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Galaxy S5: defending the design

Bonnie Tubbs
By Bonnie Tubbs, ITWeb telecoms editor.
Johannesburg, 15 Apr 2014
Craige Fleischer, director of mobile communications at Samsung Electronics SA, says smartphone makers have gone past the point of a new device being all about superficial hardware.
Craige Fleischer, director of mobile communications at Samsung Electronics SA, says smartphone makers have gone past the point of a new device being all about superficial hardware.

Although it is still early days, Samsung's fifth-generation flagship phone has so far been received with an overall thumbs-up by many of SA's tech lovers, but one nagging reproach remains: the "lacklustre" design.

While this consumer criticism is not unique to Samsung, with Apple's seventh-generation iPhone drawing similar judgment when it launched in September, it is a lingering one. Consumers want their next-generation smartphone to look the part, rather than being much of the same, with a higher number in the name.

But as with beauty, says Samsung's mobile director Craige Fleischer, the design is "in the eye of the beholder". Fleischer says, while the design aesthetics on the Galaxy S4's successor are indeed different, the real changes are integral rather than superficial.

"It is no longer about hardware, we are past that now - and the same can be said for our competitors. The [device you see] is much of a muchness. Now, it is more about the ecosystem and how you layer on top of the Android platform - this is the unique identifying factor."

Fleischer says the apps and features that help a user as a consumer do not necessarily exist on the hardware, but the company has the opportunity - thanks to the open nature of the Android operating system - to develop the ecosystem. "We cannot always bring revolution, but we can refine the technology."

Fortified features

Taking cognisance of what matters most to smartphone users, he says, Samsung focused on things like camera, download speed, physical protection of the device, security and battery - none of which are superficially identifiable.

"Twenty-eight percent of the consumers we spoke to felt that the camera was core to the hardware, and so we improved the camera with faster autofocus (0.3 seconds), rich tone (HDR, or high dynamic range) and selective focus mode - which allows you to select your depth of field and change it after the photo has been taken."

Fleischer says Samsung has also followed the trend of more robust devices, making the S5 water- and dust-resistant (IP67) - a material improvement that means the phone can technically be submerged in a metre of water for up to 30 minutes without packing in.

Security-wise, he says, the fingerprint scanner is a unique feature of the S5 and a first for the range, although not new to the market, and users are able to customise their device to allow for up to three different user security levels.

Battery life has also been greatly improved, with the biggest battery to date on a Galaxy S device, a 2800mAh cell that gives users up to 390 hours of standby time, 21 hours of talk time and 12 hours of video playback. This has been complemented with an emergency option, Ultra Power Saving Mode. When the battery reaches its peak low level, the phone's display changes to black and white - allowing only SMS, voice calls and Internet browsing. Every 10% yields 24 hours of standby time.

While the Samsung S5 may suffer from the "same-old" syndrome, say analysts, its reputation among South Africans has not suffered as a result. In fact, says World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck, the South-Korean manufacturer's reputation is at an all-time high in SA, both because of the quality and appeal of its devices, and because it has met the needs of a very wide range of income segments with them.

"It has also got distribution down pat, with a sense that most new devices, from smartphones to smart TVs, will be available in SA on release. The lag that we see with Apple and BlackBerry devices, for example, is non-existent with Samsung. Sony has a similar reputation in SA, but has not got the same marketing muscle."

The Samsung Galaxy's incremental design evolution

Device

Weight

Display

Dimensions

Galaxy S

118g

4-inch Super AMOLED display

122.4mm x 64.2mm x 9.9mm

Galaxy S2

121g

4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display

125.3mm x 66.1mm x 8.89mm

Galaxy S3

138.5g

4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display

136.6mm x 70.6mm x 9mm

Galaxy S4

133g

5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display

136.6mm x 69.8mm x 7.9mm

Galaxy S5

145g

5.1-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display

142mm x 72.5mm x 8.1mm

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