Samsung Galaxy S4 Pro Reviews

In the end, the Galaxy S 4 is easily Samsung’s best smartphone to date. Not only does it offer better performance and many new features over the previous generation, but Samsung has improved the user experience as well. If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 deserves serious consideration, regardless of whether or not you're an Android or iOS user currently.

Who has come up with the figure of speech that it's lonely at the top, anyway? There are numerous promising high-end smartphones, and not all of them are made by Apple or Samsung. Now, the Galaxy S4 has to fend off the HTC One, the Nokia Lumia 920 and the Sony Xperia Z. However, Samsung is off to a good start: When compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy S4 has been improved significantly in almost all relevant fields. Superficially, not much has changed. The Samsung Galaxy S4 takes an evolutionary approach, staying true to its time-honored tradition of using plastics. Despite excellent workmanship, the inner values seem to be more important to Samsung. Almost all possible means of communicating with the web or other devices have been thought of and operation by the user is possible via gestures, touch, speech, eyes and facial recognition. In addition, while the screen might not be the brightest in its class, the razor-sharp Full HD Super AMOLED display is impressive. The rear camera is capable of taking good pictures with an extremely high resolution. The smartphone accessories are well thought out and the superb performance of Galaxy S4 should be more than sufficient for the next few years. Then there is the outstanding TouchWiz skin, which not only looks beautiful, but runs quite smoothly as well. Samsung also encloses numerous useful apps.

The decision between an iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4 comes down to a few factors. If you prefer a bigger screen, going with Samsung’s phone is an easy call, as it makes everything from surfing the Web and playing games more enjoyable. Plus, unlike Apple’s device, you can even run two apps on the display at once. The Galaxy S4 also trumps the iPhone 5 in the features department. Some of its capabilities come off as gimmicky, such as scrolling with your eyes, but others can come in quite handy, such as Air Gestures, S Health and TV remote functionality. We also love all of the fun camera features, even though we prefer the iPhone’s picture quality. The iPhone 5 has a lot of the same advantages now as when we did our last face-off between the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III. Apple’s device offers a better design, a brighter display and snappier performance when navigating the device. There’s less lag here. The iPhone 5 also lasts longer on a charge (though it lacks a removable battery) and has a better selection of content and apps.

As the smartphone market matures, all major manufacturers have transitioned from leaps-and-bounds development to incremental, evolutionary refreshes. As companies struggle to outdo each other, the battle is essentially fought in three areas: design, performance and software. Samsung pokes fun at Apple for producing iPhones that aren't much different from previous generations. The S 4, however, is hardly aesthetically distinguishable from the S III and Note II. If potential buyers want a unique industrial design, the HTC One and Nexus 4 are not as generic. Style preferences aside, most smartphone owners will cite software features as reasons for claiming allegiance to a platform. Apple's iOS software continues to be the simplest and most predictable throughout its lifespan, while Google's core Nexus experience represents a well-refined alternative with a wider range of capabilities. Samsung's TouchWiz overlay undoubtedly wins in terms of "most features," but some users may be frustrated by the excessive complexity and unreliability of beta options. The S 4 offers the highest performance of any smartphone that we've handled, and the 1920x1080 display is simply spectacular. These may be the most important factors behind the S 4's reception, as the software may be less obtrusive for anyone switching from the popular S III as opposed to an iPhone or a Nexus device. Will the S 4 covert many iPhone owners? Probably not, but Samsung doesn't need it to. The company's new flagship Android handset might not be a significant upgrade from the S III, but it is a huge leap from the S II and most other smartphones. It may not be the best-looking design or have the most-refined software, but it certainly is competitive among the top tier. Sprint offers the S 4 for $250 with new or upgrade-eligible contracts. New customers willing to switch from another carrier can receive a $100 credit.

A big screen and a big battery in a surprisingly compact handset that's packed with extras

HTC One and Galaxy S4 are the two best Android phones yet. It’s up to you to decide which advantages and features have more value. But for me, the HTC One ekes out the victory because of its design, display and snappier performance.

It’s improved in every area, but the Samsung Galaxy S4 isn’t good enough to topple the HTC One

As we type this we have the SGS3 and the SGS4 on our desk. While, superficially, there's really not a lot of difference between the two, to hold, they couldn't feel more different. We really like the new, more square-feeling SGS4. At the back, we prefer the SGS3 aesthetically, although the case design of the new phone is nicer - albeit still plastic. There are a stack more options here. Some we like, and think we might use, others we can see the value in, and some we think are ridiculous. But, if nothing else, Samsung continues to try hard, and work on new features. Many of these are unique and interesting, rather than just copies of other devices. We are certain that the SGS4 is a better phone than the SGS3. Loads more features, improvements everywhere and very little that has got worse - you might laugh, but this does happen with successful devices sometimes.

That the GALAXY S 4 will be a best-seller is pretty much a given at this stage. A combination of cutting-edge hardware, blanket advertising, and no small amount of headline-grabbing sparring with Apple has left the Galaxy series as the de-facto Android option for many, and that mindshare and marketing positions the new flagship to pick up the reins as soon as it hits stores. That’s not to say that Samsung’s improvements aren’t impressive in places in their own right. The new Full HD AMOLED screen is a beauty, and there’s no shortage of power or storage for running the latest Android apps or, indeed, those likely to arrive in the coming months. As we’ve found before, some of Samsung’s software tweaks we used, and others we could happily leave; the exact mixture of which each user will come to rely on, though, will vary, and Samsung seems content to throw them all into the pot and let the individual decide. Video recording from both cameras is great too.

The S4 is far from a bad phone. In fact, were it not for the HTC One, it would be the best Android phone you can buy. And one can't help but think that had Samsung poured all of its innovation into maximizing the practical user experience—instead of highly ignorable gimmicks—it might have taken the crown.

Samsung's Galaxy S4 is without a doubt a top-two Android contender against the HTC One, and a top-five handset when you include reps from each other major OS -- the iPhone 5, BlackBerry Z10, and Nokia Lumia 920. Android is the most feature-advanced OS by far, and the Galaxy S4 has the most diverse software extras, making it an exciting handset for intrepid smartphone users ready to dive into it all. However, a darn long feature list doesn't make it better for everyone. HTC's premium One is the far more impressive phone physically, and has a much fresher interface design to boot. It, too, has an IR blaster to control your TV. The One's camera features, including the "Zoe" tools, are interesting in their own right, and HTC has invested tremendously in audio. The One's built-in speakers sound fantastic, and although there's no expandable storage slot, the phone starts you off at 32GB, which is plenty for most people, and double the GS4's storage at the same starting price.

Even better than its excellent predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 is the ultimate kitchen-sink Android phone for 2013, with something for everyone.

The sheer momentum that Samsung has built over the past four years guarantees that tens of millions of people will buy the Galaxy S 4. A few million more will be sold to those captivated by the showoff software features. The only thing that remains to be seen is if you will be among the enchanted or the disinterested. Early detractors, present company included, said that the Galaxy S 4 is very similar to the Galaxy S III. I now believe that the phones are similar except that the S 4 is better in every single way. Samsung took every aspect of a successful device and gently tweaked them to make it better. No one should view that as a bad thing unless he or she has always had major gripes with the Galaxy S series.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is bursting at the seams with cool features and high-end hardware, all jumping up and down for your attention. Some are overkill, some we’re sure you will use and love. But ultimately the S4 will be judged on smartphone essentials: comfortable design, good display, speedy performance, and long battery life. It scores high on the first three, but struggles on the last. The reason we rate it higher than the HTC One, which also had battery issues? You can swap this battery out, if need be. Granted, we wish it wasn’t necessary. Bottom line: we highly recommend the Samsung Galaxy S4. The phone launches on seven carriers over the next few weeks. It will cost just $150 down on T-Mobile, $200 with contract on AT&T and U.S. Cellular, and $250 on contract with Sprint. Verizon Wireless, C Spire, and Cricket have not announced pricing. Whichever carrier you switch to or stay with, the Galaxy S4 is among the best smartphones you can buy right now.

Do we even have to say anything here? It's all clear as day – the Galaxy S4 easily wins this comparison with its supreme design, screen, better camera quality, as well as way better user experience. LG has certainly done a very good job with the Optimus G Pro's design and all, but they'll just have to do even better than that if they want to have a chance of overthrowing the market leader. By the looks of it, the area where LG should focus most is the software, because, sure, their phones are very customizable and all, you can change icon sizes, colors and so on, but really, what matters most is your core experience, because not everyone's keen on personalizing every small detail in their phone. So, LG just has come up with a beautiful UI that's contemporary and fun to use, because customers sure ain't buying LG phones for their gimmicky features. Now, we don't say that each and every feature by Samsung is worth your while, but overall, most of Samsung's custom software just makes more sense than what LG's doing.

OK, so the Galaxy S4 may not be a tremendous upgrade over the Galaxy S III, but it sure is a better smartphone. The new flagship excels in many areas, including its exterior design, the screen, which is now 1080p, the updated UI with latest Android version, 13 MP camera and a host of new software features. All of these feature upgrades make sure that you're having a a better experience while using the handset, not only in specific situations, but also while doing completely basic things like calling, messaging, getting notifications and so on. We gues this is why Samsung continues to get more and more influential in the smartphone market, as the company's high-end phones not only have state-of -the-art hardware, but also an increasingly better user experience, which you can never get with specs alone. But let's get back to our comparison and try to answer the question that we asked at the start – should Galaxy S III owners think about an upgrade? Well, it sure isn't a simple question, which means there isn't one ultimate answer. If you have spare money, and having the latest gear is always a top priority for you, then just go ahead, sell that aging Galaxy S III and get the GS4! In any other case, we think that the Galaxy S III is still competent enough – from hardware to software. The screen is big, the processor is fast, the experience is wonderful... plus it will probably get an update to the next version of Android, so for the time being, it looks like you won't be missing much at all, should you stick to the Galaxy S III.

Well, it's been another action-packed face-off, and we think it's clear already which device we think is the superior one here – it is the Galaxy S4! Sure, its appearance isn't as fancy and the construction isn't as sturdy as those of the Lumia 920, but that's about where the Nokia's advantages end. Samsung's handset is definitely the more convenient phone to use, as it's much lighter and thinner, while at the same time it packs a significantly larger display. But that is not all. The Galaxy S4 also has a much better camera, and when we turn our attention to the software experience, that's where the Galaxy S4 easily gains the upper hand as it simply offers so much more, both in terms of custom, built-in features and third-party apps. Microsoft has certainly nailed a number of things in Windows Phone, including the web browser and QWERTY keyboard, and then we have Nokia's free offline turn-by-turn navigation, but those things aren't nearly enough to save the Lumia 920. With all of that in mind, it seems that the only thing that remains for us is to wait for Nokia's next flagship smartphone, and then see how close it's gotten to successfully competing with the most fearsome Android phone around.

At the end of the day, though, there can be no doubt about it – the Samsung Galaxy S4 is the better smartphone of the two, as Samsung has enhanced a number of key areas like the screen quality, the camera, the processor and the whole user/software experience. The Galaxy Note II is definitely not far behind in any category, and it has advantages of its own, like the bigger screen and the S Pen, but if those aren't super-important for you, we'd recommend that you get the lovely Galaxy S4. However, if you are currently sporting a Note II and are thinking about upgrading to the GS4, we can't really say that it's going to be worth the effort, except if you are tired with the enormous size of the Note II and want to switch to something much more convenient.

Until we get our Galaxy S4 review unit, things to look out for between these two are price, design and customised Android interface. Both are at the premium end of the smartphone market so you can't go too wrong with either.

The Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 are two amazing smartphones. Interestingly, they manage to be amazing in their own, unique ways, which prevents us from choosing an ultimate winner. The Galaxy S4 is extremely versatile, has a ton of interesting features and a beautiful 5" display that is just perfect for video playback and gaming. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5 is almost as capable, thanks to the multitude of quality applications available for it, and there's just something special about the simplicity of iOS. It really just works. Many activities won't be as fun or as comfortable to do as on the GS4, due to the iPhone 5's smaller screen, but you'll be surprised at how polished and competent this phone feels. It all comes down to what type of user you are. Are you a geek or a tech-savvy person who demands a large screen and extreme control over their computing devices? Grab the Galaxy S4 and don't look back! Are you a user who's into technology, but values exquisite design, simplicity and fine-tuned experiences? Get an iPhone – it's still unbeatable in those areas.

We're not going to make any definitive judgments because we haven't yet spent enough time with the Samsung Galaxy S4. Suffice to say that both of these phones offer high-end features and good performance. They each have great displays and good cameras. Windows Phone users swear that their platform is the best, but you will find that some of the apps you like are available on Android and not Windows Phone. Ultimately, the choice is yours - select either of these flagship phones and you are unlikely to be disappointed.

We're not going to make any definitive judgments because we haven't yet spent enough time with the Samsung Galaxy S4. Suffice to say that both of these phones offer high-end features and good performance. The Galaxy S4 is more of an all-round entertainer, with its bigger better screen and access to the Google Play app and media stores. On the other hand the BlackBerry Z10 is built for business, offering enterprise level tools and security on the server side, and a great email and messaging hub.

The Galaxy S4 is a step up from the iPhone 5 in terms of hardware so until the next iPhone, it's the winner in this area. However, at the same price, two excellent operating systems and quite different designs on offer the choice is not so straight forward. Keep a look out for our full Galaxy S4 review.

We're disappointed to see an almost identical design with the Galaxy S4 but at least some of the hardware upgrades are significant - the screen, processor and cameras. Once again Samsung has gone all out on software features but a lot of these might be brought to the Galaxy S3. Stay tuned for a full Galaxy S4 review soon.

Both the HTC One and Galaxy S4 are shaping up to be two of the best smartphones of the year. It’s up to you to decide which advantages and features resonate with you more. But if I had to make a call on one or the other, I’d give the edge to the S4 because of its many, many talents.