SYNAPSE
CIRCUIT
UNPACKED 5, THE GALAXY S5 & GEARS!
#Samsung #GalaxyS5 #GS5
#MWC2014 #GalaxyS5Prime #Unpacked #Gear
Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope that all is well with you! Yes,
the wait is long over as the Galaxy Unpacked 5 has just finished.
If you missed the live event I will give you a rundown...
SUBDUED: TH E UNPACKED 5 PART 1
My
goodness... What happened?? The Samsung Unpacked 5 event saw Samsung at their most
humble! Gone was the flair and supreme showmanship! No celebrity presenters to
speak of! It was a very odd Unpacked for Samsung indeed... I am a bit shell-shocked!
If this is part 1 I can only imagine that part 2 will feature the Galaxy S5
Prime (as leaked by a third party protective case manufacturer). How about the
S5 Zoom? S5 Active? Or have we seen an amalgamation of the S5 and what would be
a separate Active device? S5 Mini? The Unpacked for the Galaxy Note 4 probably
will not be announced until August / September 2014.
THE GALAXY S5: DESIGN
I did my best to prepare us for not too much of a design departure and I am
glad that I did! The design...
Well, as a fan of Samsung I can say that I appreciate the design. I am not
wowed by it but I do appreciate that it’s water and dust resistant (not
waterproof and it probably won’t last long in a sandstorm).
As predicted, the Galaxy S5 design takes up from where the Note 3 left off. I
guess the faux leather backing hasn’t made it to this model... Could it be
designated for the Galaxy S5 Prime? Here’s the GS5 spec:-
NETWORK
LTE Cat.4 (150/50Mbps)
DISPLAY
5.1”
FHD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080)
AP
2.5GHz Quad core application processor
OS
Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat)
CAMERA
16MP
(rear), 2.0MP (front)
VIDEO
UHD@30fps, HDR, video stabilization
Video Codec : H.263, H.264(AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, MP43, WMV7,
WMV8, VP8
Video Format: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM
AUDIO
Audio Codec : MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/ AAC+/ eAAC+, WMA, Vorbis, FLAC
Audio Format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID,
MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA
CAMERA
FEATURES
HDR
(Rich tone), Selective Focus, Virtual Tour Shot, Shot & More
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
IP67 Dust and water Resistant
Ultra Power Saving Mode
Download Booster
S Health 3.0
Quick Connect
Private Mode
Kids Mode
Google Mobile Services: Chrome,
Drive, Photos, Gmail, Google, Google+, Google Settings, Hangouts, Maps, Play
Books, Play Games, Play Newsstand, Play Movie & TV, Play Music, Play Store,
Voice Search, YouTube
CONNECTIVITY
WiFi:
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2x2)
Bluetooth®: 4.0 BLE / ANT+
USB: USB 3.0
NFC
IR Remote
SENSOR
Accelerometer,
gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, Hall, RGB ambient light, Gesture (IR),
Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor
MEMORY
/ STORAGE
RAM:
2GB
Internal Memory: 16/32GB
microSD slot upto 64GB
DIMENSIONS
142.0
x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g
BATTERY
2800mAh
Standby time: 390 hrs / Talk time: 21 hrs
GALAXY S5: FIRST IMPRESSIONS SPEC-WISE
The Galaxy S5 ticks all the boxes when it comes to specifications and
features. I think the LTE and Wi-Fi support is outstanding and should be rocket
of a handset! I was expecting 3 or 4GB of RAM but it’s 2GB, which is good
enough.
The Finger Scanner has made it! I am curious as to how this works! And if that’s
not enough, there’s a Heart Rate Sensor where the camera flash is (at the rear.
Speaking of the camera... Yes, it will capture 4K video and it’s a 16MP instead
of the anticipated 20MP. The camera has some depth of field attributes that is
a feature on SLRs, Selective Focus, but I do believe that the camera software
is more simplified. I have to see it to believe it! HDR promises to be faster
and I can’t wait to test this!
WHAT SAMSUNG SAYS OF CUSTOMERS WANTS
Samsung says that the customer “Wants a powerful, fast but simple
technology...” That’s why the camera has been overhauled to be practically
minimalist in comparison to the Galaxy S4.
Normally Samsung would talk about sharing the latest Galaxy S screen with other
Galaxy S models and compatible televisions. They would also talk a little more
about their TouchWiz improvements, but it was said that the S features wouldn’t
get in the way of the interface.
And once again, there was no mention of Android (the GS5 is running KitKat) or
a listing of specification.
I am not too sure about all that... Yes, I appreciate that the S features on
the interface are streamlined, etc. Of course, a faster camera is desired. But
with regards to the camera I would have wanted a simplified interface and an
option to have more complex photography attributes presented to me. Hmmmm...
MY OVERALL THOUGHTS OF THE UNPACKED 5,
GALAXY S5 & GEAR 2014
This was a tactical launch from Samsung. I suspect that this is just the beginning
of their onslaught. Again, this was part 1! And in part 1 Samsung made sure
that they hit certain marks such as the LTE 4 and Wi-Fi connectivity with no
uncertainty! They have made a great and compelling argument to the everyman and
everywoman. What they have done with the Galaxy S5 presentation is to
iPhone-ized it. “iPhone-ized” it??? Yes, Samsung has presented the GS5 as a
simple, back to basics handset. It’s practical, fast, powerful and very simple
to use. It should appeal!
Yes, Samsung introduced the full Gear family: Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit –
the first wearable device to feature a curved AMOLED display! Cool! I am
curious about the Gear pricing!
Samsung knows that the competition is stronger than ever this year! I am quite
sure that come part 2 we will be seeing the Galaxy S5 Prime and other handsets
introduced to the Galaxy Family! HTC is coming! As is Sony and LG to name a
few! And of course, we are expecting the iPhone 6! Usually, Samsung introduces
the next Galaxy S successor at around April / May but it has come in February!
You have to suspect that something is going on! Wink, wink!
I love the Electric Blue colour! I did state in one of my articles that I
wished for an Electric Blue colour and Samsung has made me feel that they did
it just for me! Aaah! Lol! Oh, I would say that the bezel and handset is
slightly thicker to accommodate for the water and dust resistance. Again, I do
prefer a thicker handset just because it makes it easier to take pictures!
There’s nothing more nerve-shredding than taking a photo with a device that is
wafer thin! The slightest knock and I shudder to think!
I can’t wait to review one!
SOUND
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Samsung introduced some new headphones! Looking good! I wonder how they sound?
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| Great idea! Payment through using a fingerprint verification. |
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| Oooh... I have to try it! |
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| Jock strap... |
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| Get fit with the Samsung Gear Fit! |
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| The Gear 2 gets a "Home" button. |
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| Great colours! Blue, Blue Electric Blue... |
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| The Galaxy S5 Heart Rate Monitor. |
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| Samsung's J. K. Shin wearing the Gear Fit. |
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| Once your children get a hold of your phone you may not get it back! |
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| If the battery says "10% power" the Ultra Power Saving Mode kicks in and extends the battery for 24 hours! That's amazing! Essentially, the GS5 screen is reduced to black and white. |
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| Now you can hide your pictures! ;) |
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| I can't wait to hear them! |
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| The user interface promises to be simpler. |
What do you reckon?
Review coming very soon.... Stay tuned...
Take good care!
Thank you for watching and reading!
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