• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Samsung Galaxy S4 (new flagship Android phone from Samsung)

Even the software button area is supposed to be grey?


WHY?

Yeah, don't ask me, I've raged as hard as anyone about it...

They did update it though, GSMArena have pics of the updated one:

gsmarena_001.jpg
 
Prepare to become one of those lumbering zombies you probably see walking around downtown with their heads down 90% of the time as they fiddle with their phones all day. Getting a smartphone and being 'connected' all the time after coming from a dumbphone can be.... overwhelming.

Well I always told myself I will not be one of those zombies because I absolutely cannot stand people glued to their phones every free moment, it's definitely a pet peeve of mine especially when driving.

I've been waiting for the S4 announcement since I wasn't too impressed by the size and feel of the iphone5.

Being on an unlimited everything family plan that will cost me $30 a month for a smartphone (as opposed to $20 for my rumor) seems like a pretty good deal as well.
 

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
Yeah, don't ask me, I've raged as hard as anyone about it...

They did update it though, GSMArena have pics of the updated one:

That looks better, but yeah stupid choice of wallpaper.

Anyways, I think Samsung, HTC and Sony all have excellent looking phones this year. Can't wait to see Motorola's offering.
 

Cipherr

Member
Front facing speakers. Pretty much everyone thinks the One is better designed.

Wxiu+

Again, I agree, the chassis design is superior. But, that doesn't change the fact that I want to use a 64GB MicroSD, it doesnt change the fact that the One has a smaller battery, and it doesnt change the fact that despite its size, the S4 has a larger screen.

That's all I'm saying... In the end, after stacking them against one another, I would still pick the S4 overall as my phone.

I love the front facing speakers, I do. But Samsung gets updates out faster, has a bigger screen in the same chassis size, has Micro SD, the Ones camera has underwhelmed so far, and I rather like the fitness software, S-Stay and the idea of the phone being able to be used as a remote. Overall I would say the S4 is the better package. It reminds me of the S3 versus the OneX in a lot of the same ways.

That sucks for HTC who seems to have really tried. But.... I don't really care about anything other than the best device.
 

fuenf

Member
Front facing speakers. Pretty much everyone thinks the One is better designed.

Wxiu+

It might be, but it doesnt change the fact that the HTC One already looks like a giant gamble (failure). UltraPixel is hit & miss, battery problems and they can't even produce enough phones. The GS4 will probably surpass the HTC One's lifetime sales in 1-2 months.

edit: disclaimer I havent decided yet whether I'll get the One, GS4 or stick with my S2.
 

nib95

Banned

I believe the S4 is 7.7mm in depth. So this is inaccurate.

On the HTC One vs S4 thing, just sounds like the One X vs S3 all over. Samsung with the better software, software support, specs and flexibility, HTC with the better build quality and design.
 

javac

Member
The iPhone looks like a baby next to those other phones. The screen looks tiny.

The iPhone actually looks disgusting in that picture, it looks like it has an otterbox on it or something. So massive considering the screen size being tiny.
 

GSG Flash

Nobody ruins my family vacation but me...and maybe the boy!
Kinda a boring reveal, though I do like that hovering finger functionality they took from the Note 2's S Pen.

I really hate the fact that they went with plastic again, although it's not a deal breaker.

Oh well, definitely would rather get this over the HTC One, which looks like a nice phone but a Z10 ripoff in design and, after HTC's poor support for the Evo 3D(save for a very late ICS update), I'm done with HTC.

Probably gonna end up waiting for the Note 3 or the next Nexus at the end of the year.
 

Akira

Member
I'm impressed that Samsung was able to get the S4 at the same footprint size as the S3 with an even thinner shell and keeping the hardware button. It's even smaller than the Xperia Z. Overall I just think it's a much neater package than the S3.
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
Ha ha ha ha ha, I can't stop laughing at that Galax-box controller. Do a black/SUPERIOR GRAY one and I may get it for my Note2 just out of sheer nonsense.
 

giga

Member
Again, I agree, the chassis design is superior. But, that doesn't change the fact that I want to use a 64GB MicroSD, it doesnt change the fact that the One has a smaller battery, and it doesnt change the fact that despite its size, the S4 has a larger screen.

That's all I'm saying... In the end, after stacking them against one another, I would still pick the S4 overall as my phone.

I love the front facing speakers, I do. But Samsung gets updates out faster, has a bigger screen in the same chassis size, has Micro SD, the Ones camera has underwhelmed so far, and I rather like the fitness software, S-Stay and the idea of the phone being able to be used as a remote. Overall I would say the S4 is the better package. It reminds me of the S3 versus the OneX in a lot of the same ways.
Smaller battery is one thing, lower batter life is another. Until we've seen how well the S4 handles the A15's energy consumption, the jury is still out.

Larger…sure, but that's tradeoff for metal instead of plastic.

I haven't heard much about the One's camera. I would have thought their decision to go with larger pixels would have helped low light shots. Link?
 

fuenf

Member
I haven't heard much about the One's camera. I would have thought their decision to go with larger pixels would have helped low light shots. Link?

Engadget loves the Camera (http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/12/htc-one-review/)
In short, even though it's not perfect and we'd love to be able to get more detail from zoomed-in shots, the One's UltraPixels methodology appears to be completely sound. We're confident enough in its quality, in fact, to declare the One as our new go-to camera.
TheVerge hates it:
That's all nice to have, but it doesn't change the fact that the pictures I took on the One just don't look very good. Sure, shots are bright and colors are good, but it's clear noise reduction processing is running roughshod all over the photos you take, leaving them soft and mushy even in good lighting. Nothing looks sharp or crisp, no matter the situation. Things look fine at Facebook or Instagram sizes, which HTC is clearly betting is all you need, but when you zoom or crop, photos lose a lot of their luster. I like the shots I'm able to get with the One's camera — I've started taking more pictures in dark restaurants, or on the street at night — but I'm not always impressed with the shots I get.
(http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/11/4086390/htc-one-review).
 

RobotHaus

Unconfirmed Member
I'm due for an upgrade as of June of last year from my old EVO. This is looking like quite the upgrade. How customizable is the Samsung UI? Or would it be easier to just run something like GO Launcher instead? Mind you, the only Android experience I have is with the EVO.
 

Subtle

Member
I cannot tell the difference between this and a regular S3. Plus, I just order a Nexus 4. Maybe next time Samsung.
 

Polari

Member
Front facing speakers. Pretty much everyone thinks the One is better designed.

Wxiu+

Personal opinion: the HTC One is ugly. It's a swing and a miss. Lovely construction ruined by the ugly ass speaker grills and big HTC logo where the home button should be. Not to mention that stupid Beats logo they put on everything. At least the S IV is relatively inoffensive in terms of flair, its major failing being that it's made of cheap shit materials.

Away from aesthetics though (as it is a debate that can rage on until the end of time), the S IV has a bigger screen and battery yet is smaller in size and has what should prove to be a significantly more powerful processor. With those factors in mind I don't really see how anyone can claim the One is "a better piece of hardware". It is however Darren Murph, and he is an idiot, so I guess that's how.
 

javac

Member
Ha ha ha ha ha, I can't stop laughing at that Galax-box controller. Do a black/SUPERIOR GRAY one and I may get it for my Note2 just out of sheer nonsense.

Get rid of the coloured buttons and instead of XBYA make it SUNG, make them monochrome, then I'll think about it. lol
 

Cipherr

Member
I'm due for an upgrade as of June of last year from my old EVO. This is looking like quite the upgrade. How customizable is the Samsung UI? Or would it be easier to just run something like GO Launcher instead? Mind you, the only Android experience I have is with the EVO.

Its about as flexible as any of the others. But yeah, there's not anything you cannot easily change with an App from the store anyway so, ehh.

Away from aesthetics though (as it is a debate that can rage on until the end of time), the S IV has a bigger screen and battery yet is smaller in size and has what should prove to be a significantly more powerful processor. With those factors in mind I don't really see how anyone can claim the One is "a better piece of hardware". It is however Darren Murph, and he is an idiot, so I guess that's how.

Exactly my feelings too. Even the US version of the S4 has higher clock speed than the variant in the HTC One. Its a better piece of hardware in nearly every facet that we know of so far with exception to the chassis and dual speakers. The way they screwed up the buttons is just icing on the cake. Two buttons with an HTC logo in the center? The hell?
 

lemonade

Member
not impressed at all. damn, with all those dancers you would of thought they were revolutionizing. fuck, i'll stick with my droid x for now... maybe the note 3 will spark interest.
 

javac

Member
I cannot tell the difference between this and a regular S3. Plus, I just order a Nexus 4. Maybe next time Samsung.

It's insides are a massive leap forward, and the design is a little more refined, less curvy etc. I get the fact that people like their expensive new device to look new however, so I understand.
 
Kinda a boring reveal, though I do like that hovering finger functionality they took from the Note 2's S Pen.

I really hate the fact that they went with plastic again, although it's not a deal breaker.

Oh well, definitely would rather get this over the HTC One, which looks like a nice phone but a Z10 ripoff in design and, after HTC's poor support for the Evo 3D(save for a very late ICS update), I'm done with HTC.

Probably gonna end up waiting for the Note 3 or the next Nexus at the end of the year.

Did you just say the One is a rip-off of the Z10 design wise? Haha
 
Yeah, don't ask me, I've raged as hard as anyone about it...

They did update it though, GSMArena have pics of the updated one:

The ZL is stunning. I'm disappointed in the S4 design. I was hoping they would try something different, but it is just a slightly refined S3 design which I already wasn't the biggest fan of. The internals are crazy, but the design is massive letdown.

Samsung S4 tear apart.

http://mobile.it168.com/tu/1462254.shtml

Anyone know what camera sensor is in this thing? The lens at least looks a lot bigger than the one in the S3.

Holy crap... already? They don't mess around.
 
Embarrassing that the HTC One is larger than the S4, but has a smaller screen and a smaller battery.

Absolutely ridiculous.

0.3 of a inch?

300 MAh?

hardly embarrassing, especially considering the clear difference in build quality.

The biggest difference is Camera for me. HTC dropped the ball there.
 

Polari

Member
The ZL is stunning. I'm disappointed in the S4 design. I was hoping they would try something different, but it is just a slightly refined S3 design which I already wasn't the biggest fan of. The internals are crazy, but the design is massive letdown.

You can't really blame them though, as the S3 had a distinctive design that set it apart from its competitors. Take the branding off the Z/ZL and from the front on it could be made by anyone. Likewise the BlackBerry Z10 and HTC One are both quite reminiscent of the iPhone 5. Whereas looking at the S IV front on, you know it's a Samsung phone.
 

nib95

Banned
Incredible that they fit all that in a smaller and thinner footprint than the S3. Still waiting to see the X Phone before making my choice. On screen keys > physical home button

13 megapixels and 2 on the front

What sensor, not what camera mp's! I know the Sony Xperia Z is using a new larger Sony sensor (though the awful Sony processing makes a mess of it), anyone know what the S4 is using?
 

CrankyJay

Banned
If there was one thing I wish Samsung copied Apple, it would have been putting the earphone jack on the bottom because I usually put my phone in my pocket upside down.
 

nib95

Banned
Same as in xperia z apparently.

Coupled with Samsung's camera processing, it should be fantastic. The S3's camera still surprises me now tbh. A lot better than when it was first released with the S3 as well. They keep adding features and modes to it with each software update. Beauty Mode and Low Light (not to be confused with Night Mode) are brilliant.
 
Top Bottom