Another year, another flagship Galaxy S device. Since the release of the original Galaxy S in 2010, Samsung has been routinely refining the formula through hardware upgrades, software polish and no shortage of gimmicks.

The AMOLED is back and it looks better than ever; Fast, efficient Snapdragon 801 powers through tasks without struggle; Great camera, especially in good lighting; Improvements to software and design

Fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor aren't well implemented; Settings screen is terrible; Lacks the polish of its high-end competitors

Samsung continues their reign over the Android smartphone market with their flagship phone – the Galaxy S5 . While Samsung doesn't stray too far from its recognizable plastic design, they did add a dimpled back texture to address concerns over the slipperiness of the earlier model.

Bright display with excellent contrast; bright light legibility and color accuracy; 16MP rear-facing camera takes sharp and crisp bright light photos; Excellent battery life; IP67 rating

Slow startup on certain apps like the camera and settings; Uninspired plastic design; Poor auto-brightness

Summary: Samsung has done a good job with the Galaxy S5. Software bloat has been pared down and a few useful new features added, while the technical specifications are superb and battery life is good.

Good battery life; Software bloat has been reduced; Nice usability features

Plastic chassis; Fingerprint scanner is tricky to use; Average-quality sound from speaker

Samsung is the global leader in the smartphone market, with 31.2 percent in Q1 2014 according to analyst firm Strategy Analytics (down from 32.4% in Q1 2013). Although Samsung's 2013 flagship Galaxy S4 won multiple awards, it also received criticism for having too much software on-board, too many...

Good battery life; Software bloat has been reduced; Nice usability features

Plastic chassis; Fingerprint scanner is tricky to use; Average-quality sound from speaker

I received my Samsung Galaxy S5 last week. I felt very happy to have this phone which is simply amazing.,music player is louder and has better sound quality than previous models and the camera is just fantastic.

Unbelievable phone. Everything is super quick, easy to use and excellent screen size. Discovering new things every day! Happy with the design as well - nice fit in hand and a incredibly light!

The Galaxy S5 is not groundbreaking, earth shattering, or really all that remarkable in look or feel. It's not a huge leap over the Galaxy S4 and nor is that much better than the now 8 month old iPhone 5s (save for the display size).

Amazing battery life; great looking screen; IP67 out of the box

Fingerprint reader can be trying; heart rate sensor is gimmicky; and

Nobody hasn't heard of the Samsung Galaxy S5. Arguably the most popular Android-based brand in the world, the Galaxy series of smartphones has long commanded respect and loyalty. It isn't known for its dashing good looks – and indeed, we wish Samsung had opted for a nicer chassis over its sub-par...

Its camera is phenomenal; its processor will blaze through anything you can throw at it; its chassis is functionally waterproof, so long as you don't go diving – and that's just to start

The phone's vaunted fingerprint scanner is too much of a nuisance to actually use; while its all-plastic construction feels as cheap and flimsy as ever

The Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone offers many features and, on paper, looks like one of the top smartphones. But does it live up to the hype? By Regardt van der Berg. In recent years, Samsung has become a formidable competitor in the smartphone space.

In the days leading up the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S5, the hype machine drove up expectations for the device tremendously. Citing various sources, reports predicted that the Galaxy S5 would boast a significant change in design, including an aluminium body; a revamped user interface; and...

2 free screen or liquid damage repairs; If a device has sustained liquid damage and its display is cracked, it counts as two repairs, Samsung said it will collect your broken device and deliver it when its repaired, It also promises to provide a loan unit while your device is being repaired