Many Smartphone are launched this year with new features, styles, look but the king’s crown can be given to only one of them and that lucky Smartphone is “SAMSUNG GALAXY S4”. Now there must be a question in your mind that why this Smartphone is considered as the most powerful Smartphone of 2013. So here in this post I am mentioning everything which you want to know about Samsung Galaxy S4.
Comparison with other Smartphone:
With the launch of Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung has settle goals of global Smartphone supremacy. Although this Android 4.2 Jelly Bean device may look like a toy when compared with recently launched stunning HTC One and iPhone5 but when all of them are compared then the blazing quad- core processor, mile high stack of software, sharp shooting 13 mega pixels and colorful 5- inch HD screen helps Samsung Galaxy S4 is wearing the crown of powerful Smartphone of 2013.
What Samsung Galaxy S4 has?
Samsung Galaxy S4 has following specialties.
- Screen of 1080p.
- Zippy processing speed, ideal for playing games.
- IR blaster for controlling your TV.
- Large count of camera tricks which includes:
- Cram action shots in single screen.
- Use of rear and front camera simultaneously.
- Making videos in slow motion
- Using eye moment for pausing a video.
- Answering a phone call with the wave of your hand.
- Expandable storage system.
- Removable battery.
It’s true that many features in Samsung Galaxy S4 are not required and some of them are of no use. This list includes:-
- Eraser mode of camera.
- Subpar optical reader.
- Translator tool which is just like duplicate of Google Translator.
These features just speaks that Samsung Galaxy S4 is more than a step ahead of what required by its customers. So if you are looking for a Super phone which has the power of surpassing all other Smartphone then Samsung Galaxy S4 is best for you. But if you want just a normal Smartphone having only few important features at same price then you can go for HTC One.
Build and Design:
In the lifetime of S line, the one biggest complaint against the manufacturers is about its flimsier looking industrial design and plastic constructions. Since there are only handful of Android lovers who care about materials like glass, aluminum but makers of Samsung Galaxy S4 has put their efforts in adding extra refined features to this powerful gadget. They say that Samsung Galaxy S4 is made up of more modest material than the material of iPhone 5 and HTC One.
When you do comparison in Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy S4 side by side then you will notice a more rectangular home button along with metallic accents around its rim. 5-inch screen of Samsung Galaxy S4 is taller and the bezel which surrounds the display is slimmer. Its power/ lock and volume buttons have metallic polycarbonate look. This powerful Smartphone of 2013 is also tooled to have flat top and slanted sides. When controls are closely viewed then we can observe that the gaps around them are also narrower.
Metallic Spines of Samsung Galaxy S4 are also reworked to look less curved and steeper than Samsung Galaxy S3. It should be noted that Samsung Galaxy S3 is inspired by nature by inspiration of Samsung Galaxy S4 is HTC One and iPhone 5. Some specifications of Samsung Galaxy S4 are:-
- 5.4 inches tall.
- 2.8 inches wide.
- 0.3 inched thick. (Actually it is 0.7 mm thinner than Samsung Galaxy S3).
- 4.6 ounce in weight( It is 0.7 ounce lighter than Samsung Galaxy S3)
Instead of these similarities generations of Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy S4 looks similar. If you will not observe them closely then you will not be able to differentiate among them. If you are still in doubt then you can flip over Samsung Galaxy S4 to observe small black and silver design of diamond on the back of black mist model or same design on its white frost edition. Samsung Galaxy S4 has got a clean brushed plastic that you can also use it like a makeshift mirror.
Premium features of Samsung Galaxy S4:
- Comparing screen:- The 5 inch 1080p HD display of Samsung Galaxy S4 offers a pixel density of 441 ppi which is very higher than of Apples screen of 321 ppi but somewhat lower than of HTC One’s screen 468 ppi. The pixel war matters because they are responsible for detailed display of objects on the Smartphone’s screen. So the display of Samsung Galaxy S4 is HD AMOLED and nails with contrast and color saturation, shard defined details and edges, text is easy to read, playing games look good and original, videos and photos are look terrific. Because of large screen Samsung Galaxy S4 are little large for snugly fitting pockets. In its new launch Samsung has tried to erase old complaints about some colors which look too saturated. In its screen mode setting you can choose the option of auto color tone adjustment. This adjustment is done according to the object which you are viewing. There are few more things which you should know about Samsung Galaxy S4 i.e. you are unable to use its display in bright light like sunlight. But apart from it you will get a superb screen if you are planning to buy a Smartphone like Samsung Galaxy S4. You can use its display with gloved hand also and it is because of the sensitivity of the screen. It is also featured with a thinner but durable Gorilla Glass 3.
Layout:- Apart from big screen it also have many interesting things which includes:-
- Front camera of 2 megapixels in its upper right corner.
- Proximity sensor and ambient light on the left neighbor of front camera.
- Phone’s IP or infrared sensor on the left of Speaker grill. This infrared blaster can turn your Samsung Galaxy S4 in a universal DVR and TV remote.
- LED indicator on the top left corner. This LED glows red, green or blue for indicating some activities.
- 3.5 mm headset jack on its top.
- 13 megapixel camera on back.
- LED flash light just below the back camera.
- For accessing micro SD card slot and battery you have to pry OFF the back cover.
- Use right spin for turning phone ON and OFF.
- Apps can be accessed on the screen by pressing home button. After that launch Samsung voice apps by double pressing it. Now recently used apps will be opened. For launching Google search app with Google Now you have to press and hold menu button. Samsung Galaxy is very much comfortable to hold than iPhone5 and HTC One.
Interface and Operating System: -
Our world famous powerful Smartphone of 2013 operates on Android 4.2.2 under it’s highly customized Touch Wiz interface. An android phone can’t be imagined without mods and rooting. Samsung has bulked its one- touch system icon in its notification shade. Press new button in upper right most corners for expanding the list of 15 icons. So for accessing these icons you need not to go in setting menu. For reordering these icons you can use edit button. Reordering is done through dragging and dropping. This is one of the easiest methods for toggling and finding settings. Menu plays an important role in Touch Wiz ecosystem so if you are a new user then you must not neglect it. This is the place where huge count of editing options lives for applications as diverse home screen, keyboard, and browsers and so on… For simplifying setting menu, Samsung Galaxy S4 do a makeover in which a topic is beaked up in different screens for connections and different device items like security concerns, storage, battery, account pane, keyboard settings, gestures and lock screen.
Keyboard Options: -
With Samsung Galaxy S4 you can enjoy virtual keypad but text can be input by two methods, one by simple typing by keyboard and other by voice input. With Samsung Galaxy S4 you can enjoy many options. With Swift Key turned ON, flow of words can be tracked. A separate Swype keyboard can also be used.
Lock screen: -
With Samsung Galaxy S4 you can enjoy customized lock screen. You have to choose from that unlocking options that you want to swipe to unlock/ use pass code/ you have to do face scan. You can also add and order icons of lock screen which are shortcuts for camera, your contacts and search option. There is always a lock screen widget option which is of the similar concept of Windows phone but is featured with different execution. Using camera from the lock screen is not the only benefit; the trick is that we have to swipe right to left on the top of every widget we want to access. If you are swiping on the bottom half of the screen then you will be directly taken to the home screen. Effect of lock screen is also nice: light, air enabled view; a point of light follows your figure tip when you hover over the display.
Easy mode: -
If you think that touch of Samsung Galaxy S4 is very confusing then you can try Korean competitor Pantech. You can start this during the setup process or later you can find it in settings. With the help of this you can replace your home screen and you can also reskin some applications like contact list, browser, calendar etc… While using Korean competitor Pantech you can also access core apps and features with some extra camera modes. Fonts and icons get enlarged across easy mode apps and browsers also include icons for handling these applications. Setting menu always remains same and toggling from one menu to another always remains same. So with the help of this application you can operate your Samsung Galaxy S4 in dual way.
Features and apps:-
Some important features of Samsung Galaxy S4 are:-- 4G LTE support in US and in some other regions which 4G works properly.
- Supports NFC
- Samsung’s S Beam version of Android Beam. It is useful for sending videos, documents, URL’s and photos.
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Wireless charging support (presently not available for US customers)
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (5GHz)
- Serve as a mobile hotspot for at least 10 devices.
- DLAN and Wi-Fi direct support
- All Share cast. Use to mirror contents of your home screen with other device
- Samsung Kies app for connecting with computer system over Wi-Fi.
Some preinstalled apps in Samsung Galaxy S4 are:-
There are plenty of applications which comes pre installed in Samsung Galaxy S4 like Google services, music player, calendar, Gmail and calculator. T-Mobile apps include:-
- T-Mobile hot spot
- Account Manager
- Visual voice mail
- T-Mobile TV
Many other applications include:-
- Various chat applications
- S Memo app
- Hubs for Samsung’s featured programs
- Video and music hub which works on 7 digital
- All Share play of Samsung Galaxy S3
- Exercise and calorie app
- Watch On app
- Video rental plus TV remote app
- Special version of Flip board
- Story album app. It can be used to create narrative albums with different pictures and texts. You can also buy any photo book through this application( Service Blurb)
Instead of these common applications there are many other new applications which are added in Samsung Galaxy S4. So if you want to get some knowledge about these applications then read ahead.
Gestures and Eye- tracking: -
This application sounds funny but this application has futuristic power for controlling your gadget with peepers. With the help of this application the cursor on your screen will follow the movement of your eyes. Nice thing is that software recognizes that when you are paying attention and when you divert your gaze. Smart scroll and Smart pause are two main features which builds its Smart Stay feature. It helps in keeping screen dim while you are looking at it.
Your Smartphone as TV remote: -
You can program your device for commanding your streaming set- top box, home theater setup, Blu-ray player, DVR and TV. For doing so you have to install Watch On app and do required settings. One everything is done; you can operate your external devices with the help of your Smartphone. This application is easy to use. You can flip from one TV show to another and can set up new DVR connections with the help of SMART phone. If you feel that your virtual remote is hanging up then don’t worries just make a reboot and then everything will be ok.
Further Reading:
Oodles of extras:- If you think that Samsung can’t add more features then you have to think again because I am mentioning some of them below:-
- Multi Window: - You can turn this feature ON for viewing split- screen with two applications. It is a premium suite add- on but a smaller number of vetted app limits the functionality of this feature.
- Group play:-It is a re- envisioned version of GS3’s Group cast. With the help of Group Ply one can share documents, videos, music, ad hoc networks of connected phones and games across close range. It is a nice streamlined setup process for multiplayer games.
- S Translator: - With the help of this functionality you can get written or verbal assistance in more than 10 languages. It functioned well in my Test. It’s a great application which copies Google Translator with no new benefit.
- Optical reader: - Smartphone are featured with Optical character recognition readers (OCR) but in Samsung Galaxy S4 OCR tools like reader’s business card is build in contact book. It also include QR code scanner and also use S Translator as a backend for reading menus and signs in other languages.
- S Health: - This feature keeps record of your calories and exercise. It is preloaded with weight watcher.
- Samsung Hub: - It is a redesigned marketplace for games, videos and music. This HUB is served by 7 Digitals and is tiles in your Samsung account so that you can access purchase from Samsung’s Tablets and TV’s.
- Knox security: - Samsung Galaxy S4 is the first phone which is shipped with Knox newest security. It offers easy access for your corporate and personal profiles. So now you can use your own device in a business capacity.
Performance (Battery life, processor, speed):-
This powerful Smartphone is powered with 1.9 GHz quad- core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor. It is one of the fastest handheld machines. It is also featured with 8- core Samsung Exynos 5 Octa chipset. Speed of data transfer depends on network strength. It gives a high performance. It is featured with 2,600mAh. Its battery is 20% larger than the battery of Samsung Galaxy S3. Battery of Samsung Galaxy S4 can last for 19 hours 22 minutes, while playing video games its battery can last for 10.5 hours. Internal storage of Samsung galaxy S4 is of 16GB/ 32GB / 64 GB. These entire versions have different rates.
Further Reading: