HomeComputingMobileInternetGamingElectronicsExtremeDealsHomeMobileSamsung Galaxy S5 vs. iPhone 5S: Which smartphone should you buy?Samsung Galaxy S5 vs. iPhone 5S: Which smartphone should you buy?By Ryan Whitwam on February 27, 2014 at 2:20 pmComment
Share This article Samsung is the only Android OEM that can stand on its own against the Apple juggernaut, and the Korean company has finally taken the wraps off its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5. This device comes with improved hardware and an array of interesting sensors, but Samsung has also cleaned up its software and focused its attention on fewer features. Let’s break it down and see how the Galaxy S5 compares to Apple’s iPhone 5S.
Samsung Galaxy S5 vs. iPhone 5S: DesignThe Galaxy series of devices are always getting bigger, but the increase in size is less substantial this time. The Galaxy S5 has a 5.1-inch screen with slim bezels that keep it from being too ungainly — 72.5mm across. The back is made of plastic with a dimple pattern that reminds many of a Band-Aid. It might not be the most elegant look, but it provides some much needed grip.
Apple’s devices have always been more slim than Samsung’s, and the difference is only becoming more stark as Android handsets continue to scale up. The iPhone 5S has a 4-inch screen and is only 58.6mm across. It’s much easier to use one-handed, but the tradeoff is screen real estate. The iPhone has an aluminum composite frame that feels very solid and keeps the phone from being too hefty.
Another aspect to consider is Samsung’s new water and dust resistant design. Last year there was a separate product for this feature (the GS4 Active), but now the Galaxy S5 can be dunked and splashed with no consequences. The removable back panel has a rubber gasket that seals the sensitive components, and there’s a cover on the USB 3.0 port to keep water out. The Galaxy S5 is rated IP67, which should keep it dry for up to 30 minutes in a few feet of water, but Samsung encouraged potential buyers at its announcement not to push it that far. Still, compare that to the iPhone 5S with its warranty-voiding water sensors that can be triggered by the most miniscule amount of moisture.
Both devices include a fingerprint reader under the home button, but Apple has a more futuristic sort of implementation than Samsung. Samsung included a familiar swipe reader in its home button, so users have to drag straight down across the button to be recognized. The iPhone’s Touch ID system can learn and recognize your fingerprint when you lay a finger flat on the button, which is much more convenient when you’re pressing it. Watch the video below to see how clumsy the Samsung implementation can be.
Samsung ups the ante by including a heart rate sensor on the back of the phone. It plugs into the S Health app and it might actually get a lot of use — your finger is only a few centimeters from the reader, after all.
Samsung Galaxy S5 vs. iPhone 5S: CamerasThe iPhone 5S packs an 8MP rear-facing camera that routinely produces some of the best images available on a smartphone. It’s not just the stellar back-side illuminated sensor that makes that happen, it’s the two-stage flash that keeps objects from looking blown out or too dark when ambient light is low.
Samsung bumped the Galaxy S5 up to a 16MP sensor from 13 in its last flagship. One of the issues with a 16MP image sensor is that it can take a long time to acquire the image. Samsung has partially rectified that by using an advanced technique called phase-detect autofocus. This lets the Galaxy S5 focus on its target in 0.3 seconds, which should close the speed gap considerably.
Samsung has also added the option to capture 4K video with the Galaxy S5. At that point you’re just left worrying about the amount of storage space being eaten up on the GS5's limited internal storage — it doesn’t help that Samsung leaves you with less than 8GB to work with on the 16GB model.
The 2013 Android flagships like the HTC One and Galaxy S4 were vast improvements over past Android devices, but Apple was still the clear winner in overall image quality. This year, Samsung might have the right combination of features to win this matchup. Early impressions suggest that Samsung’s camera is very good indeed, but we need more time with it before declaring an absolute winner.
Next page: Hardware specs and operating systems compared
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Tagged In hardwaremobile computingsmartphonesappleandroidsamsungiphone 5SiOS 7fingerprint scannergalaxy s5samsung galaxy s5Share This Article .article {margin:0px !important;}.AR_1 {margin :0 0 20px 0 !important;}.AR_2 {margin:0 0 20px 0;} CommentPost a Comment bob Johnson Isn’t this the same article every year? GS5 has about 3 months of a lead and then has to drop prices to keep up sales. NBD
VirtualMarkWow, the Galaxy really does look like shit. It’s a nice powerful phone though, it’s just a shame about that case. I think the Iphone is the better looking phone by a mile, there’s really no contest there – the finish makes it look like a piece of jewellery.
The Galaxy seems to be the choice for people who want a more powerful phone and bigger screen. I just wouldn’t want to be seen holding that large slab of plastic when making a phone call.
Singh1699Depends on how big you are really.
I’m 6 2, and with a crown and boots a bit more.
The Note 3 I have looks just fine; I couldn’t stand the shorter battery life or the features I would lose with s5 or 5s.
Funny how they are the same two letters actually.
I’m disappointed that there’s no 2k screen on the s5. Samsung said it was on the roadmap, however they said for the year meaning it could be on the Note 4.
I just want a 4k screen on the Note 5 and 8k eventually and then I’m ‘done’ with phones.
jimv1983A 4K or 8k on a phone? Do you have any idea what that would do to battery life? Plus, the human eye can’t even see the difference between 720 and 1080 on a phone screen. Anything more than maybe 300ppi on a phone is useless.
Also, you said that the Galaxy S5 doesn’t have a 2k screen. 2k means it has approximately 2,000 horizontal pixels(when holding in landscape) so technically it DOES have a 2k screen. 1920×1080. The horizontal resolution is 1920 or ~2000. 4k is 3840×2160 so the horizontal resolution is ~4000 which is why it is called 4k. 8k is 7680×4320
VirtualMarkI pretty much disregarded his post when he said that lol! 4k phones… people can be so dumb sometimes.
ZunalterWho makes calls on these things anymore?
eonvee375agreed ^^ though im an android enthusiast galaxy isnt that appealing to my eyes…
SnowKingSamsung’s design is really beautiful, makes iPhone look dated in comparison. Apple could really do with a change of design.
VirtualMarkYeah they should ditch the shiny machined aluminium look for plastic with dimples, lol!
GuestThe Samsung S5 is a horrible looking
phone. Not even in the same league as the Apple iPhone 5S.
Looks aside, no doubt it’s a capable phone. I’m trying to talk
my friend out of buying a S5, he only wants it because he hates Apple
products. He’s the type that has to be right about everything.
He could end up with 2 paper cups and a string and still would argue
that it’s the best phone out there because it’s not Apple. Some
people should just admit that Apple makes beautiful products that are
easy to use and work awesome, but foolish pride will never allow it,
so the plastic phone crowd will continue to whine and bitch about
Apple while using there virus infested Microsoft products and ugly goofy google droid phones. LoL
Neither, Android is the reigning malware king and Apples interface is so boring/dated. Although I do like the Apple case, it’s getting dated too.
spaceman2001What are you hinting at then? Windows Phone? Firefox? Blackberry?
codeJunkieSomething that actually excites me. It takes more than a big screen to get me going. I really like my Windows 8 phone, but I want a more classier looking phone. Not something that looks the same as the one everyone else already has.
Singh1699Blackberry is only good for 100s of texts, aka either you’re a lawyer or a drug lord. Both work hand in hand, and both professions may be held by the same person. :P
They have a q20 coming out which is a 3.5” screen + the original trackpad & keyboard.
Personally Idc for them or WP.
Firefox is interesting because I’ve used Firefox for a decade and they have a $25 smartphone coming out.
Other third world companies do too, but Firefox has a brand name in the West which has led to sales in Spain and elsewhere.
Will be interesting to see and good overall. I shouldn’t have to pay an arm and a leg to text my relatives in other countries. With cheap smartphones + whatsapp it’ll be simpler and easier (cheaper).
codeJunkieFirefox appears to be moving to an ad based model, which means I’m the product, just like on Android. I’ll happily pay for an ad free existence.
sebastian giacanawhy do you think obama is not allowed to use his iphone?
MrsSmithNot a fair comparison given 5S is a 2013 model and S5 is a 2014 model. It won’t be fair either then Apple launches 6, in late 2014. Longer term, Samsung will get commoditized by cheaper Android players. They know this, hence the watch on Tizen. Apple either gets lots more cooler gear to tie people in, or its market share fades as people look again to cheaper phones.
Singh1699It has 1/3rd the resolution, it was never a comparison. 1080p or 720 is good because you can watch most video at its native res.
720p is probably the best because many movies increase in size exponentially from there. However, for reading and other things 1080p is better. May also be amoled, and personal preference.
Like the author said, iPhone is good for doing things; if you do them Apple’s way. I don’t like that way, so I stick to customization.
ArchAngel570“Apple’s devices have always been more slim than Samsung’s”. I think this is a bit of a stretch. The iPhone 5s is .30 inches deep. The iPhone 4s is .37 inches. The Galaxy S4 is .31 and the S5 will be .32. Those numbers are so close together that it is hard to say that Apple devices have always been more slim. While the iPhone 5s is slimmer than the new Galaxy S5, the 4S was pretty bulky compared to the others.
Edit Sources: iPhone info came from Apple site and Samsung from GSMArena
MaxFlash? Why doesn’t anyone talk about the most important part for people that really love cutting cable? Its very important to alot of people, especially techies that love nothing more then to be able to access things on the internet without obstacles. Flash is the only reason i haven’t upgraded to a Samsung phone. Because they’ve restricted access to it, they’ve basically become just as worthless as Iphone. I have a 4 year old Evo 3d that lets me view what i want, when i want online. I side loaded a Flash APK and to this day, it does what i want it to do. I constantly show this feature to all my friends and coworkers and they look at me with such sadness and disappointment that they don’t have the same ability. Trust me, when you want to watch a game online, there is nothing better than a phone with Flash on it!
Singh1699Firefox… Puffin, dolphin….
MaxTried to do it for my friends Galaxy S3, it didn’t do it. For some reason, the newer Android 4.2 and above don’t handle Flash. Not sure why. Even with Firefox and all the adblocks included, the flash sites wouldn’t load the player.
jonasWrong! It does work on my note 2 just fine…
James HowlettWRONG!
I have the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and despite it not being supported and not being available on Google Play, i have installed it on my phone direct from Adobe’s site!
Do your research properly!
Yes you can install flash on your android device — search on google and you will find it. By the way, no need to jailbreak the phone.
MaxIts simple. If you want a pretty phone that matches your high heels and fits into your G-string but doesn’t have alot of awesome tech features that would replace a laptop, then dude, yeah you deserve an Iphone! If you want something that is tech powerful, full of features that make it a must have for people that love intergrating and replacing devices and consolidating your devices into one device, thus replacing a laptop, then you deserve a Samsung dude!. Its really just who you are. If you are a social butterfly that is constantly texting and giggling at your phone like an idiot, by all means, get your Iphone! If you are a tech hound that wants to push your tech to the limits, then get your Samsung!
VirtualMarkWow, what a convincing argument… I’ll be replacing my 17 inch i7 laptop with a shitty little phone straight away!
BobbyBouche^ Nothing to see here, just a trolololol.
MaxSo i saw the Olympics for free on my phone on a 4 year old android HTC Evo 3d! Guess how many of my Iphone friends got to do the same? Zilch! Zippola! None! Because Apple doesn’t support Flash!
Mo FriedrichWhich is a freaking good decision considering there is HTML5 which website owners should be forced to move to, which is exactly what Apple does ;)
Ivor O’ConnorWhich phone to buy? The first one that makes it to the Google Play Store of course.
jimv1983Nexus 5.
Ivor O’ConnorSo what about battery life? Can you take it with your for an extended three day weekend? I miss those old phones that you could take with you for weeks. They don’t make them like that anylonger!
And what about readability in the sunlight? Can you use it outdoors in direct sunlight? Or is that next years model?
jimv1983Extended 3 day weekend? You’ll be lucky if you get a full day. If the Galaxy S5 gets the same battery life as my Nexus 5(4 hours screen on time with 15 hours off charger) it will be a HUGE improvement over the Galaxy S4. I have a hard time believing it will be that much better.
Angel HamWhat’s the point anyway? The first thing people do to these beautiful phones in order to keep the casing from getting scratches is to stick them into a rubber casing.
James HowlettSITE FAIL!
Why does every new phone have to be compared to an iPhone ?
the iPhone 5 is old technology, it doesn’t offer anythng useful
Before anybody mentions fingerprint reader, Motorola had it years ago.
Before anybody mentions 64 bit processor,
how useful is a 64 bit processor with a maximum of 1GB of RAM ?
how many apps are currently optimized for use with that 64 bit processor ?
The iPhone is not a true smartphone, its just an accessory item to go with handbags or shoes.
Last question :
Is this an Apple sponsored site ?
Every new phone has to be compared to the iPhone because the tech experts everywhere agree that it shares the top position among high end smartphones with others, such as the Samsung Galaxy series.
The iPhone 5S is current technology which you could see if you took a look at the actual interior.
Motorola had fingerprint readers implemented years ago, yes. But it was more of a useless gimmick than a serious authentication method, whereas Apple crafted a pretty fine piece of tech into the home button – ever tried it? It works virtually 360 degree, takes less than a second to verify a fingerprint and is, considering you trust any US comany, stored encrypted and securely in a special storage compartment of the internal firmware flash.
64 Bit isn’t just of use to adress more memory, it also allows of a much richer feature set of processor instructions, which gives app developers the ability to make their apps faster, more reliable and efficient. That ain’t just marketing bullshit, it really makes a huge impact if devs code their apps appropriately.
Not all apps are currently optimized, but most will be soon. And don’t forget that this was a long-term decision, as we will definitely need 64 bit mobile processors in the near future.
Just because you don’t know how to properly configure and use an iPhone, don’t mock others for it. iPhones are used in business settings because they integrate well with Windows Server structures aswell as Apple is considerably more trustworthy than Google – you can lock down iPhones so much that they don’t send any unwanted packages to Cuppertino.
Also, considering older, less tech-savy people – like my mom, some clients, … – a fast, responsive, consistent, clear and well-structured UI is extra important.
Isn’t this article moot after you have already published an article stating that the GS5 is the best phone money can buy.
XellionSamsung, hire some designers.
and a marketer that can create a naming convention.
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