SAMSUNG Galaxy S5, Black 16GB (Verizon Wireless)

Having used the Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 - I am familiar with the changes made to the user interface between the models. I felt the S3 has the best app menu / home screen interface because it allows me to go forwards and backwards without coming to a complete stop forcing me to go backwards. I believe the change was first made with the S4 and carried over to the S5. I noticed the S5 has a bit more bloatware from Verizon, but many of them can be easily turned off via Application Manager (such as My Magazine). I was also forced to subscribe to Verizon Basic Visual Voice Mail, which didn't work right for the first 24 hours. However, now I feel it is actually pretty good. I still haven't tried HD calling/voice yet, but it is available on the S5 with Verizon. The quad-core processor on the S5 makes the interface feel a lot faster and more fluid than my S3 for obvious reasons. AnTuTu benchmarks showed the S5 rated at 42,412 points which is very high at the time of this review. The battery life is just under 46 hours and 56 minutes with infrequent use, about the same as my S3. The screen on the S5 is larger than the S3's screen and has a higher resolution. However, the end result is that everything just looks larger and sharper. With the Tech Armor ballistic glass (which is a very thick but clear protector), the screen looks absolutely gorgeous even in bright conditions. The WiFi performance is exceptionally good - much better than my S3 or the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition. I am seeing the maximum number of WiFi bars throughout the house whereas my other devices are kind of wishy washy. The camera on the S5 is a great feature. It actually swayed over quite a few of my coworkers who have been die-hard iPhone users. The low light capability is extraordinary without the use of a flash. The HDR feature is also very cool. I'm not a newbie to videography as I have used my S3 for a variety of photography and video projects. The S5 has the ability to record video in 4K/30fps and 1080P/60 fps. I learned from using my GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition that the use of a proper Class 10 micro-SD card is the key to maximizing data bitrate for the videos. The slower microSD cards that are still Class 10 may only be capable of 45-50 MB/s, resulting in the device backing off the bitrate to under 30 Mbps for the video. There's a noticeable loss in quality on the Hero3+ Black Edition when this occurs. I picked up a PNY Class 10 that is rated for 90 MB/s, and found that my S5 records 4k/30 fps at 56 Mbps and 1080P/60 fps at 27 Mbps - which is less than the 48 Mbps I get from the GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition. However, the S5's video quality still blows the GoPro away. The S5 offers some water resistance, but the USB 3.0 port cover gets very annoying. I'm sure that over time the cover will get damaged/broken and the gasket may be damaged as well, reducing the effectiveness of the water resistance. The USB 3.0 port itself is also annoying as USB 3.0 is harder to quickly plug in versus a basic micro USB port. Overall: 5/5 stars, one of the best phones for 2014. I looked hard at the LG G3 and HTC One M8, but the S5 offered the best battery life, fastest performance, and a removeable battery. The LG G3's larger screen was also its downfall as it uses more power and it slows down the phone a bit based on all the benchmarks and reviews I have read. If you already have a S4, the S5 won't be that great of an upgrade. I had the S3 and still felt that I could have used the S3 until the S6 came out, but the Black Friday deals for the S5 were too hard to pass up! The quad-core processor makes a huge difference as well!

Buying the phone from Amazon was the easy part! I have 3 phones on my plan and I used the shared upgrade option to early upgrade on my line. I called AT&T beforehand to let them know that's what I wanted to do and the rep left a note on my account. When I received the phone, I called to activate it and the rep who got me at first did not understand what I was saying and she self-confessed that she didn't even check the notes. I had to call back, not using my line I wanted to upgrade and I think I got my same original rep and we were able to complete the line upgrade with no problem. The phone comes with a new sim, they need the numbers from that and also in the back of the phone. Oh the initial startup wants to connect to your google account, but you gotta connect to your wifi first, so many screens in the beginning just to get to a point to make a call. My rep stayed on the line to make sure the new phone was connected to the network. And then it was all me doing the switch over from my old phone to this one with the app called Smart Switch Mobile installed on both phones. I'm not sure how long it took, I left the phones to do their business and watched a movie. By the time the movie was finished, all my apps, contacts, photos, and stuff had been transferred over and both phones were resting peacefully in sleep mode. As for the phone itself, oh wow, wonderful. So responsive! I came from a Samsung Galaxy S3 which was taking forever to open and close screens and even when I was swype texting it would pause and delay. But this beauty! wow. Some of my coworkers have this phone and it looks so much bigger and bulkier in their hands.. probably because of the cases they are using. To me this phone is a slim upgrade from my old one - a lil taller and a lil wider (as shown in picture). But the colors are crisper, clearer and just the overall responsiveness is much improved. I feel a little bad, my phone case (s-view wireless case and charger) cost more than I paid for this phone. Also, just buy this phone in contract rather than using the next plan. I'd rather pay $40 for the next 24 months ($960) than pay $50 ($25 + installment amount) for the next 20 months ($1000). There are YouTube reviews on this phone that talk about all the features and optimizations you can do. Watch a few of those while you wait for the phone to be delivered and then you'll be ready to take advantage of a modern phone. If you've had other galaxy phones, you already know some of the tips and features. Oh but, the left menu button that was for properties has been replaced with recent apps and long pressing on the home button takes you into S-Voice mode (unless you disable it - please do if you don't use S-Voice). Also S-memo is replaced by S-note (even my old memo notes transferred!) I use the fingerprint scanner to unlock my phone, it can store up to three fingerprints that you can name for easy reference. Make sure you scan your finger in the way you are likely to be holding the phone most often. I've had the phone for about a week and I have trouble sometimes making sure I swipe-scan my finger over the sensor correctly; I'm sure over time I'll be a pro at it. When scanned correctly it does recognize my fingerprint. My biggest surprise was the charging bay door and the extra thick cable for charging. It's a USB 3.0 cable so it does both data transfer and charging. The door though, yikes... trying to open it in low light conditions when I'm tired is frustrating and I am fearful I will break the door. I'm switching to wireless charging instead. The phone can still be charged by a regular micro USB cable connect it to a power adapter; I have tried both the regular micro USB and the super-size USB 3.0 cable connected to a computer and the charging is painfully slow. But this phone has great battery life (compared to my s3), so I really only charge it at night for a few hours and then leave if off charge even over night while I sleep. I'm trying to get my cousin to upgrade her s2 to this phone; for the price this is a wonderful deal on a smartphone that's a market competitor for other top of the line smartphones out there. Yes there is bloat with the Samsung apps, but I think of it as another layer of protection that I can use to back-up my apps and data and find my phone in addition to the AT&T and Google offerings. Good luck, enjoy the phone! Cheers - iShar

I got my S5 refurbished from Edge Cellular, and though there was a bit of a hullabaloo regarding the phone working with Boost Mobile, it turned out alright. I ordered one of these first to work with Boost Mobile. However, upon taking it to the store, they told me I couldn't activate it in any way. Granted, they probably didn't care much. I mean, they work in a mall. Even so, I ended up sending the first one back because I figured something was wrong with the phone itself. That first one was in great condition. No visible damage besides the charging area being rather scuffed up, but generally really good and seemed to have nothing functionally wrong with it. Thankfully, a full refund and the arrival of my second phone was easier, because I said "Screw Boost," nabbed a SIM card, and headed over to Sprint. There, it got activated no problem. As for the second phone, which I currently have and am planning on keeping, there's minimal damage. The back has a large scuff, but I just put a case over that anyway. It also have some minor scratches on the metallic sides. Nothing out of the ordinary. The screen was flawlessly clean, though it's immediately ruined by any amount of oil on your hands. Also, $109.95 for a phone is cool, too. The phone itself: Battery life seems to last a while. I charged it up to 40% and it lasted me about 5-6 hours before dying (but wasn't watching videos/playing games, so that could be it.) Takes great pictures. They're pretty detailed and usually vibrant. Google Assistant is interesting to use. Not too much bloatware to remove. Sleek design, smooth curves, blah blah blah aesthetics. However... A little big for those cursed with tiny hands. I scroll through the vast reaches of the internet like a grandma surfing her Facebook, one hand holding and the other scrolling, because the phone is slightly wider than my thumb can actually extend across. The volume is kind of low. I had this problem with my Samsung Galaxy Prevail as well, so it might just be a Samsung thing-- or I'm deaf-- but it always seems like people talking to me are a bit too quiet. Anyway, this review is long enough, so I'll end with that this phone seems in pretty good shape from Edge Cellular (and fulfilled by Amazon). Can't speak for the rest, but I'm pleased with the phone I got.

As an Apple user, I was hesitant to buy a product that I knew I wouldn't be familiar with. I grew up with mac computers, and the first and only smart phone I owned until now was an iPhone 4. I liked my iPhone a lot, but was ready for something more customizable an flexible- and that is exactly what I got in the Samsung Galaxy S5. I am not super tech-savvy, so this review will be pretty basic, but maybe it will help those of you that are like me and just want a good phone that is easy to use. So here are my pros and cons: I'll start with the cons (they are few and far between): -When I first got the phone, the battery drained very quickly, despite the many reviews raving about how good the S5's battery life is. As soon as I downloaded Battery Doctor, that problem was resolved. My battery now lasts a good two days without me needing to charge it. - The finger print scanner and heart monitor kind of suck. But these are not necessities so whatever. -The phone came with a lot of apps that suck up power that I will never use. This may be different for other users, and it is simple to delete what you don't want. -Sometimes, the phone gets very hot (I've only noticed this a few times when I was charging it. Make sure that it is out in the open when charging, not under a pillow or blanket or stack of papers or anything like that). Now for the Pro's: -The phone is freaking beautiful. It's slim and pretty and the AMOLED display is breathtaking. Everything is sharp and vibrant and the screen is huge. -The phone is big. For me, this is a pro, but for those of you with small hands this may be a con. I have big hands and big pockets, so this doesn't bother me. -It takes beautiful photos. Yes, the colors are more saturated than real-life but I like this. Others may not, but I think the photos are great. -It is easy to learn how to use. As mac owner and ex-iPhone-user, I was worried that it would be difficult for me to learn how to use the S5 and android. It was not. Everything is very intuitive. -You are able to expand the memory of the phone. With an iPhone, this is not possible, but with the S5, you have the option to put a micro SD card into the phone to expand your memory. One problem that i had which was quite annoying was that when I first got the phone, every time I pressed the "home" button, it would go to google search instead of home. I figure this was because the phone was lagging so much that it interpreted me pressing the home button as a long press, which brings up google. I did a quick search online and found a post that told me to take out the battery while the phone was still on, hold the power button for a minute or two, put the battery back in and reboot the phone, and tah dah. The problem was gone. There are probably many more pro's that I could talk about, and many more that I haven't found yet, but the bottom line is that this phone is beautiful, functional, and very easy to use. I will never buy an iPhone again.

After you read this review you are probably going to think the author (me) is half-crazy and I've got nobody to blame but myself. Probably true. But in my defense I am merely a consumer and a first-time Android customer. My problem is that I needed to buy an English phone that worked in China (where I live). Yeah - I could have bought the exact same phone in China, but all the menus and apps would have been in Chinese, and the app payment system would have been linked to the Chinese banking system which I, as a foreigner, don't really have access to. I was really excited about the new Samsung Galaxy S5 and thought the blue phone looked cool, so I waited and waited and waited until it was launched. Launch date arrived and at 12:01 AM I was on Amazon ready to buy (it was lunchtime in China). Nothing. Ok - yeah - there were the Galaxy S5 phones that you could buy from AT&T but they had already been posted on Amazon for weeks. Nothing had changed, and the blue phones that had been plastered all over were absolutely not available. What had happened to them? A complete mystery! This is why I think Samsung are stupid - their big "launch" was, in fact, marked only by the complete absence of any marketing activities. Apple's marketing is amazing. But what's even more amazing is that companies like Samsung can't even copy the basic things that Apple do so well. Leading up to the launch Samsung leaked information like a sieve. But after the launch Samsung eliminated all communication. The result was always going to be highly disappointed and frustrated customers! After weeks of more waiting I decided to take the plunge and buy and AT&T "no contract" white phone at the full price of $699. I didn't really want AT&T to be involved, but it seemed like it was my only option. It was, after all, a "no contract" phone. It just appeared as if Samsung couldn't distribute the phone by themselves and needed AT&T's help. My friend then hand-carried the phone over for me and placed it in my tingling hands. But the first message that popped-up on the screen was "Enter Your SIM Unlock Code". I contacted AT&T. They explained it like this: "you don't need to have a contract but you do need to have a paid AT&T service agreement". I challenged them: "but if I have a paid service agreement then that would mean that I have a contract". I went to law school so I thought it was a pretty clever argument. But I could not prevail - apparently there are legal exceptions for telecommunication monopolies. This is why I think AT&T are awful, and why I am begging you never to do business with them! But I took my half-bricked phone and persevered. I wouldn't be able to make phone calls, but at least I'd be able to play Angry Birds. Enter Google. I searched the Google Play Store in vain before finally trying to download Angry Birds from the Rovio website. But after sending me back to Google this message appeared: "This app is not available in your country". Definitely not true as I had Angry Birds on my old iPhone. So it must just be that Google sucks. Google, for reasons that are just inexplicable, do not want me to buy Angry Birds or, in fact, any app that requires a payment (yes - I was logged in with a credit card). Why, why, why? I can think of a few evil reasons but I certainly can't think of any good ones. Then, out of nowhere, Samsung start selling "international" blue phones on Amazon that are $50 cheaper than the AT&T phones. I really do hate you all!

I love my Galaxy S5. I've used a broad range of smartphones, and never have I been satisfied or felt anything other than disappointment and aggravation, so I do not say this hastily, the Galaxy S5 is the best smartphone I have ever used, and the best smartphone on the market. First off this PHONE looks amazing. It's stylish, just the right height, ridiculously slim, and I no longer fear bringing my phone out in a room full of iPhone users. The DISPLAY makes you feel like you have a 42 inch plasma TV in the palm of your hands. It is by far the brightest screen I have ever seen. Images are vivid, crisp and detailed. You see things you never knew you didn't want to see. You will quickly delete that all too up and personal selfie you thought looked good in. This phone is the FASTEST phone I have ever used. Boot time is nonexistent, as in the unlikely event you will ever have to actually restart it will only take about five seconds. Not only boot time but everything is amazingly fast on this phone. I have never had to wait for this phone to catch-up to my gestures or wait for an app to load. Even webpages load instantly. BATTERY life is a worry of the past, you will rarely have to worry about finding a power outlet because your battery died. I use this phone rigorously and the battery has never drained 100%. The few times I got to about 20% I just activated one of the two power saving modes. Standard power saving mode, which at 20% gives you about an hour of continuous use, and about a day of standby. Ultra Power save mode, restricts the phone to several applications. I've only had to use this mode once when my battery was at 2% and I just needed to make sure I had enough power to make a phone call when I got off the subway, and sure enough an hour later the phone was still on and I was able to place that call. Fear of the screen cracking is so 2013, this is the most DURABLE phone out there. Cellphone protectors are hideous, I refuse to put one on this phone, so I was very surprised when I accidently threw it on concrete and the screen did not break, crack or chip. I was even more surprise the next time, and the next. Now I have dropped it so many times I can't even remember how many, and the screen is still perfectly in place without a scratch. There are a couple of minor nicks on the body however but there aren't many, especially considering how hard the phone dropped. I could go on, and on about the many features that make the Galaxy S5 the best smartphone on the market. I haven't even mentioned the FINGERPRINT reader (which could use a little work on its accuracy), or SIDESYNC the desktop app by Samsung which allows you to control your phone from your desktop or Galaxy Tab. It is like remote desktop for your phone. I say again I LOVE MY GALAXY S5!

UPDATE: So after having this phone for almost a year, I wanted to note a few things I have been having issues with. First off, the camera seems to have trouble focusing properly. I am not a complete photography amateur - I can set up a shot. Even when shooting something one-dimensional/"flat" at an even distance, the camera sometimes has trouble figuring out how to get it in focus. Sometimes it gets it in perfect focus for half a second, then gets confused and keeps adjusting. And heaven forbid a digital camera let the user manually adjust focus. So this has been quite frustrating. Additionally, I just bought a new Honda Civic, which is supposed to have seamless Pandora and Bluetooth functionality. Unfortunately, it's anything but seamless. When I leave and re-enter the vehicle, the phone has trouble playing Pandora. The display in the vehicle shows that Pandora is connected, but it just locks up and does nothing. I have to get my phone out, close all the programs running, and re-start Pandora to get it to play. Then, if I plug the phone into the USB port, it starts MirrorLink and locks the phone. Sadly, MirrorLink doesn't even work at all, and it also means I can't use Google Maps, which is really inconvenient if I need to charge the phone while I'm in an unfamiliar place. I have a friend who also bought a new Civic, but she has an iPhone and never has issues with connectivity to her vehicle. Finally, I don't like how the phone always wants to connect to any available WiFi network without prompt. Even if I turn off the WiFi button in the toolbar, it seems to turn itself back on a short time later. For example, any time I go into a Starbucks, Home Depot, (etc.) it'll connect to their network and then lock up because I have to accept their terms of use to use their network. I have spent a lot of time trying to find a setting that changes this, but it doesn't look like there is one. Also, this poses a huge security risk, because not every network is safe to connect to and so I don't always want to use WiFi in public. Overall, I'm still pretty satisfied, but I'm definitely going to do more research when I buy my next high-end smartphone. ================================================================== So I must admit off the bat that I'm not the biggest phone nerd on the planet by any means. I have only had one "smart" phone before this, and while it was decent I definitely never used it to its full potential. That being said, my experience with this phone so far has been very positive. When I first took it out of the box, I was like "WOW this thing is HUGE!!! What have I gotten myself into?!" but after using it for a few days it feels very comfortable. Even from day one it didn't feel any bigger in my pocket. The screen is bright and the colors are great, and the camera is amazing. I really like playing with the "S Voice" and the "OK Google" features, although I haven't done much more than play around. It came with a lot of applications and other junk that I'll never use, but it wasn't a big deal to delete/disable those kinds of things. I was hoping that the battery life would be an improvement over my previous three-year-old HTC Evo, but it still needs to be charged daily with the amount I use it. Of course there are various power saving modes that disable certain features to prolong battery life. Overall, I am looking forward to taking full advantage of the phone's features, especially in terms of productivity and fitness.

I've been an Android user for about 4 years now, and this is the best phone I've owned. There are plenty of positive reviews that reflect what a solid phone Samsung has built. I'd like to address some of the special merits this phone has now that I've spent a couple weeks with it. *I'm upgrading from a Motorola Droid Razr Maxx, therefore I can't speak to what makes this phone different from previous versions.* 1. Expandable storage - Yes, the phone only comes with 16GB of internal storage. I use a 32GB card and have no space problems with all of my favorite apps installed. Almost all apps that I've downloaded can be moved to the card. I also use it to store photos and videos. All of my music is stored in Google's Play Music cloud. 2. Removable battery - This is a unique feature now that I find helpful. It's worth it to buy a back up battery that you keep charged for times when you don't have access to a charger or an outlet. This is especially useful for long trips. I've found that with moderate use the battery lasts about a day and a half after a full charge. 3. Disabling apps - Android phones notoriously come loaded up with software, both from the manufacturer and the carrier. Between Samsung and Verizon there are probably a dozen apps that I don't need. Samsung has a feature that allows you to disable apps you don't use. Although it doesn't remove the app from the phone, it removes it from the app drawer and prevents it from running in the background. Out of sight, out of mind for me. 4. Fingerprint scanner/heart rate monitor - Okay, these are definitely more on the gimmick side of things and not phone essentials. However, when used correctly both can be useful. I do high intensity interval training and heart rate is a major part of that. I have a Polar heart rate monitor that I use, and I found that the phone is incredibly accurate for measuring BPM by comparing results from the two. There is a companion app called S-health that allows you to keep track of diet and exercise. In an increasingly health conscious world I find that very helpful. The fingerprint scanner is a good layer of security, but make no mistake, if someone is determined to get in your phone they will find a way. It's more of a safeguard just like having a password would be. 5. Vibrant launcher (Touchwiz) with lots of customization - Having owned a few Androids the one thing that always bothered me was the "coldness" of the launchers they typically come with. This phone is very colorful and that makes my eyes happy. It's evident that Samsung put a lot of thought into the design of this phone from a software perspective. If you prefer the simplicity of pure Android you'll want to install a custom launcher (there are quite a few awesome ones for free in the Play store) or root the phone. 6. It's made of plastic - I immediately put a case on my phone so I honestly don't care what it's made out of. The hardware in this phone far outweighs the material the back cover is made from. However, if aesthetics are a huge concern for you it may not be to your tastes. 7. Battery saver - This phone has a couple power saving options. One of these options converts the phone to gray scale and severely limits the amount of processes running to prolong the battery life for days. This is a great feature for people who need their phone on, but don't want to waste battery juice when charging won't be an option for a long time. 8. Easy mode/blocking mode/private mode - Each one does vastly different things, and it speaks to the fact that Samsung is appealing to all types of users. Easy mode for people who don't want their smartphone to be TOO smart, blocking mode for turning off pesky notifications during certain times (e.g., turn off phone ringing between certain hours except for certain contacts), and private mode for securing your phone just a bit more. None of these options are on by default so if you don't want to use them, you don't have to. I really like that Samsung baked these features into the phone without making them intrusive. These aren't apps, they are settings. Those are just some of the obvious ways the phone stands out to me. I'll quickly run down a list of things that this phone has that other reviewers love as well: great camera, good battery life, big screen, fast processor, user friendly, good call quality (if anyone is actually concerned about that anymore). If you're already an Android user, this phone will not disappoint. If you're an Apple user thinking about making the switch I suggest you read the return policy (I believe Verizon gives you 15 days). It may not suit your tastes because it is a completely different operating system with a learning curve. I prefer complexity with my phones, but there's a reason iPhones are so popular - a lot of people want a phone they don't have to fiddle with at all.

The battery worked well.

good