All about Samsung Galaxy S4

[Soccerman06]

So no infrared?

 

[jpeyton]

So no infrared?

Nope. Anandtech's preview does mention something called IR though.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

Man, it's a difficult choice between the HTC One and Galaxy S4. The S4 wins in specs and features, but the One's build is on another level.

Why can't we combine them? >_<

uh, no it isnt. the One is made by htc, need i say more

 

[OBLAMA2009]

So no infrared?

it has ir, they even showed the tv remote function

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

uh, no it isnt. the One is made by htc, need i say more

you guys just hate on HTC for no good reason... part of that bias is due to less than stellar marketing, but if you look at the phone from a usability standpoint, HTC has been producing very good phones since last year. Sure it's not the fastest phone on the market, but is that what you require to text, gmail and watch videos? I highly doubt HTC One X users were complaining about dropped frames left and right because the Tegra 3 was no Exynos....

 

[krumme]

What you guys think about subjective sharpness for reading for S4 compared to fx. ip5, also for more close distance?

The pixel arrangement is different, and looks better on paper plus more ppi compared to s3, but what about the subjective feeling up close. I like my s3 screen but it absolutely needs more sharpness for perfect reading.

btw, i find it incredible, they can fit this 5" in even slightly less than s3 body. If the sharpness is there, sure this is my next phone.

 

[gorcorps]

Apparently I'm the only one who doesn't really care for the tiny side bezels. I always use a case, and as it stands now my ballistic case is damn near flush with the bezels on my gs3. I won't be able to use a case on this phone and that is an issue for me.

 

[krumme]

quad 1.7Ghz A7 for a phone is fine. I think it kinds of defeats the purpose of adding quad 1.2Ghz A15. They could fuse off the A15, and 2/3 of the gfx, and hardly anyone in a blindtest would notice.

Who, even in these nerds forums, thinks their s3 lacks any power when running on 4.1?

Well the A15 doesnt hurt, but if i could change this phone it would have plain white/black, and lower res camera with more dynamic headroom, and better contrast for colors.

 

[thecapsaicinkid]

When listening to people talk about the HTC One and the S4, it's so apparent how affected people are by Samsung's marketing (htc's lack of).

 

[bearxor]

Just catching up on all the news from last night. Pretty disappointed we're probably not going to get Exynos in the US. Other than that, it's basically what we should have all expected.

If I were in the US on a carrier and had to make a decision between the One and the SGS4 with the same processor, I'd probably pick the One.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I'll admit that I haven't been keeping up with a lot of the rumors surrounding this device. I'm also not too sure what type of strategy Samsung historically employs. With that said, why would they release a phone with a weaker processor for the US market vs. everyone else?

 

[Puddle Jumper]

When listening to people talk about the HTC One and the S4, it's so apparent how affected people are by Samsung's marketing (htc's lack of).

How so? Objectively the only advantage the One has is a potentially better camera and the fact that it is made out of aluminum if you are one of the people who considers that the holy grail of materials. Aside from that every other category is a win for Samsung.

 

[ponyo]

We heard all this talk about how 5" screen was going to be too big, Note sized, etc before last night. I haven't read one peep about the size since last night. I guess Samsung shut those people up by squeezing 1080p 5" screen in something smaller than SG3 body.

I like how some people here are saying we like the S4 over One because of Samsung marketing. Lol. Yeah, we like 5" 1080P AMOLED because of marketing. We like removable battery and SD card because of marketing. Sounds like jealousy to me.

Maybe we like Samsung and S4 because they're the only company that still gets it and gives us what we want hardware wise? We want flexibility and choice and Samsung offers that. If you prefer LCD screen over AMOLED, get the One, Z, or G. If you prefer enclosed battery and "pretty and premium feel" exterior, again get any of the three by HTC, Sony, or LG. If you prefer no SD card, get the One. I see One as nothing more than Apple iPhone clone on the Android side. But lot of people like the iPhone and are willing to trade style for functionality. It seems even Google has now gone this route with the lame enclosed battery and glass back on the Nexus 4.

There is now clear difference between the different Android premium offering. The choice is easy for me other than the price. S4 is the clear winner. I chose Android over iOS because of functionality over form. Same reason is why I would choose S4 over One.

 

[StrangerGuy]

How so? Objectively the only advantage the One has is a potentially better camera and the fact that it is made out of aluminum if you are one of the people who considers that the holy grail of materials. Aside from that every other category is a win for Samsung.

What HTC marketing? The sheer amount of phones they have in countless variations and names screams more like anti-marketing to me. Don't blame your competitors when you are so intent on confusing potential customers.

 

[s44]

I see One as nothing more than Apple iPhone clone on the Android side.

I basically agree. In fact I think HTC somehow designed it to appeal most to iPhone users who aren't going to switch to Android anyway.

 

[MrX8503]

How so? Objectively the only advantage the One has is a potentially better camera and the fact that it is made out of aluminum if you are one of the people who considers that the holy grail of materials. Aside from that every other category is a win for Samsung.

The camera on the One is actually kind of disappointing. I would say its aluminum design and screen are its strong points. The screen would be dependent on if you prefer IPS or SAMOLED though. I believe the GS4's screen is pentile, but at 1080, that may not matter.

 

[ponyo]

I'll admit that I haven't been keeping up with a lot of the rumors surrounding this device. I'm also not too sure what type of strategy Samsung historically employs. With that said, why would they release a phone with a weaker processor for the US market vs. everyone else?

Samsung has typically released the Qualcomm Snapdragon version of their phone here in the US because of the LTE requirement. I don't think Samsung has yet mastered the LTE process for their Exynos. For Galaxy S2, Snapdragon was a downgrade. For S3, Snapdragon was an upgrade. For S4, we won't know til it's out which is better. I'm guessing both will be blazing fast and pretty similar. I want the Exynos 5 Octa but I'm in the minority.

 

[s44]

Every version is going to have LTE, and every version is going to use a separate baseband like the Note. I suspect it's either a supply constraint or the stupid old CDMA networks here...

 

[Red Storm]

We heard all this talk about how 5" screen was going to be too big, Note sized, etc before last night. I haven't read one peep about the size since last night. I guess Samsung shut those people up by squeezing 1080p 5" screen in something smaller than SG3 body.

I like how some people here are saying we like the S4 over One because of Samsung marketing. Lol. Yeah, we like 5" 1080P AMOLED because of marketing. We like removable battery and SD card because of marketing. Sounds like jealousy to me.

Maybe we like Samsung and S4 because they're the only company that still gets it and gives us what we want hardware wise? We want flexibility and choice and Samsung offers that. If you prefer LCD screen over AMOLED, get the One, Z, or G. If you prefer enclosed battery and "pretty and premium feel" exterior, again get any of the three by HTC, Sony, or LG. If you prefer no SD card, get the One. I see One as nothing more than Apple iPhone clone on the Android side. But lot of people like the iPhone and are willing to trade style for functionality. It seems even Google has now gone this route with the lame enclosed battery and glass back on the Nexus 4.

There is now clear difference between the different Android premium offering. The choice is easy for me other than the price. S4 is the clear winner. I chose Android over iOS because of functionality over form. Same reason is why I would choose S4 over One.

Completely agree. Samsung seems to be the only one left making the phone and features that I want.

 

[Chocu1a]

Samsung has typically released the Qualcomm Snapdragon version of their phone here in the US because of the LTE requirement. I don't think Samsung has yet mastered the LTE process for their Exynos. For Galaxy S2, Snapdragon was a downgrade. For S3, Snapdragon was an upgrade. For S4, we won't know til it's out which is better. I'm guessing both will be blazing fast and pretty similar. I want the Exynos 5 Octa but I'm in the minority.

What about the Exynos on the US version of the Note 2?

 

[SAWYER]

I see it has Gorilla Glass 3, what is differrent over gg2 that the s3 uses?

 

[WelshBloke]

you guys just hate on HTC for no good reason... part of that bias is due to less than stellar marketing, but if you look at the phone from a usability standpoint, HTC has been producing very good phones since last year. Sure it's not the fastest phone on the market, but is that what you require to text, gmail and watch videos? I highly doubt HTC One X users were complaining about dropped frames left and right because the Tegra 3 was no Exynos....

Your someone who's constantly complaining that they don't make phones with smaller screens as powerful as high end ones. Now you seem to be saying that performance doesn't really matter as long as you can text, Gmail and watch videos.

HTC do make nice looking phones but they are always flawed somehow. (dodgy battery life, dust under the screens, etc). They are also always a pain in the arse to unlock and flash compared to Samsung phones.

Now the HTC one does look pretty, but good looks aren't everything that makes a phone great. Marketing obviously helps Samsung but it doesn't change the fact that, looks aside, the SGS4 is the better phone.

 

[bearxor]

It's a good things like opinions aren't absolute. I understand a lot of people like features Samsung includes. For me, the aluminum unibody, LCD screen and front facing speakers would put it over the top for me. I don't really care about a removable battery or SD card slot.

 

[s44]

For me, the aluminum unibody, LCD screen and front facing speakers would put it over the top for me.

Aren't you the exact iPhone user who isn't going to switch I'm talking about, though?

 

[Oyeve]

My only want that the s4 doesnt have (in fact, 99% of the phones dont have) is a front facing speaker. The last phone that I had that had a front facing speaker was the Behold. Me, I will be getting the 64gb version of the s4 when it hits tmobile. Looks sweet and the .2" larger screen can only help with my bad eyesight. Its actually quite amazing that samsung managed to make the screen bigger, the battery bigger and put it in a chassis thats a tad bit smaller than my s3. Kudos, sammy.