The Samsung Galaxy S5 was the hottest smartphone of 2014, selling over 12 million units in its first three months of being released. It’s a beautiful, brilliant device that delivers the perfect blend of performance and style. But one of the key features that makes Samsung’s flagship handset such an attractive choice may not be included in the Galaxy S6. According to the South Korean news site Digital Daily, the upcoming Galaxy S6 will not be dust/waterproof. Samsung went out of its way to make the Galaxy S5 resistant to dust and water, giving it an International Protection Marking of 6/7. This means it’s fully protected against the ingress of dust and protected against the effects of immersion between 15cm and 1m. There’s no faster way to ruin your day than by dropping your smartphone in a puddle of water — something that far too many of us have experienced in our lives. Samsung acknowledged this issue, choosing to make all of its Galaxy S5 standard-edition units waterproof. If you accidentally expose your Galaxy S5 to dust or water, you can rest assured knowing that it’s protected. Many consumers have purchased the Galaxy S5 specifically for this reason. This begs…

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 S Voice is a voice-controlled personal assistant, activator, and navigator that’s compatible on over a dozen different Galaxy devices. You can use it to make phone calls, create and send text messages, and even play music (among other things). Being that Galaxy S5 is Samsung’s flagship smartphone, it should come as no surprise that it too supports S Voice. So, how do you set up and use S Voice on the Galaxy S5? To set up S Voice, tap the Home button followed by the Apps drawer (looks like a grid of dots). This will bring up a list of all apps currently installed on your Galaxy S5. Scroll through your apps and choose “S Voice.” Remember, apps are arranged alphabetically, so look for apps that start with “S” if you’re having trouble finding it. Tip: another way to open S Voice is by double tapping the home key. Some users prefer the traditional method, however, since frequent use of the home key may wear it down. Upon opening the S Voice app for the first time, you’ll be presented with a Welcome page. Click the Next button in the bottom right-hand corner to proceed to the next page….

According to an article published at Phone Arena, three different variations of the Samsung Galaxy S5 topped the list of Consumer Reports smartphone rankings. The original launch-edition Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy S5 Active tied for first place with 79/100 points, while the Galaxy S5 Sport came in third with a slightly lower rating of 78/100. Why did the Galaxy S5 Sport rank lower than the original Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S5 Active? Hardware and software specs remain almost identical, so it should have the same score, right? The magazine reports that the Galaxy S5 Sport doesn’t offer the same amount of talk time as the other two Galaxy S5 devices. Granted, all three models use the same 2800mAh battery, and they all feature Samsung’s signature Ultra-Powering Saving mode, but benchmarks reveal the Galaxy S5 Sport doesn’t last as long on a charge. In case you were wondering, the Apple iPhone 6 received a score of 77/100, lower than all three of the aforementioned Galaxy S5 devices. Consumer Reports ranked the iPhone 6 fairly high, but it still failed in comparison to the Galaxy S5, Galaxy S5 Active and Galaxy S5 Sport. Surprisingly, the iPhone 6 Plus ranked even lower,…

Does your Galaxy S5 randomly restart for no apparent reason? While not a critical issue, it’s still a nuisance that can interfere with your phone calls, text messages, and the other ways in which you use your device. Perhaps you’re in the middle of an important business call and all of sudden your Galaxy S5 reboots. There are few possible reasons why your Galaxy S5 is restarting, the most common of which is a stuck power button. All physical buttons are susceptible to sticking over time. Dirt, dust, dead skin cells and oil will gather around the exterior portion of the button, essentially holding it in place. Thankfully, this is a relatively easy fix that should take just a few minutes. Start by turning off your Galaxy S5 and removing the battery. Attempting to fix this issue with the battery left inside may lead to data corruption, so don’t overlook this essential step. Once the battery is removed, continue pressing the power button on and off for 5 minutes or until it becomes unstuck. The Samsung Galaxy S5’s power button is designed to snap when pressed. If you don’t hear this characteristic snapping sound, chances are it’s stuck. Follow the…

We’ve performed side-by-side comparisons of the Galaxy S5 next to other Android-powered devices (HTC One M8, OnePlus One, Nexus 5, etc.), but this week we’re going to take a step in a different direction by comparing Samsung’s flagship smartphone to the new BlackBerry Classic. The BlackBerry Classic was officially launched in New York, Singapore and Frankfurt, Germany last month. The Classic maintains true to the QWERTY-keyboard style that made BlackBerry such a popular device, but it also introduces several technological improvements. “We listened closely to our customers’ feedback to ensure we are delivering the technologies to power them through their day – and that feedback led directly to the development of BlackBerry Classic,” said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO at BlackBerry. Let’s first talk about the operating systems used in the Galaxy S5 and BlackBerry Classic. As you may already know, the Galaxy S5 runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat, which is currently being updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop. The BlackBerry Classic, on the other hand, runs BlackBerry 10, which has significantly fewer apps and features. There’s a notable difference in size between the two devices, as well. The Galaxy S5 features a bold 5.1-inch display, whereas the BlackBerry Classic is…

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…

When Samsung isn’t busy developing the world’s greatest smartphones and other electronics, it’s playing in the snow, literally. The South Korean tech company recently published a promo video showing the start-to-finish construction of a snowman. But this isn’t your typical Frosty The Snowman; Samsung’s version is contains three Galaxy S5 units: two for the eyes and one for the heart. Granted, Samsung’s attempt to build a snowman is somewhat creepy. With digital eyes and a digital heart, it doesn’t exactly look appealing. Then again, this video was likely shot for promotional purposes, which it succeeded it. “To celebrate the Christmas spirit, we thought it would be fun to bring some life into a snowman and give it a pair of moving eyes and a beating heart. Initially, we were going to use some Christmas magic, but we just decided to the water (or snow) resistant Galaxy S5 to do it. So… do you want to build a (digital) snowman? Great, because we’ve recorded the whole process. Check it out,” wrote Samsung on its website. You might be wondering how in the world Samsung was able to build a snowman using three Galaxy S5 units. After all, wouldn’t the snow and…

Google recently published a list of the most-searched keywords for 2014. So, which keyword topped the list? According to the Mountain View company, more people searches for the late-actor “Robin Williams” than any other keyword in 2014. However, “Galaxy S5” wasn’t far behind. In the consumer electronics category of Google’s top searches for 2014, “Galaxy S5” ranked second, only behind “iPhone 6.” It’s pretty depressing to see the iPhone 6 coming above the Galaxy S5, although this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a better device. Apple generated tons of hype surrounding the iPhone 6 in an attempt to capture a greater portion of the market share. But in the end, most critics say the iPhone 6 failed to deliver what it promised, as it features mid-grade specs without any of the Apple magic. Of course, there’s a good reason why “Galaxy S5” was one of the year’s top searches. Samsung went above and beyond the call of duty to create a truly remarkable handset. The Galaxy S5 features a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor paired with 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, and Android 4.4/5.0 with Samsung’s own TouchWiz skin. This combination offers a powerhouse of performance that rivals or trumps 90% of…

It’s downright frustrating when you’re forced to keep your Galaxy S5 plugged into a nearby wall outlet due to poor battery life. Samsung touts its flagship smartphone as being one of the most energy-efficient mobile devices on the market. But like all smartphones, its battery performance is largely dependent on its settings/preferences, apps, and overall usage. So, how can you improve the battery life of your Galaxy S5? Ultra Powering Saving Mode Samsung introduced a new battery-saving feature in the Galaxy S5, dubbed Ultra-Powering Saving Mode. Some users assume this feature is enabled by default, but unfortunately this isn’t the case. You must manually enable it by accessing the quick settings drawer and tapping the “Ultra-Powering Saving Mode” option. Once enabled, you should notice a world of difference in your device’s battery life. Some websites claim that a Galaxy S5 in Ultra-Power Saving Mode can run for 24 hours on just 10% charge. Of course, not everyone will experience the same results, so don’t expect to achieve a full day’s worth of power on just 10% battery. Location Settings It’s no secret that location-based services consume an excessive amount of power on smartphones, and the Galaxy S5 is no exception….