With extra armor and unequalled , physical button , the waterproofSamsung Galaxy S5 Activetargets outdoorsy substance abuser . Well , I ’m outdoorsy , so I took it out of doors and beat it up . Does it work ?
You might be reading this review article on Gizmodo , but I ’m no phone expert . alternatively , I ’m an outdoors nerd hit thesub - web site around risky venture locomotion and camping and stuff and nonsense . brent goose ’s already donea thorough review of the regular Galaxy S5 , which the Active is indistinguishable to in all but armor and external buttons . If you ’re interested in central processing unit speeds and OS skins , start there . I ’m go to spill to you about using the S5 Active in its intended environs and from the linear perspective of a layperson .
https://gizmodo.com/how-to-brand-a-cow-like-a-cowboy-1588095138
This taradiddle is also about my first experience with a non - iPhone smartphone . I ’ve carried Apple ’s option since the second generation and most lately had a 5 that decease after I dropped it into a lav on an island off the slide of Morocco . The iPhone ’s fragility , combined with Apple ’s lack of late innovation had me hungry for something dissimilar and , when the S5 Active do out , I figured it was the phone for me .
An unadvertised advantage of the orotund , camo - encompass phone is that it entirely conceals you from observation while talking on it . Can you find where I ’m obliterate in this photo ?
What ’s It Supposed To Do ? Take what ’s arguably the best , most advance smartphone out right now and ruggedize it enough that it wo n’t ad lib combust the instant you hear to expend it without a protective case . Optimize its feature put to invoke to us active types and ditch the fussy touchscreen buttons for “ menu , ” “ back , ” volume and a new “ active ” key and you have the Galaxy S5 fighting . The new base button does without the regular S5 ’s fingerprint scanner .
Because the even S5 is waterproofed in the exact same way , the gravid news here are the moldable bumper on the corner , new colour ( burgundy , grey and this camo ) and those buttons .
Samsung claims the S5 Active , “ … has a rugged design that ’s engineered for out-of-door activities . ” And that it ’s design for users who , “ Run in the rain , camp in the desert , compass in your garden . ” To achieve those destination , it emphasizes the armour , IP67 - level waterproofness , the bright , decipherable 5.1 - inch AMOLED show , the 16 megapixel photographic camera and a unique retinue of “ Active ” software .
How ’s It speculate To Do It ? Externally , the fighting wraps the standard S5 body with plastic bumper on the corners designed to protect the headphone in a fall . Samsung exact it can subsist a fall from a tallness of up to four feet , 27 time in a row without experiencing equipment casualty . A diminutive raised charge plate rim around the methamphetamine sieve provide further aegis against scratching , should you rest the phone cheek - down on a jumpy surface . The side of the phone is textured in an attempt to improve clutches .
The popping - off back concealment , which include an internal rubber gasket to keep out debris and water is yield alloy - coming into court studhorse intend to resemble screws or rivet . These are coming into court persona only , not factual screws that hardmount the back to the headphone body .
Altimeter and barometer mapping are neat , but they require jail cell datum or WiFi to work . Not much good if you ’re actually in the mountains .
New “ Activity Zone ” computer software is access through the new , extraneous “ Active Button , ” launching a four - screen political platform that includes a barometer , compass , altimeter , flashlight and stopwatch . This package also relieve oneself get at Samsung ’s “ S - Health ” software package quick and easy , pass on you material like a pedometer , calorie tracker and pump charge per unit reminder .
No pick to cover weight lifting or other gym exercise , really ?
That “ Active Button ” can be re - programmed in the preferences menu to function as a tv camera shutter , give you the ability to apply the phone to take underwater pictures .
That ’s all on top of the basic Galaxy S5 software , which is actually a great option for outdoors exercise . Its incredibly bright screen is easy to see and practice in even direct sun and the natural rubber gaskets on the back cover and bang port cover make it waterproof in submersions of up to three foot in depth for up to 30 second . The Galaxy S5 can also survive extreme temperature and high elevation and its water system - tight construction will also keep out moxie , debris and dirt . If you get it dirty , just wipe it light .
Great , you could type in what you had to run through . But , aftermarket apps give you the ability to scan barcodes , a functionality that provides precise calorie , macronutrient mix and constituent trailing abilities . Why bundle computer software that ’s not as good as hooey you’re able to download for free ?
Battery life is another S5 strongpoint that will be very useful for combat-ready types . General consumption gives you about a day and a half of bombardment aliveness , while two power - pull through modes can massively stretch that . The “ Ultra Power Saving ” mode makes the screenland go greyscale ( on AMOLED displays , that save a ton of might ) and mental block all but essential apps — apps you choose yourself . even “ Power Saving ” modality , plus switching the phone into plane mode could give you four to five day of use . That ’ll be killer on multi - day camping slip , where you will use the phone as only a television camera , an eBook reader and maybe as a GPS navigator .
Running Android gives you the power to useBackcountry Navigator($12 ) , the good GPS sailing master app available on any phone or pill . More on that soon .
http://backcountrynavigator.com/
Now here ’s a function that ’ll be massively useful outdoors . 6.6 days on 53 percent stamp battery ? That ’s extraordinary .
How Does It Perform ? I ’ve intentionally and accidentally dropped the S5 dynamic from up to six feet ( my auricle ) onto surface including concrete , brick , hardwood and boulders and it ’s yet to show a single scratch , slit or cracked sieve . The integrated bumper ca n’t provide the same protection as a display case as they do n’t bulge as greatly , but they do seem effective in prevent harm in most rough-cut drops . The electric battery cover song has yet to come out off during one of these capitulation , but other tester have experienced that when dropping the phone onto hard surfaces .
I ’ve also drown the S5 alive in pot of water and go it under my kitchen tap on full pressure . It has keep to work cleanly during both trial with no moisture buildup inside the screen or camera cover or apparent diminishment in speaker performance — even while under water . While you ca n’t use the touchscreen under water , the energy button mean you retain access to and consumption of some feature — notably the camera — but you ca n’t reply calls .
https://gizmodo.com/adventure-tested-sea-to-summit-spark-sp1-ultralight-sl-1585112184
unluckily , those same physical clit have give the S5 a major flaw — they endlessly activate while the phone drive in your pocket , particularly if you ’re doing active material like walk , go or riding a bike . Before I set the PIN - whorl to activate the blink of an eye the earpiece sleeps , it was make pocket calls and opening move apps near unceasingly and even after setting that security measure , the phone still fire up up its screen always , open up the tv camera and yesterday , even supervise to pocket dial 911 as I walk home from the gym . That ’s not just pestering , it ’s a real problem that will use up into battery life and potentially get you some tussle or embarrassment .
Further , the “ Activity Zone ” software borders on worthless . It ’s altimeter and barometer seem corking until you take in they ’re powered by Internet information . The 2d you leave cell coverage , they discontinue to function . S - Health is similarly slimy , its pedometer being wildly inaccurate , vexatious to use and the quietus of its programs being clearly less capable than third - political party options uncommitted in the Google app computer storage .
This job is evident throughout the S5 — the software both Samsung and AT&T bundle with it is heavy , clunky , slow and less capable than other options . But , the S5 is inexplicably loaded down with it . As it comes from the manufactory , the S5 has 16 Gi of space , but you only have entree to 10.6 Gi of that , the rest being taken up by mill app bundles you wo n’t be using , but ca n’t polish off . A clean , canonical Android install would make better use of the S5 ’s improbably knock-down 2.5ghz central processor and 2 gb of RAM .
That criticism continue to the S5 ’s stock photographic camera app — it does n’t seem capable to take full advantage of the excellent hardware ; in this font the 16 megapixel camera . Enter a marginally low - light precondition ( such as under a shady canon paries ) and images become pixelated directly . The gillyflower photo processing app is also very limited , give out to make do with simple exposure developing need like a backlit exposure . While photos taken under idealistic inflammation conditions are noticeably superscript to those I took on my iPhone 5 , anything taken while facing a short generator or in low light source is markedly worse .
The S5 does , though , have excellent pellucidity during speech sound calls , even with only one or two taproom of signal showing up . bewilderingly , the telephone set does n’t seem to be able-bodied to access LTE information in or around my home in Los Angeles .
Like the veritable S5 , the Active let in a slot for a Micro SD card , giving you the ability to augment the S5 ’s storage capacity by up to 128 gigabit . Putting aside the male man prototype of doing stuff outdoors , this last feature is going to be genuinely useful for most campers , giving you the ability to carry a turgid euphony collection with you on your dangerous undertaking . couple with a effective Bluetooth speaker , the S5 name an first-class outdoor entertainment arrangement .
The alloy stud on the back cover are appearance - only . If they were genuine metallic element screws , the cover would be held on far more securely , well ensuring both drop protective covering and waterproofness .
How Does It liken To Rivals ? I ’m not dependant to compare the S5 Active to its top - tier smartphone challenger like the iPhone 5S or HTC One . But , I can compare it to what you should consider as its main alternative — a grammatical case .
While the S5 dynamic is the same price as the even S5 — $ 199 with two - year contract on AT&T only — its add ruggedness is nowhere near as protective as that pop the question by a caseful like the $ 90Otterbox flotation gadget . bribe the received earpiece and go it with that instance will give you much more substantial , IPX8 waterproofness and much more protection from drop and impacts . On top of that trade protection , going this road will extinguish the Active ’s main defect — the close - constant unintentional activation of its physical button . The tractive typesetter’s case fabric will also give you a much more secure grip on the phone than the intemperate , slippery earpiece body ever will and will eliminate the issue with the battery cover pop off in some heavy falls .
compare to that long - breach iPhone 5 , the Galaxy S5 Active is a much more long-wearing package with a larger , brighter , clearer screen , much better battery life , better phone reception and voice clearness and with a better selection of aftermarket apps tailor to the genuine needs of outside action .
https://gizmodo.com/adventure-tested-ruffwear-approach-pack-1591548682
Adventure Ready ? The Galaxy S5 Active extend outdoorsmen a compelling bundle for the same reasons the regular S5 defecate such expectant phone for anyone — its huge , lustrous screen , firm mainframe , upgradeable computer memory and 16 megapixel photographic camera . just experience Backcountry Navigator available have Android a ranking choice for alive masses than other operating systems .
While the Active is more resistant to drop than the unconstipated S5 , its external buttons cause major annoyance . Due to that , we ’d recommend that anyone concerned in this phone simply swallow the excess cost and agree that normal Galaxy S5 with an Otterbox or standardised showcase . Doing so eliminates the repeat take of unplanned activating and air hole calling while adding much more survivability than the Active .
photo : Chris Brinlee Jr
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