Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsThe preffered phone for active or clumsy users is the galaxy s5 ACTIVE.
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2014
The galaxy s5 ACTIVE is by far the best cell phone I have had to date. I am somewhat clumsy and drop things easily. I was pleased to see a phone which is built to withstand some abuse.
I own a galaxy tab so that has made the phone functions familiar. My complaint with the tab is that two of the three function buttons on the front are not actual buttons but are activated by touch. As I am constantly inadvertently swiping them while using the tablet I have found them to be a pain. In the active phone version all three function buttons are actually buttons which fixes that issue. They have changed the function of the first button and I preferred it as was originally and hope I can figure out how to reprogram it permanently.
It is supposed to be more resistant to impact, water proof etc. but I have no intention of deliberately trying it out. I have purchased a case and screen protector to be on the safe side but this phone feels meater than the others so that may be redundant.
It has always been my experience that phones should function as phones first and most importantly and that trying to turn them into everything under the sun is often a mistake. Let's face it there are excellent heart rate monitors and pedometers on the market sold for that sole purpose and it is unlikely that a cell phone can match their performance. The heart rate monitor was accurate enough when I checked it against a medical one. The pedometer is a waste unless you always carry your phone around. The ones that you wear on your ankle or wrist are far more accurate and easy to use. The fitness app/program which is heavily promoted requires an invasion of privacy I consider unacceptable plus it would take forever to keep it updated.
This phone came preloaded with a bunch of apps installed which I neither want or would ever use. I am trying to uninstall them and so far there are a few that do not provide an uninstall option. I think the price you pay for the phone is a direct correlation to the amount of preloaded programing and your willingness to sign up for a 2 year contract.
While I have little interest in all the bells and whistles, they are there for those who do want them. It may duplicate some of my existing tablet functions and those things like reading books, listening to music or recorded books are nice to have but if I want to take a beautiful picture it will be with my 35mms camera and not with my cell phone! The camera on the phone is superior to many other cell phones cameras but for a planned picture it would not be my first choice. It was nice to have that phone function as I took several pics of a funny bumper sticker through my cars window while stopped at a red light and after cropping the picture I could see what the bumper sticker said.
But the best feature is that I can if I so desire turn off the bells and whistles thus extending the battery life and insuring I have what I really need, a working cell phone!
I will update further after more usage but my initial impression is that this is the phone of choice particularly for people who are either active or clumsy or both.
Update: The phone came with a set of in ear headphones with 2 additional sized ends which I did not look at closely. To my delight I found out last night that they are actually good headphones as they have an in line volume control and stop button. It is about 5 inches off one side but the controls are raised so it only took a little practice to get the feel of how to operate. It is my opinion that the failure to have that control makes most headphones a waste of time unless you are setting in a chair listening. While I walk my dogs I stop to talk to neighbors or traffic sounds change or if using inside I turn on the vacuum, etc. and I don't want to have to dig out my phone to change the volume or turn off the phone. I do have to get the phone out to turn it back on which is a shame. I received a phone call while listening to an audio book. It temporarily stopped the book and automatically restarted when I ended the call. These headphones would cost at least 20.00 with the inline controls so kudos to Samsung for providing them for free.
