The flood of videos of an unreleased Samsung Galaxy S5 Active keep rolling in. This time, the focus is on how the smartphone is different, or the same, compared to Samsung‘s current flagship, including some new sensors, a camera with OIS, and a regular micro USB port.
The Galaxy S5 Active might bear the name, but it is definitely not the same as the Galaxy S5 itself. But while the differences between the two are less stark than that of the Galaxy S 4 and the Galaxy S4 Active, this new Active version still does have a couple of features that might make you think twice about purchasing a plain Galaxy S5. First are the new sensors, in particular, a barometer, and a new app that takes advantage of that called the Activity Zone. This new app might eventually supplant the S Health app since it also includes exercise information, but more than that, Activity Zone also gives a read out of current weather conditions, like air pressure, and even compass directions. These are critical bits of information that are important to people with more active lifestyles and activities.
The video below goes into the differences between the flagship and the active, specifically from the outside, and a bit under the covers. Despite the rugged look and extra rubber and metal protection, the Galaxy S5 Active seems to be thinner than the Galaxy S5 and its screen is also somewhat larger, though exact measurements are still unknown. Beneath the battery cover, everything is almost all the same. The Galaxy S5 notably does not have a fingerprint sensor on hits home button. In its place are three physical buttons for the typical Android navigation buttons. And in what seems to be a throwback to the past, Samsung has put a dedicated hardware button above the volume rocker that can be used to, among other things, launch the camera and also take a shot. The Galaxy S5 Active also returns to the regular micro USB port in contrast to the micro USB 3.0 port on the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy S5.
And finally we get to the camera, which apparently has that coveted Optical Image Stabilization technology or OIS, whereas the Galaxy S5 only has digital image stabilization. This was revealed through an experiment where both smartphones, stacked on top of each other, was taken outside for a very brisk but shaky walk. The output from the Galaxy S5 is what you’d expect of a camera that closely followed every subtle movement of the user, while the Galaxy S5 Active’s stability was quite obvious.
Of course, none of these features are official and things can still change, for better or worse, before the retail version is officially announced. Nonetheless, given the information that we have right now, the Galaxy S5 Active is actually shaping up to be a smartphone that you might actually prefer over the original Galaxy S5, unless you’re an absolute believer in fingerprint scanning technology. All that’s missing now is pricing details, which could very well be the deciding factor for this rugged smartphone.
