The Samsung Galaxy S is touchscreen-enabled, slate-format Android smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Samsung Electronics. It is the third Android smartphone series produced by Samsung.[4] It was announced to the press in March 2010 and released for sale in June 2010.
The Galaxy S is produced in over two dozen variations. The international 'GT-I9000' reference version features a 1 GHz ARM "Hummingbird" processor, a PowerVR graphics processor, 8 or 16 GB of internal flash memory, a 4 in (10 cm) 480×800 pixel Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display, Wi-Fi connectivity, a 5-megapixel primary camera and a 0.3-megapixel secondary front-facing camera.[5] Derivative models may include localized cellular radios or changes to button layouts, keyboards, screens, cameras or the Android OS.
At the time of its release, the Galaxy S included the fastest graphical processing of any smartphone,[6] was the thinnest smartphone at 9.9mm [7] and was the first Android phone to be certified for DivX HD[8]
As of 2013, over 25 million Galaxy S units have been sold.[9] The Galaxy S name continued on with the semi-related Snapdragon-based Galaxy S Plus and NovaThor-based Galaxy S Advance smartphones. The next major release of the series was the Galaxy S2.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is a smartphone manufactured by Samsung Electronics. It was announced in New York City on March 14, 2013[5][6] as the successor to the Samsung Galaxy S III. The phone has many distinguishing software features such as Air Gesture, Smart Stay, and Smart Scroll; a 13-megapixel back camera, and a 5-inch (130 mm) 1080pdisplay.[5][6] It is the first TCO certified smartphone.[8] The S4 has two major variants, one featuring a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 and the other featuring a SamsungExynos 5 Octa. The Exynos 5 Octa version features the first big.LITTLE architecture central processing unit (CPU) but does not have LTE connectivity. The CPU has eight cores, four of which can be active at one time to emulate a quad-core processor.[clarification needed]
The S4 was made available in late April 2013 on 327 networks worldwide and in 155 countries.[9] Upon its release, it became the fastest selling smartphone in Samsung's history, Samsung sold 20 million Galaxy S4 units worldwide in that two months following the device's launch.[10] Google released a version of the U.S. Galaxy S4 running stock Android with Samsung-provided updates. Samsung has announced that they will be releasing a "mini" variant of the S4, a "Zoom" variant,[11] and an "Active" variant with a water resistant IP 67case, shock resistance, and an 8 megapixel camera. On June 17, 2013 JK Shin, vice president of Samsung Mobile announced that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is to have another variant with LTE-Advanced connection, which is twice the speed of 4G LTE.[12]
It’s here at last, Samsung’s biggest release for a year. The Samsung Galaxy S4 will doubtless be popular but is it the best smartphone of the year, and are the new features – and there are oh, so many of them – worth having?
The brand has not radically changed the design of the phone compared to last year’s Samsung Galaxy S3. Why would it? – the S3 was massively popular, so the company knew it had a winning design.
Even so, look closely and you’ll see definite style improvements, with straighter lines and a sleeker, more serious look to it. The S3 had swirly, curvy lines demarcating the chrome effect from the colour. On the Samsung S4 it’s all straight edges, giving a more elegant and slightly more clinical look that is at once more demure and grown-up.
And to be honest, it looks a bit more like the conventional design of other smartphones so whether this new design is better or worse is purely a matter of taste. The curves at the top and bottom edges are less tapered this time, so the corners are a touch squarer, which is also more pleasing. Less of a lozenge, more of a rectangle with soft edges.
But it’s the same gloss plastic finish, so if you’re keener on a more premium feel like the iPhone 5 or HTC One, you may feel this is a bit shouty. Even so, it’s a classier look than the S3, even on the back where the camera lens (bigger this time) has just the flash near it. On the S3 the flash was to the left of the lens, the speaker to the right. Here, the flash is directly below the lens, both centred at the top of the handset. And the speaker grille is towards the bottom and off-centre, which looks neater.
The design of the buttons has barely changed. The S3 wasn’t big on buttons, sporting only a volume rocker on the left edge and the power button on the right. These are in the same places, but this time around the power button is a little bigger. So is the volume rocker which is a little higher up on the left edge, but these are small changes but, we’d say, are all improvements.
Samsung Galaxy S4: Size and buildLike last year’s model, this isn’t a phone for petite hands. But Samsung has squeezed in a screen that’s bigger than the S3’s into a handset that’s slightly smaller (the dimensions are 136.6mm tall, the same as the S3, while the width and depth, 69.8mm and 7.9mm, are smaller).
The change in depth is particularly noticeable and means that though it’s big it doesn’t feel unmanageable. The display is 5in this year, against last year’s 4.8in on the S3.
Check out our Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Samsung Galaxy S3 specs showdown
Even so, this phone clocks in at 130g against the marginally heavier 133g last time around. Most premium smartphones these days have sealed-in batteries – without the need to finish the battery in a removable case it’s possible to maximise the size and power of the cell – but Samsung has opted for a back that pops off.
This has a big advantage because it means if you run out of juice you can pop in a replacement battery. But it can mean that the build is less persuasive or creaks annoyingly when you flex the phone in your hands. In fact, there’s precious little creak – this is a well-engineered machine.
As before there are two colours, this time white and black. Both look good, though the white looks more lively and has a gentle, subtle texturing that you only see when you look closely.
As with any smartphone, you need buttons to supplement that touchscreen. Samsung, like Apple but unlike almost everyone else, has a physical home button on the front, making it easier to wake the screen. This is especially important when the screen is as big as this phone. Reaching to the bottom of the display rather than the top right can make a palpable difference.
Even so, you can go there if you prefer as the power button is towards the top of the right edge, as usual with Samsung phones. The Home button is a more symmetrical shape than on last year’s model, though still standing slightly proud.
The headphone socket is in the conventional place on the top edge. Apple’s iPhone 5 has it on the bottom. Why should this matter? Well, if you have a protective slipcase, say, you have to remember when listening to music to slide the iPhone into it the wrong way up, which is counter-intuitive.
Better to make a statement with it, as the Nokia Lumia 920 does by plonking it on top in the centre. This left-of-centre placement on the top of the S4 is unexceptional, but fine.
The Galaxy S is produced in over two dozen variations. The international 'GT-I9000' reference version features a 1 GHz ARM "Hummingbird" processor, a PowerVR graphics processor, 8 or 16 GB of internal flash memory, a 4 in (10 cm) 480×800 pixel Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display, Wi-Fi connectivity, a 5-megapixel primary camera and a 0.3-megapixel secondary front-facing camera.[5] Derivative models may include localized cellular radios or changes to button layouts, keyboards, screens, cameras or the Android OS.
At the time of its release, the Galaxy S included the fastest graphical processing of any smartphone,[6] was the thinnest smartphone at 9.9mm [7] and was the first Android phone to be certified for DivX HD[8]
As of 2013, over 25 million Galaxy S units have been sold.[9] The Galaxy S name continued on with the semi-related Snapdragon-based Galaxy S Plus and NovaThor-based Galaxy S Advance smartphones. The next major release of the series was the Galaxy S2.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is a smartphone manufactured by Samsung Electronics. It was announced in New York City on March 14, 2013[5][6] as the successor to the Samsung Galaxy S III. The phone has many distinguishing software features such as Air Gesture, Smart Stay, and Smart Scroll; a 13-megapixel back camera, and a 5-inch (130 mm) 1080pdisplay.[5][6] It is the first TCO certified smartphone.[8] The S4 has two major variants, one featuring a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 and the other featuring a SamsungExynos 5 Octa. The Exynos 5 Octa version features the first big.LITTLE architecture central processing unit (CPU) but does not have LTE connectivity. The CPU has eight cores, four of which can be active at one time to emulate a quad-core processor.[clarification needed]
The S4 was made available in late April 2013 on 327 networks worldwide and in 155 countries.[9] Upon its release, it became the fastest selling smartphone in Samsung's history, Samsung sold 20 million Galaxy S4 units worldwide in that two months following the device's launch.[10] Google released a version of the U.S. Galaxy S4 running stock Android with Samsung-provided updates. Samsung has announced that they will be releasing a "mini" variant of the S4, a "Zoom" variant,[11] and an "Active" variant with a water resistant IP 67case, shock resistance, and an 8 megapixel camera. On June 17, 2013 JK Shin, vice president of Samsung Mobile announced that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is to have another variant with LTE-Advanced connection, which is twice the speed of 4G LTE.[12]
It’s here at last, Samsung’s biggest release for a year. The Samsung Galaxy S4 will doubtless be popular but is it the best smartphone of the year, and are the new features – and there are oh, so many of them – worth having?
The brand has not radically changed the design of the phone compared to last year’s Samsung Galaxy S3. Why would it? – the S3 was massively popular, so the company knew it had a winning design.
Even so, look closely and you’ll see definite style improvements, with straighter lines and a sleeker, more serious look to it. The S3 had swirly, curvy lines demarcating the chrome effect from the colour. On the Samsung S4 it’s all straight edges, giving a more elegant and slightly more clinical look that is at once more demure and grown-up.
And to be honest, it looks a bit more like the conventional design of other smartphones so whether this new design is better or worse is purely a matter of taste. The curves at the top and bottom edges are less tapered this time, so the corners are a touch squarer, which is also more pleasing. Less of a lozenge, more of a rectangle with soft edges.
But it’s the same gloss plastic finish, so if you’re keener on a more premium feel like the iPhone 5 or HTC One, you may feel this is a bit shouty. Even so, it’s a classier look than the S3, even on the back where the camera lens (bigger this time) has just the flash near it. On the S3 the flash was to the left of the lens, the speaker to the right. Here, the flash is directly below the lens, both centred at the top of the handset. And the speaker grille is towards the bottom and off-centre, which looks neater.
The design of the buttons has barely changed. The S3 wasn’t big on buttons, sporting only a volume rocker on the left edge and the power button on the right. These are in the same places, but this time around the power button is a little bigger. So is the volume rocker which is a little higher up on the left edge, but these are small changes but, we’d say, are all improvements.
Samsung Galaxy S4: Size and buildLike last year’s model, this isn’t a phone for petite hands. But Samsung has squeezed in a screen that’s bigger than the S3’s into a handset that’s slightly smaller (the dimensions are 136.6mm tall, the same as the S3, while the width and depth, 69.8mm and 7.9mm, are smaller).
The change in depth is particularly noticeable and means that though it’s big it doesn’t feel unmanageable. The display is 5in this year, against last year’s 4.8in on the S3.
Check out our Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Samsung Galaxy S3 specs showdown
Even so, this phone clocks in at 130g against the marginally heavier 133g last time around. Most premium smartphones these days have sealed-in batteries – without the need to finish the battery in a removable case it’s possible to maximise the size and power of the cell – but Samsung has opted for a back that pops off.
This has a big advantage because it means if you run out of juice you can pop in a replacement battery. But it can mean that the build is less persuasive or creaks annoyingly when you flex the phone in your hands. In fact, there’s precious little creak – this is a well-engineered machine.
As before there are two colours, this time white and black. Both look good, though the white looks more lively and has a gentle, subtle texturing that you only see when you look closely.
As with any smartphone, you need buttons to supplement that touchscreen. Samsung, like Apple but unlike almost everyone else, has a physical home button on the front, making it easier to wake the screen. This is especially important when the screen is as big as this phone. Reaching to the bottom of the display rather than the top right can make a palpable difference.
Even so, you can go there if you prefer as the power button is towards the top of the right edge, as usual with Samsung phones. The Home button is a more symmetrical shape than on last year’s model, though still standing slightly proud.
The headphone socket is in the conventional place on the top edge. Apple’s iPhone 5 has it on the bottom. Why should this matter? Well, if you have a protective slipcase, say, you have to remember when listening to music to slide the iPhone into it the wrong way up, which is counter-intuitive.
Better to make a statement with it, as the Nokia Lumia 920 does by plonking it on top in the centre. This left-of-centre placement on the top of the S4 is unexceptional, but fine.