So after five plus years and several generations of iPhones, I’ve made the jump to the new Samsung Galaxy S5. My motivation was partially because I was bored with Apple products and wanted to try something new and partially because I wanted to be out from under the thumb of all things Apple and iTunes. Overall, I like the change.
Here are a couple of things that were high on my radar in using these smartphones that may help you in finding your next one:
Size
As you can see in the picture, there’s a pretty significant size difference. As a 44 year- old guy now using reading glasses in the mornings and evenings, I love the size of the S5. I can actually see the darn screen now and love the clarity. The S5 is light, thin and easily fits in my pocket.
Navigation
I had heard several people complain there was too much confusing stuff on their Galaxies. The S5 does have a lot on it, but I was easily able to delete most everything that wasn’t relevant to me. And after about two days, I felt completely comfortable navigating the S5.
Camera
The camera on the S5 is jam up awesome. I take tons of pictures with our family and friends having outdoor fun on the water or in the woods. I also use the phone every week taking pictures of commercial properties for my real estate business.
Speakers
The speakers on the S5 are on the back of the phone, which I can’t say is much better than Apple placing them on the bottom of the 4s. This may be great for the people behind me, but I sure wish they would place them on the front of the phones like on the HTC One.
Voice Mail
I average about 35 voice mail messages a day on my phone and loved the way my iPhones helped me manage them. I now have to actually pay Verizon an additional $3 a month to use visual voice mail, which was not a happy surprise. It’s just as quick and easy as the iPhone, I just don’t like having to pay additionally for it.
Email
This is an area where I really do miss my iPhone. The S5 is painfully slow loading and processing emails. I mean p-a-i-n-f-u-l-l-y slow, as in count to 12 Mississippi while you wait for every email to open and upload. All the iPhones have operated with lightning speed compared to the S5.
Applications
I was a little nervous about losing access to all the apps I had found in iTunes, but in 20 minutes of shopping around the “Play Store,” I found every app I had on my iPhone, plus a ton more. I’m a fisherman so this included apps like Navionics, Windfinder Pro, NOAA and Weather channel. Installing Facebook, Linkedin and Dropbox apps were a piece of cake.
I know the next iPhone will be coming out later this year, but I’m glad to make a change. Think I’ll go check my Facebook updates… as soon as I can find which of my kids has my new phone:)