Samsung Galaxy S4 thread - See Mod Warning in Post #1

Oafley Jones

King Krib wrote: »

After waiting to hear all details about the S4 it kind of feels a bit of an anticlimax. 5'' 1080p screen,so what...
Nothing here to blow to you away. When you've a cash cow milk it I suppose.

Went to bed before the announcement and had the weirdest dream. Samsung were demonstrating the new phones radical construction which they dubbed nevrbreak. They spent a few minutes firing it against concrete etc. to prove how robust it was.

I'm a bit disappointed it didn't come true. Slightly Meh about what I've seen this morning. Even though I pissed and pooed over the 3's design at launch, it's something that has grown on me. However, I don't like how they're basically doing an apple now with design. Although, I understand why.

I picked up a one x instead if the 3 owing to samsung's display. I found it dim in comparison and slightly blue tint owing to the pentile arrangement. It a decent display but the one x was and still is amazing. It's so good that I don't understand the push for 1080,beyond marketing of course. I'd have been happier if Samsung pushed out a brighter non pentile 720-it would persuade me over the HTC one if I was changing.

Cantona's Collars

Article & launch video here, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2293597/Samsung-unveils-Galaxy-S4-smart-phone.html

King Krib

Oafley Jones wrote: »

Went to bed before the announcement and had the weirdest dream. Samsung were demonstrating the new phones radical construction which they dubbed nevrbreak. They spent a few minutes firing it against concrete etc. to prove how robust it was.

I'm a bit disappointed it didn't come true. Slightly Meh about what I've seen this morning. Even though I pissed and pooed over the 3's design at launch, it's something that has grown on me. However, I don't like how they're basically doing an apple now with design. Although, I understand why.

I picked up a one x instead if the 3 owing to samsung's display. I found it dim in comparison and slightly blue tint owing to the pentile arrangement. It a decent display but the one x was and still is amazing. It's so good that I don't understand the push for 1080,beyond marketing of course. I'd have been happier if Samsung pushed out a brighter non pentile 720-it would persuade me over the HTC one if I was changing.

You summed it up exactly!!!

Vahevala

I dont think there is that much difference between the 3 and the 4. I think huge improvement if you are moving from the SGS2 so will stick with the 3 I have!

antodeco

Was there any mention of being able to turn off Smart Pause?

s_carnage

antodeco wrote: »

Was there any mention of being able to turn off Smart Pause?

Nothing but I would assume its possible. Any features that are similar on the S3 can all be turned off like all the motion features.

Oafley Jones

antodeco wrote: »

Was there any mention of being able to turn off Smart Pause?

I'm sure I saw the option listed on one the leaks.

I like that Samsung have employed the synaptic's touch display for use with gloves as well.

There's nothing about either the 4 or the One that wouldppersuade me to upgrade. If I killed my phone in the morning I'd probably go for a note 2 or the one x again. I really hope this Google x phone turns out to be something worth waiting for.

makoten

Pretty sure those new 'features' like Smart Pause that Samsung added can be disabled, otherwise they would just be annoying in the long run.

I don't see what the problem is, it's a very solid upgrade in terms of hardware and software, a bigger battery, as well as new features that other phones don't have yet. Certainly a lot more exciting than iPhone 5.

But of course, there's less incentive to upgrade for Galaxy S3 owners. Also, S4 will be released by the end of April.

Alpha Dog 1

Surprised there was no mention of wireless charging.
Got the impression that Samsung aren't overly happy with android in terms of power consumption.

It's an impressive phone, removable battery is nice.
Not sure they could have done much more.

Blazer

Very happy with the specs..justified my move back to iphone 5 from the S3 and was afraid that Samsung would come out with some killer feature that would leave me looking to change again.
For me the Nokia Lumnia 920/8 is the only other phone I'd consider changing to at the moment or the HTC One.
Samsung are basically like Apple now...incremental updates which are really for the 2 generations old users like the S2 etc to upgrade to.
But in fairness to both most companies are like this..you can't have killer features each launch

wayne040576

King Krib wrote: »

After waiting to hear all details about the S4 it kind of feels a bit of an anticlimax. 5'' 1080p screen,so what...
Nothing here to blow to you away. When you've a cash cow milk it I suppose.

What did you want it to do? Make your tea in the morning?

Most improvements in phones from now will be better faster, battery life, improved wireless charging etc. All the big innovations will be in software features.

King Krib

wayne040576 wrote: »

What did you want it to do? Make your tea in the morning?

Most improvements in phones from now will be better faster, battery life, improved wireless charging etc. All the big innovations will be in software features.

, there simply isn't a huge amount to say warrant an upgrade from the S3. That's all I'm saying,plus if it makes a cup of tea in the morning that's a bonus.

s_carnage

King Krib wrote: »

, there simply isn't a huge amount to say warrant an upgrade from the S3. That's all I'm saying,plus if it makes a cup of tea in the morning that's a bonus.

Would agree with this. I've an S3 and can see no reason to change at all. Really like some of the new features in the S4 but not enough to warrant an upgrade.

It's the first time I've had a phone for a year and didn't feel the need to change it. The S3 was such a great release from Samsung and it would be hard to keep making big strides in releases every year.

Alpha Dog 1

441 ppi, does any other phone beat this?

Melion

I guess ill be keeping my s3 until im due an upgrade in January.

Tar.Aldarion

Testament1 wrote: »

I spent 6 months jumping in and out tractors and general roughhousing in the family agri contracting business with my S2 with no cover and dropped it a few times aswell and not a bother to it. Got a nice clean indoors job for the winter and within a week id a crack going across the screen after dropping it there! Didnt get to find out how sturdy my S3 was as I lost it within 24 hours of getting it :rolleyes:

Havent got around to reading the reviews of this phone yet so cant comment on the new features but in terms of design Im not too bothered that it hasnt changed as the S3/Note 2 template is a solid one. Samsung could potentially have alienated a lot more customers if the design had been radically changed and it didnt go down well and also the current design does help to reinforce some sort of brand recognition.

That's thte thing, it really matters hwo it falls, and it will fall. Also people with children would be mad not to have them. Even somebody like me with cats. The end of this gif happened with my phone last night:




It's fairly impossible to break my phone in it's otterbox.

King Krib wrote: »

, there simply isn't a huge amount to say warrant an upgrade from the S3. That's all I'm saying,plus if it makes a cup of tea in the morning that's a bonus.

Yeah, not really worth an upgrade imo, same as with the iphone.
The hardware is already so fast that you don't even need it to be better yet, and also a lot of the improvements are software stuff that is/will be ported. Would like to see how the battery holds up.

Facepalming at them going on about removing the black bar from the top of the screen....reminds me of when they made fun of apple for the "earphones going in the bottom"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf5-Prx19ZM

Oafley Jones

Alpha Dog 1 wrote: »

441 ppi, does any other phone beat this?

HTC One comes in at 468. It's also non pentile unlike the 4.

big_show

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

It's fairly impossible to break my phone in it's otterbox.

Well now you jinxed it, Ill give your phone until the end of the day. :pac:

Dampintheattic

Can I open a beer with it:o

Tar.Aldarion

big_show wrote: »

Well now you jinxed it, Ill give your phone until the end of the day. :pac:

I dramatically looked for my phone when you said that. :pac:

MuppetCheck

Looks like a decent update, nothing ground breaking but not as blink or you'll miss it as Apple either. I like the idea of the bigger battery - was a killer on my s3 not being able to get a full day most days. Look forward to the Note 3 as a replacement to my Note 2 more though. Don't think I could go back to a smaller screen unless it was something very special indeed.

Sofiztikated

Just watched the Android Central handson vid.

I don't know know. I want to like it, I really do. But I'm not sure. Looks like a lot of features in 4.2.2, but it did seem laggy in places, which I am surprised at.

The dual camera seems interesting, I know I'll use it, oh, at least once.

Different processors for different regions? What could this mean for the user?

Looks very similar to the S3. I don't find that to be in a good way. I always found the S3 to be too plasticky, too toyish.

Now, this or Xperia Z?

Meesared

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Just watched the Android Central handson vid.

I don't know know. I want to like it, I really do. But I'm not sure. Looks like a lot of features in 4.2.2, but it did seem laggy in places, which I am surprised at.

The dual camera seems interesting, I know I'll use it, oh, at least once.

Different processors for different regions? What could this mean for the user?

Looks very similar to the S3. I don't find that to be in a good way. I always found the S3 to be too plasticky, too toyish.

Now, this or Xperia Z?

Its not running final software, I'd say Samsung will iron out the bugs and lagginess before release.

Mc Love

The big question remains, when are we (irish networks) getting our hands on this?

The Corinthian

I'll have to agree with many here and say that while it's an attractive phone, it's really not such a major jump from the S3.

The jump from the S2 to the S3 was quite significant; screen size, phone memory (quite an important factor I found), CPU, form factor and so on. From the S3 to the S4, it's not such a big deal; CPU is better (but the S3 is still more than powerful enough for any software out there), internal storage is potentially greater (if you pay for it) and there's a number of other hardware improvements, but most of them are really just incremental - otherwise there's little or no change.

The screen is a bit bigger, but TBH, the S3 is already almost a bit too big - if I want a tablet, I'll buy one, otherwise, even with the S3, not being able to hold the phone in one hand and do everything with my thumb is bit of a pain. One major improvement (mainly because there wasn't much of one with the S3) is the main camera resolution - the secondary camera is essentially unchanged. This might sway some people, although personally, I'd rather see better flash technology on cameraphones.

From what I can see, the emphasis on the S4 has been in software upgrades, most of which are impressive on first seeing them, but after a short while they're not exactly a big deal. After all, if I really want to upgrade my software or soup up my OS, there's no shortage of apps or custom ROM's out there I can employ and won't require me to shell out a big chunk of cash to do so.

So if you're still on the S2 or a pre-2012 phone, then maybe the S4 is for you. It does build on the success of the S3 and even from that perspective alone I'd probably recommend it. However, if you're already on an S3 - like me - there's not a Hell of a lot of incentive to upgrade. As someone mentioned earlier, I looked at the specs and the video demos and my reaction was also a mooted "meh".

I believe the smartphone market has largely matured now, and people are going to slow down where it comes to upgrades again, as largely they were with feature phones, before 2007. We'll still upgrade, but the days of doing so because every year a phone was released that was somehow revolutionary are, at least for the time being, over.

Sofiztikated

Mc Love wrote: »

The big question remains, when are we (irish networks) getting our hands on this?

End of April on Meteor, apparently.

Inquitus

I recently got an Xperia Z, and having seen the iterative improvements of the S4 I am glad. I dislike the plastic styling, and if anything the S4 is worse looking than the S3, at least the HTC One and Xperia Z have attempted to design a phone with a pleasing form, the gap between the 3 flagship phones in terms of their innards is minimal, and indeed with phone CPU's we have reached the same plateau desktop CPU's have been at for a while, yes they get faster and faster, but that extra speed makes no discernable difference to the user, unless he likes ray tracing, or encoding 1080p video!

I do like the 5" form factor though, and having gone to the Xperia from a Galaxy Note 2 I have no issues with even bigger, I do think the HTC One is too small though, and I am eagerly awaiting the Note 3 later this year.

Anyways all in all I think Samsung dropped the ball a bit here, I was hoping they would really make an effort with the design aspects this time.

Justin10

Must be only be me that thinks the Xperia Z feels like a brick.

Mc Love

Sofiztikated wrote: »

End of April on Meteor, apparently.

April 26th on three, register your interest here: http://www.three.ie/coming_soon/galaxy-s4.html

Sofiztikated

Mc Love wrote: »

April 26th on three, register your interest here: http://www.three.ie/coming_soon/galaxy-s4.html

Three's no good around here, no data coverage.

shuffles03

S4 Controller for gaming announced:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-15-samsung-galaxy-s4-has-an-xbox-360-like-gaming-controller-with-an-extendable-clamp-that-holds-phone

Also compatible with the Note 2 and Note 8.

Engadget Report:

http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/14/samsung-prototype-wireless-game-pad-hands-on/

Meesared

shuffles03 wrote: »

S4 Controller for gaming announced:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-15-samsung-galaxy-s4-has-an-xbox-360-like-gaming-controller-with-an-extendable-clamp-that-holds-phone

Also compatible with the Note 2 and Note 8.

Engadget Report:

http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/14/samsung-prototype-wireless-game-pad-hands-on/

That thing is going to be awesome for me!

wayne040576

Inquitus wrote: »

Anyways all in all I think Samsung dropped the ball a bit here, I was hoping they would really make an effort with the design aspects this time.

Thing is, Samsung actually like this design. Their opinion is that lighter is better. I remember seeing an interview with a Samsung rep a while back. He mentioned how they were taking the Race car approach making them as light as possible while making the plastic durable. They've applied that design to all of their models now (phones, tablets).
When I compare my old galaxy nexus to my nexus 4, I prefer the bulkier nexus 4.
It's all very subjective I guess.

My dream design would be a phone that had the screen of the Galaxy s3/4 with the back of the new HTC. Here's hoping..:)

god's toy

Happy three are getting it late April as Google I/0 is only around the corner from then (may 15th) and we could be seeing a new nexus 5 to keep me away from the s4.

Justin10

Sorry probably a stupid question, but the Nexus 5 isn't the Motorola X. Is that correct?

MagicMarker

How would this compare with the Note 2?

Meesared

Rochey18 wrote: »

Sorry probably a stupid question, but the Nexus 5 isn't the Motorola X. Is that correct?

They haven't announced the Nexus 5, or the "X Phone" so its hard to say, we will probably get news at I/O 2013

My last 3 phones have been htc one X -> SGS3 -> Note 2, and after watching last night's announcement, I think I'm going back to htc.

The SGS4 really is a let down, there's no killer feature, no real innovation that I can see benefiting me in any way. I'm not a huge fan of Amoled screens, although the note 2 is much nicer than the SGS3. I also don't like the look and feel of Touchwiz, and was really hoping they were going to make significant changes to it.

It's a shame the perfect phone doesn't exist, every phone has its weak points.

Hogzy

Its really annoying that the last Nexus phone didnt come to Ireland though. I hope this isnt a permanent move by Google.

mad muffin

To those that own a gs3 or note2 how has it hels up? Does it creak? Is the screen susceptible to burn in that you have noticed?

mad muffin

mad muffin wrote: »

To those that own a gs3 or note2 how has it hels up? Does it creak? Is the screen susceptible to burn in that you have noticed?

Mine have been fine, although I generally keep my phones in a case to help resale value so wouldn't really notice creaking.

Haven't noticed any burn in at all, but I would say that the SGS3 screen is poor in general, much behind the note 2 and the latest HTC's

Meesared

mad muffin wrote: »

To those that own a gs3 or note2 how has it hels up? Does it creak? Is the screen susceptible to burn in that you have noticed?

My Note 2 is fine, no issues at all!

beno619

So there is no Exynos 5 for Germany as carriers are sticking with the snapdragon variant, probably because of LTE, it explains why Samsung didnt go into any specifics about regions last night. Sorry I cant provide any links ,straight from the mouth of a German XDA member.

evolutionqy7

big_show wrote: »

Well now you jinxed it, Ill give your phone until the end of the day. :pac:

Yeah my S3 was indestructible in the otterbox commuter case. I used to fling it all over the place and it would take it like a man :-)

mad muffin wrote: »

To those that own a gs3 or note2 how has it hels up? Does it creak? Is the screen susceptible to burn in that you have noticed?

S3 never creaked. It was an extremely solid phone. Never had any issues with screen burn. I used to have mine as a night stand clock for the 6 months that I had it and never got a hint of screen burn.

Note 2 creaks like hell. I got a replacement one that creaks less but it's still nowhere near the build quality of the S3. If there was one way I could improve the note I would look for a better build quality. I'll forget about the cheap plastics. I just don't want to be able to twist it, bend it or hear creaks when using it. it's not a cheap phone after all. You would expect only the best from a high end phone

Chet T16

Here's a random collection of my thoughts

I like it, its an evolutional upgrade from the S3 but it has improved everything its changed. Best of all its the same size.

I'm glad it still has removable battery and expandable memory, i don't get why any phone would not have these.

I'm excited by the IR. On the old tabs with IR the hardware was locked to devs, hopefully this isn't. HTC are apparently releasing an api for the One IR module so it would be good if samsung followed.

Most software pictures are bollocks. Pictures with sound? That's video with no moving picture. Sharing/group stuff is pointless unless you a) have friends, and b) they all have the same phone. Unlikely.

Non-touch touchscreen - might be stupid, i don't know. Working with gloves is good though.

Overall, and i'm not entering into discussion about this, i think its a better overall phone than the One. I might even go as far as to say that it's more better than the One than the S3 was better than the One X.

Also, the kid was weird looking.

Casey78

Have an iphone 4s that will be due for an upgrade end of April.
Not really sure I want to go for Iphone 5 or even wait for an iphone 5s.
I presume the price of the SIII will drop when the SIV comes out so would it be a ridiculous to consider getting the SIII instead of the SIV?
I'm sure the SIV might be over €200+ for an 18month contract on the plan I usually get,the SIII could even be free by then on the same contract.

IncognitoMan

Will the dual sim have two sim cards on at once. Like could I use 3 data plan and 02 free texts?

Or do you have to switch between the two sims. Never had a dual sim before

Meesared

A dual sim? What do you mean?

Hogzy

IncognitoMan wrote: »

Will the dual sim have two sim cards on at once. Like could I use 3 data plan and 02 free texts?

Or do you have to switch between the two sims. Never had a dual sim before

I guarantee the models we see in Europe wont be dual sim. People in Asia are crazy about their dual sim phones. People dont usually require that feature in Europe/USA so its not brought here.

WolfForager

Chet T16 wrote: »

Overall, and i'm not entering into discussion about this, i think its a better overall phone than the One. I might even go as far as to say that it's more better than the One than the S3 was better than the One X.

Also, the kid was weird looking.

Once again Chet, and I remember saying this this time last year as well :P Myself, and many others, have a preference for design over software. Which, once again, means HTC beat Sammy to a pulp. I won't be buying either of them, waiting for the fabled "X Phone", but if I were to choose, I'd take the One hands down.

And yes, the kid freaked me out too.