Samsung Galaxy S5 Active: A Flagship Phone With Klingon Aesthetics:
Armor worn and swords swung by actors in ancient and medieval movie adventures are often constructed of plastic, etched and painted to look like the heavy metal ware worn and wielded by the original warriors.Samsung has pulled some similar materials tomfoolery with its Galaxy S5 Active. In photos, the Galaxy S5 Active looks as if it's encased in protective metal armor, complete with metal-like etching around its perimeter and stolid constructive bolts on the rear cover.
But this all a cynical illusion.
The S5 Active's exterior is every bit as plastic as Samsung's flagship Galaxy S5
The S5 Active's exterior is every bit as plastic as Samsung's flagship Galaxy S5 and, except for the 1980s-style protruding shoulder pads on its corners, only slightly more shock protective.
And those bolts on the flimsy removable rear cover? They're fake — purely decorative. (The bolts on the rear of its predecessor, the S4 Active, are real.)
To be fair, Samsung never claims that Active's housing is metal. But camouflaging Active's plastic sheathing to look metallic, however — compounded by the company's marketing copy, which states the phone "has a rugged design that's engineered for outdoor activities" — is making a definitive (and borderline deceptive) suggestion.
The "bolts" on the exterior of the Samsung Galaxy S5 are purely decorative.
Not that the S5 Active is a bad phone. Underneath its seemingly tough facade, Active incorporates nearly the same specs as the flagship Galaxy S5. And those corner bumpers do provide some confidence for klutzes.
But, really, fake bolts?
Nomenclature muddle:
Active's encasement is not its only point of confusion.
Sprint and Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy S5 Sport in the summer, a version of its flagship Galaxy S5 preloaded with a plethora of fitness apps and available in bright red and bright blue and a slightly more dimpled (and therefore slightly grippier) rear.
Sport bears a perhaps not uncanny resemblance to last year's Samsung Galaxy S4 Active. However, the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active, the subject of this examination, bears little resemblance to last year's model.
You're forgiven if keeping track of all these Sports and Actives makes your head spin
You're forgiven if keeping track of all these Sports and Actives makes your head spin. For one thing, all three Galaxy S5 editions (as well as the S4 Active) are all waterproof and have the S Health app preloaded. And all three S5s include the same basic spec set.
So all we're really left with is that artificial armor as our Active differentiator.
Shockproof:
Its plastic housing explains Active's relatively light weight. At 6 ounces, Active feels only slightly heavier than the flagship S5 at 5.11 ounces.
Perhaps more surprising, at 5.72 x 2.89 x 0.35 inches, Active isn't that much bulkier than the flagship S5 (5.59 x 2.85 x 0.32 inches).
Samsung claims the Galaxy S5 Active has IP67 dust and water resistance and "military specification (MIL-STA-810G) testing against a subset of 18 specific environmental conditions," which includes shock.
The rugged design of the Samsung is said to make it shock-proof.
We tested the Galaxy S5 Active by dropping it repeatedly on the floor and a tabletop (no more than a five-foot drop), and kept it submerged in a shallow tank for an extended period of time. In every case, it emerged unscathed.
Like the flagship S5, the Active's outer frame has a raised lip around the outside perimeter so the screen isn't flush with a flat surface it may be laid upon. Both the Active and the flagship S5 have a small mono speaker on the bottom left of the rear cover, and awkward location for speakerphone-ing and one of my few complaints about the S5.
Advantages the Active has over the flagship are the physical Menu, Home and Back keys, which I find preferable to the flagship's constantly disappearing "guess where we are!" front touch control keys. But then Active lacks the flagship's Home key fingerprint sensor.
Okay, I admit it — the not-metal plastic case on the Active is a whole lot easier to grip than the often slippery flagship S5.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active is certified to survive immersion in water up to 3 feet deep.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Active Specs:
As noted, S5 Active has the same basic specs as the flagship S5: 5.1-inch 16 million-color Super AMOLED 1,920 x 1,080-pixel screen protected by Gorilla Glass 3, a 16-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2MP front camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chip with a quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 CPU and Adreno 300 graphics processor, Android 4.4.2 KitKat, all powered by a 2,800 mAh battery.
There are some minor spec differences. Instead of the S5's 16GB and 32GB versions, Active comes only in a 16GB memory edition, but has the same microSD card slot behind the removable back cover as the S5. And, as noted, Active lacks the original's fingerprint scanner.
And Active's GPS is compatible with the U.S. GPS and Russian GLOSNASS satellite navigation systems, but not the Chinese BeiDou system, as is the flagship S5.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Active Features:
Like the Galaxy S5, Active also includes a built-in heart-rate monitor, with measurements taken and logged through Samsung's pre-loaded S Health app. You lightly rest your index finger on the LED flash array beneath the rear camera and, in about five seconds, you get your BPM — beats per minute.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active's rugged design is still more compact than a Galaxy S5 in a ruggedized case.
S Health keeps a log of your measurements as a list or on a calendar, includes BPMs captured with Samsung Gear 2 and Samsung Gear Fit accessories, and you can share your measurements like you do a photo (presumably with a health or training professional).
A function definitely unique to the Active is its Activity Zone home screen, activated via a small teal button above the up/down volume toggle on the phone's left side. Activity Zone displays current barometer and compass readings and one-tap access to a flashlight (the rear camera flash) with variable blinking speed and brightness settings, and a stopwatch.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Active Performance:
Both flagship and Active operate with similar speedy alacrity — I could not detect any overall performance differences. Also,
I found no difference in battery life between the Galaxy S5 Active and the Galaxy S5
I found no difference in battery life between the Galaxy S5 Active and the Galaxy S5, both copious enough to absorb a normal days' usage, especially with one of Samsung's power-saving modes activated.
But because Active theoretically is designed to be used in more adventurous outdoor conditions, I expected better direct sunlight reflectivity from the display than the flagship. Not that the Super AMOLED screen doesn't battle the sun as well as any smartphone display, I just expected an "active" device to more effectively cut through rays.
Like the flagship, Active includes a one-handed mode, handier for adventurers who have only one hand free far more often than the more sedentary among us.
The camera on the Galaxy S5 Active outperforms the Galaxy S5's in certain situations.
Even though both the flagship and the Active share the same camera, I found Active is better at rendering backlit details, such as signs and displays, but the S5 produced slightly deeper blacks, truer colors and higher contrast.
Conclusion
Despite the S5 Active's attributes, which are myriad, Samsung's misleading metallic-masking "rugged" marketing gestalt leaves a disturbing taste.
Since Active is the same price as the flagship S5 (at least at AT&T), your choice comes down to your desire for the flagship S5's fingerprint scanner or design. The Active isn't exactly pretty (think Klingon aesthetics more than Federation), so it may not appeal to everyone. You can always simply add a pretty protective case to the more stylish flagship S5.
Check Out: 11 Best iPhone 6 Cases
Samsung Galaxy S5 Active:
The Good:
Better drop-protected and easier-to-grip version of the Galaxy S5 • Built-in heart-rate monitor • Lighter and smaller than Galaxy S5 in a case
The Bad:
Appears metal but is all plastic • Not shockproof, as implied • Rear battery cover doesn't form a seamless seal with frame.
The Bottom Line
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active is a better-protected and more grippable version of the Galaxy S5, missing only the original's fingerprint scanner, which isn't much of a loss
Galaxy s5, Galaxy S5 Active Specs, Mobile, reviews, samsung, Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Galaxy S5 Active, Tech.
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