The jewel in the new Samsung Galaxy S4’s crown is its 5in Full HD Super AMOLED screen. It’s a dazzling display when turned on, with the 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution packing in 441 pixels per inch (ppi).
By comparison the Apple iPhone 5 has a mere 326ppi, while Sony Xperia Zcomes in at 443ppi. The HTC One is currently winning this game at 468ppi. Print magazines, to give you a comparison, have a resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi); tech is clearly moving on…
So while the S4’s screen might not quite top the smartphone screen charts, it’s still a massive step up from the S3’s 1280 x 720, 306ppi display – and it’s noticeable, too.
Place the two side by side and the S4’s display bursts with vibrancy; it looks exciting and really commands your attention. Pay close attention to the app icons and you’ll see that the S4 delivers super-clean and smooth edges, making the S3 look blurred and pixelated in comparison. We are suitably impressed.
There is a hint of over-saturation to the colours, but it’s in keeping with the general bright and colourful character of Samsung’s current crop of displays. However, there are options to change the Screen Mode in the S4’s systems menu should you wish.
The Adapt Display option optimises the screen performance, but to our eyes it was too subtle a difference from the Standard mode to make any difference. We stayed clear of Dynamic; it over-exaggerates the colour and contrast levels even further. Movie mode dials things down, but you pay the price in terms of punch and vividness. The S4’s display is subtler and more detailed than the S3’s, though, so we were happy to keep it on Standard.
Regardless of what we did, though, rival smartphones such as the HTC One and iPhone 5 do offer a more neutral colour balance.
Sound
Smartphones have fast become one of the main music sources, whether it’s listening to music on the move or using them to play music at home – so sound quality is more important than ever.
Samsung includes a pair of earphones with inline controls and a mic, and three different sized pairs of ear-tips. They fit comfortably, but if you’re serious about your music quality, opt for a pair of upgrade headphones. We'd suggest theSoundMagic E10 (£35), the Award-winning Beyerdynamic DTX 101iE(£65), MMX 101iE in-ears (£100), or the portable on-ear AKG K451s (which we’ve seen for around £55).
Whichever headphones you use, though, the Samsung Galaxy S4 sound quality still fails to excite.
Play Paradise Circus by Massive Attack and while the individual instruments and vocals are direct and sound strong, the overall rhythm lacks precision and drive, with bass and drum beats sounding flat and rather dull. Notes don’t quite gel cohesively either, and timing is short of being snappy, which isn’t conducive to foot-tappage.
The Galaxy S4’s poor audio performance is all the more apparent when it’s compared with its rivals. Apple still wins in the sound stakes, with the iPhone 5 delivering subtle detail, tight and snappy rhythms, and notes that start and stop with precision. It’s definitely the most entertaining experience of the current crop of smartphones.
Sony’s Xperia Z and Google’s Nexus 4 join Apple on the podium with clear and sharp detail, while the HTC One offers a warmer sound without robbing the music of its vibrancy.
Another new Samsung Galaxy S4 feature is Group Play, which allows you to connect two Galaxy S4s to create a ‘stereo effect’, or join up several S4s for a surround-sound effect when playing music between friends. Of course, this does depend on your friends owning a shiny new Galaxy S4 as well…
But ultimately on sound quality, placed next to its competition, the S4 sounds rather uninspiring – and we’re surprised at how low it comes on the scale of smartphone sound experience.
And before you think we’ve forgotten that a smartphone is still a phone, we of course tested out the call quality in our office. Voices sounded loud on the S4, if a little bit on the fuzzy side when it comes to detail, and we heard rather too much background noise from the other end too.
By comparison the Apple iPhone 5 has a mere 326ppi, while Sony Xperia Zcomes in at 443ppi. The HTC One is currently winning this game at 468ppi. Print magazines, to give you a comparison, have a resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi); tech is clearly moving on…
So while the S4’s screen might not quite top the smartphone screen charts, it’s still a massive step up from the S3’s 1280 x 720, 306ppi display – and it’s noticeable, too.
Place the two side by side and the S4’s display bursts with vibrancy; it looks exciting and really commands your attention. Pay close attention to the app icons and you’ll see that the S4 delivers super-clean and smooth edges, making the S3 look blurred and pixelated in comparison. We are suitably impressed.
There is a hint of over-saturation to the colours, but it’s in keeping with the general bright and colourful character of Samsung’s current crop of displays. However, there are options to change the Screen Mode in the S4’s systems menu should you wish.
The Adapt Display option optimises the screen performance, but to our eyes it was too subtle a difference from the Standard mode to make any difference. We stayed clear of Dynamic; it over-exaggerates the colour and contrast levels even further. Movie mode dials things down, but you pay the price in terms of punch and vividness. The S4’s display is subtler and more detailed than the S3’s, though, so we were happy to keep it on Standard.
Regardless of what we did, though, rival smartphones such as the HTC One and iPhone 5 do offer a more neutral colour balance.
Sound
Smartphones have fast become one of the main music sources, whether it’s listening to music on the move or using them to play music at home – so sound quality is more important than ever.
Samsung includes a pair of earphones with inline controls and a mic, and three different sized pairs of ear-tips. They fit comfortably, but if you’re serious about your music quality, opt for a pair of upgrade headphones. We'd suggest theSoundMagic E10 (£35), the Award-winning Beyerdynamic DTX 101iE(£65), MMX 101iE in-ears (£100), or the portable on-ear AKG K451s (which we’ve seen for around £55).
Whichever headphones you use, though, the Samsung Galaxy S4 sound quality still fails to excite.
Play Paradise Circus by Massive Attack and while the individual instruments and vocals are direct and sound strong, the overall rhythm lacks precision and drive, with bass and drum beats sounding flat and rather dull. Notes don’t quite gel cohesively either, and timing is short of being snappy, which isn’t conducive to foot-tappage.
The Galaxy S4’s poor audio performance is all the more apparent when it’s compared with its rivals. Apple still wins in the sound stakes, with the iPhone 5 delivering subtle detail, tight and snappy rhythms, and notes that start and stop with precision. It’s definitely the most entertaining experience of the current crop of smartphones.
Sony’s Xperia Z and Google’s Nexus 4 join Apple on the podium with clear and sharp detail, while the HTC One offers a warmer sound without robbing the music of its vibrancy.
Another new Samsung Galaxy S4 feature is Group Play, which allows you to connect two Galaxy S4s to create a ‘stereo effect’, or join up several S4s for a surround-sound effect when playing music between friends. Of course, this does depend on your friends owning a shiny new Galaxy S4 as well…
But ultimately on sound quality, placed next to its competition, the S4 sounds rather uninspiring – and we’re surprised at how low it comes on the scale of smartphone sound experience.
And before you think we’ve forgotten that a smartphone is still a phone, we of course tested out the call quality in our office. Voices sounded loud on the S4, if a little bit on the fuzzy side when it comes to detail, and we heard rather too much background noise from the other end too.