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Extreme closeup: Samsung's Galaxy S5 (pictures)

Samsung's new head honcho, the Galaxy S5, struts its new matte backing, fingerprint scanner, and heart-rate monitor. Get an eyeful in this photo tour.

Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Jessica Dolcourt
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1 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

With the Galaxy S5, Samsung has topped its 2013 model with this year's top-tier specs, like an excellent 16-megapixel camera and superspeedy quad-core processor, and even more hardware features, like a fingerprint scanner.

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2 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

The Galaxy S5's 5.1-inch HD AMOLED display has just about the same specs as the Galaxy S4, with the addition of new adaptive screen technology that improves automatic brightness settings in various lighting situations. The result? A clear, bright, beautiful display.

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3 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

The GS5's back panel is a nice matte finish that deflects gummy buildup and glare.

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4 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

The fingerprint scanner stores up to three profiles.

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5 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

If you don't swipe just right, you'll get an error.

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6 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

The heart-rate monitor takes your blood pressure.

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7 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

Ultra power-saving mode turns the screen to grayscale to save power dramatically.

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8 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

Seal this charging port to make the phone water- and dust-resistant.

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9 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

This rubber gasket also seals delicate internals.

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10 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

The phone's 16-megapixel camera improves low-light functions and took great daytime shots.

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11 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

The front-facing camera automatically airbrushes photos.

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12 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

An IR blaster lets you control your TV.

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13 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

The Galaxy S5 is slim and light and very portable, despite its larger size.

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14 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

Samsung's physical home button remains, though the menu button is replaced by a touch-sensitive multitasking button to the left.

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15 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

The speaker grille on the back makes speakerphone conversations somewhat muffled.

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16 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

Here, the Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, and iPhone 5S fight it out in a dogpile.

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17 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

Compared to the larger Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8, the iPhone 5S looks dinky.

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18 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

A short stack by any other name.

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19 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET

One last look at the Samsung Galaxy S5. For the full review, video, and pros and cons, check out our full Galaxy S5 review.

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