When you hear the name of South Korea I am sure that one of the first things that come to your mind is Gangnam Style. Well it’s time it changes to something that has a lot to do with style but of course not only that. This video review doesn’t need an introduction.. you know why.. because the device you are about to see needs no introduction. Digital Magnet draws the curtain before one long-awaited device. this is Samsung Galaxy S4.
The company introduced their latest high-end smartphone under the name ‘life companion’. It is because the Galaxy S4 has evolved both outside and hardware-wise to be user-friendly to the maximum. Now I suggest we take a closer look at the latest Galaxy S member and see how this device has evolved to live up to the name life-companion and whether it’s going to justify it.
S4 incorporates a bigger 5-inch display at a much higher pixel density of 441ppi
At first sight the yougest member of the S family stands out with a much thinner profile than its predecessor the S4. It is lighter too – the estimated 130g. But see what exactly happens – the physical dimensions are reduced unlike the display size. The S4 incorporates a bigger 5-inch display at a much higher pixel density of 441ppi. Just to get an idea of the visual performance I will tell you that the S4 had 306 ppi and the iphone 5 – 326ppi. The screen resolution has also grown to 1080×1920 pixel resolution.
Since this is undoubtedly an all-purpose device for talk, browsing and entertainment, it is supposed to always keep you connected on the go. And since this buddy is made to serve you right the connectivity abilities have been enhanced. Like for example the upload speed is 8 times faster than the S3 reaching 50 Mbits/s and the download speed is 100Mbits/s. So that contents online are not simply viewable anymore, they are downloadable.
Galaxy S4’s performance has been double boosted as it runs an octa-core Exynos CPU at 1.6GHz. Just to make a comparison – the S3 runs on a quad-core CPU at 1.4GHz and the iPhone 5 a dual-core processor at 1.3GHz. The system memory on the S4 has also been boosted up to 2GB.
Galaxy S4’s performance has been double boosted as it runs an octa-core Exynos CPU at 1.6GHz
Samsung has worked hard so that the new device deserves itself the name ‘life companion’. Simple tasks are now effortlessly completed thanks to the more intuitive controls and functions on board. For example Smart Pause and smart scroll knows when you are watching or no and pauses the video you are viewing the second you look away from the display. It also scrolls the pages automatically when you tilt the phone. The improved S voice helps you stay a responsible driver and alert on the road as you can voice initiate a call, a text message or answer the phone. The S translator is an intuitive engine which translates whole sentences and speaks them back using original accent so that you never get lost in a foreign country.
Another command that has evolved is Air View. It can be summed up like this S4 now recognizes not only touch gestures, but also motion executed over the screen. Thus you can answer calls, play music, view photo content and many more. You can also say goodbye to the cold hands in wintertime, the smartphone flawlessly responds to touch gestures even when you are wearing gloves.
Another essential aspect that has been improved is battery unit. More battery power is available on board thanks to the 2600mAh battery which is around 23% more than in the S3. Galaxy S4’s battery is a removable one.
The 2600mAh battery provides around 23% more power than in the S3
Most people rely heavily on their smartphone camera in their everyday lives. Well Samsung has definitely taken this into account with the Galaxy S4. The base camera is a 13MP one, compared to the 8MP in S3 and iPhone 5. And for those who are more into photography like myself there are a few more improvements concerning the base camera. It has a longer exposure and a 5 times faster maximum shutter speed so that even the fastest moving objects are captured without any blurring. It comes of course with a strong LED flash. And HDR shooting mode is also available for better images in low-light environments. The base camera is a 13MP one, compared to the 8MP in S3 and iPhone 5. The front camera has also been boosted up to 2MP.
The upload speed is 8 times faster than the S3 reaching 50 Mbits/s and the download speed is 100Mbits
The camera software offers a few interesting functions like for example Dual View. It is a special mode that allows you to make a video using both cameras simultaneously. A special Drama Shot mode creates an interesting effects on your shots and videos. And finally what I found pretty useful the Sound and Shot function. It records up to 9 second sound which accompanies the image and plays back every time you view the photo. The Samsung Galaxy S4 provides an increased internal storage of 64GB available to the users. The new Galaxy S4 operates under the latest Android version out there which is 4.2.2. The S4 comes with wireless charging capabilities as well. So it will save us the trouble to cope with annoying cables and wires. For the case color you can chose between two colors – black and white.
All in all the new Samsung Galaxy S4 is one of the most powerful smartphones out there raising the bar quite high.