Samsung Galaxy S Galaxy S5

I used to have a Galaxy S5, the model that usually comes up in these discussions. Now, I never went and threw it in a swimming pool, or pressure washed it, or whatever other ridiculous test you may come up with. But I did attach it to my motorbike's handlebars and ride around under heavy rain on more occasions than I care to remember. It was often drenched to the point that the map on the screen was basically illegible without stopping and wiping off the water. But it never skipped a beat. Basically, I was the limiting factor and would eventually give up and find some hotel with a hot shower to pass the night.

Disclaimer: I last used it years ago. My experience was that while it was great with all the features, the photo quality simply was worse than the stock manufacturer app in newer phones. Only in my old Samsung Galaxy S5 was the quality on par. Yes, by all means, everyone should try and compare.

>Modern phones are smaller, need to be more water proof, stuffed to an unimaginable degree with components -- and modern batteries last a really long time. This argument always comes up when talking about replaceable smartphone batteries and headphone jacks. But Samsung had waterproof phones before Apple, and they still had replaceable batteries and, gasp a headphone jack. I actually had a Galaxy S5 which I used as a GPS attached to my motorcycle's handlebars under heavy rain. It never skipped a beat. The only problem I had was that raindrops on the screen made it difficult to see the map. It was also thinner than the iPhone 7 which replaced it. Now I have an iPhone 14 pro which is even thicker than the 7. I also had to replace the battery on that iPhone 7, which was an unbelievable PITA. Had to stand in line to talk to the service person even though I had an appointment, go away for a few hours, come back, stand in line again to pick up my phone. Fuck that. I'd much rather go to some store, buy a new battery, and replace it in less than one minute, on my terms. So, yeah, pardon my French, but these tired arguments are just bullshit. There is prior art that proves them wrong.

Nyet, comrade. She was at the front like some sort of living maidenhead while I leisurely rowed at the back with the entrenching tool that I kept in the car, one evening at an outdoor music festival somewhere in the Midwest. It was all very beautiful; the girl was beautiful, the sky was beautiful, the music was beautiful, and the place itself was beautiful; everything was approximately perfect. There was such a profound feeling of rightness as the sun set, and I wished it would never end. Except: I had to pee. So I stood up to take care of that and the stolen canoe simply went sideways. My entrenching tool disappeared (along with one of my sandals, and the boat itself), the girl went for a swim, and most importantly my key fob got drenched. We swam to the nearest shore and hiked back through the dense young trees and brush using the flashlight on my Galaxy S5. Once we got back to camp, the phone died for real. It was all very much a bummer in a great number of ways. The next day some kids there found and recovered the boat and my missing sandal. We didn't make it, she and I. But several months later, that dead S5 came back to life like nothing had ever happened. (Don't do drugs, kids. Maybe.)

Maybe it depends on how they're made. My Galaxy S5's cover never had any issues, even after a few months with a bulging battery. It stayed in place no problem, and the phone was still waterproof enough to not care at all about being in the pouring rain on a motorcycle for several hours at a time.

Meanwhile I get 3-4 days on my Galaxy S5 (which can be further increased with their "ultra" power saving mode). Battery life has come a LONG way (again) in recent times. I'm almost back to feature phone levels and I can honestly say it's a bit of a relief. I went on a weekend trip to London and forgot my charger... no problem whatsoever. Just a couple of years ago I'd have been forced to trudge down to a crummy store and buy a charger right there and then.

the galaxy s5 had everything we are told they removed for waterproofing. removable back cover and battery, and a headphone jack

Galaxy S5 had a tool-free replaceable 2800mAh battery, with hard sides for protection. NFC. Wireless charging (as a user-installed option -- again, no tools, but did add some thickness and weight). USB 3 with OTG. HDMI over MHL. An excellent camera for the time. An OLED screen. A headphone jack. An SD card. A sim card. An IR blaster for changing TV channels at the pub. (I'm probably missing some functions here.) The bootloader was unlocked in many regions (and became unlockable in all regions). Custom roms were abundant. And it was waterproof. (In the subsequent decade+, I have heard it said over and over again that this is an impossible combination of traits. And yet, there was a time when we had all that.)

There is also a middle ground of IP67 from the Samsung Galaxy S5. I'm personally fine with the Fairphone level (they clearly prioritise easy and frequent disassembly; that's their entire brand) but for someone who wants to be able to submerge it just below the surface and walk through pouring rain for hours, that would be enough

The Galaxy S5 was only 8.1mm including camera bump, removable battery and IP67 rating.

Samsung once sold a fantastic phone. It had a wonderful camera, a great 432 PPI OLED screen, a battery that could be swapped in seconds with no tools, a headphone jack, an SD card slot, NFC, optional wireless charging, USB 3.0, HDMI output over MHL, an IR emitter for shenanigans, heart rate and blood oxygen saturation sensors, and at 8.1mm thick it was also waterproof. It was hackable, rootable, and it ran aftermarket ROMs like a dream. It was the Galaxy S5, and it was released just over a decade ago. Things have been headed downhill ever since.

For me, it would be the Samsung Galaxy S5 but with modern hardware. In addition to being small, with SD card and 3.5mm jack, it is water resistant and has a removable battery. It is also one of the most robust non-hardened phones. It has an IR blaster too if it matters to you. It was a time when Samsung was known for its gimmicks, the one for the Galaxy S5 is "Air View", where it recognizes your finger hovers over the screen. It is actually a good one, because it supports the "hover" targets in web pages! Most people find it ugly though, and I tend to agree, but if you use a case, like most people do, who cares what the phone inside looks like?

The Samsung Galaxy S5 was IP67, with a fully toolless, user-replaceable battery (not to mention SIM card!). That was back in 2014.

Obligatory mention of the waterproof Galaxy S5, with its quickly-swappable battery by popping the back off. If you are willing to trade heat and pry tools for thinness , that's a legitimate opinion, but please don't blame the trade-off on waterproofing .

That may be a justification, but IMHO not the actual reason. It's about cost cutting, improving reliability, making space for more marketable features like camera and battery. BTW, Samsung Galaxy S5 had all those features, even replaceable battery and was still waterproof.