Samsung Galaxy S5 Active vs Samsung Galaxy S6 Active
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy S5 Active | Samsung Galaxy S6 Active |
|---|
| Price | $3,748 | $70 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 2,800 mAh | 3,500 mAh |
| Storage (max) | 128 GB | 32 GB |
| Screen size | 5.1 in | 5.1 in |
| Main camera | 16 MP | 16 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | — | 170 g |
| Released | May 2014 | Jun 2015 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S5 Active is ahead on storage (max). Samsung Galaxy S6 Active is ahead on battery.
★ Which should you buy? Specs are close to an even split here, so Samsung Galaxy S6 Active is the better buy — the extra cost of the other one isn't matched by a clear spec advantage.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy S5 Active | Samsung Galaxy S6 Active |
|---|
| Type | Super AMOLED | Super AMOLED |
| Size | 5.1 inches | 5.1 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels (Full HD) | 1440 x 2560 pixels (Quad HD) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 |
| Pixel Density | — | ~577 ppi |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy S5 Active | Samsung Galaxy S6 Active |
|---|
| OS | Android 4.4.2 KitKat, upgradable to 6.0.1 Marshmallow | — |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 | Exynos 7 Octa 7420 (14 nm) |
| CPU | Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 | Octa-core (4x2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 & 4x1.5 GHz Cortex-A53) |
| GPU | Adreno 330 | Mali-T760MP8 |
| OS (upgradable to) | — | Up to Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy S5 Active | Samsung Galaxy S6 Active |
|---|
| RAM | 2GB | 3GB LPDDR4 |
| Internal Storage | 16GB | 32GB |
| Card Slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot), up to 128GB | — |
| Card slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S5 Active | Samsung Galaxy S6 Active |
|---|
| Single | 16 MP, f/2.2 | — |
| Features | Autofocus, LED flash, HDR, BSI | Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), Autofocus (Phase Detection, Contrast), LED flash, HDR, Panorama, Pro mode |
| Video | 2160p@30fps (4K), 1080p@60fps | 4K@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps |
| Resolution | — | 16 MP |
| Aperture | — | f/1.9 |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S5 Active | Samsung Galaxy S6 Active |
|---|
| Single | 2 MP | — |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | QHD (1140p@30fps) |
| Resolution | — | 5 MP |
| Aperture | — | f/1.9 |
| Features | — | Wide-angle lens |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy S5 Active | Samsung Galaxy S6 Active |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion | Non-removable Li-Ion |
| Capacity | 2800 mAh | 3500 mAh |
| Talk time | Up to 29 hours | — |
| Charging | — | Fast charging, Wireless charging (Qi/PMA) |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy S5 Active | Samsung Galaxy S6 Active |
|---|
| Dimensions | 145.3 x 73.4 x 8.9 mm (5.72 x 2.89 x 0.35 in) | 146.8 x 73.4 x 8.6 mm (5.78 x 2.89 x 0.34 in) |
| Weight | 170.1 g (6.0 oz) | 170 g (6.00 oz) |
| Build | Plastic body with reinforced corners | Rugged plastic/polycarbonate body with reinforced edges |
| SIM | Micro-SIM | — |
| Durability | IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min), MIL-STD-810G compliant (salt, dust, humidity, rain, vibration, solar radiation, transport and thermal shock resistant) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min), MIL-STD-810G compliant (salt, dust, humidity, rain, vibration, solar radiation, transport and thermal shock resistant) |
| Buttons | — | Physical navigation buttons |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy S5 Active | Samsung Galaxy S6 Active |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 4.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | 4.1, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | microUSB 3.0 (MHL 2 TV-out), USB On-The-Go | microUSB 2.0 |
| Radio | — | No |
| Infrared port | — | Yes |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy S5 Active | Samsung Galaxy S6 Active |
|---|
| Announced | February 2014 | March 2015 (with Galaxy S6) |
| Released | May 2014 | — |
| Status | — | Released June 2015 |
| OS (initial) | — | Android 5.0.2 (Lollipop) |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy S5 Active or Samsung Galaxy S6 Active?
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active — 2,800 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active versus 3,500 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy S5 Active or Samsung Galaxy S6 Active?
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active — May 2014 for the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active versus Jun 2015 for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active or the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active 8/10.
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