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy S5 scanner, you will have to hold the device with one hand and swipe over the sensor with the other, which is very tiring, and most users will most likely simply disable this feature.

The touch buttons next to the mechanical ones have a bright white backlight with a customizable glow time, which is commendable. Above, above the screen, you can see a longitudinal slot in the protective glass for sound output from the earpiece, next to it, the eyes of the front camera and sensors are visible. There is also an alert LED that lights up in different colors depending on the charging status and incoming events - its functions can be configured: disabled or enabled individually.

There are two buttons on the side faces of the device: on the left - volume control, on the right - power and lock. The large metalized keys of all Samsung smartphones have a soft stroke and distinct pressing, they are excellent in the blind, and in general, in this regard, the products of the Korean company are one of the best on the market.

On the upper end, there is a headphone jack (3.5 mm) and a peephole of an infrared transmitter, which serves to control various equipment as a remote control, comfortably located one next to the other. Appropriate proprietary software called Smart Remote goes from model to model - of course, it is also available here. The functionality of the Smart Remote program is on top: it is not only able to connect a smartphone using an infrared port with any equipment, but can also act as an interactive guide.

At the bottom, the USB 3.0 connector is covered with a metallized cover with a rubber gasket - it protects the smartphone from dust and moisture getting inside. Yes, yes, the new flagship of the Galaxy S line has finally acquired dust and moisture protection according to the IP67 standard. In principle, the previous model also had it, but there it was a separate branch of the line called Galaxy Active. Protection in the Galaxy S5 is arranged in the same way as there: a rubber gasket was glued to the inner surface of the back cover, and the connectors are closed with special plugs. It's nice that every time you put it on back cover or the plug is removed from the Micro-USB connector, the smartphone itself reminds you to close the protective covers (the reminder can be turned off).

And finally, about the most pleasant: now a new color has appeared in the arsenal of the Galaxy S line - golden. In addition to it, there are three more colors on sale that have already adorned Samsung's flagship devices (for example, Galaxy S3). By tradition, they were given romantic names: Jet Black (black), Sparkling White (white), Electric Blue (light blue) and Copper Gold (golden). For additional jewelry, in particular, a keychain or strap, no fasteners are provided.

Screen

The Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone is equipped with a Super AMOLED touch matrix. The screen dimensions are 63 × 113 mm, the diagonal is 5.1 inches, the resolution is 1920 × 1080 pixels. Such a parameter as the density of pixels per inch is 432 ppi here - the dot density is very high.

Outside, the screen is covered with protective glass. The thickness of the side frames from the edge of the screen to the edge of the case is about 4 mm, the frames are not very narrow, they were smaller in the previous model.

The brightness of the display can be adjusted manually, or you can use automatic adjustment. Multi-touch technology here allows you to handle up to 10 simultaneous touches. The screen can be controlled by gloved hands, while it becomes more sensitive to any touch, so the settings left the option to disable this feature. The smartphone also has a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the brightness of the reflected objects, there is a very effective anti-glare filter that is superior in reducing the brightness of reflections to the screen filter of Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Samsung Galaxy S5, then they can be distinguished by size):

Due to the slight difference in the color tone of the reflection and the frames, it is difficult to visually assess the amount of decrease in the brightness of the reflection, however, statistics from the graphics editor show that the screen on the S5 is actually a little bit darker than on the Nexus 7. The ghosting of reflected objects is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. There is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating on the outer surface of the screen (very effective, maybe a little better than Google Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.

When displaying a white field in full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 340 cd/m², the minimum was 2 cd/m². Despite not the highest brightness value, even in bright daylight, the smartphone can be used, as an effective anti-glare filter helps out. You also need to take into account the fact that in this case the smaller the white area on the screen, the lighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. For example, when outputting white on half the screen, the maximum brightness with manual adjustment rises to 360 cd/m². The low brightness mode allows you to use your smartphone without any problems even in total darkness. Automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker). You can make adjustments to how this function works by moving the adjustment slider from −5 before +5 units. Next, for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values ​​for three values ​​of this setting - for −5 , 0 and +5 . In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness decreases to 4, 9 and 16 cd / m², respectively (generally a little dark), in an office lit by artificial light (about 400 lux), the brightness is set to 100, 180 and 270 cd / m² (acceptable ), in a brightly lit environment (corresponding to a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lx or a little more) - rises to 420-425 cd / m² for all three correction values, which is more than the maximum with manual adjustment and should be enough to ensure readability in the sun. In principle, the result of the work of this function corresponds to the expected. When the brightness is lowered, modulation appears at a frequency of 240 Hz. The figure below shows brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for three brightness settings:

It can be seen that at maximum brightness there is practically no modulation (the amplitude is insufficient for visual distinguishability of flicker), but at medium and low brightness the relative modulation amplitude is high, so image flicker can be seen in the test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, such flickering can cause increased fatigue.

This smartphone uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light emitting diodes. A full color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphoto:

(For comparison, see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.)

For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer considers the screen resolution based on green subpixels, on the other two it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this variant is similar to the variant in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen. This version of PenTile RGBG is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and stripes of green subpixels. However, some uneven contrasting borders and other artifacts are still present. For example, when displaying a black-and-white world through one pixel (the original can be taken from here), the vertical lines look uneven, and the horizontal ones are not contrasting and are separated not by white, but by a greenish gap. A fragment (the original photo is available at the link) of a macrophoto reveals the cause:

It can be seen that the vertical lines have a black gap and that the sum of the colors of the subpixels can be considered white, but due to the red subpixels on one side, some unevenness of the lines occurs. In the case of horizontal lines, there is neither a white gap (there are green subpixels) nor a black gap (there are red and blue subpixels). However, these artifacts are of purely academic interest, since in mobile use it is extremely difficult to visually distinguish such small details. As a result, the margin of resolution eliminates the "features" of the PenTile RGBG matrix.

The screen is characterized by excellent viewing angles, although the white color becomes slightly tinted when deviated at relatively large angles, but the black color is just black at any angle (although the reflection from bright objects has a bluish halo that is more horizontally elongated, which causes black areas in the light may lighten slightly to acquire a "metallic" tint). So black that the contrast parameter in this case is simply not applicable. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. For comparison, here are photos in which the screens of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the second participant of the competition display the same images, while the brightness of the screens is set to about 210 cd/m². White field perpendicular to the screens:

The excellent uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field can be noted. And a test picture (in mode Standard):

The color reproduction is clearly not bad, but with all the conventionality of the forced color balance in the camera, set to 6500 K, it is clear that the colors of the S5 are clearly “colder” and have too high saturation. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen. White field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed is doubled compared to the previous two photos), but in the case of Samsung, the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. And a test picture:

It can be seen that the colors did not “float” on all screens and the brightness of the Samsung S5 at an angle is noticeably higher.

Switching the state of the matrix elements is almost instantaneous, but at the on (and less often off) front there may be a step (or two) with a width of 16.7 ms (corresponding to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). For example, this is how the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to a hue of 25% (according to the numerical value of the color) and vice versa:

In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing behind moving objects, but in normal use it is almost impossible to see these artifacts. On the contrary, dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “twitchy” movements.

The ability to adjust color reproduction is implemented on the page with a choice of profiles, one of which implies some kind of automatic adjustment (profile Adapt Display):

In case one of the three fixed profiles is selected, except for the profile dynamic, built on 32 points with equal intervals by the numerical value of the grayscale value, the gamma curve did not reveal any blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the exponent of the approximating power function is 2.28-2.30, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2 , while the real gamma curve practically does not deviate from the power dependence:

For profile dynamic The gamma curve has a slightly S-shaped character, which increases the apparent contrast of the image. Recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for light images in general and increases for dark ones. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely does not correspond slightly to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential grayscale output almost on the entire screen. This image dynamism is enhanced by selecting the option Auto config. screen brightness. Below are the dependences of brightness on time obtained when switching from a black field to a white one and back with the option turned off and on Auto config. screen brightness:

In the second case, the brightness starts to decrease after some time. The picture is slightly darkened, but the energy is saved a little.

Color gamut in case of profiles dynamic, Standard and professional photography very wide and almost covers Adobe RGB coverage:

When choosing a profile Cinema coverage is pressed to the borders of sRGB, but still remains a little wider:

Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:

In the case of a profile Cinema with the maximum correction, the color components already mix a little with each other:

Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, the colors of normal images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. This can be seen in the photos above. However, a visual assessment showed that when choosing a profile Cinema saturation is noticeably reduced, and colors become close to natural. The screenshot taken after selecting this profile is shown below:

Unfortunately, the most recognizable shades - skin, for example - still remain slightly oversaturated.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is not ideal, but, in general, acceptable. Color temperature in profiles dynamic and Standard significantly higher than 6500 K, in the remaining two it is close to 6500 K, while in the gray scale section from white to dark dark gray, this parameter does not change very much. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) remains below 10 units over most of the gray scale, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, and also changes slightly:

(The darkest areas of the gray scale in most cases can be ignored, since there the color balance does not matter much, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

To summarize: the screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and a very effective anti-glare filter, so the smartphone can be used outdoors without any problems even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is acceptable, but in bright light it is even recommended to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works more or less adequately. The advantages of the screen include a very good oleophobic coating and color balance close to the standard (when choosing the appropriate profiles). At the same time, let's recall the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color, excellent white field uniformity, less than LCD, the drop in image brightness when viewed from an angle. The disadvantages include modulation of the screen brightness, which appears at medium and low brightness values. Users who are particularly sensitive to flicker may experience fatigue as a result. However, overall the screen quality is very high.

Sound

In terms of sound, the smartphone is about the same as the Galaxy S4. The sound is moderately bassy, ​​not deprived of low frequencies, clear in the entire range, but not so loud - there were devices even louder (HTC One or Oppo Find 5, for example). The sound outlet grille is cut into the back wall, so that the sound is muffled when the device is on the table. In conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, the timbre and intonation remain recognizable, making telephone conversations on the Samsung Galaxy S5 is quite comfortable.

To play music in the device provided a choice of three pre-installed players: Google Play Music, Yandex.Music and Samsung's own player. All sound effects when playing tunes with a branded player are combined by a technology called SoundAlive - however, some of them are available only with headphones connected. The same applies to the sound optimization function. There are a lot of various virtual effects, they are combined here in a matrix of squares, you can experiment for a very long time.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy S5 is equipped with two modules of digital cameras with a resolution of 16 and 2 megapixels. The front one takes pictures with a maximum resolution of 1920 × 1080, and shoots video with the same resolution.

The main, rear camera is equipped with a new 16-megapixel module with ultra-fast autofocus (focusing in 0.3 seconds), stabilization, single-section LED flash and the ability to shoot video in UHD (4K) resolution. In addition to one trendy feature - 4K video recording - another one is used here: as in the latest Sony Xperia Z2, there is a selective focus feature that allows you to highlight a certain part of the image, leaving the background blurry. That is, now to create the effect of shallow depth of field (DOF), you no longer need to use special lenses and lenses.

When shooting in automatic mode, which is set by default, photos are obtained at a size of 5312×2988. I really liked the design and organization of the new camera control interface. Here, as in the case of the audio settings menu, everything is divided into equivalent cells, each of which is always visible, interactive, their drawing is clear, the entire menu is perfectly visible even in the brightest sunlight. In general, the settings menu for controlling the camera turned out to be perhaps the best on the market in terms of ease of access to all functions and overall visibility.

The camera can shoot video in UHD (4K) resolution, there are several resolutions to choose from up to a maximum of 3840 × 2160. In the settings, traditionally for the latest top models of the mobile market, there are also slow and fast shooting modes. Sample test videos are shown below.

• Movie #1 (189 MB, 3840×2160, 4K)
• Clip #2 (58 MB, 1920×1080, 1080p)
• Clip #3 (123MB, 3840×2160, 4K indoor)
• Movie #4 (71 MB, 1280×720, slow motion)
• Movie #5 (4 MB, 1920×1080, fast)

Sample photos with our comments are presented below.

	Image sharpness is good.
	Sharpness across the field of the frame is also quite good.
	Small details are worked out quite well.
	With backlight, the camera does not do so well, but the exposure is well chosen.
	On thin lines, you can notice small waves from the operation of the noise reduction - but only upon closer examination.
	In low light, you can see the noise - however, relatively small.
	The camera handles noise in the shadows well. True, the detail from this suffers a little.
	The camera does well in low-light macro, but you should use the focus because of the relatively slow shutter speeds.
	In good light, macro photography works well with the camera.
	Another example of a good macro.
	The text worked out well, but a little damaged. However, it is possible that the camera works more accurately with smaller text.
	The stitching of panoramas is almost perfect. Only dynamic objects suffer, which is quite natural.

	Lighting ≈1300 lux. The camera does very well.
	Lighting ≈460 lux. The situation practically does not change.
	Lighting ≈240 lux. Noises become noticeable, especially their processing.
	Lighting ≈240 lux, flash. The flash noticeably improves the situation, almost returning the original resolution.
	Lighting<1 люкс. В темноте камера не справляется.
	Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. И в темноте вспышка отрабатывает очень хорошо.

First of all, it is worth noting that now the camera has a 1 / 2.6 ″ sensor, and not just a higher resolution, while earlier smartphone cameras were only honored with 1/3 ″ format matrices (not counting Nokia), or even less, until Sony decided to install a 1 / 2.3 ″ sensor in the Xperia Z1. So Samsung, following Sony, began a slow but steady movement towards improving the quality of images. And, I must say, the result is already noticeable to an inquisitive eye.

Firstly, quite good work with noise is already visible. Their processing still leaves much to be desired, but if you do not look at the images pixel by pixel, then noticeable strong color noise in the shadows is almost invisible. Of course, this is the result of noise reduction, but the higher resolution allows it to work more subtly, and the increased sensor size slightly reduces the likelihood of strong noise. Of course, we will not start talking about the size of the pixel (like HTC) and the qualities of the camera supposedly resulting from this, but the increase in the sensor definitely pays off. Secondly, image detail has improved, which is also the merit of higher resolution and an enlarged sensor.

I would like Samsung to improve the noise reduction, then the camera can already be compared with ordinary compacts. Although even without this, she shows herself very worthy, and it is clear that they did a good job on her. The camera's optics work quite smoothly across the entire field of the frame and on all plans. Of course, it would be strange to see flaws in the flagship in such places, but we have already encountered this. Sharping can only be found if you know where to look. The only thing that really cannot be called ideal is the work of noise reduction - such a processing result looks very archaic in the pictures of a modern flagship.

Based on the results of shooting the stand, we can conclude that the real resolution of the images may not be the highest, but we have already stipulated that in this case this is far from the main characteristic, especially in the vicinity of such values, since the resolution can be high, but not quite natural. However, the resolution of the camera is quite decent. It is also worth noting the good work of the flash, and the sensor, which works quite stably in different lighting conditions.

In general, the camera is made very worthy, almost at the level of compact cameras. Of course, there is something to work on in it, and in general there is something to strive for. But even in its current form, it is well suited for shooting documentaries and feature stories.

Telephone part and communications

The developers put special emphasis on the communication capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy S5: the smartphone works in the fifth generation of Wi-Fi 802.11ac networks with support for 2 × 2 MIMO mode - in this mode, data can be received and transmitted in two streams, that is, up to two times faster than in the first generations of 802.11ac compatible devices. In addition, the device provides support for a large number of 4G (LTE) frequencies and speeds that comply with the LTE Category 4 standard - up to 150 Mbps. With the SIM card of the domestic operator Megafon, the smartphone in practice confidently finds and works with the LTE network.

In addition, the smartphone has support for the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band and the NFC standard. As a standard, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels, there is a Wi-Fi Direct mode. The navigation module works both with the GPS system (with A-GPS) and with the domestic Glonass. The speed and quality of the GPS-module does not raise any complaints: the system works quickly, smoothly, the navigation module finds the first satellites almost instantly, and even indoors.

Spontaneous reboots / shutdowns were not observed during testing. The screen of the smartphone is large, so the drawing of letters and numbers on virtual keyboards is quite comfortable to control. It is very convenient that there is a dedicated top row with numbers - you do not have to switch the layout every time. But the layout itself and the layout of the keys are not the same as those of others: instead of just clicking on the dedicated button with the image of a globe, here you have to switch language layouts by scrolling sideways on the spacebar, which is certainly less convenient. The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is also carried out immediately by the first letters in contacts. Support for non-stop writing by sliding is available here, but there is no possibility to move the keyboard closer to one of the edges, as on Galaxy Note series tablets.

OS and software

The system uses the Google Android software platform of the latest version 4.4.2 (Kitkat) and the proprietary graphical user interface TouchWiz, the appearance of which has changed. He became, according to the new fashion, more “flat”, which clearly benefited him, although the traditional Asian frivolity remained. The appearance of the settings menu has changed: now all icons look like exactly the same circles and they are arranged in a single long list. But, of course, the menu display can be changed, leading to the old view with vertical tabs. In this case, there will be no longer four, as before, but as many as six. In general, I liked the new look of the interface and the settings menu more than the old one: everything is combed, ordered, symmetrical, working with various subsections of the menu has become more intuitive. The menu of installed applications has not undergone significant changes, but now you can display a special button on the home screen, by clicking on which a context menu opens with quick access to the most popular applications. The notification menu has received two additional dedicated oval buttons for quickly switching to search throughout the smartphone and enabling quick connection to familiar devices.

To the various ways to lock the smartphone, another one has now been added: you can lock the screen using a fingerprint scanner, the scanner of which is built into the central key below the screen. To successfully memorize the texture of the pad of your finger, you must swipe at least eight times on the sensor, after which you will also have to come up with a standard digital code in case the finger remains unrecognized within five attempts. It's a shame when the developer also imposes restrictions on the personal password you create: an attempt to limit yourself to a digital password failed - you need to intersperse numbers with letters.

By the way, the security issue has been strengthened in the Samsung Galaxy S5 with another innovation: now, due to the appearance of the “Children” mode, you can open access only to certain permitted programs, and then calmly entrust the device for 30 thousand rubles to a child to play.

If we are talking about games, then it is worth noting that we tested such games as Dead Trigger 2 and Asphalt 8 on a smartphone - no problems were found with their playback.

Another specific mode of operation has been added to the smartphone, about which the developers themselves spoke a lot at the presentations. In fact, this is the usual energy-saving mode that any built-in program for saving energy in mobile devices has, it’s just that Samsung brings its smartphone to completely “depletion” in this mode. When the maximum power saving mode is activated, not only all network interfaces are disabled, but also the graphical interface of the shell becomes black and white, and the number of applications allowed to work is severely limited. Naturally, in this mode, the smartphone can “work” much longer (who would doubt it), but this work will be carried out in a very limited framework.

One of the central applications pre-installed in modern top-end Samsung smartphones, which developers are constantly reminded of, is a program for monitoring one's own health called S Health. The program has a wide range of health-improving functions: a pedometer, exercise recording, nutrition control, etc. Now the application has not only received a new version of S Health 3.0, but also acquired additional functionality in the form of a dedicated hardware heart rate counter. In principle, some programs used to try to count heart beats using an ordinary smartphone camera, and now they have allocated a whole block with a small camera and backlight for this. You need to put your finger on the recess in the back of the smartphone, and then the program will count your pulse. Naturally, this data is stored, processed and displayed in the form of graphs and tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Performance

The hardware platform of the Samsung Galaxy S5 is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 single-chip quad-core system (SoC). The chip version was limited to 2.36 GHz.

The processor is supported in graphics processing by the same Adreno 330 video accelerator, but here there is an increase in frequencies: the GPU is already overclocking to 578 MHz instead of 450 MHz. About 12 GB (out of 16) are initially available for the user's needs in the device, the amount of RAM here is 2 GB - in this regard, surprisingly, there was no increase, while Sony equipped its latest flagship with three gigabytes random access memory. MicroSD memory cards are supported in this model, you can also connect external flash drives, keyboards and mice using a special adapter in OTG mode.

Since the most powerful and most productive of the competing serial platforms is now SoC MediaTek MT6592, the configuration of which includes eight full-fledged processor cores, [simultaneously] operating at a frequency of up to 2 GHz, it is logical to include its results in the comparison in the first place. Recall that we recently released a review of the powerful TCL Idol X + smartphone, which is built on the maximum version of this platform. Also, of course, it is worth adding to the comparison the results shown in the same tests by the previous version of the Qualcomm platform - Snapdragon 800, which runs all the top smartphones of last year. However, the most important battle today will still not take place, because the main competitor of the hero of today's review, the flagship smartphone Sony Xperia Z2, also built on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, has not yet reached our test lab. In the near future, we will definitely compare it with the Samsung Galaxy S5 data received today.

To get an idea of ​​the platform performance of the tested smartphone, let's run a standard set of tests.

For convenience, we have summarized all the results obtained by us when testing a smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks in tables. Several other devices from various segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing in MobileXPRT, as well as in the latest versions of AnTuTu 4.x and GeekBench 3:

The test results are as follows. As for the competing MediaTek MT6592, the latest Qualcomm system (Snapdragon 801) coped with it in all respects. In general, this is not at all surprising, given that the previous version of the Snapdragon 800 coped with it. As for the comparison with the Snapdragon 800, according to the results of all tests, there was practically no real increase: the same maximum 35K points in AnTuTu, and in other benchmarks, the difference is negligible - within the margin of error.

By the way, with regard to these very resulting figures: since the smartphone being tested today is a landmark device, and the rest will be equal to it throughout the year, it is probably worth recalling the fresh alignment of forces. If you rely on the numbers of the popular AnTuTu benchmark, it looks something like this: eight MediaTek MT6592 cores with a frequency of 2 GHz demonstrate 31K points in this test (26 thousand points for the eight-core Zopo 998 and THL T100S with a lower frequency of processor cores - 1.7 GHz), and about 35,000 in top smartphones such as LG G2, Sony Xperia Z1, Acer Liquid S2 and now Samsung Galaxy S5, built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800/801 hardware platform. There are two main conclusions from all these comparisons: TCL Idol X + is the first MediaTek smartphone that managed to get close to the leading Qualcomm solutions, albeit due to twice as many processor cores. And secondly, the new version of Qualcomm's top platform brought almost no increase in performance, although this microscopic superiority allowed it to gain a foothold on the podium even more firmly as the undisputed leader among platforms for mobile devices. According to the above, the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 platform is currently one of the most powerful smartphones on the planet.

When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (due to which the speed can rise above 60 fps).

The results of testing the graphics subsystem in the Epic Citadel gaming test, as well as Basemark X and Bonsai Benchmark:

The lag in the operation of the Mali-450MP4 video subsystem is still noticeable: this video accelerator produces approximately 47 fps in those test modes in which the Adreno 330 produces 60 fps.

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them depend significantly on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can only be truly correct in the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Video playback

To test the "omnivorous" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect everything from a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it.

With video playback, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is not as smooth as we would like. Surprisingly, this is one of the rare smartphones in which the popular MX player flatly refuses to start with the Hardware + decoder, and most often only this option saves the day when the regular player cannot play the audio track of the file. That is, in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S5, in order to play three out of five of our test files (MKV) normally, you will have to use a software decoder (at least for audio decoding - video can be decoded by hardware) - neither Hardware nor Hardware + , nor, of course, the decoder of a regular video player is not able to play these common types of files with sound on the network. And this is a clear drawback, because we have a solution with an excellent in all respects large and high-quality screen and maximum performance, which could become an excellent multimedia assistant. By the way, Galaxy Note 3 also has similar problems - we hope that with the release of updates for the MX Player, the situation will somehow change. By the way, top LG and Sony smartphones are always in perfect order in this plate, because even with their own hardware they are able to play all the files presented, not to mention support for all modes of the MX player.

Format	container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Regular video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280x720 3000Kbps, AC3
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280x720 4000Kbps, AC3	plays normally, sound only with software decoder (Hardware+ not supported)	Video plays fine, no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920x1080 8000Kbps, AC3	plays normally, sound only with software decoder (Hardware+ not supported)	Video plays fine, no sound¹

¹ Audio in MX Video Player only played after switching to software decoding Hardware+ not supported); The regular player does not have such a setting.

Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. To test it, we used the LG IPS237L monitor, which supports direct MHL connection using a passive Micro-USB to HDMI adapter cable. Recall that Samsung has implemented its own version of this interface at the physical level. As a result, to connect an external device via MHL, you need to use special adapters or connect standard MHL adapters through simple passive adapters. In this case, we conducted the test using a proprietary Samsung adapter, while MHL output was carried out at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at 60 fps.

When the smartphone is in portrait orientation, the image on the monitor screen is also displayed in portrait orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed in the screen boundaries in height, and wide black fields are displayed on the right and left. In this case, the actual resolution on the monitor screen is, of course, lower than the resolution on the smartphone screen. When the smartphone is in landscape orientation, the image on the monitor screen is displayed in landscape orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed within the screen boundaries and exactly matches the image on the smartphone screen. The exception is the start screen, which is displayed only in portrait orientation:

The sound is output via MHL (in this case, the sounds were heard through the headphones connected to the monitor, since there are no speakers in the monitor itself) and has a good quality. At the same time, at least multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is controlled by the buttons on the smartphone case. In principle, in the smartphone settings, you can select the sound output mode - stereo or surround. However, in our case, the monitor only accepted stereo sound, so there was no choice. The smartphone connected via MHL is charging.

To test the display of video files on the screen of the device itself, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see "Methodology for testing video signal playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)"). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output frames of video files with different parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In tests, we used the MX Player video player in Hardware mode, as there were a lot of artifacts in Hardware+ mode. The results of this test (the block titled "Smartphone screen") are summarized in the table:

Note: If both columns Uniformity and Passes green ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven interleaving and dropping frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with the playback of the respective files.

According to the criterion for displaying frames, the quality of playing video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is high, since frames (or groups of frames) can be displayed with more or less uniform alternation of intervals, and there are no frame drops. The smartphone can even display 4K resolution files up to and including 30p. However, uniform frame interleaving is a relatively unstable state, since some external and internal background processes cause the correct interleaving of intervals between frames to periodically fail. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution (adjusted for some features of PenTile). The brightness range displayed on the screen actually corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows, only a couple of shades merge with black, but in the highlights, all gradations of shades are displayed. However, dark scenes may not look very good, as the darkest shades vary too much in brightness and color tone, which can lead to excessive visibility of compression artifacts.

With a monitor connected via MHL, when playing video with a standard player, the image of the video file is displayed only in landscape orientation, while only the picture of the video file is displayed on the monitor, and only information elements and virtual controls are displayed on the smartphone screen.

The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the "MHL (monitor output)" block. The output quality is very good. When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920 by 1080 pixels) on the monitor screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen while maintaining true proportions, and the resolution corresponds to Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the monitor is equal to the standard range of 16-235, that is, all gradations of shades are displayed in the shadows and in the highlights.

The conclusion is typical: the MHL connection can be used for games, watching movies, web browsing and other activities that benefit from a multiple increase in screen size. True, you will have to purchase an adapter specifically for Samsung or find the appropriate adapter.

Battery life

The lithium-ion battery installed in the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a good by modern standards, but not a record-breaking capacity of 2800 mAh. Accordingly, in terms of battery life, the device showed very good results, which we traditionally summarized in a comparative table.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D game mode
Samsung Galaxy S5	2800 mAh	5:20 p.m.	12:30 pm	4h 30m
TCL Idol X+	2500 mAh	12:30 pm	7h 20m	3 a.m.
Lenovo Vibe Z	3050 mAh	11:45 a.m.	8 a.m.	3h 30m
Acer Liquid S2	3300 mAh	16h 40m	7h 40m	6 a.m.
LG G Flex	3500 mAh	23h 15m	13h 30m	6h 40m
LG G2	3000 mAh	20:00	12:30 pm	4h 45m
Sony Xperia Z1	3000 mAh	11:45 a.m.	8 a.m.	4h 30m
Samsung Note 3 N9005	3200 mAh	22h 30m	14:00	4h 45m

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at the minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted more than 17 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and when continuously watching YouTube videos in high quality (HQ) with the device lasted 12.5 hours with the same brightness level through the home Wi-Fi network, in the 3D games mode the smartphone withstood 4.5 hours worthy for such a screen, and I was really pleased with such stability: its predecessor Galaxy S4 at first overheated a lot and with these tests do poorly, and only with the firmware update the situation returned to normal. With the new flagship, even now, before the start of sales, no problems were found in this regard, and by the way, the device heats up much less than its predecessor.

Outcome

Summarizing the review of the Samsung Galaxy S5 is both easy and difficult. It's easy, because perhaps no one needs to explain why the flagship smartphones of the Korean company are deservedly one of the best on the market. And it’s not only the combination of top-end technical characteristics and maximum performance that distinguishes them, there is something else. It seems to us that the company is one of the few who are not ashamed to spy on the desires of users. For most manufacturers, this always remains only unfulfilled pompous slogan promises, but in practice, no matter how much users cry about something, they will never get it. But the Koreans have a completely different point of view on this matter, they readily satisfy any desires of buyers. Want a removable battery? - Get it. Need a memory card slot? - Yes, for God's sake, we do not mind! Suddenly fell in love with the golden color? “Here, we now have a golden smartphone. And with such simple actions, coupled with good quality products and huge production volumes, the Korean company managed to climb to the very top of the mountain, pushing many along the way, and simply throwing someone off the cliff. The one who knows how to adapt survives, and this is what the Koreans do best.

As for the hero of today's review, here we can say with confidence that he has become a worthy successor to the flagship line. An excellent screen, a powerful filling, complete technical equipment, good battery life and maximum functionality, a few added features like a heart rate monitor and a fingerprint scanner - all this is worthy of praise. Although, it’s worth recognizing that there were not so many noticeable innovations in the fifth Galaxy S that it could rightfully be called a completely new model, in terms of design and appearance, it’s so for sure (in this regard, by the way, there was even a kind of decline: the smartphone has become heavier, larger, rougher - everyone admits this). It’s even surprising how the Koreans didn’t call this Galaxy S4s model - such a “letter modifier”, which has already become universally recognized, denoting an improved version of the model, would be more appropriate here. But it's all just a little embarrassing.

But what is really depressing is the way Samsung breaks down the prices of its top-end smartphones. It seems that the Koreans no longer remember that prices can sometimes be varied somehow - they reached the 30,000th mark with the previous flagship and now put the same price tag on all subsequent models as a matter of course. The cunning thought in the minds of entrepreneurs, obviously, is this: “They will complain the first time, but the next time they will be glad that they didn’t raise the price even higher.” So, by the way, it happened: now users are already happy that the price of the new flagship at the start of sales was not raised higher than that of the previous one. This is very alarming, and of course, against this background, it is difficult to recommend such a device for purchase: it is certainly very worthy, but for many, Samsung products may not be affordable right now. Did we think about five years ago that we would talk like this about the products of this Korean company in the future?