Introduction

Here we have the infamous Apple iPhone versus its arch-rival, the Samsung Galaxy S5.  These two techno giants have been battling it out for king of the hill, not only in the smartphone wars but also in the tablet world – they do not like each other and spend most of their time these days in the courts suing each other.  The truth is, both companies make a great smartphone, Samsung just makes a lot more models and Apple makes ONE iPhone 5s flagship – they started to make the iPhone 5c last Fall, but do not like to talk about it.

The iPhone 5s and Galaxy S5 are really quite different from each other, from construction to operating system, to basic company philosophies. Apple uses glass and metal in their construction and Samsung uses a fancy plastic called polycarbonate.  Apple revamped its O/S pretty drastically with this latest rendition of iOS7, so much so, many people thought it looked a lot like Android!  Apple believes in a closed O/S…they want total control – this is a two-edged sword because it does keep future upgrades fast and easy, but the user lacks the ability to customize their device the way they want it to look and run.  In addition, Apple is the only company that makes their device – total control, where Google is not in the business of making devices, only the Android O/S, so when the many manufacturers around the world use Android, they can ‘massage’ the O/S with their own skins.  This, as we know, can cause problems in upgrading to the next version of Android that Google releases – hence the term, ‘fragmentation.’  Apple and Google have totally different ways of doing business and Steve jobs hated them with a passion – but both companies are thriving and do it ‘their way.’

You can look over the specifications and see how different the two devices are in design and then we will discuss each device individually and then make a decision on a winner of the comparison.

Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S5

The new Samsung Galaxy S5 is finally here and so many people are still only focused on the ‘dimpled’ back they call a ‘Band-Aid-like’ patch, but are completely overlooking the solid device itself.  Comparing it to the iPhone 5s, its display is over an inch larger than the iPhone, which still has only a 4-inch display.  And for all Apple’s talk about its infamous ‘retina display,’ the Galaxy S5 has 432 pixels-per-inch (ppi)  and the iPhone 5s is only 326 ppi.  The Galaxy S5 has fastest processor available right now, with 2GB of RAM versus the 1GB of RAM in the iPhone 5s.  Storage on the Galaxy S5 may be increased from the usual base of 16GB or 32GB via a microSD card for an additional 128GB, the iPhone can only be purchased with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB versions with no room for expansion.  The Galaxy S5 has a 16MP main camera with their new ISOCELL technology versus the 8MP main camera on the iPhone 5s with dual LED flash – both cameras will give you excellent results because, as you know, megapixels are not everything.  The front facing cameras (ffc) are also different – the Galaxy S5 spots a 2MP camera and the iPhone 5s sports only a 1.2MP shooter – these would be used for video chatting or taking a selfie.  The Galaxy S5 also has a fingerprint scanner, as does the iPhone 5s.  The Galaxy S5 also has a Heart Rate Monitor, IR Blaster, USB 3.0, and is capable of multitasking.

Apple iPhone 5S

The Apple iPhone 5s came out in the Fall and its main competition comes from the Android community from all manufacturers, LG, HTC, Sony, and especially Samsung.  The new Galaxy S5 is a very important weapon against the likes of the iPhone.  There is no denying that Apple builds some quality products, and the iPhone 5s is certainly one of them – made of glass and metal, it has the look and feel of quality.  They added a fingerprint scanner in this model and a 64-bit processor – which is the real surprise here because with only 1GB of RAM, even once 64-bit programs are released, the device cannot fully appreciate the benefits of 64-bits…but kudos for the marketing ploy and early preparation, because it will eventually make a difference.  Apple also insists on always using proprietary connectors to keep you into their ecosystem, and then they changed the connector on the new iPhone 5s so even their old proprietary connectors would not work without an adaptor on the new phone.  Because the chassis on the iPhone 5 and 5s is the same, Apple was only able to increase the battery from 1440mAh to 1560mAh and it was terrible in the iPhone 5 and only slightly less terrible in the iPhone 5s.  The device runs fast, smooth and is dependable, but for most users the 4-inches is a little too small – although great for one-handed operation, 4.7-inches seems to be most users’ sweet spot.

…and the Winner is…

Summary

Did you expect anything else from an Android website – no, seriously, if we really thought the iPhone 5s was better, we would say so, but it simply is not. Yes, it may feel more luxurious, but feel is not everything. Its other claim to fame is how easy it is to use and that is wonderful if you do not like to customize your personal device. You can get a Nexus 5 and have a fast, smooth and dependable device and it too is simple to use if you leave it alone. But the best thing about Android is that you have the power to make it look the way you want and act the way you want. As far as choosing the Galaxy S5 over the iPhone 5s, it all starts with the O/S. Besides the O/S, the screen is bigger, brighter and sharper, the S5 has more RAM, you can expand the internal storage with a cheap microSD card, the USB 3.0 is a universal connector and you can buy yourself a charging or transfer cable for only $5 – try finding an Apple cable for that amount. The water/dust resistance is nice, as is the addition of the IR Blaster and NFC functions. If you are an exercise freak, the Galaxy S5 also has a built-in Heart Rate Monitor. One other great advantage of the Galaxy 5S is its excellent multitasking – you can open two distinct applications up at one time on the screen, resize each window and simply jump back and forth between each application. People may think that the iPhone 5s is so “business like,’ when it is really the Galaxy S5 that performs more like a business tool. Whatever you do on the Galaxy S5, you can do it longer with the 2800mAh battery and Samsung’s battery saving features. The Galaxy S5 is more than the smoke, glass and metal that Apple is pushing.

Please get on our Google+ Page and let us know which device you would choose between these two devices…we always love to hear your opinions.