Samsung Galaxy S5 Active review: Combat ready

Combat ready

GSMArena team, 20 June 2014.

Synthetic benchmarks

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active is based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset (MSM8974AC). Some clarification is due since not all 801 chipsets are created equal. The MSM8974 is the base Snapdragon 800 chipset, while MSM8974AB overclocks the GPU and gets the Snapdragon 801 badge.

The MSM8974AC goes a step further and clocks the CPU higher too. Also worth pointing out, on the KitKat software, Samsung has removed the benchmark detection and overclocking, so if the Galaxy S5 doesn't trounce the Galaxy Note 3 it's because it's showing real performance.

GeekBench 3 and AnTuTu 4 are benchmarks which put to the test the hardware combo inside the smartphone. GeekBench 3 is more CPU-intensive, whereas AnTuTu 4 is a compound benchmark - testing CPU, GPU, memory performance, etc. Unsurprisingly, the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active performed on par with its regular sibling.

GeekBench 3

Higher is better

  • Oppo Find 7a
    3093
  • Galaxy S5 (S801)
    3011
  • Galaxy S5 Active
    3010
  • Sony Xperia Z2
    2856
  • LG G3
    2687
  • LG G Pro 2
    2585
  • LG Nexus 5
    2453
  • HTC One (M8)
    2367
  • LG G2
    2243
  • Motorola Moto X
    2123
  • HTC One mini 2
    1526
  • Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
    1359

AnTuTu 4

Higher is better

  • HTC One (M8)
    37009
  • Galaxy S5 Active
    36162
  • Galaxy S5 (S801)
    36018
  • LG G2
    35444
  • Oppo Find 7a
    33344
  • Sony Xperia Z2
    33182
  • LG G3
    30482
  • LG G Pro 2
    29603
  • LG Nexus 5
    25097
  • Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
    19896
  • Motorola Moto X
    19031
  • HTC One mini 2
    17883

Basemark OS II is another all-round benchmark. It gives an overall score along with single-core, multi-core, and math performance, among others. We focus on the overall and CPU scores. Once again, the newcomer showcased similar performance as the SM-G900.

Basemark OS II

Higher is better

  • LG G3
    1151
  • LG G Pro 2
    1140
  • LG G3 (anti-cheat)
    1132
  • HTC One (M8)
    1126
  • Galaxy S5 Active
    1107
  • Galaxy S5 (S801)
    1082
  • Sony Xperia Z2
    1080
  • Oppo Find 7a
    1057
  • HTC One mini 2
    517
  • Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
    434

Next up we have GFXBench's 2.7 T-Rex and 3.0 Manhattan. In 1080p offscreen mode the GPU is tasked with performing graphical computations in 1920 x 1080px resolution. The Galaxy S5 Active did a stellar job in both T-Rex tests, though its results were slightly lower than those of the regular version.

GFX 2.7 T-Rex (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

  • HTC One (M8)
    28.4
  • Oppo Find 7a
    28.4
  • Galaxy S5 (S801)
    27.8
  • LG G3
    27.6
  • Samsung Galaxy S5 Active
    27.5
  • Sony Xperia Z2
    27.2
  • LG Nexus 5
    23
  • LG G Pro 2
    22.9
  • LG G2
    22
  • Motorola Moto X
    16
  • Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
    5.8
  • HTC One mini 2
    5.8

GFX 2.7 T-Rex (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • HTC One (M8)
    30.1
  • Oppo Find 7a
    28.8
  • Sony Xperia Z2
    28.7
  • Galaxy S5 (Snapdragon 801)
    28.1
  • Galaxy S5 Active
    27.7
  • LG G Pro 2
    24.1
  • LG Nexus 5
    24
  • LG G2
    23.1
  • LG G3
    20.6
  • HTC One mini 2
    11
  • Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
    10.9

The more demanding Manhattan benchmark saw the newcomer post similar scores as the SM-G900.

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

  • LG G3
    11.9
  • Galaxy S5 (Snapdragon 801)
    11.8
  • Galaxy S5 Active
    11.7
  • Sony Xperia Z2
    11.7
  • Oppo Find 7a
    11.4
  • HTC One (M8)
    11.1
  • LG G Pro 2
    8.7
  • HTC One mini 2
    1.7

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • Sony Xperia Z2
    12.2
  • HTC One (M8)
    11.9
  • Galaxy S5 (S801)
    11.7
  • Galaxy S5 Active
    11.7
  • Oppo Find 7a
    11.4
  • LG G Pro 2
    9.2
  • LG G3
    7.4
  • Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
    4.1
  • HTC One mini 2
    3.8

BrowserMark 2.1 looks at HTML 5 performance, while Mozilla's Kraken 1.1 is JavaScript-centric. The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active posted a flagship-worthy result on both occasions.

BrowserMark 2.1

Higher is better

  • Galaxy S5 (S801)
    1398
  • LG G Pro 2
    1346
  • Oppo Find 7a
    1327
  • Galaxy S5 Active
    1319
  • LG Nexus 5
    1286
  • LG G3
    1254
  • Sony Xperia Z2
    1224
  • HTC One (M8)
    1069
  • HTC One mini 2
    945

Kraken 1.1

Lower is better

  • Galaxy S5 (S801)
    6043
  • Galaxy S5 Active
    6341
  • LG G Pro 2
    6578
  • Oppo Find 7a
    6660
  • Sony Xperia Z2
    7041
  • LG Nexus 5
    7148
  • LG G3
    7610
  • HTC One (M8)
    10296
  • HTC One mini 2
    15684

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active performed in accordance with the high expectations towards it. The smartphone is one of the most powerful Android devices available today and has the benchmark scores to show for it.

Reader comments

Do you have available lcd touch screen replacement for Samsung Galaxy s5 active

  • Pyona
  • 19 Oct 2022
  • fmK

I had one, but now it has a problem of screen saver. But i cant find it here in Malawi. But am still in love with it. I will definitely need one.

  • Beintrinsic
  • 06 Oct 2016
  • gmG

I can't get an s5active in Ontario...😣