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TECH
REVIEW A Brand New Star in Samsung's Galaxy
Samsung's
Galaxy series includes some of the best Android smartphones around. Now
that the flagship Galaxy S4 is here, how does it compare and does it have
the potential to be the new best?
Display
The S4 has a 5-inch, super amoled display with a resolution of 1080 x
1920 pixels. This gives the display a pixel density of 441 PPI (pixels per
inch) — try as you might, you cannot see individual pixels with a naked
eye. The colours are rich, blacks are super-deep, viewing angles are
excellent and text and images in any condition are pin sharp. Plus, it uses
Gorilla Glass 3 that is claimed to be three times more scratch resistant
than Gorilla Glass 2. This is the king of mobile displays.
Hardware
The Samsung Exynos octa-core processor along with 2GB of RAM powers the
internatinal (and India) version. Octa core combines a 1.6Ghz quad-core
cortex A15 and a 1.2Ghz quad-core cortex A7 processor. At any given point,
the phone uses only four cores — if you are using it for light work (calls,
web browsing, music playback, texts), the phone uses the lower power A7
cores. For demanding apps and games it instantly switches to the more
powerful A15 cores. This provides a great balance between performance and
power efficiency.
Samsung Hub + IR Emitter
Samsung Hub provides a place to buy content (books, music, apps,
games). It does duplicate the Google Play Store but you have both options.
Signing up for Samsung Hub also gives you a 540 gift voucher. The infrared
emitter works in tandem with Samsung WatchOn. You can configure it to work
with any TV, set top box or DVD/Blu-Ray player but there is no programme
guide for India yet.
Camera
The S4 sports a 13MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash and a 2MP
front camera. Both are capable of recording full HD video at 30fps. The
camera has a revamped, simpler interface with one-touch access to effects
and settings. It now features a scrolling carousel for selecting the
various modes. Each mode is shown with an image so that it's easy to
understand.
Unique Shooting Modes
Several new modes have been added to the S4's camera. Dual shot uses
both rear and front cameras to take an image/record a video — this way, the
person holding the phone can also be included. 360 photo mode creates a 360
degree spherical panorama. An Eraser mode smartly allows you to remove
moving objects from the frame. Drama Shot takes several exposures and
combines them into a single collage photo. Sound & Shot takes a photo
and combines it with 9 seconds of audio to give the viewer a feel of what
it felt like to be there when the photograph was taken.
BENCHMARKED PERFORMANCE
AnTuTu Benchmark
AnTuTu tests memory, CPU, 2D/3D graphics, SD card read/write & Database
IO. The S4 scores the highest here, with the HTC One coming in at 22,678
while the Xperia Z scores 20,794.
Quadrant
Quadrant tests the CPU, I/O and 3D graphics of a device. It uses a data
connection to submit the score and compare the device against others. Our
Galaxy S4 with the Octa core Exynos processor clocked a very impressive
12,778, beating every device on the market. The HTC One comes close with a
score of 11,800.
3D Mark Ice Storm
A great cross-platform benchmarking tool, 3DMark is an industry standard
test. The S4 scores 10,617 here, the Xperia Z gets 9,592 while the HTC One
clocks in at 9,773.
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