INTRODUCTION
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the most anticipated smartphone ever from the Korean brand, and with top end features, it's the most powerful and desirable device Samsung has created yet.
The Galaxy S4 comes in at 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm (5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches), the thinnest bezel around
The screen on the S4 has been increased once more, to a whopping 5-inch display with Full HD resolution.
Both the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC One have screens that rock the same resolution, but neither of them have the jaw-dropping clout of the Super AMOLED HD screen on offer here.
There is more under the hood
-a much faster processor and Gpu
- CHIPSET---Exynos 5 Octa 5410
- CPU---------Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15
- GPU---------PowerVR SGX 544MP3
-ample storage space for media thanks to an expandable memory card slot
-4G
-Bluetooth 4.0,
-NFC
-2600Mah battery
-Infra Blaster to control your TV
The biggest compliment we can pay the Samsung Galaxy S4 - where its predecessor felt a little bit cheap in the hand, the S4 manages to bring a much more solid build and better construction to boot.
So while the "faux metal" band makes a comeback on this model, it looks a lot more premium. And there's very little flex in the chassis when you hold it tightly, which was another problem with the Galaxy S3 at times. It can get dented very easily though, and be careful not to crack your screen if you do so - we've heard of a few instances where this has happened to S4 users, although that can be said of many other polycabonate smartphones.
That doesn't mean that the phone is completely remodelled from the S3 - it's very similar in appearance,. The polycarbonate chassis remains, but that brings with it the faithful battery cover, which conceals a removable battery and microSD slot. However, it's a small gripe with the S4, as while the cover feels flimsy, it's better than it was on the S2 and the S3, and they both sold like hot cakes.
Buttons have barely changed from before - the power button has been shifted slightly on the right-hand side, and is now much easier to hit. Samsung has clearly taken some lessons from the Galaxy Note 2, which has a really well positioned power/lock button.
The volume key is less easy to hit, and could be lower down in our eyes, but the travel on both of these buttons is satisfying, and you'll always know when you've hit them.
image comparison between galaxy s2 vs galaxy s3
SCREEN
The Samsung Galaxy S4 has an all-new screen.It is the best display on the market.
It's the same Super AMOLED technology used in other Galaxy smartphones, but this time it's been cranked up to Full HD resolution, which is 1920 x 1080 pixels.This uses the same PenTile matrix that's drawn so much criticism for Samsung over the years, as some state that Samsung is using too many of one colour of pixel, or sub-pixel is too basic – all of this has meant that older Galaxy smartphones have had something of a blue or green tint, or been a little low-resolution when viewed (admittedly really) close up.
You can change the brightness from the notification bar by sliding your finger up and down the screen - but if you want to make things easier you can just tag the Auto button and have the Galaxy S4 working away at deciding the optimum brightness for you.
What's new here is the ability to customize the auto level - so if you like things a little lighter or darker, then you can choose such a thing. It's a good way to manage your battery even easier.
Another feature, which is both good and bad, is the improved capacitive technology used in the screen which enables you to wear gloves and still use the phone - which will be a key feature to those in colder climes, or like to wear gloves for sport or similar.
However, while this works well for gloves, it does over-power the screen somewhat, in that when you're holding your finger over the screen looking to scroll up and down when you're read a certain paragraph, it will sometimes register a press when you've no intention of doing so. It's irritating to say the least, and something that we hope Samsung irons out with future software updates.
Overall ,This is the best screen we have come across. the 441 ppi is very vivid and clear to the eye.
CAMERA
The Samsung Galaxy S4 camera is a big upgrade over other sensors it has put into phones, and with a 13MP sensor you can see why. It is capable of taking some stunning photos and comes with a decent auto mode, which enables you to get really great shots no matter what the framing.
This means you can be taking a picture of a landscape one minute, then trying to get an extreme close up of a daffodil the next, and the Galaxy S4 camera will handle both with ease.There are also a number of clever modes available on the handset.
These options include Drama Shot, Eraser mode and Beauty Shot, as well as cueing up the likes of HDR mode to improve the quality and light levels of your snaps. For the most part they have a good role to play in your photography, and we're glad Samsung hasn't over-burdened the user with too many modes.
LOW LIGHT
In low light, the HTC One with its ULTRAPIXEL technology is streets ahead of the S4, unless you place the latter into Night Mode after which it's more even. However, the One manages low light shots almost instantly, while the S4 needs a lot of processing.
When compared to the HTC ONE, the S4 is a superior device in one way, but less useful in another. For one, the focal length is much poorer, meaning you have to stand further away from the subject to get the same shot you would on the One.
BATTERY
Ah, the old battery life test. One of the world's most difficult things to rate, thanks to the sheer range of things you can do with the phone to keep it from throwing out all its juice in a heartbeat.
If you can't be bothered to read why, just understand that Galaxy S4 = good battery life.
But the good news is that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is able to handle all the things you can throw at it and still keep the 2600mAh battery chugging along at the end of the day. We found that in general use it was very well received, as nothing we found could hurt it.
Our usual test is performed on the commute to work, the time where we're at our most 'phone-use-y'. For this test, like all other phones, we streamed the audio over Bluetooth headphones
A 10 minute cycle ride with music playing dropped things by 2%. Streaming video over 4G for 10 minutes with full brightness on the screen pulled down another 3%. Then it was more music for 30 minutes, which ate another 2%, and then downloading a 86MB game file over 4G, which munched 1%.
VERDICT
It is the same old S3 nothing new like the HTC One but samsung have definately worked on their flagship handset.The screen is out of this world. Even at a lower PPI the 5-inch display dominates the competition. We love how Samsung has evened out the colour by default.
The camera upgrade is awesome. Front facing camera is cherry on the cake. battery life is impressive. Touch wiz is the same old with some glitches but we hope that it will be resolved in the future updates.
But the biggest problem we have is with the supposed 'innovation' Samsung has brought to proceedings. Air View, Air Gestures, Smart Scroll - these are all cool in their own way, but all are flawed or overly complex, marring the overall simplicity of the device. Samsung will have to make a big step forward to keep users interested with the next galaxy flagship, but for now we love the S4 and would be proud to have it in our hand.
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