Samsung Galaxy S 4 Review - Part 1
by Brian Klug on April 24, 2013 12:01 AM ESTFinal Words
Samsung has done a tremendous job creating a global following not only for its brand, but also for its software. In studying Samsung and its devices it becomes quite clear that although many enthusiasts yearn for pure, unadulterated Android, there are seemingly big pockets of the market who have grown used to (and maybe even desire?) Samsung's TouchWiz user experience. It really is a very clever strategy on Samsung's part. If you deliver products that your users appreciate, and deliver a uniquely different user interface at the same time, you begin to create an appreciation for that user interface as well. All of this flies in the face of what we as reviewers normally seem to prefer, but Samsung's success is proof of the fact that not everyone absolutely detests OEM customized Android.
Samsung's existing user base is likely the easiest to talk to about the Galaxy S 4. Compared to any previous Galaxy S device, the SGS4 is a clear step forward in all of the right areas. The display is higher resolution, the SoC is significantly faster, there's better WiFi (and connectivity depending on what generation of Galaxy S you're talking about) and obviously the Galaxy S 4 runs the absolute latest version of Android. Even on the camera side, Samsung has improved imaging performance over the Galaxy S 3 this generation thanks to its use of a wider aperture lens system. If you're a happy owner of a Samsung Galaxy S/S2/S3, you'll likely be a happy owner of a Galaxy S 4.
It's when you compare the Galaxy S 4 to its chief technical competitor, the HTC One, that the discussion becomes more complicated. HTC and Samsung take very different approaches to nearly every aspect of their flagship smartphones. Whether it's display (LCD vs. Super AMOLED), camera (low light vs. well lit performance), or software (subtle Sense 5 or feature filled TouchWiz), you couldn't pick two more different players in the Android space. So which is better?
It really depends on what you value more. The One's camera delivers better low light performance, while the Galaxy S 4's camera delivers better performance in well lit (e.g. outdoor) scenarios. The One's software customizations are definitely more subtle and out of your way, while Samsung's approach is much more feature overload and in your face. It's difficult to say for sure given our Sprint review unit, but HTC likely gets the slight edge in battery life based on our results here today (although these two devices can be close competitors depending on the workload). Samsung does integrate the faster SoC, despite both the Galaxy S 4 and HTC One shipping the same Snapdragon 600 platform. Samsung and HTC remain on opposite sides of the removable battery/microSD fence, if those two things matter to you then Samsung is the obvious choice. Finally there's a question of how much you value/desire an all-metal smartphone. For some, Samsung's choice in materials is going to continue to be a very big issue.
At the end of the day, the Galaxy S 4 is an evolution of the Galaxy S 3 in pretty much all of the areas you'd expect it to be. Whether or not that's what you wanted in a new Android smartphone is going to vary from one person to the next. The good news is that you at least have a choice.
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Roy2001 - Friday, April 26, 2013 - link
No plastic and AMOLED which SUCKS.medi02 - Sunday, April 28, 2013 - link
Never heard something as idiotic.Samsung's AMOLED is the reason I don't even consider other manufacturers.
superflex - Friday, May 3, 2013 - link
Until you get it in direct sunlight. AMOLED definitely has it's limitations.Belard - Saturday, April 27, 2013 - link
I find the HTC One a truly exciting design compared to the SGS4... The cheap plastic look and feel of Samsung is why I bought the AtrixHD instead (same feature set, but crappy camera) as it looks different and looks better. The HTC feels like a well made product... looks great all over.But why it MAY NOT matter how the Samsung looks is for people who ALWAYS puts an external protection case over their phones, so with the HTC One & iPhones - you don't get to see sign industrial designs that make them sexy and made the purchase... silly, isn't it?
So... for the case protectors, it doesn't matter.
I like my phone to be as small as possible... I don't use them... and so the HTC One will matter more. Also, all that touchwiz stuff is... kind of ugh.
RiotSloth - Saturday, April 27, 2013 - link
I love Anandtech, and in particular Brian Klug's excellent and objective reviews. If you really want to know all about a new phone, it really is THE place to come and read. I assumed others would feel the same, but NO, there seems to be the same infantile nonsense on here as on other sites. Why do people get so fixated with people's phone choice? As I pointed out on another site, both of these phones are capable of explaining the sum of human knowledge to you almost instantly. they take pictures, they can direct you anywhere, they play music and HD video. In short they are probably the most amazing thing ever created in the whole of human history. And yet people make infantile remarks over whether one is plastic or metal?!MarkHunt - Sunday, April 28, 2013 - link
Have to say it, but majority of the new Chinese Android quad core phones do nearly everything the S4 does for a pittance for a similar performance level. The build quality of the S4 looks no better either.medi02 - Sunday, April 28, 2013 - link
Exactly how much does Samsung save but not using metal cover?Is it really more than couple of bucks?
PS
Got Samsung's first Galaxy S (9001).
About 2 years old.
Never used any kind of protection for it whatsoever. I bet most people whining about it being plastic would use some protective cover on it anyway.
medi02 - Sunday, April 28, 2013 - link
"Most users admittedly don't care however and just see "bright" colors."Uhm, check any pro-sumer camera out there, which of them does NOT oversaturate taken pictures in JPEG mode?
This can't be a hardware fault, can it, after all, RAW looks fine.
So the only reason they oversaturate is because MOST CONSUMERS ACTUALLY LIKE IT THAT WAY. Models that use TFTs can't go as far, since, well, you know, cough, they are actually inferior to AMOLEDs, cough...
rohini - Sunday, April 28, 2013 - link
And finally the Galaxy SIV has been launched in India for INR 41500 which is a bit expensive but it is well under the asking price for the 16GB version of iPhone 5 16GB and HTC Butterfly.People in India who are planning to buy the S IV should also be aware of the other alternatives close to 40k INR. http://goo.gl/MbJ95
Alvar - Monday, April 29, 2013 - link
<a href="http://tinyurl.com/cunrjq6">6 Reasons to get the Samsung Galaxy S4</a>