Is The Samsung Galaxy S5 Still Worth Buying?
GalaxyS5 , News , smart phones / January 22, 2015

Originally released April 11, 2014 in 150 countries, the Galaxy S5 is one of the Samsung’s best-selling smartphones. According to the International Business Times, the South Korean company shipped more than 10 million units within a 25-day period. But the mobile industry changes rapidly, with newer and faster devices being released on a monthly basis. So, is the Samsung Galaxy S5 still worth buying today? With Samsung expected to release the Galaxy S6 later this year, many people would say “no,” the Galaxy S5 is not worth buying. After all, why would you spend several hundred dollars on a smartphone when its successor is right around the corner ? To better answer this question, though, you must first look at the device’s specs and how they fare against other market-leading smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S5 features a 5.1″ Super AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920 pixels covered in Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It’s not the largest the display on a smartphone — especially when compared to the Google Nexus 6’s 5.96″ screen — but most users agree that it feels right. At just over five inches, it’s large enough to watch videos, play games and perform other operations, but it’s…

Samsung Unveils Galaxy A7 at CES
Galaxy S6 , News , smart phones / January 12, 2015

Samsung has unveiled its third smartphone in the Galaxy A series at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Featuring a bold 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display, the Galaxy A7 is bigger than both the Galaxy A5 and A6. However, don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s uncomfortable to hold or use. With a thickness of just 6.3 mm, the Galaxy A7 is the slimmest smartphone in Samsung’s A series. It’s important to note that Samsung is offering two different versions of the Galaxy A7: a single SIM variant and a dual-SIM variant. The single-SIM Galaxy A7 will feature a 32-bit Exynos 5430 chipset, which actually uses four Cortex A15 cores and four Cortex A7 cores (making it an octa-core processor), while the dual-SIM version features the 64-bit Snapdragon 615 SoC, which also uses eight cores. Regarding the performance of these octa-core processors, it’s still early to make any definitive statements. However, experts say both variants of the Galaxy A7 will deliver impressive speeds. Dual-SIM smartphones have become a hot commodity in recent years, as more and more people need both a personal and business line. With compatible smartphones like the new Samsung Galaxy A7, users can setup…

Android 5.0 Lollipop Coming To Galaxy S5
GalaxyS5 , smart phones / December 31, 2014

Android 5.0 Lollipop is the largest and most comprehensive update in the history of Google’s mobile operating system. It introduces a wide range of new features, including a Material theme, new notifications, revamped messaging system, and even improved battery life via Project Volta. Now for the bad news: Galaxy S5 users in the U.S. have yet to receive the update, leaving many people to speculate when the update will occur. Google began pushing out Android Lollipop last November, with Nexus devices being the first to receive the highly anticipated update. Nexus 5 users have already reported seeing the update, while the Nexus 6 comes equipped with Android Lollipop right out of the box. It’s no secret that  Google plays favorite with its Nexus devices, giving them new Android updates before other devices. So, when will Galaxy S5 users receive the update? Unfortunately, there’s no definitive answer to this question, as Android updates — especially major ones like Lollipop — are somewhat sporadic. With that said, Galaxy S5 users in Poland have already received the update, with reports suggesting that other European territories are next in line. Assuming this information is correct, there’s a strong chance users in the U.S. will…

Galaxy S5 Poland Receives a Minor Lollipop Update
GalaxyS5 , smart phones / December 16, 2014

Poland is the country of choice for the latest version of Google’s Android operating system. Residents here were the first to receive the Android 5.0 Lollipop on their devices, and now they’ve received yet another update on top of Lollipop. According to GSMArena, Galaxy S5 users in Poland received two OS updates in a matter of weeks. The first update was Android 5.0 Lollipop, which introduced a wide range of new features like Google’s highly anticipated Material theme, new notifications, and an energy-saving technology dubbed Project Volta. The second update was a smaller patch aimed to fix various bugs and vulnerabilities from the first update. The original Android 5.0 Lollipop update had some stability and performance issues reported by Polish users. This prompted Google to create a fix, which is the second and most recent Lollipop update. GSMArena reports that the new Android 5.0 Lollipop update for Galaxy S5 users in Poland is approximately 371MB in size and has the following PDA number G900FXXU1BNL7. Exact details of this update remain largely unknown, as there’s no official changelog available. Why is Poland the first country to receive the Lollipop update on the Galaxy S5? This is a question that many people…

Android 5.0 Spotted on The Galaxy S5
GalaxyS5 , News , smart phones / November 3, 2014

The largest and most comprehensive update in the history of Google’s Android operating system is right around the corner, leaving many people (including myself) speculating what’s in store for the Galaxy S5. We’ve seen the Android 5.0 Lollipop Developer Preview, but we still don’t know how the new OS will impact build functionality — at least not until now. SamMobile recently published leaked screenshot images depicting Android 5.0 L running on the Galaxy S5. The build shown in the images is LRX02E, and it reveals some pretty impressive new features. It’s important to note, however, that the device depicted in the leaked images isn’t running the official Android 5.0 L, but rather a modified version. The build reportedly changes the Android version name from “L” to “5.0,” and it brings back the Android bird game as an Easter egg. Android 5.0 L will introduce a plethora of new goodies, including a fingerprint screen lock feature, system-wide universal fonts (smaller than original), Google search bar added to recent menu, different color schemes, removed interruptions from sound settings, new filter options under Gallery (Pets, Events, Scenery, Documents, Food, Vehicles and Flowers), improved Material user interface, text in navigation bar icons, new search…

Galaxy S5 To Receive Android 5.0 Lollipop Update In December
GalaxyS5 , smart phones , Software / October 27, 2014

Samsung Galaxy S5 users may receive the Android 5.0 Lollipop update by the end of the year. According to SamMobile, both Samsung and LG are hoping to roll out the highly anticipated update for their respective smartphones in December. While Google has yet to confirm or deny this rumor, several credible sources are saying that it’s true. The Galaxy S5 was unveiled in Barcelona, Spain this past summer, and its since grown to become one of the most popular smartphones on the market. With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB RAM, 16/32GB storage, and a 16-megapixel camera, it’s an ultra-powerful device that can handle just about anything you have to throw its way. But its not just the specs that make the Galaxy S5 an award-winning smartphone. Samsung went above and beyond the call of duty by designing its body with IP6/7 certification, meaning its both dust and water-resistant. LG’s flagship smartphone is the “G” series, with its latest model being the G3. The LG G3 features specs that are comparable to the Galaxy S5, including a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 5.5″ display, 3GB RAM, and a 13-megapixel primary camera. Both the Galaxy S5 and the G3 are expected to…

Google Play Edition Galaxy S5 Spotted
GalaxyS5 , smart phones , Software / October 20, 2014

The upcoming Android 5.0 Lollipop update will bring a wide range of new features to The Galaxy S5, Moto X, Nexus 5, Nexus 6, and other high-end Android-powered smartphones. While we still don’t know the full details of Android 5.0, reports suggest it will introduce a new form of power-saving technology (Project Volta), along with new notifications and a Material theme. SamMobile reports that Google and Samsung have teamed up to create a Google Play Edition Galaxy S5. The Galaxy S4 was the first smartphone to receive the “Google Play Edition” treatment, meaning it only ran the stock Android software and not any third-party skins or themes. Samsung normally installs its TouchWiz skin to Galaxy smartphones, adding several helpful tools and features to the device. Google Play Edition devices are designed to eliminate the use of third-party software such as this, allowing users to run their device with the core Android operating system. If Google and Samsung are in fact teaming up to create a Google Play Edition Galaxy S5, it’s safe to assume the device will run Android 5.0 Lollipop, and it probably won’t run Samsung’s TouchWiz skin. So, how did SamMobile acquire this information? The website claims that…

Samsung Confirms Android 4.4.4 Update For Sprint Galaxy S5
GalaxyS5 , smart phones , Software / October 8, 2014

It’s been a long time in the making, but Galaxy S5 users on the Sprint network may soon receive the Android 4.4.4 update. Sprint broke the news on more than month ago, but it didn’t specify an exact date for the over-the-air (OTA) rollout. This left thousands of Galaxy S5 users wondering when they would see Android 4.4.4 on their device. Well, it looks like that time is now, as Samsung recently confirmed the upcoming Android update on its website. According to Samsung support page published here, Android build G900PVPU1ANI4 (KitKat) was released on 9/24/2014 for the Sprint Galaxy S5. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that every user on the network will receive the update, as it will likely take several weeks for the rollout to complete. With that said, most websites are saying that the Sprint is actively working to release the new Android 4.4.4 update. So if you haven’t received the update, keep checking your Galaxy S5 and you’ll probably see it soon. It’s important to note that 4.4.4 will likely be the final build of Android KitKat. Google released the developer preview version of Android 5.0 L earlier this year, highlighting some major changes to its…

Android L Previewed on The Galaxy S5
GalaxyS5 , News , smart phones / October 6, 2014

Curious to know what Google’s upcoming Android 5.0 L operating system will look like on the Galaxy S5? While it’s still months away from being officially released (we assume), the folks over at SamMobile.com recently published a video which shows Android L running on the Galaxy S5. How were they able to install Android L on the Galaxy S5? SamMobile claims that unnamed “sources” provided the Android L test build for Samsung’s flagship smartphone. Initially, their goal was to make the new firmware available for every Galaxy S5 user on the planet, but this vision was soon shot down once they released just how many bugs and quirks needed fixing. Nonetheless, the preview video gives us fans a sneak peak into the future of the Galaxy S5 and other Android L-compatible devices. Samsung typically drags its feet when it comes to rolling out new Android updates, but there’s a good reason for its procrastination: the Galaxy S5 uses its own TouchWiz UI on top of the standard Android OS. This often creates some compatibility problems which Samsung must fix before releasing new Android updates to the Galaxy S5. In the preview video showing the Galaxy S5 running Android L, however,…

Android 5.0 L Coming Soon To The Galaxy S5
GalaxyS5 , News , smart phones / September 23, 2014

Android 5.0 (dubbed Android L) is expected to be largest and most complex update ever performed on the Google-owned mobile operating system. In fact, the Mountain View company even released a developer preview version of the upcoming OS to help smooth over the transition for developers. We still don’t know which devices will receive the Android 5.0 update, but several credible sources are saying Samsung is planning to roll out Android 5.0 to its Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone and Galaxy Note 4 “phablet.” There’s on major hurdle that Samsung most cross in order to use Android 5.0 L on the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4: creating an environment in which the new Android 5.0 L OS is compatible with its own signature TouchWiz user interface. Samsung’s TouchWiz UI is a skin that’s applied to the devices’ OS, which could trigger some compatibility problems with the new version of Android is released. Samsung is known for dragging its feet when it comes to providing updates; however, analysts are optimistic that it will provide a timely update to the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 when Android 5.0 L is finally released. Assuming they are able to create a stable, compatible…