Samsung Galaxy S4 review

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the most hotly anticipated smartphone ever
from the Korean brand, and with a glut of top end features, it's the
most powerful and desirable device Samsung has created yet.

One of the most impressive things about the phone is the fact the size
hasn't changed from its predecessor - the Galaxy S4 comes in at 136.6
x 69.8 x 7.9mm (5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches), meaning there's no extra
heft to try to work with in your palm.

However, despite this fact, the screen on the S4 has been increased
once more, to a whopping 5-inch display with Full HD resolution. Let's
not pretend that Samsung is a pioneer in this area though: like a
great many features of the Galaxy S4, the phone borrows a lot from the
other top smartphones of the moment. 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.

On top of that, there's a much faster processor packed under the hood,
ample storage space for media thanks to an expandable memory card
slot, and the likes of

4G, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and pretty much any other connection you care
to mention on board. Samsung has tried to supplement this with a
tranche of software upgrades too, meaning a more powerful camera, a
better way to communicate with your friends and consume media, and
interestingly a big push into health through dedicated apps too.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 costs the same as the HTC One, give or take a
pound or two, on contract. This now puts it down around INR
35,446/-,which isn't too bad for such a high-end model.

It can now also be had for under INR36000/-
which makes it a much betterproposition...and
cheaper than the equivalent iPhone 5C too.

But before we dissect all the possibilities the phone has to offer,
let's look at the design. As we mentioned, it's impressive in its form
factor, thanks to the sub-8mm thickness, and at 130g it manages to
still be light without shaving off so much heft that you feel like
you've got a flimsy piece of plastic.

That's probably 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.

We're not so fussed about the battery being able to drop out of the
phone - so few people carry around a spare battery, and nowadays
portable charging blocks are becoming so cheap and light that they
make much more sense too.

We'd almost prefer something like the Sony Xperia Z, which has a
refined and packaged chassis but doesn't need a removable battery: it
makes use of a slot instead for the memory card. This integrated
nature would make for a slightly more premium feel to the phone.


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.

In the hand, the Samsung Galaxy S4 feels much better than any other
Samsung phone we've held (apart from the gargantuan smartphones the
brand used to make - the i8910

Omnia HD might have been built like a brick, but it felt wonderful to
hold). The screen's spread towards the sides of the phone means a much
narrower bezel, and the effect is certainly impressive.It might look
very similar to the S3, but when you take the Samsung Galaxy S4 up
close, you really start to appreciate the nuances.

The other notable addition to the design of the Galaxy S4 is the infra
red blaster on the top of the phone. This enables you to control your
TV, satellite box, DVD player, amp and even air conditioner. Again,
this isn't a new feature, but it works well in practice, and despite
being small is powerful enough indeed.

Other than that, there's not a lot more to say about the design of the
phone, as it's just a little underwhelming. We know it's unfair to
lambast a brand for not overhauling the design every year, but in the

One X and the One, HTC has proven that it is possible to offer up a
new design each time around and still keep things attractive.

Looking so similar to the Galaxy S3, you can't help but feel Samsung
has gone a little too Apple and created something more in keeping with
the Samsung Galaxy S3S - a minor update to a great phone to keep those
coming out of contract happy that they have a premium phone to upgrade
to.

We do implore you to get the phone in your hand before making a
judgement though - while it's not got the best design on the market
when it comes to materials, it's a big step forward compared to the
Galaxy S3 and allows for a grippy and easy-to-hold phone, with a
whopping screen inside.

It still feels cheap as chips compared to the iPhone 5 and HTC One though.

But to just dismiss it for being plastic would be doing the S4 a
disservice as it has so much more going for it than that, but it's
worth remembering that to a lot of people, the way a phone looks is as
important as how much RAM it's got on board and how fast the CPU is -
if not more so.


Key Features

Quad-Core 1.9 GHz (or) Octa-Core 1.6 GHz

2 GB

16 GB (or) 32 GB (or) 64 GB

MicroSD upto 64 GB

Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)

5.0"

35,446/-




--
ashwin