Android Gamer: Samsung Galaxy S5 hands-on roundup

The Samsung Galaxy S5 has been announced, we’ve given you a complete rundown of the specs and you know an extra bit about the camera. So what’s next? How about one of our regular hands-on roundups? We’ve sifted through the Internet to find some of the very best hands-on videos and reports, letting you know what the big names in the industry think of Samsung’s latest offering.

PhoneDog

“The Galaxy S5 has been slightly redesigned from the Galaxy S 4, and surprisingly it has not taken after its Note 3 sibling and adopted a faux leather back. The S5 is styled more like the Moto X with a dimpled and rubberized coating on the back that gives it a nice in-hand feel. Samsung’s new phone is running the latest version of Android along with a new UX that’s a slight departure from TouchWiz. Throughout the design you can see that this is an evolution of the version of TouchWiz found on previous S models, but this one borrows a bit from Samsung’s Magazine UX and stock Android. This overlay turned out to be a nice and much-needed change.”

The Verge

“The only major difference with the hardware here is actually the back. The back features a new soft touch finish with a dimple pattern. It really feels a lot nicer than Samsung’s older glossy finishes.”

Engadget

“All told, it’s very much a run-of-the-mill Galaxy S flagship, but there are enough new hardware features and software tweaks to make it feel fresh.”

PocketNow

“In contrast to many of Samsung’s new flagships in years past, here the changes seem largely external rather than internal. After all, we’re looking at the same screen resolution, same amount of RAM, and same storage options. That said, the design language is refreshed, with Samsung long having moved on from Hyperglaze, and the GS5 departs even from the Note-3-look we saw migrate to some of those more recent Galaxy S 4 variants.”

Cnet

“It may not be the most exciting new smartphone there is, but from what I’ve seen so far, the Galaxy S5 earns keeps Samsung’s legacy of high-end Samsung smartphones strong. The specs are high end, and enough has changed on the hardware and software fronts to seem worthy of an upgrade when your contract runs its course.

However, those tiring of Samsung design sameness and looking for a radical new look and feel don’t have as many reasons to stay if they aren’t moved by the phone’s fingerprint scanner or heart rate monitor. Samsung, perhaps a victim of its own hype machine, opens the door for phone buyers to hold off on making plans until HTC announces its One 2.”

SlashGear

“All in all, it’s a solid update from the Galaxy S4. It may not be the first device with a fingerprint scanner, but we still won’t argue with the convenience it adds, and the improvement in build quality is welcome; we’ll hold our judgement on the 16-megapixel camera until we can see the results from final hardware and software.”

LaptopMag

“Although this Android phone offers a host of new capabilities, it looks as though Samsung listened to critics who said the S4 was bloated with novelty features. The S5 once again pushes the boundaries of what you think a smartphone can do but in a more practical and refined way.”

We’ll be sure to add more hands-on videos once they become available, so keep checking back. In the meantime, what do you think? While it’s hard to judge without getting the phone in your hands, right off the bat we’re a little disappointed. If nothing else, the wider bezels and bigger body leave a bit to be desired.