Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S5 Android smartphone at an event last night in Barcelona, during Mobile World Congress. I attended the launch and spent some time trying the new Galaxy after the event.

The first thing that struck me is how light it feels. It is 145g according to the spec.

Here is the home screen:

The UI in general is clean and easy to use:

I was interested in the camera, having looked at the camera on the new Sony Xperia Z2 yesterday, in comparison to the Nokia Lumia 1020. The S5 has a 16MP camera and Samsung showed off its fast automatic focus in the press launch. Here are the camera options:

I took a couple of snaps with both the S5 and the Lumia 1020 for a quick comparison. The Lumia easily bested it. I’d judge that the Xperia Z2 would easily best it too. That said, the camera is fine and I doubt users will be disappointed; it’s just not the best choice if you are particularly keen on photography.

Health is big theme, especially in conjunction with the Gear Fit band. Samsung’s JK Shin said that keeping fit is a third key feature in a smartphone alongside camera and connectivity. Here is the fitness app:

Samsung has included a heart rate sensor, so I took my pulse:

There is a Kids Zone, reminiscent of what Microsoft has done for Windows Phone:

Other notable features are water and dust resistance, fingerprint sensor with PayPal integration, and apparently new Enterprise security features of which I hope to learn more later today.

It looks like an excellent phone. A game changer? Enough to draw users from Apple? It feels more like just another smartphone, albeit a good one, but that may be just what the market wants. No silliness like the S4’s air gestures, just a solid new smartphone.

On sale date is April 11 2014.

Key specs:

• LTE Cat.4 (150/50Mbps)
• 5.1” FHD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) display
• 2.5GHz Quad core application processor
• Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat)
• Camera: 16MP (rear), 2.0MP (front)
• Video: UHD@30fps, HDR, video stabilization
• IP67 Dust and water Resistant
• WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2×2)
• Bluetooth®: 4.0 BLE / ANT+
• USB: USB 3.0
• NFC
• IR Remote
• Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, Hall, RGB ambient light, Gesture(IR), Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor
  2GB RAM
• Storage:Internal Memory: 16/32GB, microSD slot upto 64GB
  Size and weight:  142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g
• Battery: 2800mAh Standby time: 390 hrs / Talk time: 21 hrs