Samsung has just unveiled its Galaxy S5, and so now in good ol’ SiliconANGLE fashion, let’s take a look and see how the latest must-have shiny gadget compares with some of the other top-of-the-range devices out there.

Will the Galaxy S5’s new security and health tracking features make it a must-have for Android lovers, or will its bulkier size prove to be too much for them to handle? Let’s find out…

The Battle of the 5s

Design:

Galaxy S5: Has a more rectangular shape than predecessors, the back panel features a more grippable-dimpled design with a matte finish, and is available in Electric Blue, Charcoal Black and Copper Gold.

Nexus 5: Available in black and white, it has a tablet-style back panel that features a matte finish and a prominent Nexus branding.

iPhone 5s: Available in Space Gray, Silver and Gold, it offers a two-toned look with its glass and metal finish.

Dimensions:

Galaxy S5: Height 142 x Width 72.5 x Depth 8.1mm, Weight 145g

Nexus 5: 137.84 x 69.17 x 8.59 mm, 130g

iPhone 5s: 123.8 mm x 58.6 mm x 7.6 mm, 112g

Display:

Galaxy S5: 5.1” 1920 x 1080 full HD Super AMOLED touchscreen

Nexus 5: 4.95” 1920×1080 display (445 ppi), Full HD IPS, Corning Gorilla Glass 3

iPhone 5s: 4” widescreen Retina and multi-touch display, 1136×640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi, fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front

Processor:

Galaxy S5: 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Krait

Nexus 5: 2.26GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800

iPhone 5s: A7 chip with 64-bit architecture, M7 motion coprocessor

Operating system:

Galaxy S5: Android 4.4.2 KitKat

Nexus 5: Android 4.4 KitKat

iPhone 5s: iOS 7

Storage:

Galaxy S5: 16/32GB, with a microSD slot up to 128GB, 2GB RAM

Nexus 5: 16/32GB, 2GB RAM

iPhone 5s: 16/32/64GB

Battery:

Galaxy S5: 2800mAh battery with a standby time of up to 390 hours and talk time of up to 21 hours

Nexus 5: 2300 mAh, Talk time up to 17 hours, Standby time up to 300 hours, Internet use time up to 8.5 hours on Wi-Fi, up to 7 hours on LTE, Wireless Charging built-in

iPhone 5s: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, charging via USB to computer system or power adapter, Talk time up to 10 hours on 3G, Standby time up to 250 hours. Internet use up to 8 hours on 3G, up to 10 hours on LTE, up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi, Video playback up to 10 hours, Audio playback up to 40 hours

Camera:

Galaxy S5: 2MP front camera, 16MP rear camera that can focus in as fast as 0.3 second and capable of 4K video recording.  The rear camera features HDR (Rich tone), Selective Focus, Virtual Tour Shot, and more.

Nexus 5: 1.3MP front facing, 8MP rear facing with Optical Image Stabilization, HDR+, Photo Sphere, auto backup which automatically saves and enhances every photo and video, Auto Awesome which automatically creates animations, photo booth shots and panoramas and libraries

iPhone 5s: FaceTime camera – 1.2MP photos (1280 by 960), 720p HD video recording, Backside illumination sensor; iSight camera – 8 megapixels with 1.5µ pixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture, Sapphire crystal lens cover, True Tone flash, Backside illumination sensor, Five-element lens, Hybrid IR filter, Autofocus, Tap to focus, Face detection, Panorama, Auto image stabilization, Burst mode, Photo geotagging

Wireless, Connectivity and External buttons:

Galaxy S5: WiFi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2×2), Bluetooth 4.0 BLE / ANT+, USB 3.0, NFC, IR Remote, LTE Cat.4 (150/50Mbps)

Nexus 5: Built-in speaker, 3.5mm stereo audio connector, Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4G/5G) 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC (Android Beam), Bluetooth 4.0, 2G/3G/4G LTE, microUSB, SlimPort enabled, Dual microphones, Ceramic power and volume buttons

iPhone 5s: 2G/3G/4G LTE, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology, 3.5 mm jack, volume buttons, sleep/power button, ring/silent switch, built-in speakers, Lightning connector, Home/Touch ID sensor

Sensors:

Galaxy S5: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, Hall, RGB ambient light, Gesture(IR), Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor

Nexus 5: GPS, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Compass. Proximity, Ambient Light, Pressure, Hall Effect sensor which measures the magnetic field strength used for proximity and presence detection likely used for smart covers.

iPhone 5s: Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Fingerprint identity sensor

Pricing and Availability:

Galaxy S5: Available starting in April and will be available in the US at AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, MetroPCS and U.S. Cellular.  Estimated cost of the device is at $650.

Nexus 5: $349 for the 16GB, $399 for the 32GB, Already available in Google Play stores in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, France, Germany, HongKong, India, Spain, Italy, Japan and Korea, and from retailers such as Sprint, T-Mobile, Amazon, Best Buy and RadioShack.

iPhone 5S: Pricing starts at $199 for a 16GB version with a two-year carrier contract, already available online, in Apple Stores, and partner retailers.

The Verdict:

One of the standout features of the iPhone 5S is its Touch ID system, but the Galaxy S5 matches this with its own fingerprint scanner that needs to be swiped to be activated. Both security features can be used to authorize payments – in Samsung’s case, the company has collaborated with PayPal to allow Galaxy S5 users to use their fingerprint to authorize payments, while the Touch ID can be used to authorize iTunes, App Store and iBooks Store purchases.

If you want a glass and metal phone, the iPhone 5S is still your best bet, as the Galaxy S5 stays true to its plastic roots, albeit their matted this time around. If you don’t mind the matte plastic casing, then the Nexus 5 or the Galaxy S5 may suit you.

If you’re a health buff and you want a smartphone that not only tracks how many steps you’ve taken, the Galaxy S5 will stand out for features such like the heart rate sensor at the back, adjacent to the LED flash of the rear camera. All you have to do is place a finger in the sensor and wait for the reading to be displayed on the device’s screen.

Another great feature of the Galaxy S5 is the Emergency Mode. When activated, the phone sends out SOS messages to a user’s emergency contacts and emergency responders. It sends out an MMS message with a link that pinpoints your location on a map, an SMS with your raw coordinates, a message with a picture automatically taken with the rear camera, a message with a picture automatically taken with the front-facing camera, and a 5-second audio recording that begins right when you activated the Emergency Mode.

Based on the new features, the Galaxy S5 seems like a pretty decent choice if you’re looking to replace your old smartphone. But if you don’t want to spend too much on a smartphone, and basic features such as the ability to make and take calls, have access to apps, or take a 360º photo, then the Nexus 5 isn’t a bad option either, especially with a lot of cool Android KitKat features available on that device.

If you’re a fanboi, no matter what features Samsung throws onto its new devices, you’ll be unlikely to dump your iPhone for it. If that sounds like you, you’re just going to have to hang on a while until Apple gets round to creating a new one sometime towards the end of this year.