Android: Samsung Galaxy S5, one year on

Samsung Galaxy S5, one year on

1. Hardware tradeoffs

In a world of precisely-machined metal and glass phones with unique designs, it's hard to call the Galaxy S5 a beautiful device. That being said the plastic gives you durability, a comfortable feel and waterproofing â€" has it turned out to be a worthy tradeoff for you?
Phil Nickinson: It's not that hard to call it a beautiful device. I'm pretty sure I did it (or came close) in our hands-on video. Or maybe I came close to it. For whatever reason, that dimpled back did good things to me. And I think that's very much because I got to see the four colors together â€" white, black, gold and blue. In that context, and with the soft-touch back (not all colors sported that feature), I liked the design just fine. It's Samsung. It's meat and potatoes. It's lacking the design chops of, say, HTC and LG, but that's not to say it's badly designed.
(That said, I completely agree with what Alex is about to say with the port situation.)
Alex Dobie: Having spent some quality time with late 2014 Samsung offerings like the Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4, the Galaxy S5 looks and feels like a toy by comparison. I may have praised it the time for doing plastic better than its predecessors, but things have moved on considerably since we first saw the GS5. Many lesser-known manufacturers have Samsung's 2014 flagship firmly beaten on design and build quality, and that's surely been reflected in sales of the device.
And to hell with that annoying plastic flap and lopsided USB 3.0 port.
That said, the quantum leap in industrial design represented by the Note 4 gives me hope for the Galaxy S6.
Andrew Martonik: To this day I'm still a big fan of the soft dimpled back on the Galaxy S5. It reminds me a lot of what ASUS did with the original Nexus 7 â€" it just stays put in your hand, without getting greasy or weird over time like some soft-touch materials can. Sadly, that great back plate meets up with some very poorly-done shiny plastic, which makes a half-hearted attempt at being metal and really brings down the overall quality of the device.
The Galaxy S5 is built like a tank and mine has nary a scratch or ding on it despite being tossed around a bit â€" and the fact that it's waterproof means I just haven't worried about where I go with the phone. It's just a shame that that has to come with a pretty low-quality look in an otherwise high-end device. Considering the new materials and designs that came out of the Galaxy Note 4 and even the lower-end Galaxy A series I suspect the cheap plastic is gone for good, and I won't shed a tear for its departure.
Russell Holly: I wouldn't call the GS5 an ugly phone, but it is certainly not a device where the design is a contributing factor in your purchase. The big benefit to this design has been its durability. I have dropped this phone more than most others, and you wouldn't know that by looking at it. I never felt like this phone needed to be in a case to survive, and that's a big deal for me as I'm not a fan of cases to begin with. I certainly wouldn't complain if Samsung dropped the tacky chrome bezels, and if devices we've seen from Samsung since the launch of the GS5 are any indicator my wish has already been granted.