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The Galaxy S4: Kind of the Same, But a Bigger Screen
Device Set to Ship Sometime in Q2
Samsung last night took the wraps off of the new Galaxy S4, though most details of the new device had already leaked ahead of the company's launch. The S4 sports a larger 5-inch, 1080p Super HD AMOLED display, a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front camera, a Samsung Exynos 5 or Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor (depending where you live), 2GB of RAM, a 2,600mAh battery, and 16, 32, or 64GB storage options. The new device is 0.31-inches thick (slightly thinner than the 0.34-inches thick S3) and weighs 4.6-ounces (slightly lighter than the 4.7 ounce S3). The phone should be available on all major carriers and is expected to ship sometime in the second quarter. The Verge has a good hands on and video preview. Want one?
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Riusaki
join:2000-09-14
Space

Riusaki

Member

Ugly ass TouchWiz...

Looks nice but TouchWiz is completely the same. I already have my Nexus 4 anyway. If I were in the market for this phone I would root it and flash Cyanogenmod day one.

Pure android is where its at. TouchWiz and Sense are Microsoft Bob Android Edition.

gigahurtz
Premium Member
join:2001-10-20
USA

gigahurtz

Premium Member

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

said by Riusaki:

Looks nice but TouchWiz is completely the same. I already have my Nexus 4 anyway. If I were in the market for this phone I would root it and flash Cyanogenmod day one.

Pure android is where its at. TouchWiz and Sense are Microsoft Bob Android Edition.

How do you like the Nexus 4? I tried it a few weeks back and was very disappointed. I ended up returning it.

Battery life was atrocious, call quality/earpiece volume was very low, phone was very unstable.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode

News Guy

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

I still don't think they've made the right phone for me yet. Currently have the S3 running CM10, but I want something like the Nexus 4, but with a less plasticky design, a better removable battery, and very CM10 friendly. A bigger S4 is not what I'm looking for, personally.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

said by Karl Bode:

I still don't think they've made the right phone for me yet. Currently have the S3 running CM10, but I want something like the Nexus 4, but with a less plasticky design, a better removable battery, and very CM10 friendly. A bigger S4 is not what I'm looking for, personally.

How good wil the voice part be? You have the S3. Is the voice part any good?

Motorola phones haven't been the best smartphones around, but their voice capabilities and ability to maintain a voice call under low signal levels have always been outstanding.

Does the Samsung S3 keep a voice call going under weak signal conditions?
wkm001
join:2009-12-14

1 recommendation

wkm001

Member

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

I agree that Motorola has been putting very good radios and antennas in their phones for quite some time. They should, they were a radio company first.

I have a Verizon S3 and the ability to hold onto a voice call is nothing short of amazing. Even in very weak signal areas. A friend at work has a US Cellular S3 and she is experiencing the same great signals.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode to FFH5

News Guy

to FFH5
I've been happy with the voice quality. Most of the voice issues I run into are due to Verizon's iffy coverage here north of NYC.

bobjohnson
Premium Member
join:2007-02-03
Spartanburg, SC

bobjohnson to FFH5

Premium Member

to FFH5
said by FFH5:

said by Karl Bode:

I still don't think they've made the right phone for me yet. Currently have the S3 running CM10, but I want something like the Nexus 4, but with a less plasticky design, a better removable battery, and very CM10 friendly. A bigger S4 is not what I'm looking for, personally.

How good wil the voice part be? You have the S3. Is the voice part any good?

Motorola phones haven't been the best smartphones around, but their voice capabilities and ability to maintain a voice call under low signal levels have always been outstanding.

Does the Samsung S3 keep a voice call going under weak signal conditions?

Middle of the road. Speakerphone is horrible if there's any background noise.
Compared to Motorola, no. Compared to other Samsung phones, yes.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

1 recommendation

Karl Bode

News Guy

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

Yeah I think there's lots of room for improvement. I am told by others that I'm worlds clearer on the S3 than I was on the iPhone 4, fwiw.

I really look forward to the day of VoLTE, as I've not really ever been impressed with voice on any of the smartphones I've used...

bobjohnson
Premium Member
join:2007-02-03
Spartanburg, SC

bobjohnson

Premium Member

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

said by Karl Bode:

Yeah I think there's lots of room for improvement. I am told by others that I'm worlds clearer on the S3 than I was on the iPhone 4, fwiw.

I really look forward to the day of VoLTE, as I've not really ever been impressed with voice on any of the smartphones I've used...

I have a Nokia Lumia 810 with T-Mobile and the S3 on Sprint and the Lumia is hands down the winner on voice quality but the S3 is better at everything else so I'm not sure which one is better
I am eagerly awaiting VoLTE as well.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Thanks all for the replies. I am switching carriers in May away from Sprint. And I am looking at AT&T & Verizon which both have good LTE coverage in my area. And I am looking at phone options on those 2 carriers. Having a phone with decent voice and very good battery life are 2 of my criteria.
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx to FFH5

Member

to FFH5
From my experience (with my Sprint S3), it does just fine. It's no Motorola e815, but there's only one dead spot that I know of.
kram1984j
join:2009-12-06

kram1984j to Karl Bode

Member

to Karl Bode
said by Karl Bode:

A bigger S4 is not what I'm looking for, personally.

Isn't it actually a smaller S4? The screen is slightly larger but the bezel is smaller and the overall device is supposed to be thinner, shorter, narrower, and lighter.

»www.phonearena.com/phone ··· 597,7114

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode

News Guy

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

I meant larger screen. I personally don't need or want to get into 5" territory.
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

You should change the article title. It's misleading.

Cheese
Premium Member
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL

Cheese to Karl Bode

Premium Member

to Karl Bode
The overall package isn't really that much bigger than the S3.
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

Actually, the S4 is smaller and lighter in every way than the S3. The only thing physically bigger is the screen.

S4: 5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches (136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm), 4.59 oz (130 g)
S3: 5.39 x 2.80 x 0.34 inches (137 x 71 x 8.6 mm ), 4.70 oz (133 g)

Cheese
Premium Member
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL

Cheese

Premium Member

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

said by 67845017:

Actually, the S4 is smaller and lighter in every way than the S3. The only thing physically bigger is the screen.

S4: 5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches (136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm), 4.59 oz (130 g)
S3: 5.39 x 2.80 x 0.34 inches (137 x 71 x 8.6 mm ), 4.70 oz (133 g)

Didn't realize it was that small To bad I have the S3, I would get it

Thaler
Premium Member
join:2004-02-02
Los Angeles, CA

Thaler to Karl Bode

Premium Member

to Karl Bode
Out of curiosity, what does CM10 add to the S3 for you? The hardware in it is overkill for my needs and seems to help the stock software brute force it through any possible hang up. Just looking through the CM forums on the S3, seems to be a slew of glitch complaints, but no explanations as to why a root vs. stock.
kram1984j
join:2009-12-06

kram1984j

Member

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

said by Thaler:

but no explanations as to why a root vs. stock.

remove bloatware applications, customize UI, Titanium Backup and similar apps, wifi tether, multiview for all apps.... but these apply to root (and root with touchwiz if including the multiview mods), not specific to installing AOSP/CM.

Thaler
Premium Member
join:2004-02-02
Los Angeles, CA

Thaler

Premium Member

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

said by kram1984j:

said by Thaler:

but no explanations as to why a root vs. stock.

remove bloatware applications, customize UI, Titanium Backup and similar apps, wifi tether, multiview for all apps.... but these apply to root (and root with touchwiz if including the multiview mods), not specific to installing AOSP/CM.

I understand the removal of bloatware, but the hardware itself is beyond overkill for any hangups that might occur. Other than occupying some of the 16 GB of internal memory, is there a problem with the stock software, even if it is bloat?
kram1984j
join:2009-12-06

kram1984j

Member

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

I didn't order those things from most to least important. stock is ok and yes the bloatware you can just hide from the app drawer (except Sprint Connection Manager with disabling doesn't completely disable.....), and it won't cause you any problems.

Personally I like further UI customization (customize color/opacity of shade, battery icon, boot animation, etc), forcing multiview on other apps (although I don't often use it), titanium backup (requires root) and other apps that require root, and wifi tether (but I havent actually been able to get wifi tether to work on the note 2, but USB does). Now, you can do most of those on stock-but-rooted ROMs.

Maybe most of all I just like tinkering with small things. (test out photosphere before the nexus 4 came out? etc)
BosstonesOwn
join:2002-12-15
Wakefield, MA

BosstonesOwn

Member

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

said by kram1984j:

I didn't order those things from most to least important. stock is ok and yes the bloatware you can just hide from the app drawer (except Sprint Connection Manager with disabling doesn't completely disable.....), and it won't cause you any problems.

Personally I like further UI customization (customize color/opacity of shade, battery icon, boot animation, etc), forcing multiview on other apps (although I don't often use it), titanium backup (requires root) and other apps that require root, and wifi tether (but I havent actually been able to get wifi tether to work on the note 2, but USB does). Now, you can do most of those on stock-but-rooted ROMs.

Maybe most of all I just like tinkering with small things. (test out photosphere before the nexus 4 came out? etc)

msg me ill send you the settings for the note2 tether via wifi.

I use it daily. 40 gigs and counting

cdru
Go Colts
MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN

cdru to Thaler

MVM

to Thaler
said by Thaler:

Other than occupying some of the 16 GB of internal memory, is there a problem with the stock software, even if it is bloat?

Have you ever used a stock Android device like a Nexus 4, 7, or 10? To me, the interface is just smoother, simpler, easier to use. Sometimes bling can be good, but other times you don't want the bling and just want something that works well. With Eclaire, Froyo, Gingerbread, some parts of Sense on my HTC phones was nice because Android still wasn't quite there yet. But with ICS and JB, Sense (and what I've seen with TouchWiz) isn't necessary.

aztr0
join:2007-10-28
Brooklyn, NY

aztr0 to Thaler

Member

to Thaler
With the stock, you get to use all the S- stuff. With a custom ROM, you will not get them. So it comes down to, if you like to use the Samsung apps or if you want more customization through a custom ROM, but not have the S- stuff.
kram1984j
join:2009-12-06

kram1984j

Member

Re: Ugly ass TouchWiz...

Incorrect. You can use a custom ROM that is TouchWiz based (Assorted parts of the samsung stuff), or a custom ROM that is AOSP ("pure" Android / Google-released code). You can use custom roms With the S-stuff if that's what you want.

Thaler
Premium Member
join:2004-02-02
Los Angeles, CA

Thaler to aztr0

Premium Member

to aztr0
said by aztr0:

With the stock, you get to use all the S- stuff.

Not really. All the S-apps I leave alone and install my own.
wkm001
join:2009-12-14

wkm001 to Thaler

Member

to Thaler
I have been running CleanROM on my Verizon S3. The battery life on my S3 is fantastic now. I have no issues making it through the day on a charge. If Samsung had shipped a similar ROM from the get go the S3 would be an even bigger hit.

Running Apex as my launcher I get a more traditional Android experience while holding onto features like Smart Stay and Direct Dial.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode to Thaler

News Guy

to Thaler
said by Thaler:

Out of curiosity, what does CM10 add to the S3 for you? The hardware in it is overkill for my needs and seems to help the stock software brute force it through any possible hang up. Just looking through the CM forums on the S3, seems to be a slew of glitch complaints, but no explanations as to why a root vs. stock.

I like the fact I can essentially gut the interface from the top down, purge all Verizon bloatware, and customize the hell out of it. Some of the stock Google functionality (typing) feels better to me as well.

My main problem is there's still a few bugs with Cyanogen Mod 10 on the S3 they haven't fixed yet, like the home button becoming borked (single press brings you to open apps instead of home, fixed by a reboot) and the occasional inability to properly click on a link without getting the alt menu options (also fixed with a reboot).

My wife's tethering also doesn't work with CM10 on the S3, so I'm thinking of sending her back to stock, and may in time nudge her back to the iPhone.

DrModem
Trust Your Doctor
Premium Member
join:2006-10-19
USA

DrModem to Thaler

Premium Member

to Thaler
said by Thaler:

Out of curiosity, what does CM10 add to the S3 for you? The hardware in it is overkill for my needs and seems to help the stock software brute force it through any possible hang up. Just looking through the CM forums on the S3, seems to be a slew of glitch complaints, but no explanations as to why a root vs. stock.

The Biggest reasons for me? Rapid OS updates and stock UI.

I was running 4.2.2 on my S3 with CM when the stock rom was still stuck on 4.0.4. And I hateeeeeeeeeeeee the vendor UIs (touchwiz, sense etc) and cruft with a burning passion. It's basically the same thing I do when I get a new PC... wipe and intall a clean version of windows without all the crap.

Sure, there are glitches. Right now CM10.1 is still in nightly status and there are a few annoying bugs (such as when you take the phone off the charger sometimes it thinks every tap is a long press, a simple reboot fixes it) but it's really nothing major, and what I get in return is more than worth it.

I really wish there was a nexus I could get, but the nexus 4 seems to get mediocre reviews. Maybe the next one will be good, we'll see. But until there is a good nexus I will be sticking to flagship phones + CM.

Riusaki
join:2000-09-14
Space

Riusaki to gigahurtz

Member

to gigahurtz
Not sure what issues you had with yours. The earpiece volume is very loud on mine. Battery life is good for me and call quality is awesome. I'm running CM 10.1 (4.2.2) with a modified kernel. I rooted it within 30 minutes of taking it out of the box. The previous phone I had was the Tmobile G2. I buy a new phone every 18-24 months. I wait till phones are leaps and bounds better than my current one. Buying a new phone every 6 months is just spending money for an incremental upgrade.
kerya666
join:2002-12-20
Valrico, FL

kerya666 to Riusaki

Member

to Riusaki
The old TouchWiz I really hated but it seems they improved it overall quiet a lot with each update. (I started with Original Galaxy S).

The usual benefit of Galaxies is that all of them are very easy to root, have open bootloaders, so easy to put custom roms with whatever customization you want.

So you can always get rid of TouchWiz if you really want. I even remember some people migrating HTC's version of UI onto Galaxies back in the day (although with minor issues).

Overall I am quiet happy with specs of the phone. It really is a monster on paper, except maybe for pentile-matrix screen, lets see how it will do.

It seems like they starting to follow with same type of design for majority of their high-end phones. I don't know if I like that or not. In a way they establishing the "face" of Samsung high-tier phones but in the way it is the same lazy approach as Apple and their look alike phones every year.

••••
wkm001
join:2009-12-14

wkm001 to Riusaki

Member

to Riusaki
I agree that TouchWiz is nothing special. Which is why I run the Apex launcher. CM is much more than stock Android. While they are similar on the surface, CM has a lot more settings. Many I would like to see in stock Android.

I have an S3 and tried CM and AOKP. But then I lost all the cool features like Smart Stay and Direct Dial. Now that smart phones are pretty much all the same (slate style), software is where the innovation has to occur.

gigahurtz
Premium Member
join:2001-10-20
USA

gigahurtz

Premium Member

If this were Apple, there would be 90 comments by now

It's funny to see the difference in hatred between Android fan boys and Apple fan boys. If this were the day after the new iPhone was announced it was as underwhelming as what the S4 was, all of the Android fan boys would be coming out to talk about how great Android is.

Overall, the phone wasn't all that impressive to me. I was looking forward to this launch but was very unimpressed. The larger screen size is nice, but I wonder how that will make the phone to carry. It's in the range of a Galaxy Note now. The double picture feature is probably one of the stupidest features I've seen on a phone.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••

ARGONAUT
Have a nice day.
Premium Member
join:2006-01-24
New Albany, IN

ARGONAUT

Premium Member

Sticking with my S3 for now.

The S4 looks great but I'm in no rush. My S3 GT-i9300 is doing just fine.

Rom: Sotmax JB Ultimate Stock with HD voice.
Kernel: Yank555.lu 3.3a

trparky
Premium Member
join:2000-05-24
Cleveland, OH
·AT&T U-Verse

3 edits

trparky

Premium Member

I will definitely be getting this phone!

I have a Galaxy Nexus right now and I'm ready for a new phone and the Galaxy S4 is going to it. I know, I'm talking heresy here when going from a pure Android phone to one that has a skin (ie. TouchWiz) on it.

Personally, I don't care. To me, as long as the phone works and works well, I don't care what it runs. Well, within reason. I will not own an iOS device; you couldn't pay me to run the locked-down POS system.

I've done the whole rooting and ROMing scene, I'm burned out. I simply want my phone to work. See my thread in the Android forum...
»Burned out....

LightS
Premium Member
join:2005-12-17
Greenville, TX

LightS

Premium Member

Re: I will definitely be getting this phone!

Same here with my Galaxy Nexus. I honestly want a Nexus 4, but since they aren't running on Verizon... not gonna happen.

It looks like, at this point, it's either stick with my Galaxy Nexus & hope the next Nexus phone works w/ Verizon or just get an S4 when I feel like it.

trparky
Premium Member
join:2000-05-24
Cleveland, OH
·AT&T U-Verse

trparky

Premium Member

Re: I will definitely be getting this phone!

Personally, I don't think that Google will ever have another Nexus device on Verizon especially after how Verizon f***ed with the Galaxy Nexus so badly.

I mean, the phone is just now getting an official 4.2.2 update. The GSM version has had constant official updates for months now, only the Verizon version of it had constant roadblocks to the updates.

Myself, I'm going to AT&T when my contract is up with Verizon so really I'll have a pick of any device I want including the Nexus 4. Why am I leaving Verizon? Simple, bad coverage; really bad coverage where I live.

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
Premium Member
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

skeechan

Premium Member

I'm far more impressed with the HTC One...

...but phablets overall are dumb. They're too big for a phone and too small to be a good media player. I use my phone one handed and don't want to be juggling it or need two hands to type quickly. I use a phone as a phone and would rather see that hardware crammed into a 3.5-4" phone like an S4 "mini", sleek, thin, easy to handle, comfortable in a pocket... I'm also not a fan of the hideous build quality; it is sad to see Samsung stick with the polycarb. If I were going to buy an Android phablet, it would be the HTC.

•••••••••••••

HA Nut
Premium Member
join:2004-05-13
USA

HA Nut

Premium Member

Nice features but not tempted to upgrade...

Great to hear about the new S 4. But to be honest, I'm not really tempted to switch very much because my S 3 has been great! I've had an unrooted S 3 since they came out for AT&T last year. The only negative issue for my S 3 is that when I'm around LTE, the battery goes down like crazy. (I'm normally in a 3 G only territory.) Normal battery use drops from 24 to 40 hours down to 6 to 8 hours.

Metatron2008
You're it
Premium Member
join:2008-09-02
united state

Metatron2008

Premium Member

Re: Nice features but not tempted to upgrade...

That's only due to it switching repeatedly from 4g to 3g. On my Verizon ipad mini and my s3 on at&ts lte service, the battery life is not much different in lte only areas.
BigJames523
join:2007-09-07
West Palm Beach, FL

BigJames523

Member

I Love the S3 but...

I have T-Mobile and while I am in a "4G" area, I live and work in the "Dead Spots" which seems to be my luck LOL! I have had there people come out and test the area, and have confirmed it. My only option is Wi-Fi at home and work, which Wi-Fi at work is very little it any. I do like my S3 though, but I am done with Samsung, Not a fan of the phone (buggy, glitches, etc) Gonna get something totall different but who knows what can of worms will be in the next phone I choose =/
BlueBanana
join:2013-03-17

BlueBanana

Member

Spec wise

Spec wise its fairly comparable to the s3 but there is some pretty cool things, and a lot of stupid ass things, like if you have enough friends with this device you can have surround sound! (pretty damn pointless)