Help deciding between Samsung Galaxy S5 or S6. Will the S5 become obsolete soon?

[logicalxm]

Hi,

I am an iPhone user but I will be giving away my iPhone 5s to my brother.
Ideally, it would make sense for me to upgrade to the latest iPhone 6s. However, I do not consider it a huge improvement over the iPhone 6. The iPhone 7 which should be released this year will be however a worthy upgrade I assume.

As I need to get a phone right now to replace my iPhone 5s, I am considering obtaining a Samsung phone; I always wanted to experience the "other" ecosystem.
I decided to get an unlocked phone from classified adds (i.e. eBay, Kijiji). Consequently, I will be free to upgrade to the iPhone 7/7s or possibly Galaxy S7 in the future if I'll decide to stick with Android.

I am debating whether I should save my money and go with the Samsung Galaxy S5?
I am told that it is still a fast phone and has the obvious advantages of a removable battery and upgradeable storage. I can find it unlocked for around $320 CAD ($225 US).
On the other hand, there is the Galaxy S6. If I'll get the 32gb it would be satisfactory for me, even without an upgradeable storage. It has a better camera, which is a plus for me. It also has more RAM and a faster processor. I can find it for around $570 CAD ($400 US).
I am aware the the Galaxy S7 is coming out in February-March, but I do not want to overspend on the phone and I need a phone sooner than March.

Basically, I would like to obtain a phone that can last me 1-2 years. My biggest requirements for the phone is for it not to be a slow/lagging device. I would like to be able to open apps at a reasonable speed. The iPhone 5s performance is deemed to be quite satisfactory in my opinion.
In essence, I would like to save money and go with the Galaxy S5. However, it is more important for me to buy a phone that is "futureproof" as much as it can be. I do not know how "futureproof" Galaxy S5 is compared to the Galaxy S6.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[monkey333]

What about a note 4?

 

[ghost recon88]

Which carrier are you on? That will make a difference, as the Verizon devices are locked down and you can't flash newer custom ROMs on them like you could other carrier's devices (which would extend the life of your device).

 

[poofyhairguy]

This is a very hard question to answer, because we don't know your expectation level.

Will a Galaxy S5 "not be a slow/lagging device" in a year or two? Sure, Android apps usually don't require flagship specs, so however fast a Galaxy S5 is today is how fast it will be in a year.

But the issue is that you are used to iOS, so you probably expect some things (like the fact that a fast enough device still gets updates) that aren't true for Android.

If the question is more "Will a Galaxy S5 allow me to run the newest version of Android like I was able to do on my iPhone" the answer is absolutely not. The Galaxy S5 might never get an Android update past 6.0 given Samsung's history. If you want a device that will get updates and be "current" with software then the S6 is the only Samsung option.

Basically what the Galaxy S5 is today is what it will be. The apps it can run today it will run in two years. The OS it runs today it will run in two years.

Personally I wouldn't buy a S5, but I really care about being on the newest version of the OS. Its Nexus or bust for me.

 

[gpse]

Personally I would buy something cheap for now since you plan on getting the iPhone 7 in September. Look for a used 2015 Moto X or Nexus 5. Samsung has touchWiz which is a skin that runs over Android, for a pure Android experience then Moto X or Nexus.

 

[theeedude]

S5 will be fine for your needs, IMO. I got the S6 for the better fingerprint sensor, but it still sucks and I turned it off.

 

[cbrunny]

I have a note 4. I'll never buy another Samsung smartphone again.

It's actually a great phone. The screen is really nice, and the system is pretty snappy. Touchwiz is fine once you turn off the stuff you don't want or need. I have no real complaints about it. battery life is even pretty good. I get through a full day with 40%+ left most of the time. I even have a nice flip case (first party) that is pretty slick.

But it has TERRIBLE gps. I have a thread here that complains about it. Very poor. If you use your cell's GPS a lot, go a route other than samsung. google says that most samsung phones have bad gps.

I am also regretting a phone with such a huge screen. My next one will be closer to the Z5 compact in size. There is such a thing as too big.

 

[gorcorps]

I have a note 4. I'll never buy another Samsung smartphone again.

It's actually a great phone. The screen is really nice, and the system is pretty snappy. Touchwiz is fine once you turn off the stuff you don't want or need. I have no real complaints about it. battery life is even pretty good. I get through a full day with 40%+ left most of the time. I even have a nice flip case (first party) that is pretty slick.

But it has TERRIBLE gps. I have a thread here that complains about it. Very poor. If you use your cell's GPS a lot, go a route other than samsung. google says that most samsung phones have bad gps.

I am also regretting a phone with such a huge screen. My next one will be closer to the Z5 compact in size. There is such a thing as too big.

I had a love/hate relationship with the Note 4. It was the best feeling phone Samsung had put out. It had a great screen with good autobrightness settings that IMO was always on point for my brightness preference. The software was solid, and many of the features Samsung built in or were a part of Touchwiz I miss on my Nexus 6p.

That said, yes the GPS had some issues. I'm not sure why but it seems like it would only work for 20-30 minutes before it would lose connection, and then it wouldn't be stable for quite some time. Pretty annoying if you're driving a longer way and need it.

I also started having really bad battery life after the latest update. I did a factory reset and nothing changed. Even the idle battery life was pretty poor, not sure what was causing it.

 

[magomago]

the S5 is slow and laggy, especially when switching between apps. I wouldn't get it. I was in a similar situation to you, and i got a tmobile S5, and it is dreadful. I tried factory restarts, clearing cache, controlling all the apps I put on it and testing for effects...the only real help was to put a custom Kitkat Rom on it, but it wasn't satisfactory. I still have the phone today, and I can't wait for Nexus 2016.

at this point, I wouldn't even consider the S5. The S6 would be the minimum I'd compromise for, especially if you want it for 1-2 years.

 

[core2slow]

These kind of threads always make me chuckle. Wouldn't the choice be obvious if you want a phone that's as futureproof as possible and is fast?

Over the course of 1-2yrs, is an extra $200 going to matter that much to you wherein you'll forgo an S6 for an S5? Honestly, you're probably going to spend that much or more on something frivolous on Amazon within the next hour without flinching, let alone something you carry with you and use everyday.

 

[lxskllr]

Expandable storage, and removable battery are important to me, so I would get the S5. It's what I'm currently using, and I'm happy enough with it. I expect to keep it til it dies. Hopefully at least five years.

 

[Ns1]

Why don't you just get a used iphone6 since you came from an iphone and want to move to an iphone again later.

 

[ignrock]

I have a note 4. I'll never buy another Samsung smartphone again.

I was planning on buying one of those. Would you say it's laggy? I'm not going to use the GPS that much, so I hope I will be good for me.

 

[blankslate]

According to reviews I have seen Samsung scaled back the intrusiveness of the touchwiz launcher on the Note 4 compared to their earlier phones like the note 3, S5, etc. and it should be fairly snappy even by today's standards.

You don't have to use their launcher. Google's launcher and other launchers like Nova Launcher and Apex Launcher are available on the play store and in my experience make your phone feel snappier then touchwiz.

Also if you are looking at the Note 4 and don't need the S-pen I'd suggest that you play around with the LG V10. It's very much like a Note 4 without the S-Pen.


___________________

 

[logicalxm]

What about a note 4?

It is a nice phone but I find it will be too big coming from my iPhone 5s.

Which carrier are you on? That will make a difference, as the Verizon devices are locked down and you can't flash newer custom ROMs on them like you could other carrier's devices (which would extend the life of your device).

I reside in Canada. Yes, for us buying unlocked Android phones that came from Verizon or some other US carriers sometimes requires obtaining custom ROMS from what I've heard.

This is a very hard question to answer, because we don't know your expectation level.

Will a Galaxy S5 "not be a slow/lagging device" in a year or two? Sure, Android apps usually don't require flagship specs, so however fast a Galaxy S5 is today is how fast it will be in a year.

But the issue is that you are used to iOS, so you probably expect some things (like the fact that a fast enough device still gets updates) that aren't true for Android.

If the question is more "Will a Galaxy S5 allow me to run the newest version of Android like I was able to do on my iPhone" the answer is absolutely not. The Galaxy S5 might never get an Android update past 6.0 given Samsung's history. If you want a device that will get updates and be "current" with software then the S6 is the only Samsung option.

Basically what the Galaxy S5 is today is what it will be. The apps it can run today it will run in two years. The OS it runs today it will run in two years.

Personally I wouldn't buy a S5, but I really care about being on the newest version of the OS. Its Nexus or bust for me.

That is a valid point. I do not want to be "disappointed" with Android and getting an older phone such as the Galaxy S5 can prove to be just that. I would like the phone to be comparable or even better than my Iphone 5s. I guess I'm kind of contradicting myself by saying that I want a fast phone that will open apps smoothly, while expecting a 2 year old phone (Galaxy S5) to meet those requirements.

Personally I would buy something cheap for now since you plan on getting the iPhone 7 in September. Look for a used 2015 Moto X or Nexus 5. Samsung has touchWiz which is a skin that runs over Android, for a pure Android experience then Moto X or Nexus.

I would like to get the iPhone 7 for sure. However, it is largely dependent of the reviews the phone will receive. Dealing with Apple and taking into account all their capital and their image to maintain, one can surely assume that the iPhone 7 will be a great phone. Still, if the phone will be too expensive or if that Galaxy S7 will receive beter scores from online review site, I will have no reservations about getting the Galaxy S7.
I did consider getting a cheap phone like the Galaxy S4 for a few months till I will get a clearer picture of the iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7. I just don't want to use an under performing phone with a similarly unde performing camera for the remaining of the year. Nonetheless

S5 will be fine for your needs, IMO. I got the S6 for the better fingerprint sensor, but it still sucks and I turned it off.

, it might be the ideal solution if the current phones are of no high interest for me.

S5 will be fine for your needs, IMO. I got the S6 for the better fingerprint sensor, but it still sucks and I turned it off.

I guess. The fingerprint scanner is of no big importance to me though. Do you consider the S6 to be a much faster and better performing phone compared to the Galaxy S5?

the S5 is slow and laggy, especially when switching between apps. I wouldn't get it. I was in a similar situation to you, and i got a tmobile S5, and it is dreadful. I tried factory restarts, clearing cache, controlling all the apps I put on it and testing for effects...the only real help was to put a custom Kitkat Rom on it, but it wasn't satisfactory. I still have the phone today, and I can't wait for Nexus 2016.

at this point, I wouldn't even consider the S5. The S6 would be the minimum I'd compromise for, especially if you want it for 1-2 years.

I'm slowly beginning to understand that I will not be happy with the S5 for a 2 year period. One year? Possibly.

Why don't you just get a used iphone6 since you came from an iphone and want to move to an iphone again later.

That was my initial plan. I really don't find the 6s a worthy upgrade, but the iPhone 6 should suit me well for two years I believe. I kind of decided to go against getting the iPhone 6 due to the high price on contract. Getting it used from Kijiji is still expensive, but affordable; additionally, you can't beat Apple's resale value. My main reservations against taking the used iPhone route is the unwillingness of having a cosmetically imperfect phone due to scratches that are present most of the time and more importantly, even if the phone was barely used it can be blacklisted or can become blacklisted. It is always risky to purchase a used iPhone from individuals.
Buying an iPhone 6 from eBay or Amazon for instance is just too expensive.

I talked to the mobile vendor at my local Costco, and he advisaed me to wait for the Galaxy S7 to come out at the end of February and then to either get the S7 or at least get the S6 at a cheaper price. I reckon it is my best option...