You know why I'd consider getting this? No stupid Pentile crap! Finally yellow icons will look yellow, instead of having a tint of green to them when I look up close. And, unlike the HTC One, a removable battery and expandable memory! And due to the popularity of the original S4, the Cyanogenmod support will be up-to-date, which is always a good deal!
I actually prefer good quality transflective lcd screens. Never any trouble with those even in direct bright sunlight. Don't know what are the density limitations on those (if any)
Brian - You said something has to give in terms of cost and materials, so we still don't know how good this 1080p panel is right? Is it going to be HTC One-like? Or something worse? Shrug. I like a well calibrated panel, but if it sucks to begin with, there's only so much you can do.
Forget about Galaxy S4 samsung is offering Rs 10000/- cash back on Galaxy Note II also it is available on 6 months EMI , for more information kindly visit http://mobiknowhow.blogspot.com and check yourself
Um, seriously? S-AMOLED is great...if you are not outside, or are never away from a charger for very long. This looks like a great phone, and its battery life is going to kick the shit out of the rest of the (current) Galaxy series. Looks like I found my next phone!
It's not the megapixel count that worries me, it's that various sources say that the camera module is the same as the s3, which means we're getting a previous generation camera. The s4 camera has improvements in other areas other than megapixel count.
More megapixels also help if you crop your pictures. Because smartphones lack optical zoom and because I'm usually to lazy and impatient, a lot of my pictures are shot without perfect composition, I like to just "shoot from the hip". It's nice to be able to zoom in later on the interesting details. For me, the camera has become the top priority on a smartphone, seeing that I usually forget to bring my dedicated digicam, or find it a hassle when I don't. So getting last year's camera rules the Active out for me, which is a pity, especially since I find it visually quite a bit more appealing than the vanilla one.
But unless you're shooting in great lighting, the noise is enough that getting real use of those 13 MP is rare. In real world shooting, you'll usually not get much benefit out of that extra resolution because if you zoom in that far it will look like crap. I'm in favor of HTC's strategy on this one of sacrificing pixels for better signal, since I'm usually trying to shoot indoors in suboptimal light anyway.
A heck of a lot of pictures are taken in low light so emphasizing low light is pretty important. Apple also emphasizes low light and their low light pictures are better than the S 4's but not as good as the HTC one.
I know the MP wars are stupid, but at the same time image processing is improved each generation with more powerful SoCs. So just because we're dividing a limited sensor size into more pixel doesn't mean we get worse images. If that's the case we'd be demanding Canon to go back to 6MP SLRs instead of the 18MP sensors in crop cameras. The 18mp sensor today is far better than the 6MP sensor in 2003.
With that said, I agree with the cropping ability. Crop is hugely important without digital zoom. With manufacturers emphasizing wide angle now, i take a picture and I get a lot of useless junk all around. Cropping helps.
The thing is the S4 still does marginally well in low light, so I'll take that. If I really want low light shots, the HTC One isn't going to save me. My S95 will with beautiful pictures AND OIS so that it's not just a blur.
Ruggedized my patootie. Drop that thing from 4 feet and you're out $600. Just like any of these ripoffs moneysinks. It is a joke that people tolerate such garbage for so much money.
It is ruggedized, just not in the way you are thinking. IP ratings are for dust and water resistance, not impact resistance. Perhaps you want the 2500g armor plated and shock and vibe tested model. Yeah, they didn't figure there was a market for a phone that heavy either, so it never made it past the chalk board. Have to agree with you on the moneysink comment though. Of course the American market is the exception as they charge you the same outrageous price for (apparently subpar) service whether you get your free/heavily discounted phone or not. Still for the rest of the world (or at least as much of it as I'm familiar with) there is just something not right about paying the price of a decent laptop and getting a device that will likely need to be replaced within the next 12-24 months.
This is just what I need for my motorcycle! I've had new expensive smartphones ruined in the rain before (couldn't remove the battery to save it) and I can't interact with my gloves on to even change the music when I'm pulled over. My Parrot SK-4000's handlebar remote doesn't work if I don't put my head right next to it, which makes the wireless remote effectively worse than wired. I actually bought a Sony Ericsson MBW-150 Bluetooth watch and switched to Android to use it.
I sure hope they do this to the Galaxy Note 3 since that's the phone I really want next.
Not sure how you have the phone installed while driving your bike. I drive through the rain plenty of times and I sweat so the phone gets wet from the outside and inside. But neither of my phones (Touch Pro2, SGS2, GN) have been damaged so far. If you have it mounted outside, there are plastic bags that seal shut but still let you use the touch screen and buttons. They should keep out any rain. :) Maybe it's worth a try.
I have a Lobster Mount handlebar mount, but it wouldn't be big enough for a Note 3. RAM makes mounts for everything though. Even so, when I ruined my brand new $300 white iPhone 3G in 2008 it was in my pocket and it wasn't even raining yet! I had to draft 18-wheelers all day due to excessive wind in New Mexico and Arizona as a storm approached and eventually came to a place where it had rained earlier. The 18-wheelers kicked up a lot of mist which, unbeknownst to me, the turbulence around my bike's fairings was depositing right into my jacket pocket. My clothes were still bone dry but the phone was stewing in water when I found it. I would have been able to save it if the battery was removable, but that's Apple for you (one of the major reasons I switched to Android). I have used waterproof cases and pouches several times because I went four years without a car, but I really want to be able to just keep it on the handlebar mount while I ride, then I can see the GPS and decide if I need to pull over to take a call (still don't like using the SK-4000 for more than music/GPS directions while I ride).
i think they should have launched Galaxy S4 with this feature itself and did you know blackerry q10 launched in india at Rs 44990 for more info kindly visit http://mobiknowhow.blogspot.com
NOT SO WATERPROOF! and Samsung makes no attempts to replace the malfunctioning device
We got our phone on June 21 2013 and tested it in the community pool at 10 inch depth taking two 1-min videos 3 minutes apart.
The camera lenses got fogged, hardware buttons got disabled and the charger port stopped working. Yes, we did ensure the USB charger port was properly covered. The phone's camera was switched to "Aqua mode". Despite all the advised precautions, the phone had leaked water in.
The AT&T refused to exchange it claiming it was ***damaged by water***.
Samsung tech support is talking about evaluation and repair, refusing to admit the phone had a factory-originated problem and making us to accept the fact we have to stick with a $600 "waterproof" phone that leaked the day we bought it..
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ayqazi - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
You know why I'd consider getting this? No stupid Pentile crap! Finally yellow icons will look yellow, instead of having a tint of green to them when I look up close. And, unlike the HTC One, a removable battery and expandable memory! And due to the popularity of the original S4, the Cyanogenmod support will be up-to-date, which is always a good deal!Brian Klug - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
Exactly why I'm actually really excited this has LCD instead of AMOLED for once in a flagship :)-Brian
zoxo - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
I actually prefer good quality transflective lcd screens. Never any trouble with those even in direct bright sunlight. Don't know what are the density limitations on those (if any)casteve - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
It's time to dust off the rubber ducky for the underwater video cameo.Affectionate-Bed-980 - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
Brian - You said something has to give in terms of cost and materials, so we still don't know how good this 1080p panel is right? Is it going to be HTC One-like? Or something worse? Shrug. I like a well calibrated panel, but if it sucks to begin with, there's only so much you can do.sherlockwing - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
Samsung is a supplier of HTC One's display, so the quality of these displays on GS4A should match that of HTC One: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6747/htc-one-review/...PANEL_ID_M7_JDI_SAMSUNG_C2_2
vipuls1979 - Friday, June 7, 2013 - link
Forget about Galaxy S4 samsung is offering Rs 10000/- cash back on Galaxy Note II also it is available on 6 months EMI , for more information kindly visit http://mobiknowhow.blogspot.com and check yourselfLeftSide - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
I just want to know the difference in battery life.medi02 - Thursday, June 6, 2013 - link
Hard to get how someone who owned OLED screen would swap it with an LCD.Something is seriously wrong with you guys.
wthr - Wednesday, November 6, 2013 - link
Um, seriously? S-AMOLED is great...if you are not outside, or are never away from a charger for very long. This looks like a great phone, and its battery life is going to kick the shit out of the rest of the (current) Galaxy series. Looks like I found my next phone!boogerlad - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
This phone would be perfect if they didn't downgrade the camera.freespace303 - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
Camera - You wouldn't notice the difference anyway, unless you were doing full page photo prints.boogerlad - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
It's not the megapixel count that worries me, it's that various sources say that the camera module is the same as the s3, which means we're getting a previous generation camera. The s4 camera has improvements in other areas other than megapixel count.Filiprino - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
It shouldn't be if the pixel size is the same of the current SGS4.medi02 - Thursday, June 6, 2013 - link
With S1 => S2 transition getting "previous generation" sound chip meant you'd get better sound.tim851 - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
More megapixels also help if you crop your pictures. Because smartphones lack optical zoom and because I'm usually to lazy and impatient, a lot of my pictures are shot without perfect composition, I like to just "shoot from the hip". It's nice to be able to zoom in later on the interesting details.For me, the camera has become the top priority on a smartphone, seeing that I usually forget to bring my dedicated digicam, or find it a hassle when I don't. So getting last year's camera rules the Active out for me, which is a pity, especially since I find it visually quite a bit more appealing than the vanilla one.
kkwst2 - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
But unless you're shooting in great lighting, the noise is enough that getting real use of those 13 MP is rare. In real world shooting, you'll usually not get much benefit out of that extra resolution because if you zoom in that far it will look like crap. I'm in favor of HTC's strategy on this one of sacrificing pixels for better signal, since I'm usually trying to shoot indoors in suboptimal light anyway.darwinosx - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
A heck of a lot of pictures are taken in low light so emphasizing low light is pretty important. Apple also emphasizes low light and their low light pictures are better than the S 4's but not as good as the HTC one.Affectionate-Bed-980 - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
I know the MP wars are stupid, but at the same time image processing is improved each generation with more powerful SoCs. So just because we're dividing a limited sensor size into more pixel doesn't mean we get worse images. If that's the case we'd be demanding Canon to go back to 6MP SLRs instead of the 18MP sensors in crop cameras. The 18mp sensor today is far better than the 6MP sensor in 2003.With that said, I agree with the cropping ability. Crop is hugely important without digital zoom. With manufacturers emphasizing wide angle now, i take a picture and I get a lot of useless junk all around. Cropping helps.
The thing is the S4 still does marginally well in low light, so I'll take that. If I really want low light shots, the HTC One isn't going to save me. My S95 will with beautiful pictures AND OIS so that it's not just a blur.
Guspaz - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
The difference is that an 18MP Canon APS-C camera is about 328 mm^2, while the sensor in an SGS4 is about 4 mm^2...darwinosx - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
8 is more than enough if Samsung does it right. Which is open to question.psychobriggsy - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
But you can record underwater, which is a really neat feature. Also pub spillage resistant.JPForums - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
<quote>@psychobriggsy: Also pub spillage resistant.</quote>Probably the number one practical reason for the common consumer to get one.
zoxo - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
1m submerge is so tiny though...LauRoman - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
It's not for diving really, but if you accidentally drop it in your kids inflatable pool or the toilet or for some near shore beach photos.medi02 - Thursday, June 6, 2013 - link
Even "downlgraded" camera makes no sense whatsoever on these tiny lens.Megapupsels are nothing but marketing, like intel's Mhz used to be.
Shadowmaster625 - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
Ruggedized my patootie. Drop that thing from 4 feet and you're out $600. Just like any of these ripoffs moneysinks. It is a joke that people tolerate such garbage for so much money.JPForums - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
It is ruggedized, just not in the way you are thinking. IP ratings are for dust and water resistance, not impact resistance. Perhaps you want the 2500g armor plated and shock and vibe tested model. Yeah, they didn't figure there was a market for a phone that heavy either, so it never made it past the chalk board. Have to agree with you on the moneysink comment though. Of course the American market is the exception as they charge you the same outrageous price for (apparently subpar) service whether you get your free/heavily discounted phone or not. Still for the rest of the world (or at least as much of it as I'm familiar with) there is just something not right about paying the price of a decent laptop and getting a device that will likely need to be replaced within the next 12-24 months.A5 - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
Buy a $40 case then.Or don't drop your phone.
Filiprino - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
This phone looks good. I'd buy the orange unit.CZroe - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
This is just what I need for my motorcycle! I've had new expensive smartphones ruined in the rain before (couldn't remove the battery to save it) and I can't interact with my gloves on to even change the music when I'm pulled over. My Parrot SK-4000's handlebar remote doesn't work if I don't put my head right next to it, which makes the wireless remote effectively worse than wired. I actually bought a Sony Ericsson MBW-150 Bluetooth watch and switched to Android to use it.I sure hope they do this to the Galaxy Note 3 since that's the phone I really want next.
Death666Angel - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
Not sure how you have the phone installed while driving your bike. I drive through the rain plenty of times and I sweat so the phone gets wet from the outside and inside. But neither of my phones (Touch Pro2, SGS2, GN) have been damaged so far. If you have it mounted outside, there are plastic bags that seal shut but still let you use the touch screen and buttons. They should keep out any rain. :) Maybe it's worth a try.CZroe - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
I have a Lobster Mount handlebar mount, but it wouldn't be big enough for a Note 3. RAM makes mounts for everything though. Even so, when I ruined my brand new $300 white iPhone 3G in 2008 it was in my pocket and it wasn't even raining yet! I had to draft 18-wheelers all day due to excessive wind in New Mexico and Arizona as a storm approached and eventually came to a place where it had rained earlier. The 18-wheelers kicked up a lot of mist which, unbeknownst to me, the turbulence around my bike's fairings was depositing right into my jacket pocket. My clothes were still bone dry but the phone was stewing in water when I found it. I would have been able to save it if the battery was removable, but that's Apple for you (one of the major reasons I switched to Android). I have used waterproof cases and pouches several times because I went four years without a car, but I really want to be able to just keep it on the handlebar mount while I ride, then I can see the GPS and decide if I need to pull over to take a call (still don't like using the SK-4000 for more than music/GPS directions while I ride).ct760ster - Thursday, June 6, 2013 - link
Can Of Spam eater ;)vipuls1979 - Thursday, June 6, 2013 - link
i think they should have launched Galaxy S4 with this feature itselfand did you know blackerry q10 launched in india at Rs 44990 for more info kindly visit http://mobiknowhow.blogspot.com
DrElena - Monday, June 24, 2013 - link
NOT SO WATERPROOF!and Samsung makes no attempts to replace the malfunctioning device
We got our phone on June 21 2013 and tested it in the community pool at 10 inch depth taking two 1-min videos 3 minutes apart.
The camera lenses got fogged, hardware buttons got disabled and the charger port stopped working. Yes, we did ensure the USB charger port was properly covered. The phone's camera was switched to "Aqua mode". Despite all the advised precautions, the phone had leaked water in.
The AT&T refused to exchange it claiming it was ***damaged by water***.
Samsung tech support is talking about evaluation and repair, refusing to admit the phone had a factory-originated problem and making us to accept the fact we have to stick with a $600 "waterproof" phone that leaked the day we bought it..
Is this supposed to be fare?