Let's face it: Some of the biggest gifts this Christmas will be smartphones.
Two of the industry's biggest names have released smartphones in the last few months. I gave my two cents on Apple's new iPhone 6. Now, it's time to talk about the SamsungGalaxy S5 Active, the "healthier" version of its S5 smartphone.
where it’s @
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active retails for $660 or is available for $199 with a 2-year contract from providers such as AT&T. Other pricing plans are available. More information is available at samsung.com or att.com.
I'm not going to beat around the bush: The S5 Active is an impressive piece of machinery. The first thing I noticed was the bright, sharp, beautiful screen, which offers 16 million colors. Colors are rich and images jump vibrantly from the 5.1-inch screen.
The second thing I noticed was its speed. A quad-core, 2.5ghz processor means apps open almost immediately. Maps render quickly, app updates take very little time and it's very easy to surf the Internet. The fact that this phone can update using the fastest and latest networks, in this case AT&T's 4G LTE service, helps with the speed.
The Active gets its name in part because of the health apps included, as well as a little gizmo on the back. The "gizmo" under the camera is a fingerprint scanner that also can detect pulse. Yes, this phone can double as a heart monitor. The S Health app included on the phone can track heart rate as well as movement, such as running, hiking, walking and bicycling. It also can track food intake.
The Active model I tested turned out to be the camouflage model.
No, I'm not kidding, I'm walking around with a camouflage phone. Back pattern aside (sorry, just not my thing), the exterior is actually very impressive. I'm a firm advocate of using protective cases, but I must admit, the Active comes close to not needing one. The exterior is a thick, rugged plastic surrounding a tough screen. It's resistant to shocks, drops, dust, rain and other standard hazards. It's also waterproof at a shallow depth for up to half an hour. That's assuming the battery and charging port covers are secure and in place.
The battery does a good job of powering everything, though certain apps or features can wear it down really quickly.
With light use, such as Internet use and email, the battery lasted nearly three days. Then I spent several hours streaming music via a Pandora Internet radio app. The battery dropped more quickly, down to 49 percent by the end of the workday. Video dropped it even faster. A 20-minute video reduced the battery power by 6 percent, so a two-hour movie would consume more than a third of the battery power. Other features, such as the built-in flashlight, also draw power quickly. Overall, these things are fairly typical for smartphones, and the phone gets good battery life.
Those who read my column know I'm a bit of a shutterbug. Naturally, one of the first things I wanted to test was the camera on this phone.
The camera has been upgraded to a 16-megapixel model with zoom, various shooting modes and editing tools. At 16 megapixels, it's like having a point-and-shoot camera in your pocket. The color on the photos is excellent, and the photos come out fairly sharp. It more than does the job to capture an important moment, a lovely landscape and, yes, the occasional selfie.
Where the S5 beats the iPhone camera best is in the panorama mode.
First, it's just plain easier to shoot a panorama with the S5 because you don't have to be as precise in your movements for the S5 to get the shot and patch everything together properly. Its biggest plus is the horizontal shooting mode. If I have an iPhone in my hand and I want to shoot a photo, I turn it to a horizontal position so I get a nice, horizontal photo. I'd love to do that with panoramas, but the Apple shooting mode requires that the phone be vertical. So it takes longer to sweep for the panorama.The S5, however, can shoot either way, and it took less time to get a horizontal panorama. In other words, it's like having to line up and paste together 10 photos from the iPhone compared to 3 from the S5. Plus, shooting horizontal feels more natural, so it seems easier to control the phone and get a cleaner shot.
Is the S5 worth the upgrade? Frankly, if you have an S4, the answer is no. Yes, it's speedier, and yes, it has a heart-rate monitor and a better camera, but that doesn't seem enough to spend a ton of money breaking a cellular contract. For those needing an upgrade and looking to Android phones, the S5 is an excellent choice. It's speedy and solid with a decent battery, provided you don't go overboard on the video or audio streaming.
The Galaxy S5 Active would be a nice gift under the tree this Christmas. I suspect, for many, that's exactly what it will be.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at mljones72@me.com.
SundayMonday Business on 12/15/2014