VIDEO: Have We Maxed Out on What's Possible With Smartphone Specs?

Published
Dan Leadbetter
BY:
Contributing Writer
Additional contributions by Jeff Somogyi and Louis Ramirez.

Samsung has officially announced its newest flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S5. It's the latest in a series of phones which, arguably, could be called Android's answer to the iPhone. The announcement was interesting though as it put less emphasis on internal hardware, and more on additional features.

In this brief — yet lively — video, our experts examine if the S5 lives up to the hype, whether we've maxed out on what's possible with smartphone hardware, and what it even means to be a flagship Android phone.

What about you, readers? What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy S5? What more do you want from a flagship Android phone? Tell us in the comments below!

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Dan Leadbetter
Contributing Writer

Dan Leadbetter was a Staff and Features Writer for DealNews. He enjoys comedy, playing drums, watching horror films, fine cigars, and Absinthe.
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4 comments
Maxdaddy
My favorite part is how people put down Samsung because they say its not a noticable upgrade. But look at Apple? Its rediculous how those fanboys are willing to get nothing in return for their large investment! Same size screens, same interface, No NFC. NO IR Blasters! Maybe Apple will give something on this next round of phones but still they are years behind Samsung when it comes to features.
February 27, 2014
Maxdaddy
The phone is incredible. It has everything you want! It has NFC! Large beautiful screens, IR Blasters, large amount of sensors for just about everything. The one thing that is missing is the backwards compatibility with Flash. I've tried the last few models of Samsung from the Note 3 to the Galaxy S3 and they started removing the ability to view Flash video. Eventhough its Android, Samsung has broken Flash compatibility. I use my older model HTC and i can view just about anything online and this phone is 4 years old and runs full videos on android 2.3. I've been very wary about upgrading because of that specific problem. I need to get my hands on a newer HTC phone and see if it runs Flash. But that is the only reason i haven't gotten a Samsung phone. They are trying to hard to be as horrible as Apple!
February 27, 2014
DZ676
You left out battery life, which they seem to have focused on with this update. Supposedly it will run for 24 hours in low power mode which I would say is an upgrade. Real world numbers will tell, but even half that would be incredible.
February 26, 2014
dxf289
In my opinion, a flagship phone should be a noticeable improvement on its previous model in 6 categories.

1) Processor
2) Memory: RAM and ROM
3) Display
4) Connectivity
5) OS
6) Structual Design

In all honesty, the Galaxy S5 only hit its mark on 3 of the 6. The processor, connectivity and the OS are all improved. Even though the S5 will allow for a 128gb micro SD card, the RAM was a step backwards from the Note 3 in providing 2gb vs 3gb and the ROM tops out at 32gb. I know I was at least expecting a 64gb ROM and hoping for a 128gb ROM. As OS and thr bloatware of the manufacturers and the carriers continue to evolve, there seems to be less and less space for the apps that we want on our devices. And let's face it, we pretty much have the same display on the S5 that was on the S4 with a .2 inch difference in size. And lastly but certainly not least is Samsungs affinity to a plastic case. Samsung may tout this as their flagship, but it just makes me long for the Note 4.
February 26, 2014