Phones & Portable Devices / Mobile Phones

With even-higher specifications and a plethora of clever software upgrades, Samsung’s new flagship phone outperformed the previously top-scoring Galaxy S3 in our tests.   The Galaxy S4 is slightly lighter and fractionally thinner than the S3 and Samsung has managed to make the screen size a little bigger, increasing it from 4.8 inches to 5 inches, measured diagonally.  This means that the phone may seem large to those used to iPhone-sized and smaller devices and some may find it tricky to operate with one hand.

Improvements

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has improved on its predecessor in a number of areas, including a display resolution of 1080×1920 to provide an incredibly sharp screen with no pixel structures visible and on which photos and films look great.   The Galaxy S4 runs on a powerful quad-core processor, which keeps everything moving at a speedier pace than on the Galaxy S3 with its dual-core processor.  Camera resolution has jumped from 8 megapixels on the Galaxy S3 to 13 megapixels on the Galaxy S4, which also has an excellent HD video camera and a secondary front-facing 2-megapixel camera that is useful for making video calls.  The touchscreen is highly sensitive and can be activated even when wearing gloves.

Innovations

What makes the Samsung Galaxy S4 particularly exciting is its range of innovative features. For example, the Smart Pause feature means that videos are paused when you look away from the screen and resumed when you look back.  In addition, when you tilt the phone up or down, or from one side to another, it will automatically scroll through websites or emails.  Using the Air Gesture feature, you can control the phone without actually touching the screen – answering calls, scrolling through content and photos, and previewing emails by waving your hand or letting your finger hover over the screen.

For those who like to archive their lives in photos, there are some fun capabilities, including Dual Shot, which allows you to simultaneously take photos and videos with the front- and rear-facing cameras and then merge the two shots so you can appear in the photos you take.  The Galaxy S4 also gives you the ability to record a nine-second soundtrack to accompany your photo.  For anyone travelling abroad or needing some help with languages, S Translator will provide translations for anything you say or text, and S Voice Drive delivers voice control for when you are in the car.   S Health is a comprehensive app that combines a pedometer, environmental sensors, and a wearable sensor accessory and that will track workouts, diet, and weight levels.  However, all this built-in software takes up a fair amount of space.  In our tests, we found that a 16GB phone only has 9.05GB of available storage.  Happily, there is a micro SD slot so you can expand the phone’s memory.

What else?

The Galaxy S4 runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, the latest version of the operating system, and Samsung has overlaid this with its own TouchWiz interface, which means this device looks very different to other Android phones on the market.  The huge 2,600mAh battery is removable and, in our tests, delivered 17 hours of calls compared with the 11.6 hours managed by the Galaxy S3.  With the multi-window mode, you can view two applications on the same screen, so you can browse the web at the same time as watching a film, for example.  The S4 can also be used as a remote control for appropriate TVs and Samsung’s WatchOn app provides programme listings and can even suggest different TV shows based on your preferences.  With the S4, you can stream movies to your TV over DLNA and transfer data by NFC (near field communication).  This phone is 4G ready for when 4G becomes available in your area for even faster connectivity.

Conclusion

In our tests, the Samsung Galaxy S4 outshone both the S3 and Apple’s iPhone 5 thanks to its excellent screen, long battery life, and wide array of innovative features.  For those who don’t mind its large size, it is undoubtedly an outstanding phone, priced from €599 for prepay customers.

Other S4 options

Since launching the Galaxy S4, Samsung has introduced an “Active” version for anyone in need of a more rugged device.  This new phone offers added protection from dust and water with a “fully sealed design” to safeguard it from the elements.   It can also withstand being submerged in three feet of water for up to 30 minutes.   And for those for whom a five-inch screen is simply too big, Samsung have unveiled the Galaxy S4 Mini, which has a 4.3-inch display and a price tag of around €400.
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It may seem like smartphones are the only option these days when upgrading your mobile phone. However, Consumer Choice knows not all consumers want a fancy, can-do-everything-but-cook-dinner type of phone so we’ve included several multi- media and basic phones in our testing.

We think this is particularly important as we are the only organisation in Ireland performing independent product tests, and one of the only focusing on basic phones as well as smartphones.