Samsung Galaxy S5 vs. Galaxy S5 Mini: Which is Better for Business?

The most obvious different between the Galaxy S5 and the S5 Mini is screen size. Credit: Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is one of the best business smartphones ever, thanks to its huge 5.1-inch display, great security features and handy multitasking tools. The smaller Galaxy S5 Mini, meanwhile, trades productivity for portability, with a smaller 4.5-inch screen. It packs many of the Galaxy S5'sbest features, including a fingerprint scanner built right into the home button — but the S5 Mini isn't just a scaled-down Galaxy S5. Business users who pick the smaller device will also sacrifice speed, battery life and multitasking performance. Read on for a head-to-head comparison of the Galaxy S5 and the S5 Mini.

Design

Galaxy S5: The most obvious difference between the Galaxy S5 and the S5 Mini is screen size. The Galaxy S5 packs a huge 5.1-inch display that's bright, extremely sharp and a tad bigger than the 5-inch screen on the Galaxy S4. That's a boon for most business users, since extra screen space gives you more room for productivity tasks such as editing documents and managing your email inbox on the go. On the other hand, the large size of the Galaxy S5 makes it difficult to use with one hand.

S5 Mini: The S5 Mini packs an average-size 4.5-inch display. With a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, it produces decent images, but can't match the Galaxy S5's supersharp screen.But the S5 Mini is also a much more portable device that slides into your pocket more easily.

Winner: It's a tie. The Galaxy S5 offers a bigger, sharper screen, but some users might prefer a more portable device like the S5 Mini.

Performance

Galaxy S5: The other big difference between the Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy S5 Mini can be found under the hood. The Galaxy S5 is one of the fastest smartphones on the market, with a blazing-fast 2.5-GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. That means business users can expect seriously snappy performance and quick multitasking. One feature exclusive to the bigger Galaxy S5 is download booster, which lets the phone leverage both your LTE connection and Wi-Fi connection at the same time, resulting in faster downloads. Other hardware highlights include 32GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot and a beefy 2,800-mAh battery for all-day battery life.

S5 Mini: The S5 Mini isn't nearly as fast as the Galaxy S5, with an average1.2-GHz processor and 1.5GB of RAM. Still, it should deliver pretty good performance for everyday tasks such as browsing the Web and managing your email inbox. Meanwhile, the S5 Mini offers 16GB of onboard storage, though it does have a microSD card slot. It won't last as long as the Galaxy S5 either, due to its smaller 2,100-mAh battery.

Winner: The Galaxy S5 easily takes this round, offering speed that few other smartphones can match. Still, the S5 Mini's slower performance won't hold back most users.

Multitasking

Galaxy S5: One of the Galaxy S5's best business perks is its advanced multitasking features. That includes Multi Window, which lets you run two apps at the same time in a split-screen view. It gives you the ability to browse the Web or use the calculator app while responding to an email, for example. You can resize the windows by dragging the border between them, and quickly swap out apps using a handy slide-out sidebar. The feature is especially useful on the Galaxy S5, which can fit more content onto its big 5.1-inch screen.

S5 Mini: Like other Galaxy S smartphones, the S5 Mini also offers Multi Window mode. The feature works the same on the smaller device, but its 4.5-inch screen feels cramped with two apps running on it at the same time. And Multi Window mode doesn't run quite as smoothly on the S5 Mini, which has less powerful hardware.

Winner: Both smartphones in this matchup offer Multi Window mode for easy multitasking, but the feature just works better on the bigger, more powerful Galaxy S5.

Security

Galaxy S5: The Galaxy S5 is one of the most secure Android smartphones yet, thanks to a variety of hardware and software features. For starters, the smartphone features a fingerprint scanner built right into the phone's home button, letting you quickly and easily unlock the device with a quick slide of your fingertip. That's a plus for business users who store and access private data on their mobile device. The fingerprint scanner also lets you access Private Mode, a special folder where you can store your most sensitive files and emails. That feature isn't available on other scanner-equipped smartphones such as the iPhone 5s.

The Galaxy S5's other big security advantage is a suite of features called Knox. For starters, it lets you run apps using a secure profile that's separate from the rest of your smartphone, ensuring that your data isn't accessed by rogue applications. Also included are more-secure versions of standard productivity apps, including a secure email client, address book, task manager and calendar. Finally, Knox adds IT features that let you manage company smartphones by restricting which apps and features employees can access.

S5 Mini: The S5 Mini can't match the full-size Galaxy S5 in other areas, but it keeps pace on the security front. The smaller phone offers all the same security features as its bigger brother, including a fingerprint reader baked into the home button, which lets you unlock your device and access Private Mode. The S5 Mini is also compatible with Knox, so you can feel more comfortable accessing private business data on your phone. And thanks to Knox's deployment and remote phone-management features, the S5 Mini is a secure and affordable option for your employees.

Winner: It's a tie. The Galaxy S5 and S5 Mini offer nearly identical security features, making them two of the safest business phones around.

Conclusion

The Galaxy S5 Mini is a capable business phone, with great security features and handy multitasking functionality. But demanding business users might fare better with the full-size Galaxy S5, which offers a bigger, sharper display, better performance and longer battery life. On the other hand, users who prefer a more portable smartphone might prefer the S5 Mini. And although pricing for the smaller device hasn't yet been announced, it's sure to be significantly cheaper than Samsung's flagship phone, making it a decent pick for budget-minded business users.