Today is the first official day on which the Samsung Galaxy S5 will be available to purchase locally. It does not come cheap though, selling for a heart-stopping R10 299. The 5.1” device will be available in two flavours here in SA, with customers being able to choose from the LTE version with a 2.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset (16 GB), or the 3G version that sports Samsung’s 2.1 GHz  Exynos 5422 processor and a more capacious 32 GB of storage. 

From our brief hands-on time with the device, we can say that the full HD AMOLED screen is a winner, and that Samsung paid a lot of attention to the speed of the photography. HDR photos did not lag at all, while in general the device feels fast. It’s a shame that the Korean giant keeps persisting with a plastic body, but at least the S5 is IP67 certificated Dust & Water Resistant and can be submerged in a metre of water for up to 30 minutes. Is it going to be in-demand? You can bet your bottom dollar.

Great screen, but still a plastic body.

Added Extras

As we’ve seen with previous versions of the device, Samsung provides a number of value adds, with the S5 being no exception. Here are what S5 customers can expect to get extra.

ADH Premium

The ADH Premium covers two claims over the 24 month warranty period, including water or screen damage repairs. An additional Smart Swop or Smart Pick-up service is also included for an improved customer experience. Smart Swop allows users to receive a loan device while their smartphone is being repaired. What’s more, Smart Pick-up is a door-to-door solution, meaning the original device will be collected and returned to the consumer anywhere in South Africa.

DSTV BoxOffice

The S5 will be the first to offer DStv’s BoxOffice app, an online movie rental service available to both DStv and non- DStv subscribers. Movies range from R25 for a new release (or R30 for non-DStv Premium subscribers) to R10 for a classic. It is available to stream over the internet or can be downloaded as many times as users like, for up to 48 hours before it expires. The BoxOffice app can be found in the Google Play Store and S5 customers will receive a complimentary movie upon activation of the service.

b-there

The new b-there travel app has been exclusively designed for Samsung users in Southern Africa, by acting as an online travel agency that enables customers to search, select and pay for travel products directly from their mobile devices. These products include local and international flights, a range of accommodation options, car rental deals and travel packages. Furthermore, Galaxy device users will benefit from limited special package deals and higher discounts on all rates and fares than received when standard bookings are made through a travel agent. The b-there travel app can be downloaded free from Google Play exclusively for Samsung Galaxy devices.   

nMusic

With nMusic music, users can download their favourite tracks from a database of more than 20 million songs on Galaxy devices. By using a unique automatic cache system, even if an album, track or playlist has not been saved to offline mode, the play queued history is still available to listen to, regardless of whether the device is connected to the internet.

Mikz

The Samsung and Mikz partnership provides customers with an opportunity to create a personalised mobile shopping experience on Samsung Galaxy devices. With Mikz, users can obtain news, tips, information and special deals, handpicked from those brands that they are most interested in.

Through Mikz, users can access a number of promotions and discounts directly to their device. Initially, the app is available to S5 users and will be made available on all Samsung Galaxy devices thereafter.

Lifestory

With Lifestory, Galaxy S5 customers will be able to order photographic prints directly from their mobile device, for delivery anywhere in SA. Through a partnership with Qphoto, Samsung users qualify for over R1 000 worth of specials and discounts on prints every month, for a year. The Lifestory application can be downloaded from Google Play Store.