Here we are with the two latest flagship smart phones from Samsung, the newly unveiled S5 and the much-appraised S4, putting them side by side, comparing and drawing conclusions regarding the degree of utility of the upgrade.

Design and dimensions:

S4: 137x70x7.9mm, 130g vs. S5: 142x73x8.1mm, 145g

Well, it is obvious that Samsung didn’t go for a more compact version when they designed the new Galaxy S5, but on the contrary, on something bigger and thicker. If you aren’t very comfortable with the dimensions of your current Galaxy S4, then you probably wouldn’t want to upgrade to something even bulkier.

However, the outer casing is more comfortable and easier to grip in the S5 and also it makes the gadget water and dust resistant, which is a first for Samsung Galaxy.

Display:

S4: 5”, 1080x1920 resolution, Super AMOLED display, 441ppi vs. S5: 5.1” 1080x1920 resolution, Super AMOLED display, 432ppi

In what concerns the display features, both phones have almost the same specifications, with 0.1” extra in the Galaxy S5 and with less pixel density. However, both displays offer high-quality visuals, a very clear color reproduction and good levels of contrast and brightness.

The almost insignificant differences between the two make the desire of upgrade less likely in the case of display.

Processor

S4: Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 vs. S5: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800

Although Samsung released several versions of the Galaxy S4, the only one available in the US and UK was the Snapdragon 600, which is a very good processor.

The new galaxy S5 is equipped with a significant upgrade, the Snapdragon 800, which will clearly make all the apps run smoother than on the S5, so this can be classified as an advantage for the new flagship.

Camera

S4: 13MP BSI, LED flash, 1080 video vs. S5: 16MP BSI, LED flash, 1080 video + 0.3 second capture speed and “Selective focus”

The S4 has a pretty cool13 MP camera, with dual capture and front and rear cameras, but the new S5 has clearly brought improvements with a 16MP camera that offers the possibility of selecting the focus point in your picture. The video captured by this camera is Ultra HD, also having a HDR Live mode which shows you how a picture will look like if HDR is enabled.

Adding its 2800 mAh battery, upgraded from the 2600 mAh one of the S4 and also the possibility of adding up to 128GB of internal storage, the Samsung Galaxy S5 can be an overall useful upgrade. It remains to be seen what versions of the flagship will be released later this year.

The prices of the new S5 are predicted to be quite high, so if you are planning to upgrade, you might need to get a locked smartphone from one of your local networks. For Samsung unlock codes, check out our opportunities here.

 

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