[Q] Does the S5 have FM radio

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arabbitte

Senior Member
Oct 11, 2007
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I've looked at the official specs and can see no mention.

Does anyone know if the S5 has an FM radio?

(I know the arguments as to why I really don't need one - separate BT headsets, streaming alternatives, etc, etc - but I would like to know)
 
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matthew_

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Apr 30, 2013
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Can't find any specs on the Samsung website, but gsmarena is reporting no FM Radio

I can understand Samsung dropping features which aren't popular and require additional hardware/software, but they said it was all there in the S4, just not connected and rivals HTC and Sony still provide FM Radio.

Bad move IMO, sure there are a load of commuters and those with bad reception/limited data who will be looking elsewhere.
 

zaab

Member
May 22, 2013
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I would like to see that research data, which suggest FM radio became obsolete, upon Samsung decided to drop it. Still some people look for a device with that feature and its hard to imagine most will swich to online streaming given FM radio option. S4 and S5 are not my picks for current handset replacement.
 

arabbitte

Senior Member
Oct 11, 2007
221
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Thanks for the replies to date.

Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be anything known for certain yet:
Samsung's page gives no indication (link).
PDADB (link) says it has, but then again, it pretty much always says this :silly:
And - as stated above - GSMARENA says it doesn't: link

:fingers-crossed:
 

arabbitte

Senior Member
Oct 11, 2007
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From link

Speaking at Samsung’s Unpacked event at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Samsung's president and CEO, JK Shin said "With the Galaxy S5, Samsung is going back to basics to focus on delivering the capabilities that matter most to our consumers,”

To me, FM is a basic requirement and it matters to me. Surely, this means the S5 will have FM? :rolleyes:
 

Skander1998

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May 23, 2012
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Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Samsung Galaxy S7
FM Radio has always been an issue for developers even in XDA to deal with, it's simply too much work for an obsolete technology that only a (very) small portion of users use.
I personally loved it and miss it on new Galaxy phones, but all modern smartphones dropped it and I don't blame them.

I am half certain the S5 doesn't have it.
 

arabbitte

Senior Member
Oct 11, 2007
221
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FM Radio has always been an issue for developers even in XDA to deal with, it's simply too much work for an obsolete technology that only a (very) small portion of users use.
I personally loved it and miss it on new Galaxy phones, but all modern smartphones dropped it and I don't blame them.

I am half certain the S5 doesn't have it.

Well, I use it. I like the idea of a smartphone being an all in one device and my various attempts to use streaming radio are not always useful - transmission breaks caused by data drop outs. Other well-known device manufacturers include FM radio - Nokia, LG, Sony, HTC - even Samsung in some phones (e.g. S4 mini), so why they dropped it in flagship phones like the S4 and Note 3 is a mystery to me.

I did a quick Google, and found a survey (link) with 2145 responses where about 48% of participants said they do listen to FM radio, so hardly a "(very) small portion of users" then.
 
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arabbitte

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Oct 11, 2007
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Last edited:

waynester21

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Sep 10, 2013
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I read somewhere that 4G phones don't have FM radios due to space restrictions. Just look at the 3G and 4G versions of the Galaxy Mega. 3G version has FM radio buy 4G version doesn't.

Sent from my GT-I9205 using xda app-developers app
 

arabbitte

Senior Member
Oct 11, 2007
221
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I read somewhere that 4G phones don't have FM radios due to space restrictions. Just look at the 3G and 4G versions of the Galaxy Mega. 3G version has FM radio buy 4G version doesn't.

Maybe some implementations of 4G have this restriction, but it's not a general thing.

E.G. Sony Xperia Z1(inc Compact) & Z2, HTC One - even Samsung's own S4 mini, all have FM radio and 4G. Oh, and all are well-featured, phones from big name organisations.

I've watched a number of videos, read through many reviews, looked v.closely at all screen shots, etc, but still can't find any evidence either way. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing :confused:
 

arabbitte

Senior Member
Oct 11, 2007
221
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First definitive post on this subject from The International Business Times (link): No FM Radio

But are they right?
 

AnyRom

Member
Mar 1, 2014
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It's funny that high end version Now No FM but lower Spec Samsung Phone still has FM.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
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polish_pat

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Nov 30, 2011
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You can put a big X on FM radios on any samsung device after they introduced Milk Music. Especially when you can emulate an fm radio with apps like tunein

---------- Post added at 11:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:08 PM ----------

Is that definitive?

I have read that Samsung were planning on re-introducing it - e.g. here

also, never trust a site that speculates ridiculous features like dual batteries and foldable screen.
 
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ibcenu

Senior Member
Oct 12, 2010
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What's even more funny is how some people still care about phones having FM radios in 2014. :laugh:

I sit on a train a little over 2 hours a day. I have data about 15 to 20 minutes of that. I like Pandora but is useless without data
fm would be great for me..sure I have 1000s of songs from the old ipod...**** gets old though


Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk
 
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  • 5
    Because not all countries have 3G connections and cheap mobile data plans....

    Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app
    5
    What's even more funny is how some people still care about phones having FM radios in 2014. :laugh:

    What's even more funny is how some people still care why some people care about phones having FM radios in 2014
    3
    Since you can buy a tiny portable FM radio for 5 quid in any electronics shop these days, I don't see the point in wasting my phone's battery on it.

    If your phone support FM radio, will you still bring the other portable radio for saving few % battery?

    in one day, if all the phones are not support calculator app, don't you think buy a portable calculator is a perfect solution?
    3
    Lets list out some of pro's of having an FM radio.

    1) During the event of an emergency, such as tornado or whatnot, internet services and cell-phone towers are down, yet broadcasters continue to broadcast. Good luck getting an internet connection when your town has been devastated, and you're looking for a relief center.

    2) Motorcycles. Yes, most, if not all cars have FM radios. Motorcycles do not. When I'm out and about riding my bike, I like to receive live traffic alerts.

    3) You may have FM already. Most phones already contain FM radios within a 4-in-1 chip. Broadcom and TI pushed out the majority mobile chips found in phones, and the most common chip is a 4-in-1 that has WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and FM Radio on a single wafer. So if your phone already has the hardware, why wouldn't you want it enabled?

    4) Battery life. The FM radio barely uses any battery whatsoever because it doesn't have to tax the CPU to decode bitstreams. So a benefit of using the FM radio is extended battery life.

    5) Phone stays cooler, reference point #4. Less CPU usages means less heat. Meaning you don't have a pocket warmer.

    6) Sporting events and broadcasting licensing. Yep, not everything can be streamed (legally) due to license regulations.

    7) Smart phones should have everything. You're a nerd/geek/techie and you want everything. Why have limits? Even a laser and ultrasound sensor would be great for measuring distance, temperature and other possibilities.

    8) New music exposure

    9) Cost of production - Reference point #3, they're already on most chips. And you can buy FM module chips at retail for $1.00, very inexpensive feature for carriers to implement.

    10) When your phone becomes so obsolete that not even the WiFi is secure anymore because of weak encryption, well at least your phone has a usable radio!

    11) You don't have to use it. You hate anyone else that uses it because you're better than them, so you can exercise your superiority by not using the radio feature. It's always better to over-saturate data providers anyways right? Only the cool kids buffer

    ---------- Post added at 06:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:51 AM ----------

    Oh, and the S5 does NOT have FM Radio available:

    "Our studies show a trend shift of interest to digital broadcasting, specifically – focus on listening to music content in social networks or on the channel YouTube. The flagship model of our products are focused on customers who use digital content, which use modern formats and channels of information consumption. "

    They want you to spend more money on data usage.


    So on that note, just because DTH, cable & IP televisions are wide spread, should Samsung produce its future TV’s without a tuner for Terrestrial reception? Sounds like a great idea, what could possibly go wrong; especially in a disaster situation.