Samsung Galaxy S5 arrives with refinements, but still full of bloatware

The next generation of Samsung’s flagship, big-selling smartphone is here. While the hardware design is still conservative, looking a lot like the previous S4 and S3, there are a bunch of refinements inside and out on the new Samsung Galaxy S5.

Here are some of the more note-worthy details of the Galaxy S5:

• 5.1-inch screen at 1920×1080 resolution. That’s 1080p HD. No sign of rumored qHD displays
• The latest Android 4.4.2, which is good.
• Touchwiz, Samsung’s Android skin, is refreshed to look less tacky and awkward, but it’s still recognizably Touchwiz.
• Dust resistant and waterproof submerged up to 1 meter.
• The plastics feel less cheap.
• Fingerprint scanner.
• Heart-rate monitor built in, which works with the S Health app.

Despite the evolution in Touchwiz, it’s still a space-hogging beast of bloatware. The AndroidCentral crew, on the scene at MWC 2014 in Barcelona, note that the 16GB version of the Galaxy S5 with which they got a hands-on comes with a mere 7.86GB of free space. That’s a problem also seen in the S4.

Samsung is not one for bold design, and it remains to be seen if the staid S5 will impress new buyers and Galaxy upgraders in the year to come. The S5’s predecessor, the Galaxy S4, will likely fail to hit the anticipated sales figure of 100 million set by CEO JK Shin as the company battles the iPhone at the top-end and a thousand smaller rivals that are undercutting the mid-range Galaxy phones.

(Editing by Terence Lee)