Samsung Galaxy S5
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 27 of 60 smartphones by recommenders
Recommended for its IP67 water resistance, user-replaceable battery and reliable performance, though critics note bloatware reinstalled by updates.
Recommended for its IP67 water resistance, user-replaceable battery and reliable performance, though critics note bloatware reinstalled by updates.
15 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 67%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
User-replaceable battery
“Galaxy S5 was IP67-rated (1 metre depth, 30 minutes) and had a user-replaceable back cover / battery”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027” “but lost the IR blaster, replaceable battery, eventually μSD housing, eventually headphone jack.”
Comment from 21 Apr 2026 in “All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027” “The Galaxy S5 was only 8.1mm including camera bump, removable battery and IP67 rating.”
Comment from 21 Feb 2026 in “EU mandates replaceable batteries by 2027 (2023)” - Comment from 2 Jan 2026 in “Bluetooth Headphone Jacking: A Key to Your Phone [video]”
- Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027”
- Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027”
- Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “The Curse of Soldered RAM”
IP67 water and dust resistance
“Galaxy S5 was IP67-rated (1 metre depth, 30 minutes) and had a user-replaceable back cover / battery”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027” “The Galaxy S5 was only 8.1mm including camera bump, removable battery and IP67 rating.”
Comment from 21 Feb 2026 in “EU mandates replaceable batteries by 2027 (2023)” “The S5 was fine too (waterproof AND you could pop open the back to swap the battery”
Comment from 2 Jan 2026 in “Bluetooth Headphone Jacking: A Key to Your Phone [video]” - Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027”
- Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027”
Reliable performance over time
“Galaxy S5 worked quite well. IP67 and a removable battery.”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027” “But it never skipped a beat.”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Updates reinstall bloatware or break apps
“every update it would reinstall all the bloatware like facebook and paypal”
Comment from 18 Mar 2026 in “Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Review: The Privacy Screen” “one random app upgrade and they just decided nope”
Comment from 14 Jul 2026 in “Samsung will delete your health data if you don't let them use it to train AI”
Other smartphones people recommend
The four most recommended other smartphones, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPhone | 706 | 882 | 44% | 13 | 7 yrs107 owners | — |
| Fairphone | 168 | 107 | 61% | 13 | 3 yrs19 owners | — |
| Apple iPhone Pro | 144 | 155 | 48% | 12 | 4 yrs26 owners | — |
| iPhone 13 mini | 141 | 51 | 73% | 12 | 1.5 yrs4 owners | Approved |
| Samsung Galaxy S5This page | 10 | 5 | 67% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
17 of the 18 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“My old Galaxy S5 had both features”
“the no 911 thing is one of the main reasons I finally moved to a different phone”
“one random app upgrade and they just decided nope”
“galaxy s5 from 2014 also achieved all of this”
“An excellent camera for the time.”
“neither waterproof nor even water resistant—the enclosure got too banged up to ensure seals stay sealed.”
“but lost the IR blaster, replaceable battery, eventually μSD housing, eventually headphone jack.”
“The Samsung S5 was very thin. Too thin imo.”
“Samsung Galaxy S5 is the first one to cross my mind.”
“Galaxy S5 worked quite well. IP67 and a removable battery.”
“But it never skipped a beat.”
“a good waterproofing rating and user-replaceable battery”
“Galaxy S5 was IP67-rated (1 metre depth, 30 minutes) and had a user-replaceable back cover / battery”
“every update it would reinstall all the bloatware like facebook and paypal”
“The Galaxy S5 was only 8.1mm including camera bump, removable battery and IP67 rating.”
“The S5 was fine too (waterproof AND you could pop open the back to swap the battery”
“Samsung was simply an uncoordinated wreck that was full of shit.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.