{"id":1916,"date":"2013-04-26T10:13:20","date_gmt":"2013-04-26T14:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=1916"},"modified":"2013-04-26T10:13:20","modified_gmt":"2013-04-26T14:13:20","slug":"samsung-galaxy-s-4-the-empire-strikes-back-with-a-faster-sleeker-handset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2013\/04\/26\/samsung-galaxy-s-4-the-empire-strikes-back-with-a-faster-sleeker-handset\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung Galaxy S 4: The empire strikes back with a faster, sleeker handset"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Samsung Galaxy line is one of the biggest success stories in Android handset history. It’s such a hit, even Google is reportedly at odds with Samsung’s success in its mobile business. The name “Galaxy” could conceivably become synonymous with the word “Android.” In some cases, it already has.
\nIt’s been a crazy 12 months for Samsung. It was part a heady back-and-forth lawsuit with Apple about patent trademarks, and the Galaxy S III has become one of the best-selling Android handsets of the last year. Now the company is launching the Galaxy S 4 with the tagline of “life companion.” This slogan is indicative of the way Samsung sees itself. The company has infiltrated the consumer technology world with easy-to-use gadgets that it hopes will integrate perfectly into your life. The Galaxy S 4 is no different.
\nWe spent time with the S 4 to test out how the phone looks, feels, and works. There are some newer exciting features that come with Samsung’s latest handset, including interface tweaks and applications with TouchWiz. It’s important to note that the handset Ars reviewed is the Sprint version, and the Galaxy S III handset we’re comparing it to is on Verizon Wireless. Keep that in mind as you consider the S 4 for yourself.
\nThe phone
\nBody and build
\nSpecs at a glance: Samsung Galaxy S 4
\nScreen 1920×1080 4.99″ (441 ppi) Super AMOLED
\nOS Android 4.2.2 with TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0
\nCPU Quad-core 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600
\nRAM 2GB
\nGPU Qualcomm Adreno 320
\nStorage 16, 32, or 64GB NAND flash, expandable via microSD
\nNetworking 802.11a\/b\/g\/n\/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, DLNA
\nPorts Micro-USB, headphones
\nCamera 13MP rear camera, 2MP front camera
\nSize 5.38″ \u00d7 2.75″ \u00d7 0.31″ (136.6 \u00d7 69.8 \u00d7 7.9 mm)
\nWeight 4.06 oz. (130 g)
\nBattery 2600 mAh
\nStarting price $199.99 at AT&T with two-year contract; $149 at Sprint; $149.99 at T-Mobile; TBD at Verizon Wireless and US Cellular
\nSensor Ambient light sensor, GPS, thermometer, barometer, proximity sensor, gesture sensor, RGB light sensor
\nOther perks Extra accessories for purchase
\nThe Galaxy S 4 looks and feels like an upgraded version of its older sibling. Its brushed aluminum framing is stylish, and it matches the aesthetic of other recent handsets. Although it boasts a bigger screen, Samsung kept a similar size and weight to the Galaxy S III; at 5.38 \u00d7 2.75 \u00d7 0.31 inches, the S 4 is only a few millimeters thinner and about three grams lighter. Samsung stuck with the same button placement\u2014the power button is on the right side of the chassis, a volume rocker is on the left side, a home button is on the front, and the light-up hardware buttons are still in the same place. Samsung seems to have stuck with a signature chassis model now that it\u2019s a well-known handset maker, making it easily recognizable out in the wild as a \u201cSamsung phone.\u201d At first glance, the Galaxy S 4 is nearly indistinguishable from its predecessor.
\nThe handset comes in 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flavors, with the ability to add up to 64GB of additional storage with a microSD card. The Galaxy S 4 also features a replaceable 2,600 mAh battery pack, Qi-standardized wireless charging, NFC capabilities, and LTE. Annoyingly, the audio speaker still resides on the back of the device, so you\u2019ll have to place it face-down if you\u2019re planning on streaming music through it at a listenable volume. We tried the phone out with Samsung\u2019s flip covers so that the unit would stay protected throughout the review process, but it was a little annoying trying to hold the phone to take pictures, for instance, because the flap had to be held open.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Full Story: Samsung Galaxy S 4: The empire strikes back with a faster, sleeker handset | Ars Technica<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Samsung Galaxy line is one of the biggest success stories in Android handset history. It’s such a hit, even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[65,396,693,925,929],"class_list":["post-1916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hardware","category-technology","tag-android","tag-galaxy","tag-mobile","tag-s4","tag-samsung"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-uU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9391,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2018\/08\/12\/this-week-in-tech-679-hotbox-the-waymo\/","url_meta":{"origin":1916,"position":0},"title":"This Week in Tech 679: Hotbox the Waymo","author":"NCCT","date":"August 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/r0sh0kx0ksQ This Week in Tech Galaxy Note 9, vote hacking, Android Q quandary, robot dogs, and more. --Samsung Announces the Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy Watch, and Galaxy Home musical cauldron. --What is AI? 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