got my S5 last April 30, loyalty reward from globe with additional cash out. this is my first time to own an android phone although i'm already familiar with it since some of my siblings already own samsung phones.
coming from an iphone 5 user, at first, i still prefer iOS in terms of the available apps. there are some that i use in my iphone that i cannot use or not available in android. one example is the blogger app. in android, it says it is not available in my country, which is of course the Philippines. i wonder why. later on, i'm getting used to it and loving it, particularly the rear camera.
S5's HDR feature is great as it makes your pictures really appear brighter on low lit or even against the light objects. i also like the selective focus. it makes your subject stand out by blurring the background automatically. this feature is just like an SLR function, which i've been wondering how to configure manually in my ala-SLR digital camera. however, i noticed that it is only applicable on a single subject. if you are trying to shoot 2 persons, selective focus will not work. as for the front camera, it is ok but i find iphone's front camera giving clearer pictures than s5. another thing about the camera, i love that you can adjust the size of the picture in s5 so it won't take too much space in your phones memory. iphone doesn't have that or maybe i wasn't able to explore that.
as for its waterproof and dustproof feature, i just tried handling s5 with a little bit wet hands. nothing bad happened.
in terms of battery life, my s5 last longer than ip5, although both seems to last only a day with wifi turned on the whole day. i especially appreciate s5's ultra power saving mode because it really does extends my battery life a little longer. the 7% remaining battery can last for more than an hour when the power saving mode is turned on. for the charging capability, i noticed that when i use other samsung chargers, charging time is quite longer compared to the s5 charger. haven't tried s4 charger though. just a reminder, you should avoid overcharging your s5. i've experienced an overheating notification in my phone when i left it charging while sleeping. my phone gets really hot. luckily, it wasn't damaged. i just turned it off and let it cool down.
what i don't like about s5, which i also read is the same rant of some users of s4, is the pre-installed apps by samsung which you really don't need. and unfortunately, you cannot remove some of these apps. it does take quite a number of space.
another thing is the screen size. although i love how it becomes bigger compared to iphone but it terms of handling, its quit difficult, especially if your are commuting. whenever i'm out and somebody called or text, i'm having difficulty in handling s5 with only one hand as compared to iphone.
lastly, i enjoy how easy it is to transfer files with android. unlike in iOS, you always need to sync everything with your itunes before you can transfer files. well, haven't tried cloud transfer though, as i don't understand them
right now, i'm still exploring the features of s5. but overall, i'm somehow liking it already. apologies for the long review but i hope this helps.
