Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy S4: First Look

The Galaxy S5 has arrived to an expectedly crazed fanfare, but the initial reaction to Samsung's new handset has been kind of restrained. Some of you were obviously expecting more from the world's largest manufacturer by volume, and that's not an unfair state of affairs. That is, after all, one of the few downsides of being the top dog -- expectations from iteration after iteration double, then quadruple, and so on and so forth. 

But is the Galaxy S5 as bad some are making it out to be? It's time we take a preliminary look, and what better benchmark than its predecessor, the Galaxy S4?

Design

Looking at the Galaxy S5 put next to its predecessor, the Galaxy S4, we're struck with an odd feeling. The two are, undoubtedly, cut from the same cloth, and while the S5 is a visible evolution over the S4, there's an important distinction. Namely, while the Galaxy S4 is mostly a more refined version of the Galaxy S III, the Galaxy S5 takes after the more rectangular Galaxy Note 3.

In terms of size, the Galaxy S5 is clearly the bigger handset, both in width and height. But not by a whole much, especially considering the small bump in display size, and the handset's IP67 certification (dust- and water-proof), which always adds extra bulk. That said, we do feel that Samsung has crossed an imaginary line with the S5, and it is now moving away from our own psychological size threshold. The Galaxy S4 is just more wieldy. 

All said, when it comes down to which handset we're more enthralled with, we've gotta pick the Galaxy S5. But hey, that's just a preliminary look, and there's a good chance that we're simply drawn to what's new, rather than what's tried, but tested.

Display

The AMOLED display on the Galaxy S5 is said to have gone through some considerable changes, even though we're only talking about a slightly bigger, 5.1-inch display with a resolution of 1080x1920, or 432 pixels per inch. The display is also quite versatile in the way its lit -- it can go as bright as 500 nits, or as dim as a mere 2 nits. Along with new 'adaptive' display perks (tweaks things like contrast and colors outdoors, supposedly), this should position the Galaxy S5 as quite the outdoors device, not to mention that nighttime reading won't put too much stress on your eyes.

In comparison, the 5-inch AMOLED panel on the now aging Galaxy S4 sounds less impressive. Sure, the 1080p resolution ensure the slightly crisper, 441 pixels per inch, but there are considerable drawbacks to it. The Galaxy S4 looks far darker next to the S5, because its maximum brightness is actually below 300 nits (minimum: 9 nits). That's a considerable disadvantage, and one of the big negatives of the display.