Android Next: Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 set for war
NEW DELHI: You can get an Android phone now for as low as ` 3,000 but the upper end of the league can get super glamorous with prices to match. Two two Android handsets, one just launched in India and the other set to arrive at the end of the month are trying to change the way we look at smartphones. We take stock. THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 @ R 51,000 The first thing that you notice is that this is an incremental update, though it runs the fastest processor around. It zips through apps or graphics but the plastic feel of the body remains. Look beyond, and you have a cool fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone or even make purchases. To put it mildly, however, it works randomly.
Samsung has also added a few motion sensors to let the phone work for you as a pedometer, and as an extended health gadget, something that the guys at Apple are working on still with their M7 motion co-processor. What is interesting is that the Galaxy S5 is IP67-complaint for water and dust resistance. Beach-friendly, yes, but I would not suggest you take it to the water.
Using Samsung’s wearable Gear gadget with the S Health app opens up a new avenue for fitness freaks. The S5 works very well on that front. The camera delivers on speed and the bright and vivid colour screen makes the pictures look very nice, though doubts linger on how it compares with the iPhone 5s. A fine rear feel and a dimpled finish gives it a good grip and makes it look regal at the same time.
The S5 is a great incremental device. I would have been happy for a 2K screen and better plastic. The price is a different story. HTC ONE M8 (PRICE NOT REVEALED YET, EXPECT- ED IN S5 BRACKET IN MAY) When you compare the HTC One M8 and S5 spec to spec, they look very similar, and when you compare the speed of apps or how they handle the apps, they are similar again. But when you look at the phones closely is when you start noticing the differences.
At 5 megapixels, the front camera offers sumptuous selfies, though the rear camera lags the S5. The M8 scores big with a great finish in an aluminium body. Looks like a flagship phone with textbook lessons on build. For games and music, the screen is vivid and inviting.The curved back feels precarious after the S5 but it is not and provides a sound grip.
HTC does lag Samsung on the fingerprint lock and the Gear-combo but there is a lot to make it a strong competitor. Both phones have strong power. And yes, the iPhone 5s still works great in an overall ecosystem.
(The writer is a technology expert who calls himself the Big Geek)