Samsung Galaxy S5 vs. Apple iPhone 5s: Spec Showdown

Samsung Galaxy S5

Samsung and Apple continue their smartphone arms race. The Korean giant's new Galaxy S5 smartphone is poised to take on Cupertino's current champ, the iPhone 5s, as each company tries to leapfrog over the other semiannually. Samsung's newest device replaces the Galaxy S4 (which we also compared against the iPhone 5s) as its flagship smartphone. 

The Galaxy S5 doesn't look too different from the S4, but it sports a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, a significant bump up from the S4's 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600. The iPhone 5s's A7 processor is impressive, and we won't know whether the Galaxy S5 will beat it until we benchmark it. The iPhone 5s generally performed much better than the S4, and we'll have to see whether the S5's beefier CPU can jump ahead of it.

Note: The Samsung Galaxy S5's price is listed as $0 because North American availability has not yet been announced. The price will be updated when Samsung or any U.S. carriers announce pricing for the phone.

Name	Samsung Galaxy S5	Apple iPhone 5S
Editor Rating
Lowest Price
Dimensions	5.6 x 2.8 x 0.31 inches	4.87 x 2.31 x 0.3 inches
Weight	5.1 oz	3.95 oz
Operating System as Tested	Android 4.4	iOS
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad-Core	Apple A7
Screen Size	5.1 inches	4 inches
Screen Type	Super AMOLED HD	Retina
Screen Resolution	1920 x 1080 pixels	1136 x 640 pixels
Screen Pixels Per Inch	432 ppi	326
Camera Resolution	16 MP Rear, 2 MP Front-Facing	8 MP Rear; 1.2 MP Front-Facing
Video Camera Resolution	4K at 30fps	1080p
802.11x/Band(s)	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth Version	4.0	4.0
GPS	Yes	Yes
NFC	Yes	No
microSD Slot	Yes	No

We won't know exactly what the North American Galaxy S5 will support in cell phone networks until carriers start announcing availability and we know how the regional models will shape up, but for Wi-Fi the S5 stays ahead of the iPhone 5s, with 802.11ac support and MIMO for fast dual-band connections.

Apple's Retina display was impressive when it was first revealed, but it's fading fast compared to high-resolution Android smartphone screens. The Galaxy S4 already beat it in size and resolution with its 5-inch, 1080p screen, for a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch compared to the iPhone 5s's 4-inch, 1,136-by-640-pixel screen with 326 ppi. The Galaxy S5's slightly larger 5.1-inch 1080p screen shaves the pixel density to 432 ppi, but is still far more crisp than the iPhone 5s's Retina display.

The Galaxy S5's 16-megapixel camera offers double the resolution of the iPhone 5s's 8-megapixel camera, and can record 4K video at 30fps to add insult to injury. It keeps the same 2-megapixel front-facing camera as the Galaxy S4, still edging out the iPhone 5s's 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera.

Both devices, meanwhile, also offer fingerprint sensors to unlock the phone. On the iPhone 5s, you can also use it to purchase and download items on iTunes and the App Store. The GS5 sensor allows for secure payments via PayPal and other mobile wallets like Isis and Google Wallet. Samsung will also have an SDK so third parties can use it for authentication, too.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 will be available globally in April, and will hit all major carriers in the United States. However, no carriers have announced prices or launch dates for the phone yet. Keep an eye on PCMag.com for our upcoming review and benchmarking of the Samsung Galaxy S5.