Gadgetory

last year we were reintroduced to the Samsung Galaxy S line with a lot of what we expected a plastic body with a lot of the specifications that plenty of users Pine over and also quite frankly we also got quite a bit that we didn't expect the phone was polarizing at best to a lot of its users and at its announcement it pretty much split the fan base given a lot of its design cues and some of the choices they made underneath the surface but that was then and this is the Samsung Galaxy s5 now let's take a look back at the unpacked event at MWC last year while there was a lot of excitement around the new Samsung Galaxy S device much of what was new about the device definitely surprised the journalistic masses not necessarily because the new features and design cues made much sense but because it felt like the long-standing company seemed to be losing its touch a little bit what perplexed a number of people was what came after that you had more features that many weren't sure made sense a new divot for example appeared underneath the camera optics housing a heart rate monitor Samsung's push into the tech health segment was going to be more or less powered by this and other versions of it found on their wearable devices which were also announced at that unpacked event and then of course the inclusion of an ISO cell technology in the camera hoped to bring some new buzz to what was already a pretty good picture taking experienced in recent Samsung devices oh and the phones back it looked like a band-aid so yeah there was that so what did we get once the phone finally hit the market well we got a brand new Samsung Galaxy device but it did seem to lose some of the footing that it gained in the s3 and then in the misguided but still expected step forward in the s4 there is a law of diminishing returns with everything and for once it felt like Samsung was finally feeling it after all what exactly do we see at first glance with the s5 we see somewhat awkward lines on the frame that while helping somewhat with handling didn't seem to lend the phone and easy sense of symmetry the typical Samsung button layout was not going anywhere but the Menu button was finally replaced by a recent apps button a move that fell in line with the evolution of Android itself and the most scrutinized choice of them all the backing glossy plastic was the bane of many users when it came to the oxi lion and many including myself we're expecting the full leather backing of the Galaxy Note 3 to make a reappearance in its smaller brethren but instead we got a dimpled backing that many equated to a band-aid look and feel the cover itself was still quite flimsy but at least it helped protect the tried and true editions of replaceable battery and expandable storage and finally the cover on the bottom of the device was annoying but it was one aspect of a larger picture water and dust resistance yes despite its looks the Galaxy s5 was a pretty rugged device and users could use it with a little bit better peace of mind underneath the surface the Galaxy s5 was still one of the fastest phones available but it was bogged down by yet another iteration of TouchWiz that tried too hard to be everything to everyone bringing back all the s4 features meant that dozens of the phone's capabilities were doomed to uselessness and very few of the additions that came with it would buck this trend the download booster was probably the only feature I personally loved using but it was on my t-mobile unlimited data plan though and then after that that was about it and though you would be hard-pressed to find anyone that could actually quantify the improvements of ISO cell Samsung was still able to bring one of the best Android picture-taking experiences and today I know users who have benefited from having the s5 in their pockets in very key moments but with the number of missteps that were taken in the galaxy s5 all signs pointed to this still being one of the best selling devices of the year but one thing that was becoming increasingly clear was that Samsung's momentum was shifting down a little bit if you look at the devices used by plenty of tech journalists the s5 is actually a little bit scarce but look around you in the real world and it gets quite a bit more common given what Samsung is able to do with the essentials and then maybe some extras in their flagship devices it should come as no surprise that contract toting customers still view new Galaxy phones as the logical next step but with a phone that still comes at a premium price the changing landscape toward powerful but still affordable devices is definitely something to keep our eyes on why pay so much for a Samsung phone whose many features might never be used when you get the essentials in a fast reliable and most of all cheaper package elsewhere not to mention a package that looks and feels better to the masses which is something that many agree was not the case with the s5 and then one stripped of all of its extra features in bloatware the s5 was then met by more affordable offerings like the 1+1 the Nexus line and then the device that made a pretty significant dent in the Galaxy share in the last year the Moto X in all honesty the Samsung Galaxy s5 was not really used by me as much compared to the other flagships that came after it most notably the Galaxy Note 4 which reminded me a lot of what I wish I saw in the s5 see the thing with the note 4 is that it's design language is a little bit more directed and as I said in my review a little bit more executive which seems to fit in line with my style a little bit better and even with all of the features including the s-pen that the note 4 had that the s5 also had it still was a great experience that came in a premium and great looking package that justified its higher price point so what became clear to us when this came out and also the Galaxy alpha phones after it was that Samsung was slowly in a direction of changing its philosophies especially in design and it made us excited to see what was going to come next and then the Samsung Galaxy s6 actually appeared while you will have to wait a little bit longer for our verdict on the newest Samsung device we end by looking at the galaxy s5 as perhaps a turning point in the company's history one that made clear that a company can definitely get a little bit too big for its own good and in order to remain relevant sometimes you have to dial back the very things that first brought it to Providence revisiting the galaxy s5 if anything made it clear that we're looking forward to a new change as Samsung finally makes for the future but until we finally get our hands on the Samsung Galaxy s6 which is hopefully soon and I give you my full review it's worth looking at the samsung galaxy s5 and seeing where Samsung has come and where they just might go in the very near future as always thank you guys very much for watching and I hope you enjoyed looking at this retrospective on the Samsung Galaxy s5 revisiting it and seeing how it fares right now makes it kind of clear to me that I was right not to really recommend this phone to everybody especially in this day and age because there are so many other phones out there that provide just as compelling packages probably for even less money but even then the next Samsung Galaxy S device looks to be a doozy and we can't wait to get that reviewed which should be happening pretty soon but when the less keep it tuned here and remember to keep it tuned to Android authority for all of the best cover including my future review of the Samsung Galaxy s6 including comparisons among it ends its other rivals in the space until then drop us some likes on our videos subscribe to our channel if you haven't already and remember that Android Authority comm is your source for all things Android