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The Galaxy S5

sumsingwong said:
I've brought this up in the past and Samsung faithful just downplayed it and stated majority use headphones/earbuds anyway when listening to music so it's not that big of a concern. I never understood why manufacturers placed speakers on the back of the device. These are smartphones where people look at the screen while using it. Speakers should be on the front.
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It can be done successfully. The Lumia 1520 for example has it's speaker on the back, and contrary to the assumption this would muffle or restrict the sound output, the actual positioning / angle and air space around the Lumia 1520's rear speaker actually enables the device to turn any surface its on (a table or pressed against a wall) to act like a woofer and amplify the the sound resulting in louder volume when on a flat surface than when speaker is facing upwards.

So there are examples of exceptions to the the rule, and it's down to manufacturer.
 
MacRumorUser said:
It can be done successfully. The Lumia 1520 for example has it's speaker on the back, and contrary to the assumption this would muffle or restrict the sound output, the actual positioning / angle and air space around the Lumia 1520's rear speaker actually enables the device to turn any surface its on (a table or pressed against a wall) to act like a woofer and amplify the the sound resulting in louder volume when on a flat surface than when speaker is facing upwards.



So there are examples of exceptions to the the rule, and it's down to manufacturer.
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I'm only speaking from experience with my GS4. When I'm holding it, the sound goes right into my palm which muffles or mutes the sound. I very rarely use my phones while they are laying on a hard surface. Other manufacturers need to find out how Nokia does it. The dual front facing stereo speakers on my Nexus 10 sound great.
 
MacRumorUser said:
It can be done successfully. The Lumia 1520 for example has it's speaker on the back, and contrary to the assumption this would muffle or restrict the sound output, the actual positioning / angle and air space around the Lumia 1520's rear speaker actually enables the device to turn any surface its on (a table or pressed against a wall) to act like a woofer and amplify the the sound resulting in louder volume when on a flat surface than when speaker is facing upwards.

So there are examples of exceptions to the the rule, and it's down to manufacturer.
Click to expand...
Agree.....the IP5 is another example of a phone that sounds better when on a flat surface. My S4 also has the same effect when on a flat surface. the sound that comes out actually sounds better that if I were holding it. I think they are designed this way.....IMHO :)
 
I think the best placement for speakers is on the front like HTC have on the one. On the back they are distorted if placed on a surface (unless face down). On the side (bottom) they get distorted when holding in landscape.

I do think the side placement is better than the back though, like on my note 3.

My S4 has a back speaker and it still provides decent sound. Obviously not as good as HTC's boom speakers but you can't have it all.
 
Shanghaichica said:
I think the best placement for speakers is on the front like HTC have on the one. On the back they are distorted if placed on a surface (unless face down). On the side (bottom) they get distorted when holding in landscape.

I do think the side placement is better than the back though, like on my note 3.

My S4 has a back speaker and it still provides decent sound. Obviously not as good as HTC's boom speakers but you can't have it all.
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HTC's Boomsound speakers is nice but if I want sound clarity or or sound quality, I'll use a Bluetooth speaker or other type of device. I just want an external speaker that is loud enough to hear when driving in a car or standing out in a public location like a shopping mall, don't need perfection, just volume.
 
sumsingwong said:
I've brought this up in the past and Samsung faithful just downplayed it and stated majority use headphones/earbuds anyway when listening to music so it's not that big of a concern. I never understood why manufacturers placed speakers on the back of the device. These are smartphones where people look at the screen while using it. Speakers should be on the front.
Click to expand...

Do you know most of flat panel TVs place speakers on the back?
 
khha4113 said:
Do you know most of flat panel TVs place speakers on the back?
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That's why they all sound really bad and most owners purchase sound bars or surround sound systems which can be purchased for low prices nowadays. Good sounding speakers cannot be placed in flat panel TV's because they are so thin now. Another reason They can be on the rear is because they are usually up against walls which deflect sounds back out. Not so much with phones which are usually being held in a hand.
 
rockitdog said:
Less than 48 hours... I'm stupidly excited about this.... anyone else?
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I feel confused and frustrated rather than excited right now. I spent some more time with the S5 today and I still can't decide what to do. I like everything about it except its size. I keep telling myself to just buy it and get used to it, but I don't know if I can. The S5 Mini is probably a couple months away, but I don't know if its screen will be as nice and bright as the S5. The AMOLED on the S5 is the first one I've seen that looks good.
 
I received my S5 today! So far so good! I'm quite happy with it at the moment. Feels great in the hand, pictures look great, nice and smooth and I'm enjoying the redone Touchwiz.:)

111571d1397064948-t-galaxy-s5-just-delivered-20140409_123057.jpg


not sure how to make the picture slighty smaller. I just copied the link of my picture from over at Android Central on my post.
 
sumsingwong said:
I've brought this up in the past and Samsung faithful just downplayed it and stated majority use headphones/earbuds anyway when listening to music so it's not that big of a concern. I never understood why manufacturers placed speakers on the back of the device. These are smartphones where people look at the screen while using it. Speakers should be on the front.
Click to expand...

Yeah speaker on the back and mic on the front is dumb, especially when you use the speaker phone for calls.

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g33kologist said:
I received my S5 today! So far so good! I'm quite happy with it at the moment. Feels great in the hand, pictures look great, nice and smooth and I'm enjoying the redone Touchwiz.:)

Image

not sure how to make the picture slighty smaller. I just copied the link of my picture from over at Android Central on my post.
Click to expand...

Nice, would like to know how they compare to a note 3 with speed and lag?
 
Robster3 said:
Yeah speaker on the back and mic on the front is dumb, especially when you use the speaker phone for calls.

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Nice, would like to know how they compare to a note 3 with speed and lag?
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I haven't noticed any lag so far, feels quite smooth.
 
I think the back of the white model is awesome looks-wise. Haven't held one yet.
 
AppleRobert said:
AT&T stores have demo units. Go take a peak if you are curious. You already have the better Android smartphone, maybe even the best for 2014! :)
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Bit far from Australia:p Was just curious won't be changing. The note 3 has been the only Samsung that didn't feel too cheap to me. Looks like this one is similar.
 
Got my S5 from AT&T today. So far I like it coming from a 5S. I like the feel in hand. I bought the spigen tough armor and the case makes it bigger than I would like so I am going to go without a case.

The back of the phone feels nearly exactly like the Note 3 to me.

The screen is great. The whites really are white, which bothered the hell out of me being slightly blue with the note 3 and galaxy s4.

The transfer from iCloud using Samsungs app worked well, however it would not transfer memos.

Speaker is similar to the Note 3, it is loud, but lacks bass.

Camera is great.

One of the biggest things that I am happy to report is that I am able to unlock the S5 with one hand, swiping my thumb across the home button at an angle. This works great and I was surprised and thought that I was going to just use the pattern lock, but instead will keep the fingerprint activated as it works nearly 100% of the time, even at an angle.

Anyone have any other questions before they get theirs tomorrow or Friday?
 
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