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The top 15 smartphones you can buy right now
It's possible you already purchased one of the smartphones we listed in our buyer's guide last July, but things tend to move quickly, and with fresh handsets from names like Apple, Samsung and Motorola, some of you may already be itching for an upgrade. To that end, we've made some fresh additions to our list of the latest and greatest smartphones out there today. Sure, our official Holiday Gift Guide is just around the corner, but this update will help you make some quick decisions, or at least get a head start on that holiday wish list.
Engadget giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy S5 courtesy of Tech21!
We're officially kicking winter to the curb and pretending the polar vortex never happened. It's time to revel in nature's glory by kayaking, biking or at least relocating to the backyard for a bit. Of course, that means more chances for your smartphone to tumble onto the pavement instead of couch cushions, so we've put together this week's giveaway with that in mind. The device protection gurus at Tech21 are providing a Samsung Galaxy S5 for one lucky Engadget reader and bundling it with an Impact Tactical case and Impact Shield screen protectors to keep it safe from harm. The case is all about shock absorption and impact resistance (if the name didn't clue you in) and it was designed to keep the phone's slim profile intact. All you need to do is head down to the Rafflecopter widget for up to three changes at winning this butterfinger-proofed smartphone package. Now, maybe you can have nice things again. Winner: congratulations to Viktor G., Guelph, ONT.
Defiantly plastic: designing the Galaxy S5
"Our major aims were usability, friendliness and a more humanistic design. We wanted something with a pleasing feel ... and better grip. If we used metal, [we felt] the designs felt heavy and cold," explains Senior Product Designer Dong Hun Kim, pointing to why Samsung still plays in polycarbonate. "But with plastic, the texture is warmer. We believe users will find [the device] both warmer and friendlier. This material was also the best at visually expressing volume, better at symbolizing our design concepts." The design concept for Samsung's Galaxy S5? Modern and flash -- and boy, that blue GS5 is certainly flashy. In the middle of a design library deep inside Samsung's "Digital City" in Suwon, Jeeyeun Wang, Samsung's principal user experience designer continues, putting it to me this way: the smartphone is no longer a cold slab of technology; "it's a fashion product now."
Feedback Loop: Best Android phone, cameras in tablets, finding good deals and more!
Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There's so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week. Happy Saturday! Did you survive April Fools' Day? We did and are here to bring you another edition of Feedback Loop. This week, we debated the merits of the Samsung Galaxy S5 versus the new HTC One, asked if cameras in tablets are a good idea, talked about how to find the best gadget deals online, sought advice on the best everyday cameras and wondered what's up with these crazy luxury feature phones. Head on past the break and join the conversation in the Engadget forums.
The Galaxy S5, along with Samsung's wearable lineup, heads to AT&T
A whole lot of Samsung is about to come to AT&T. Today, the carrier announced that pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S5 will begin tomorrow both online and in stores, with shipping to start in early April. Pricing is set at $200 with a two-year contract, though it's also available for a monthly fee with AT&T's Next plans. (US Cellular customers, incidentally, will also be able to pre-order the GS 5 tomorrow for $200 on-contract.) And that's not all: tomorrow, AT&T will also put Samsung's trio of wearables up for pre-order. This includes the $299 Samsung Gear 2, the $199 Gear 2 Neo and the $199 Gear Fit. Shipping for those devices will also begin in early April.
The Galaxy S5, or was that the 5s?
Yesterday, The Motley Fool posted a premature outlook on how the Galaxy S5 will change the iPhone's fortunes. A few tidbits that we can all have a hearty laugh over: The iPhone 5s is likely to pale, at least from a hardware perspective, in comparison. The Galaxy S5 is likely to sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 in the U.S. and other developed markets (and an "Exynos Infinity" for international versions), 3GB of RAM, a 2560x1440 display, an updated/new industrial design, and a fingerprint reader. Well let's see, the actual Galaxy S5 features 2 GB of RAM (not 3 GB), a 1920x1080 display (not 2560x1440), and the only real design change was a textured back (not even remotely industrial). It did include a fingerprint reader though, but we all knew it would since the last iPhone already did it last year. 1 out of 4 isn't bad I guess. There's no doubt that the S5 will likely to be more feature-packed and have a more aesthetically pleasing design than the iPhone 5s... No, and no. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S5 is likely to be a great device, the most premium of the Android devices. Apple is probably going to lose high-end share as this product ramps, but if Apple is smart, it will prepare to host a "special event" to launch a suite of new iPhone products sooner rather than later. You're right, Apple is absolutely going to change its entire iPhone cycle to respond to Samsung. That's totally going to happen in real life.
Do you really need a 4K smartphone screen?
See those two screens up there? Pretty soon the smartphone will have the same resolution as the much bigger panel (a 27-inch Dell U2711 monitor with 2,560 x 1,440 pixels). While the snappiest CPUs, more RAM, better cameras and other frills are a must for the latest handsets, the current marketing pièce de résistance is a higher-resolution screen. In four years, we've passed from a norm of 800 x 480 to 960 x 540 and up to 720p, 1080p and soon -- likely on Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S5 -- 2,560 x 1,440 Quad HD (QHD). That works out to a borderline-insane 500-plus pixels per inch (depending on screen size) and manufacturers aren't stopping there. But is more resolution worth the extra expense if you can't even see the difference? Well, it's complicated.
NYT: Samsung Galaxy S 5 and Galaxy Gear 2 will be announced in three weeks
As Mobile World Congress approaches, it appears to become more and more evident that Samsung has chosen the Barcelona event later this month as the venue to launch the Galaxy S 5. This morning, the New York Times has confirmed through its sources that this will indeed be the case, and it's going to be quite a bit different from last year's Galaxy S flagship launch. Whereas last year's controversial show featured Broadway-style antics and blatant stereotyping, the NYT reports that "Unpacked 2014 Episode 1," the launch event, will be much more low-key. The publication also mentions a few details about the device itself. The GS5 will reportedly feature some design enhancements and spec improvements, such as a fancier camera and better processor (we'd wager that we'll see a 16MP camera and a choice of Exynos 6 or Snapdragon 805), but it sounds like Samsung plans to dial back the number of new firmware features. Curiously, the same sources tell the Times that the S5 oddly won't come with a bump in display resolution to Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440); if this is indeed the case, it likely means we'll be seeing a 1080p screen on two Galaxy S flagships in a row. We find this a bit surprising, but we wonder if supply constraints could be a reason why Samsung is holding off for now. The report also claims that we won't see an eye scanner this time around. Finally, the Times reports that Samsung isn't going to wait for its usual yearly product cycle to launch a new Galaxy Gear -- apparently, the second version of the smartwatch is also on the Unpacked agenda just a few months after its predecessor arrived. The product's quick turnaround would certainly be a huge surprise, but given its relatively poor reception and reportedly low sales, it's not unreasonable to suggest that the company wants to push out a new and improved version as soon as possible.
