Samsung Galaxy S4 Reviews Update

Samsung Galaxy S4 Reviews Update - The competition is fierce and constant, not least from Apple with the iPhone 5S or the good-looking HTC One M8. Other manufacturers have also entered the fray with much improved flagship phones, the most notable of these being the Sony Xperia Z2, the LG G2 and the great value Nexus 5.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Reviews Update

So with stiff competition out there can the Samsung Galaxy S4 still hold its head high and be called the best of the best? And how does it cope with the rigors of day-to-day life? 

We discuss some of the best and worst aspects of living with the Samsung Galaxy S4.

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While the 1.9GHz quad-core processor is no longer one of the fastest on the market it still gives the Galaxy S4 plenty of pep. It doesn't matter what you throw at the S4, it will guzzle it down and asked for seconds. 

very quickly. It's crazy to think that in less than a year the Galaxy S4 is looking a little long in the tooth, but with so much competition it's true. And even though the Samsung Galaxy S5 has superceded the S4 it will still remain on sale, albeit at a lower price. While it hasn't quite been the runaway success Samsung hoped it would be it is still one of the best-selling flagship phones on the market and a worth successor to the mighty Galaxy S3. Samsung Galaxy S4 Reviews Update

Watching full HD video or intensive 3D gaming is a doddle, and browsing the internet or multi-tasking a breeze. Scrolling through menus is quick and smooth, with the only very occasional stutter occurring when something is updating while you’re trying to open an app at the same time. 

Samsung Galaxy S4 Reviews Update

Unfortunately there's one issue with the Samsung interface and it's that there is a split-second pause between pressing a icon, to make a call for example, and it actually initiating the process. It's not a deal-breaker but many will find it a little clunkier than stock Android phones or iPhones, which seem to register actions quicker. In addition once you've used it for a while and added a host of apps the S4 does tend to suffer from some inconsistencies such as occasional jittery performance. The Galaxy S4 Android 4.3 roll-out has improved some of these issue, however. 

Samsung has made a number of tweaks and additions to the Galaxy S4 TouchWiz interface, the software layer that sits on top of Android. If you’re being very kind you could call Smart Scroll, Smart Pause, Air View and Air Gesture innovative. If you’re being cruel you could call them gimmicky bloatware. 

One of the best things we found about the S4 is that you stop thinking about it. It’s a 5-inch phone that fits easily in a pocket and can be used one-handed without too much trouble. It’s dependable; the screen is one of the best in class and the performance great, other than issues we've already described. The camera is impressive but has been surpassed by the Xperia Z2, Nokia Lumia 1020 and iPhone 5S. 

We found that we quickly grew tired of trying to get Smart Scroll, or any of the other apps mentioned, to work effectively enough to be worth the hassle and battery drain. They’re not quite intuitive enough and sometimes actually make using the phone trickier than when they’re turned off. Within a few weeks we had disabled them all and we’re much happier with the experience the Galaxy S4 provides.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Reviews Update. It does the basics well though, and the call quality is solid. When the Galaxy S4 was released it had the best stamina of any phone in its class. Yes some newcomers have come along that challenge that, but it's still more than good enough. Unfortunately some battery problems have become apparent. We broke the story about Samsung offering S4 battery replacements to affected users, but it does appear that it depends on the country you live in.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Reviews Update

The vast majority don't suffer from this issue, however, and the battery life and quick charging alone have saved our skin on many occasions. It’s the first top-of-the-range phone we’ve used in a while that we can forget to charge the night before and still scrape a full day’s use out of. Even a dead battery shouldn’t hold you back for too long. A 15 minute charge from empty gives you up to 20% of your battery back.

If all the aspects we’ve just spoken about are what’s really important to you then the Galaxy S4 is at least as good as most of the competition and has had a price drop, significantly so since the launch of the Galaxy S5. You should probably stop reading and just go away and buy it right now. 

For the rest of you let’s cover what the Galaxy S4 struggles with. It plain and simply lacks desirability and build quality. It’s like a pair of slippers. You’d just about venture to the local sweetshop with them on, but you wouldn’t want to go out to a nice restaurant. By contrast the iPhone 5S is a pair of loafers, the HTC One shiny dress shoes and the Sony Xperia Z21, to really put this simile out of its misery, flippers. All serve a purpose, but you’ll probably be as comfortable using the S4 on a daily basis as any other phone. The plastic is not quite as robust as we'd like though and you should invest in a case for it. If waterproofing is a requirement then you could opt for the Galaxy S5 which has a water-resistant rating that's a little lower than that on the Xperia Z2.

It’s mightily impressive that Samsung has managed to cram the Galaxy S4’s 5-inch screen into a body smaller, in all important aspects, than the S3’s. Let's not kid ourselves though, it's still a big phone and some will struggle with it if they're used to smaller phones. 

For many this will be a minor point, however. As we’ve already mentioned on a day to day basis the Galaxy S4 just keeps doing what you need it to with aplomb. It’s solid, dependable and powerful – it just won’t make you feel sexy. Samsung Galaxy S4 Reviews Update