Review: Samsung Galaxy S5 Active
Telus this week hooked me up with the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active. This is the rugged version of the Galaxy S5 and it’s aimed at those who need a smartphone that is certified to be water-resistant, dustproof, and shock-resistant. Even if you’re not into extreme sports, I still think that this is a phone that is worth looking at as it takes a phone that I thought was an excellent phone and gives you more in the way of durability without giving up anything.
Now the first thing you notice is that it is anything but sleek, sculpted and sexy. Instead you get a very industrial look and feel to the phone given how “square” it looks and feels. However this industrial look doesn’t add that much more bulk to the phone. But this design has a purpose. And that is that this phone meets Mil-Spec 810G and IP67 specs. Combined, they make the S5 Active resistant to salt, dust, humidity, rain, vibration, solar radiation, transport shock and thermal shock. Thus if you have an “extreme” lifestyle, this is the phone for you. You have the same buttons, controls, and ports that you’re used to in the same places. You also have an additional Action Button that opens the exclusive Activity Zone app when pressed, or the camera when long-pressed. That’s a behaviour that you can tweak. Things change a bit when you get to the bottom of the phone, where you’ll find three mechanical buttons — one each for Home, Back, and Multitasking. With S-Voice assigned to the long-press home action, you could use the S5 Active with work gloves on or if you’re covered in grease or mud. The Fingerprint scanner that made its debut with the Galaxy S5 has been removed as it likely wouldn’t be much use in a rugged phone like this. The screen is a winner. It’s a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 1080p resolution that checks in at 432 ppi. It’s bright. It’s beautiful and it works well in bright sunlight.
In terms of specs, here’s what the phone comes with:
- Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) with Samsung TouchWIZ Flat
- 5.1-inch 1920×1080 pixel Super AMOLED display
- 2.5Ghz quad core processor
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB internal storage expandable via a microSD slot
- 16MP rear, 2MP front-facing camera
- 4K video capture @30fps
- 1080p video capture @60fps
- WiFi (a/b/g/n/ac) and Bluetooth 4.0
Those are basically the same specs as the Galaxy S5, and the software bundle is pretty much the same as well. If you read my review of the Galaxy S5, you’ll see that I liked the software and customizations that came with that, and I feel the same way with the Galaxy S5 Active. The CPU is fast, the interface is fluid, and it’s quick on the Telus LTE network. It scored a very respectable 23 Mbps downstream and 21 Mbps upstream. Much like the Galaxy S5, I recommend that you grab a MicroSD card as it only has 10 GB usable space out of the box. T
What’s more than respectable is the camera. It’s the same camera from the Galaxy S5 that does 16 MP still pictures and 4K video. It also allows you to shoot a video as well as take pictures at the same time. Not only that, the camera’s autofocus is stunningly fast, just like in the Galaxy S5. I used all of that functionality at my usual location to test these sorts of things which is Pearson Airport in Toronto. First the still pictures. Click to enlarge each picture to full size:
The video is equally as good. Set it to full screen and to 4K to see it in full resolution.
Finally, there’s the battery life. You’ll get a day and a half out of it easily just like the Galaxy S5. More if you use the Ultra Power Saving Mode which shuts off background processes, makes the screen monochrome and limits the number of apps you can run. The battery is removable which is a good thing as well.
Telus is offering the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active for $250 on a two year term or for $750 outright. Either way, that’s a very minor bump of $50 over the Galaxy S5 that gives you a more rugged device for the trail, the back country, or the city. If you need a phone that is as tough as you are, you want to have a look at the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active.
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