Samsung Galaxy S5 on the Road

[juniorfjr]

has anyone had difficulty or problems with the S5? My daughter loved her s4 but has had a little trouble with the s5, enough so she took it back and traded for a HTC.

 

[Spud]

My wife and I both have the S5's. They've not had any issues at all. I had a client in my office the other day that is a tech freak and he had with him an IPhone 6, IPhone 6+ AND Google Glass (a whole 'nother story there...).

He thought the 6+ was just too big and returned it. The 6 is very nice, similar size to the Galaxy S5 although definitely thinner and lighter. And the S5 screen is quite a bit bigger than the 6.

Based on what I've read, I believe the S5 to be a much tougher phone, although not as elegant. For something to throw in a tank bag for a long day in whatever weather, It's nice to not worry about it getting wet if that happens. From tests I've seen, it reportedly takes about twice as much force to bend the S5 as the Iphone 6. Both are super nice state of the art, but I had no envy to trade him.

 

[Warpdrv]

My employee bent his Iphone 6 within the first few days he owned it.... lets just say I gave him plenty of Da Business

 

[ts3doug]

i have a crappy 5c for my work phone and s5 for personal phone. i likes me the samsung a lot better, though it could be due to the fact that i'm more familiar with android than ios. the iphone does seem to work quicker, but i dislike most everything else about it.

i run sygic on it for gps and that seems to work fairly well, need a new mount though as my old one only fits my s4.

 

[Bounce]

Negative on missing something, was in total agreement - there is no comparison phone in any apple catagory IMO to a decent Android phone......
I just want a waterproof / water resistant phone

Preferences are preferences. I understand that. I was simply pointing out that a 2010 iPhone would never stand up to a performance comparison with a 2014 Android.

Have had the 6+ for about a month and no bendy bits but then I don't wear hipster pants and have never put any of my phones in my back pocket. As noted:

It's a great upgrade from the 5. I never regret it while using it. It continues to get better as developers upgrade their previous apps for the larger screen.
When not using it, putting it away in a pocket or otherwise dealing with it reveals (IMO) the upper size limit of a phone. It's occasionally inconvenient but not enough to outweigh the advantages I like when using it.

Right before I got it, my brother got a Nexus 5. The 6+ is only larger than his N5 (most of it in height). But there's the typical build quality differences between them (which is part of the cost difference between the 2). It really is now a matter of which OS you're comfortable with or if you're willing to learn a new one to do the switch. Anyone simply swapping from iOS to Android due to size-of-phone preference, then that's no longer the case.

 

[audiowize]

I vote for cheap and not the newest.

I got an LG Volt for $150 with no contract. If it gets wet, or I drop it, etc, I'll go buy another one. I can't put my finger on anything that any other phone would do that I actually care about, other than taking way too much cash out of my pocket! (Hell, it even has the remote control feature)

 

[HotRodZilla]

I paid $150 for my Galaxy S5. It came as a combo pack with extra chargers, a car mount, and an OtterBox. If you don't get your phones from Costco or Sams, you are paying WAY too much.

 

[DezzertRider]

I hope to be the last guy in the country without a cell phone.

 

[Top_Speed1]

I hope to be the last guy in the country without a cell phone.

My hats off to you, and this is probably pitiful sounding to yourself, but I could never be without it (anymore). I've terminated my house phone b/c of it. Haven't missed all the sales calls/spam crap since. Adios land line.

 

[ULEWZ]

I hope to be the last guy in the country without a cell phone.

So these words will never be in your vocabulary: Where you at?

 

[HotRodZilla]

I have two phones. As much as they can be a PITA, their convenience is almost immeasurable. Well, my personal phone for sure. I'm pretty sure the work phone is a way for my bosses to try to control my mind. They may be tracking my movement and my thoughts too.

 

[dudeckp]

The Galaxy Tab S is basically the S5 with 8.4 or 10 inch screens. I have the 8.4 inch mounted on my '05 FJR!

 

[pcarnut]

Was planning on either buying a moto specific GPS for a trip to Italy next year, but now that the S5 is waterproof, I'm wondering if it will work in Europe and if so, could I just use Google maps navigation?

 

[HotRodZilla]

Remember, if the USB port for the phone is open, like it has to be to charge, the phone is NOT waterproof.

Phones are good for finding that address across town. For mounting on a motorcycle for multiple days through areas with no coverage, not so much.

 

[pcarnut]

Remember, if the USB port for the phone is open, like it has to be to charge, the phone is NOT waterproof.
Phones are good for finding that address across town. For mounting on a motorcycle for multiple days through areas with no coverage, not so much.

Good thought, didn't think of that, thanks. I've got a friend selling a Garmin Zumo 665 so I think that may be my best option.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Was planning on either buying a moto specific GPS for a trip to Italy next year, but now that the S5 is waterproof, I'm wondering if it will work in Europe and if so, could I just use Google maps navigation?

The cost of the data on a U.S. phone in Europe would probably exceed the cost of a GPS unit.

 

[Warpdrv]

Also, if you leave the service area like I did to Toronto, you lose your service - Google maps is worthless without data. I have coplilot for that same reason but I couldn't get that to work either editor service, even with the Canada maps installed. I don't know if I have a setting wrong on that or what.

Right now I'm going to keep running with my phone but I could see a GPS in my distant future...

 

[pcarnut]

Thanks for the feedback guys. GPS it is.

 

[HelzBelz]

I just downgraded, in my own opinion, to the S5. I had the Droid MAXX, which I really liked. But I wanted a bigger screen, and Costco is selling the Galaxy S5's on Verizon for 79.99.

I am EXTREMELY happy so far. The Maxx is an AWESOME phone, but the Samsung S5 has no drawbacks that I can find. It does more than the maxx (some of those samsung apps are pretty cool, and all of the non samsung apps that I used previously work great.)

I was able to buy the 9000mAh extended battery back up device for 39.96 on Amazonprime. I almost paid 99.99 from Samsung, but they are on backorder. I got the last one available at 39.96. but they have others for 49.99 now. The battery life on the Droid Maxx was unbeatable. but now I have basically 3x the battery life with this neat little device, and I can use it to charge lots of things while on the road.

By the way, I do have co-pilot. And of course google maps. But I use my Garmin Zumo 665 for GPS, DROID for Bubbler Spotwalla.

 

[pcarnut]

A little confused when you say you down graded but then say the S5 is awesome and no drawbacks from the Maxx. Anyway,from the reviews I've read on the S5, you can enable the extended battery function that will stop all apps when it gets to 10% battery level but gives you basic phone operation for up to 24 hours. I like that idea especially in an emergency. Also thinking about the Note 4 but it's kinda bigger than I want.

Have a friend letting me try out his Zumo 665. He no longer needs it and will sell it to me at half-price but I can't find a way to load in more than one destination very easily. The reviews all seem to like the 665 though, also not seeing the dashboard like on my Garmin car version.