All the major handset makers seem to be giving the camera function of the smartphone a lot of love lately. Nokia, HTC, and Apple have all tricked out the image capture function of their respective flagship devices and Samsung is no different. Instead of being content with the default Android camera features, the S4 has added a bunch of software to the 13 MP rear and 2 MP front cameras. Some additions are cute but puzzling — like the ability to take a “dual camera” photo from the rear and front at the same time. This was something people wanted? Other features, like taking stills while in a video, are quite welcome. Then, there are the blog-friendly features, like Animated Photos (essentially an automated animated GIF) or Sound and Shoot, which embeds audio in images. Audio, you should note, that can only be shared by other S4 users. Meh. Panorama and filters are there, of course, and are old hat. More impressive though, is the Drama Shot, which is a mode that shoots 100x in a single burst. This can make cool composite images, assuming you can get it to work. I have some trouble with that particular camera feature.
For those of us who only want to take photos and post them places, I have to note that the S4 has possibly the best color balance of any Android phone I have used to date. Photos feel right in a way they didn’t on the S III. I’m also impressed by the audio pickup when taking video. There’s a little too much ambient noise, but for the most part, I can actually hear what my toddler was saying when the video was taken.
We didn’t test S-Beam or NFC, two Samsung data transfer solutions, but reports are that these work swell for those who like that sort of thing. Also going untested was the screen share feature that lets you see your screen on another device and the ability to have two apps on screen at once (we tested this on the Note II).
Hackability
Samsung and Google really, really want you to buy the Developer Edition. As you can imagine, the S4 comes with the Bootloader locked, so you can’t just stick on any custom ROM you might fancy. We’re not going to link to how, but you can indeed get around this. After you find the workaround that’s not hard to find — Techictement takes no responsibility for anything that may happen to your device in the attempt — you can tweak as much as you like, including putting a straight-up Android experience, minus TouchWiz.
And there was much rejoicing.
The Strengths
The S4’s biggest selling point is the name. Samsung has become the brand of choice for many. The S4 is a great illustration as to why, with powerful multimedia and computing features, smart software, and cutting-edge hardware. The Galaxy S series is the one to beat, and the S4 cements that.
The Weaknesses
Is it possible that Samsung is growing complacent? The heat issues on the S4 were bad enough that two associates actually returned theirs. It’s easy to blame the chip, but the same one is inside the Optimus G and no such issues were reported with that phone. There’s also talk that sales numbers are dropping now that the initial thrill of breaking records is over. That’s likely more indicative of the overall state of the market, but it raises an eyebrow.
One other thing we want to note is that the S4 is a little flimsy feeling. Samsung must agree on some level because there is already a follow-up model: the S4 Active. The Active is water resistant and tougher, which might cause me to be less prone to worry about damaging that phone.
Pricing & Availability
The S4 is available on all four major U.S. carriers. Prices start at $199 normally, but there are already deals to be had (Sprint has it direct for $150 when you port a new number in, Best Buy is giving $50 gift cards, etc). I wouldn’t be shocked if there are great deals over the Fourth of July weekend.
Wrap Up
The current generation of quad-core smartphones are amazing and the S4 is no exception. The On The Cheap writer in me is a fan of how it’s popularity has driven S III prices down, despite the difference for the average user being minimal. In fact, if you’re already on an S III, I would suggest holding out for the S5. For everyone else, the only good reason to not buy an S4 is personal taste. I strongly recommend giving it a test drive anyway though, because your palette may change with this phone.
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