[REVIEWS] - Quad-core vs. Octa-core comparison by PocketNow

BoneXDA · Mar 23, 2013

Release firmware battery test further improves Snapdragon 600 performance

GSM Arena concluded yet another battery test, on release firmware, and it improved the device's talk time and video playback significantly, while web browsing suffered some decrease. Overall, with standby time staying impressive as ever, the Galaxy S4 endurace score improved from 63h to 69h, tying the Galaxy Note II.

PocketNow Snapdragon vs. Exynos comparison

Full review to follow soon

DisplayMate test - An impressive OLED

http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_S4_ShootOut_1.htm

... when Automatic Brightness is turned on, the Peak Brightness becomes significantly brighter in high ambient lighting than is possible with Manual Brightness, up to as high as 475 cd/m2, which is 34 percent higher than is possible with Manual Brightness. The Galaxy S4 display is a major enhancement and improvement over the Galaxy S III – a good reason to consider trading up. The screen has Full HD 1920x1080 resolution with more than double the number of pixels and with 44 percent higher Pixels Per Inch than the Galaxy S III. It is 25 percent brighter (and up to 68 percent brighter with Automatic Brightness) and the display is 20 percent more power efficient. The Galaxy S4 also has 5 user selectable Screen Modes and delivers much better picture quality and color accuracy.

The Galaxy S4 performs very well in high ambient lighting in spite of its typically lower screen brightness because it has one of the smallest screen Reflectance values of any display we have ever tested, and its more saturated colors can help cut through the reflected light glare. When Automatic Brightness is turned on, the screen brightness increases considerably at high levels of ambient lighting as mentioned above. The Galaxy S4 is then comparable or brighter than most LCD Smartphones.

TechRadar - Real talk! (4,5/5)

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/ph...ng-galaxy-s4-1137602/review/16#articleContent

Verdict

We're getting really fed up with the design criticisms thrown at any phone manufacturer that deigns to not make it's flagship out of metal. Yes, it doesn't feel as premium, but what you're giving up in feel you're getting back in weight, removable battery and general hardiness - the combination of Gorilla Glass 3 and a plastic shell mean this is one tough cookie. ... The trend for cases is such that users aren't even getting the full force of the design either - we don't think that they should be necessary, but a lot of people are protecting their high investment. We spoke to a chap that went for the HTC One for design reasons, then showed us the huge case he carried it around in. :laugh:

Make no mistake - the Samsung Galaxy S4 is far, far more than a Galaxy S3 'S' - Samsung may be copying Apple according to some people, but it's not as brazen as the Cupertino brand in flogging the exact same design with a slightly uprated processor and calling it a new phone. The Galaxy S4 is a great, great device in its own right, re-inventing what it means to own a brilliant smartphone in a number of ways. The gestures are cool, the touch-less experience amazing at times - in short, it's a wonderful phone you want to pull out of your pocket again and again and again.

The design issue is overblown. Yes, it's plastic, and yes, compared to the competition you wouldn't choose to spend £500 on it for the chassis. But it's a very solid device that belies that exterior and shouldn't be discounted for it. TouchWiz is getting a little complex now, though. The simplicity of HTC Sense shines through, and the HTC One is a superior device in many ways because the innovation is based on things users want. Where Samsung brought the ability to wave to move photos, the HTC One made the speaker better.

Where the S4 lets you scroll with your head, the One lets you take photos in low light. The latter feature is slightly offset by the S4's auto Night Mode, but you get the picture. But screw all the 'which phone is better than the other' notion for now (we'll get to that in our best mobile phones piece) the Galaxy S4 is a stunning smartphone that won't let you down for a variety of tasks. There's no doubt Samsung will have to make a big step forward to keep users interested with the Galaxy S5, but for now we love the S4 and would be proud to have it in our pocket.

GSM Arena retail unit & US update (April 24)

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4-review-914.php

Boys at GSMA got their hands on a retail unit and are updating their in-depth review. Audio and smart scrolling improved, as well as the camera performance (my observation).

Update, April 18: We got a final retail Galaxy S4 unit and redid tests and benchmarks, made new screenshots and checked if the description of all the features is accurate. Here's what we found to have changed:

Update, April 24: Over the past week, we also had the opportunity to spend time with a US version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 for Sprint Wireless. Save for the different bands, the handset's specifications and performance are on par with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 powered device we extensively reviewed.

Added info and photos on the new eco-friendly box

The Smart scroll feature works better on the final unit

New benchmarks showing slightly improved performance

New audio quality test

New photo and video samples

The biggest improvement is in SunSpider, the retail drivers move the S4 up to the very top with an impressive 810ms mark

In-depth S4 vs. HTC One, Xperia Z comparison

Comparing Galaxy S4 to HTC One

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4_vs_htc_one-review-913.php

Comparing S4 to Xperia Z

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4_vs_sony_xperia_z-review-915.php

boodies · Mar 23, 2013

Thanks for the link. I always knew this phone will win the phone of the year. No other phones even come close to offering what Samsung offers. And I think the phone looks a million times better than the one. Just wait till the reviews start flowing. You'll see the true power of this beast of a phone.

DavraZ · Mar 23, 2013

Re: Galaxy SIV Reviews - PhoneArena first to review the beast with a score of...

Thanks for this. I love how everyone is bashing the design.

I bet more people love the design when all well known websites show their reviews/benchmarks.

Sent from my LG-P990 using xda premium

Jokesy · Mar 23, 2013

Call quality

The Galaxy S4 delivers passable call quality - nothing spectacular. The earpiece is loud enough, but the quality of the sound isn't among the best. Things are a bit better on the other end of the line, though there's some room for improvement as well.

The loudspeaker is powerful and manages to retain a decent sounding most of the time without starting to crackle too much.

Yet Ray S came up with mediocre call quality!

Seriously, PhoneArena needs better reviewers. I really don't understand why they always rush reviews because the review, just like many of their past reviews, is not in-depth at all and I don't even think their review phone was close to the final production unit.

boodies · Mar 23, 2013

Yeah, they need a better reviewer thats for sure. That article doesn't do the phone justice. It was lacking in so many areas. It's like they're trying to be the first to review the unit. Oh well, at least they were smart enough to give it a 9.3..

daoom · Mar 23, 2013

The design is basic, which is fine by me since I want to be able to change the battery and put in an SD card. Those are the mains reason the HTC One is a no go for me.

As for the "plain" looking exterior, let's be honest here: the first thing most of us do after buying a phone is to seal it up in a case to keep it safe so it's a moot point at best.

yahyoh · Mar 23, 2013

the cons are joke :silly::silly::silly:

SilentEYE · Mar 23, 2013

One of the worst tests I have ever seen.
No screen tests, no battery test, no audio quality tests, no photo comparison, nearly nothing done.

Phonearena = jokearena

Jokesy · Mar 23, 2013

pikatchu said:
One of the worst tests I have ever seen.
No screen tests, no battery test, no audio quality tests, no photo comparison, nearly nothing done.

Phonearena = jokearena

+1

rkial · Mar 23, 2013

Desperate to get in first.. hardly a proper review.

BoneXDA · Mar 23, 2013

Definitely feels rushed, so many functions are left out of the article, plus it may not even be the final SW.

barondebxl · Mar 23, 2013

Isn't the phone shipping in like a month? that is a very early review....

hung2900 · Mar 24, 2013

I have considered PA's reviews as smth for entertainment. Very funny reviews and funny comments below. That's all.
The structure of their reviews does not have any depth into the phone. And this one is even worse. Look at the camera part, they said smth like "camera is very good", "outdoor picture is very good", "very detail" or "Noise in mminimum". So pointless.

pewpew345 · Mar 24, 2013

I'm waiting for The Verge, they maybe a little bit biased to Apple but they do make good reviews.

barondebxl · Mar 24, 2013

pewpew345 said:
I'm waiting for The Verge, they maybe a little bit biased to Apple but they do make good reviews.

What I like about the verge reviews is that they don't hold back, if there is something they don't like they will make it clear.

BarryH_GEG · Mar 24, 2013

barondebxl said:
Isn't the phone shipping in like a month? that is a very early review....

Most of the real reviewers like Anandteach and GSMArena have posted mini-reviews saying their withholding judgment until they receive production devices. Kind of makes you wonder about other sites that don't feel the same way. GSMArena's One test is out and they've highlighted a number of differences between the pre-production devices they used and the final versions. So it's probably a bit early to feel either elated or disappointed by PhoneArena's comments.

optimummind · Mar 24, 2013

Re: [REVIEWS] - PhoneArena first to review the beast with a score of...

I'm super excited for the S4 but that review, despite a positive score, seriously was incompetent, incomplete, very lacking, premature, and ultimately, unnecessary. It left me with the impression that the site just wanted a spike in web traffic, which doesn't benefit its writing integrity and credibility.

i9100g user · Mar 24, 2013

Re: [REVIEWS] - PhoneArena first to review the beast with a score of...

hTc one scored 9.1
Xperia Z scored 8.5

BoneXDA · Mar 24, 2013

pewpew345 said:
I'm waiting for The Verge, they maybe a little bit biased to Apple but they do make good reviews.

The Verge is on the Apple payroll. Ridiculously biased toward iOS products, I wouldn't trust them in a million years.

FinancialWar · Mar 24, 2013

I wonder how they come up with all these score numbers?

[REVIEWS] - Quad-core vs. Octa-core comparison by PocketNow

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