Gadgetory

we've given the Galaxy s6 the full review treatment both here on the tube and at pocketnow.com so you already know how impressed we are with Samsung's 2015 flagship but if you're trying to save some money on your next Samsung phone you might be wondering what you'll be missing if you go for last year's model instead I'm Michael Fisher with PocketNow and I'm here to answer that question for you in Galaxy s6 vs. galaxy s5 brought to you by squarespace we're not going to focus too much on software for this comparison because we have every reason to believe that Samsung will port many of its new interface features to the galaxy s5 anyway that said keep in mind that older phones almost always have to wait longer for software updates the s5 that we're using here is still on Android KitKat for example also manufacturers don't support them as long and they often can't run some of the new fancy features because of hardware differences how deep those differences go depends on which phones you're thinking of while all versions of the Galaxy S six use Samsung's Exynos 7420 processor the galaxy s5 packed either in X and O's 54:22 a Snapdragon 801 or a Snapdragon 805 depending on the market we covered those differences across a few videos last year the gulf between the older s5 models and the newer s6 is mainly architectural but it's not insignificant and further complicate matters there were differences in display resolutions across s5 last year too so to boil everything down succinctly let's just compare the US versions of these phones okay the screen size stays the same at 5.1 inches but the s6 brings a jump from full HD resolution to quad HD very visible from an inch away and important if you're planning to go all gear VR with the thing but not as noticeable in standard everyday use there's also a bump in ram from two gigs to three on the newer phone and internal storage options get an upgrade as well aesthetics are of course subjective but they're also one of the biggest differences here the s5 s so-called glam look with its golf ball-like back cover and 1950s diner stool edges was questionable in 2014 and it hasn't gotten any better with time plus it's play and a pretty soft plastic at that factor in the wider bezels and the cumbersome cover over the charging port and I think most people would agree the glass and aluminum galaxy s6 carries the day in the look department that superiority also translates to the feel in hand while the s5 is actually slightly heavier the s6 feels more substantial because of its material choices the mechanical action of its buttons is also far superior and the fingerprint scanner under its HOME key is much easier to use but don't go thinking this is a shutout as we turn to secondary features the s6 actually loses some of its edge pun intended because of the sacrifices Samsung made to make it so pretty the older phone already lasts longer than the s6 thanks in part to its bigger battery and you can extend that even further by carrying a spare power pack and swapping it out on the go you can't do that on the s6 and you also can't expand the newer phones storage capacity with a microSD card as you can on the s5 if you're moving a lot of data from phone to computer and back again the USB 3.0 on the older phone will do it a lot faster than the smaller 2.0 port on the newer one and the older phones cover is there for a reason the galaxy s5 is rated ip67 for dust and water resistance the galaxy s6 is not what all these spec variants is mean to you will depend on what kind of lifestyle you lead but we'll leave that for the conclusion on the way there let's take a look at the cameras the galaxy s5 brought a solid game last year with its 16 megapixel sensor and the galaxy s6 is content to stick with the same resolution the s6 wasn't content to stick with the same software though thankfully on the new phone jumping into the camera is a simple matter of double-clicking the HOME key its viewfinder is much more streamlined than the older phones and a full suite of manual controls is also here for those with precision shots in mind more importantly perhaps the s6 brings the aperture size from F 2.2 to F 1.9 and adds optical stabilization as well the result is much better low-light performance on the s6 and smoother video also for selfie lovers the front-facing camera gets a big promotion from 2 megapixels to 5 megapixels on the new phone and it retains the wide-angle view as well for the full array of photo and video samples from the galaxy s6 see our full review at pocketnow.com other variances are more subtle as we hit the homestretch while you could add wireless charging to the s5 with a special battery door or an aftermarket solution on a s6 it's built right in and it supports both qi and PMA standards point s6 the s5s speakerphone has been moved from its position on the back cover to the bottom edge on the s6 better for most applications but not quite as convenient for gaming because it's easier to accidentally plug up with a finger we'll call that one a draw and the s6 brings enhanced LTE support bluetooth 4.1 and the smaller nano SIM newer phone newer features more points for the s6 keep in mind most of those improvements are on the subtle side I mean do you really care what size your SIM card is wants it's inside the phone the more important factor aside from cost comes down I think to a lifestyle question if you're more likely to find yourself in an office when you're working at a nice restaurant when you're not and at a resort when you're on vacation well the s6 should feel just right in your pocket if instead your workplace demands a tool belt your weekends are spent on the boat of the beach and your vacations take place in the woods the s5 is probably the phone to put in your rucksack yeah it's an imperfect simplification but it captures the difference in spirit here for a better understanding you know what I'm going to say check out the full reviews of each this review was brought to you by Squarespace and its new version 7 drag-and-drop UI Squarespace is the all-in-one solution that makes it fast and easy to create a beautiful website blog or online store for you and your ideas visit squarespace.com slash pocket now for your free trial and up to 10% off you'll be getting a good deal and showing your support for pocket now in the process Squarespace start here go anywhere for more on the Galaxy S six check out our video review and comparisons with the HTC One m9 and the iPhone 6 right here on YouTube and one last time check out our written review at pocketnow.com subscribe so you don't miss future features and please give this video a thumbs up if you did enjoy it till next time this has been michael fisher with pocket now captain to phones on twitter reminding you that glam is more than a made-up word wait no it's not nevermind thanks for watching we'll see you next time