The original Galaxy S was a rare case of getting everything right: speed, ease of use, beauty.

Fantastic screen; Great camera; Waterproof (IP67; Biometrics

TouchWiz; Big

Samsung continues their reign over the Android smartphone market with their flagship phone – the Galaxy S5 . While Samsung doesn't stray too far from its recognizable plastic design, they did add a dimpled back texture to address concerns over the slipperiness of the earlier model.

Bright display with excellent contrast; bright light legibility and color accuracy; 16MP rear-facing camera takes sharp and crisp bright light photos; Excellent battery life; IP67 rating

Slow startup on certain apps like the camera and settings; Uninspired plastic design; Poor auto-brightness

Samsung is the global leader in the smartphone market, with 31.2 percent in Q1 2014 according to analyst firm Strategy Analytics (down from 32.4% in Q1 2013). Although Samsung's 2013 flagship Galaxy S4 won multiple awards, it also received criticism for having too much software on-board, too many...

Good battery life; Software bloat has been reduced; Nice usability features

Plastic chassis; Fingerprint scanner is tricky to use; Average-quality sound from speaker

The Android smartphone wars are heating up here in Q2 with Samsung, HTC and releasing flagship devices targeted at luring in enthusiasts and mainstream consumers who might be looking to upgrade to the latest technologies and screen sizes.

After the initial release of the Galaxy S5, Samsung has been busy spinning off new versions of its flagship smartphone. First came the drop-proof and water-resistant Galaxy S5 Active for AT&T, and now there's the Galaxy S5 Sport for Sprint.

A technological tour de force, the Galaxy S5 is Samsung's best smartphone to date.

Industry-leading performance; Gorgeous HD screen is best on the market; Fingerprint scanner works flawlessly; Excellent camera with huge range of features; Impressive battery life, and battery saving mode

Design feels dated with little change in two years; Rear cover and fake chrome bezel will not appear to everyone; Heart rate monitor seems to have little use

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is likely to be one of the best selling devices of 2014. It is the successor to the incredibly successful Galaxy S4 that, despite the attempts of HTC, Sony Mobile and LG, sold by the truckload.

Great display; good camera performance; fast connectivity; software makes good use of larger display; reasonable battery life

Plastic build; navigation of the user interface feels slower than it should be

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is a great phone, and while it is not a huge re-imagining of the firm's flagship model, the tweaks and additions that Samsung has made make a huge difference.

Fantastic screen; smooth performance; latest version of Android; Touchwiz is huge improvement; great camera; good battery life; fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor are worthwhile additions

Touchwiz can feel overbearing in places; lacks a premium feel; Nothing

The Galaxy S5 appears to be Samsung's best smartphone so far. There are some negative points but it is still the best handset Samsung has ever produced. The Galaxy S5 appears to be Samsung's best smartphone so far.

Outstanding Performance; HD Display is best available; Fingerprint scanner is impressive; Great snapper with great feature range; Lengthy battery life and a battery saving option

Rather dated design; Back cover and fake chrome bezel will not be everyone's cup of tea; Heartrate monitor not much use

The Samsung Galaxy S5 can be defined by one word: evolution. The camera was evolved to give clearer, faster snaps. The fitness-tracking abilities of the S5 are enhanced over the Galaxy S4 by packing in a more powerful S Health app and a dedicated heart rate monitor on the rear.