Verizon has started its competitive game by reducing the prices of some of today's most formidable flagship smartphones to just $99.99 on a 2-years contract. Namely, they are the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8. There is a catch, though apart from signing up for two years, prospective Galaxy S5 owners also have to put in a $50 mail rebate.

 

Before setting the $99.99 price in stone, Verizon carried both the S5 and the M8 at $199.99 with the option of buying one phone and getting another free with a contract, of course.

Verizon S5 Offer,  Verizon M8 Offer

 

Having Google Play Editions of all popular flagships has become somewhat of a tradition. Now that the Samsung Galaxy S5 has been around for a while many fans are wondering if it will also get the GPE treatment.

 

 

Apparently, Samsung and Google are working on such edition and Google has just spilled the beans. The device popped up briefly on the Play Store among the others GPE devices. No info about the official release date or price yet.

 

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Samsung is preparing to launch the younger brother of its latest flagship, Galaxy S5 and it will be called Samsung Galaxy S5 mini. Latest specs for the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini revealed that the device will have the IP67 certification for water and dust proof.

 

That news was confirmed on Friday by Samsung New Zealand on the manufacturer's website (Update: Page has been Edited and S5mini name removed). There you will find some warranty information related to the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini. According to the site, the warranty is excluded if the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini is submerged in water for 30 minutes or more.

Galaxy S5 mini is rumored to pack a 4.5 inch screen with a 720 x 1280 display, powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 400. 1.5GB of RAM is on board. No, this is not the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. There is 16GB of native storage and the back and front-facing cameras weigh in at 8MP and 2MP respectively. Android 4.4 will be pre-installed.

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Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 is the hottest devices on the market right now. However, here's a list of 5 Galaxy S5 features that you won't find in the One M8:

 

1- High-resolution camera

 

We can all agree that megapixels aren't the primary factor when it comes to the quality of a camera's images, but they sure are important. At least that's what we've come to learn by examining the HTC One (M8)'s 4 MP UltraPixel shooter and the GS5's 16 MP camera. Fact is that the higher resolution of the S5's pictures translates into way more visible detail.
High-resolution camera

 

2- IP 67 certification

 

Sure, the One (M8) cannot be scared by a few drops of water, but how about having a swim? Well, that's a strict no-no. However, that's absolutely possible with the Galaxy S5 which is IP 67 certified, meaning that it's completely dust-proof, and can be submerged in up to 1 meter of water for as long as 30 minutes. Not that you're advised to try it, but the comfort of knowing your device isn't in constant danger can be valuable.

 

3- Fingerprint sensor

 

Although it may not be the perfect implementation, the fingerprint sensor of the Galaxy S5 is still there, and can be used for things like secure unlocking and PayPal purchase authorization. Yes, it may not work each and every time, and yes it requires you to swipe with moderate speed, instead of just touch, but hey - it's better than having no fingerprint sensor at all, right?
Fingerprint sensor

4- Removable battery

 

History has proven that the lack of a removable battery isn't a deal-breaker for most users out there, but for a tech-savvy person, being able to remove and swap the battery of a mobile device on the fly can be priceless, especially if you're used to watching a lot of video or playing games throughout the day. That's one thing that the One (M8)'s attractive aluminum body cannot offer you.
Removable battery

 

5- USB 3.0 port

 

We have to admit that Samsung is a pioneer when it comes to incorporating USB 3.0 in smartphones. After the Galaxy Note 3, the manufacturer has decided to include support for the new USB standard in its Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone, and that's great news, since it's going to allow faster transfer speeds and faster charging through the USB port of a computer. Meanwhile, the One (M8) can only offer you a good old USB 2.0 connection.

 

 

The Samsung Galaxy S5 launched globally on April 11 and just One week after launch (11-18,April) it grew to represent 0.7% of all active Android phones Globally, according to the analyst firm Localytics. This compares to the 1.1% of all active iPhones that the iPhone 5s managed in its first week of sale.

 

Still, it's important to note that Android encompasses a larger number of manufacturers and the Number of Active Android Handsets in the World is Far Greater than the Total Active iPhones devices in the world. Localytics suggests that the busy Android landscape is partly responsible for the proportionally slower growth of the new Samsung flagship.

 

 

For comparison, the predecessor to the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy S4, currently holds a 51% market share in the United States, 28% in Europe and 21% in all remaining countries.

 

 

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