[REVIEW] Captivate Glide - Samsung Captivate Glide

Hi all,
Every time I get a new phone, I like to write a guide giving my impressions and help anyone that may be interested in getting it as well.
Just to give you an overview, I've had android devices since September 2010.
Device history: Motorola Cliq>MyTouch 3G Slide>HTC G2> MyTouch 4G Slide
Now onto the Glide...
Build quality is solid, albeit cheap at times. It's very plasticky and light. All of my previous phones have felt much more dense in the hand. The shiny plastic bezel around the sides gets scratched up very easily, as does the top bezel over the screen. The top bezel wear is mostly from using the keyboard, as when you go to press the top keys, your fingernails may scrape the bezel. The back cover is nice, although I prefer soft touch finishes. My G2 felt the best in the hand. Back cover withstands knocks fairly well, and doesn't show scratches easily.
The charging port cover is a nice touch.
This is the biggest device I've owned thus far, and the bulk is becoming apparent. I wish Samsung worked a little harder on getting the form factor down in size a bit, because I feel as though it's not as optimal as it could be. When I pick up a phone, I want to feel that I'm holding nothing but the screen and keys I need. This phone feels a little wider and taller than necessary. Very blocky. If they tapered the edges more, this phone would be much easier to hold. There's a lot of space between the soft keys and screen and around the screen in general. This is about as big as I will go for form factor, because it's just starting to get a little unmanageable.
I wish Samsung made the screen a little bigger or added a trackpad, instead of making room to stick their logo on the front. The amount of space it takes up is deliberate and offsets the entire screen on the phone.
Screen: It's very bright and colorful. I appreciate the extra screen space over my old phones. This is about the limit for screen size for me. I don't think going any bigger would make the phone any better. I will however mention that the screen resolution is quite low for a screen this size. I didn't think I would notice it as much, but text does become hard to read when you try to zoom out on a webpage. 75% of the time, this is not a big deal but it's prominent enough that I mention it. There's a subtle hint of sharpness missing when it comes to the screen.
I hope that future phones will work more towards having edge to edge displays or displays without bezels (such as the Droid Razr M).
Keyboard: It will take some time to get used to, but it's a decent keyboard. Tactile feedback, although the keys are flat. Not the best keyboard I've used, but heaps better than my previous phone the 4G Slide. The keys are big enough that the flatness doesn't matter much. But it is hard to type on this phone without looking, if that's your thing. The G2 keyboard is hands down the best keyboard I've used on a device. I like the accent colors for different symbols and numbers
Battery: The stock battery that comes with this phone is very good. It holds a charge very well and can last you through the whole day with light to moderate use. I find myself charging my phone less than my previous phone, even though the screen size is bigger. Definite plus.
Speed: This is all relative now. Any phone you buy today will have more than enough power for your daily tasks and beyond. I have noticed that the Tegra 2 chipset is terrifically fast and tackles anything I throw at it effortlessly. I did not expect anything less. I would like to point out that, when under load, the phone does not feel as hot as my older phones did, even though the temps still go fairly high. While playing GTA Vice City over an hour the temperature peaks at around 50 degrees Celsius. I suspect the plastic helps with this, as when my G2 got that hot, the metal accents made it uncomfortable to hold.
What's interesting to note is this: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html
The Tegra 2 ranks all the way down at 640. But just the fact that it's on the list impresses me. I expect that phones will catch up to laptops in terms of computing power within the next 1-2 years. They are already matching laptop chips from 8 years ago.
Faults:
I sorely miss my physical trackpad. I used it on a daily basis, and it's a blaring omission on this device. I would always use my trackpad to wake the phone, as it's very easily accessible and the easiest button to locate on a device. It's also much easier to reach for, vs. the power button. The similar sized Relay 4G manages to incorporate a physical button (not trackpad) in the same size as the Glide. The trackpad was also a great way to edit text on screen without the keyboard open.
Speaking of the power button, I kinda wish it was placed up top. It's in an awkward position, very close to the top corner of the phone. If it's going to be that high up the side of the device, might as well put it on top because you index finger has a longer reach than your thumb (yes, I've thought about this extensively).
The charging port is poorly placed. It's almost impossible to use the keyboard if your phone is charging. There's no good way to wrap your hands around the phone when charging. Also puts unnecessary strain on the cable and port if you're talking on the phone while charging, as it's at the top of the phone. Having the headphone jack right next to it only compounds the problem. Although the keyboard is still ok to use when you have only headphones plugged in.
There is no notification light. Very big miss on Samsung's end with this one. Why they couldn't throw one in is beyond me.
I will update this review, the more I own the phone. If there's anything you'd like me to comment on or compare, please let me know. I'd be more than happy to add it.

Nice review, you showed pretty much the most important downsides of the phone. I would also add RDS radio, which to me is the most important omission. The led notification can be decently passed with NoLed app.
I got mine just a week ago, and I can say I enjoy it, it's surprisingly powerful. As my first smartphone, can't really compare, but overall, it met all my expectations, and for the money I paid (155$) it is a pleasure. In Europe one can't really find anything close as performance to this.
Great phone overall.

Indeed this is an S2 variant with QWERTY sans FM radio hardware and larger screen. I was thinking of getting an S3 Mini instead will probably go for a second Captivate Glide for my gym and car audio use.
God knows when we'll see an S3 QWERTY variant.
Long live hardware QWERTY keyboards!

incidentflux said:
Indeed this is an S2 variant with QWERTY sans FM radio hardware and larger screen. I was thinking of getting an S3 Mini instead will probably go for a second Captivate Glide for my gym and car audio use.
God knows when we'll see an S3 QWERTY variant.
Long live hardware QWERTY keyboards!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt we'll ever see any more QWERTY devices. The last one was released in September 2012, and there hasn't been any word on a new phone coming out. And very few of the phones available are actual high end premium stuff. Not the mid range garbage you're used to seeing all the time.
They are getting quite rare and hard to come by.

incidentflux said:
Indeed this is an S2 variant with QWERTY sans FM radio hardware and larger screen. I was thinking of getting an S3 Mini instead will probably go for a second Captivate Glide for my gym and car audio use.
God knows when we'll see an S3 QWERTY variant.
Long live hardware QWERTY keyboards!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S3 with a keyboard would be so sweet!
JB

dudejb said:
S3 with a keyboard would be so sweet!
JB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.christianpost.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s3-with-qwerty-keyboard-launching-on-t-mobile-this-month-81229/
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SGH-T699DABTMB-features

Speaking of the Relay 4G, I actually just picked one up.
I can safely say, the hardware is flawless. It actually covers EVERY one of the faults I listed with the Glide.
I don't want to trade in my Glide just yet though, considering dev support for the Glide is much further along (nearly perfect).
If anyone would like direct comparisons or side by side details, please let me know. Both of these phones are arguably the best Android QWERTYs currently on the market.

gtmaster303 said:
Speaking of the Relay 4G, I actually just picked one up.
I can safely say, the hardware is flawless. It actually covers EVERY one of the faults I listed with the Glide.
I don't want to trade in my Glide just yet though, considering dev support for the Glide is much further along (nearly perfect).
If anyone would like direct comparisons or side by side details, please let me know. Both of these phones are arguably the best Android QWERTYs currently on the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agreed ... i need to get me a relay as well...

gtmaster303 said:
Speaking of the Relay 4G, I actually just picked one up.
I can safely say, the hardware is flawless. It actually covers EVERY one of the faults I listed with the Glide.
I don't want to trade in my Glide just yet though, considering dev support for the Glide is much further along (nearly perfect).
If anyone would like direct comparisons or side by side details, please let me know. Both of these phones are arguably the best Android QWERTYs currently on the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi gtmaster! I found this forum (and you!) looking for a comparative between captivate glide and relay. I read your great review about the glide, and I'll be very interested if you could write some sort of summary telling what is better and what is worse in the relay.
Of course my biggest concern is how the keyboard performs (if not I wouln't be looking for a qwerty ), but for example, how the 5MP camera in the relay compare to the 8MP in the glide, regarding pictures and videos?
Thanks in advance mate!

ninguno2 said:
Hi gtmaster! I found this forum (and you!) looking for a comparative between captivate glide and relay. I read your great review about the glide, and I'll be very interested if you could write some sort of summary telling what is better and what is worse in the relay.
Of course my biggest concern is how the keyboard performs (if not I wouln't be looking for a qwerty ), but for example, how the 5MP camera in the relay compare to the 8MP in the glide, regarding pictures and videos?
Thanks in advance mate!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, been pretty caught up lately, but I haven't forgotten about you. I'll try and get some comparisons up tonight. 12 hours shifts really do take a toll on you
Sent from my Captivate Glide

I think this is a great review. I just wanted to add a few notes from my own perspective.
Keyboard: This is the worst keyboard I've ever owned. My previous devices have been blackberries up until getting a Stratosphere last year. It's soft, the targets are imprecise, and the tactical feedback is... squishy. Being 4-rows sucks, and aside from that it's marginally worse than the Strat in feel (strat is 5 row and, well... better.) Still, compared to BB, a joke. This keyboard actually drops to the level of being fatiguing to use. Where I would have no problem writing a novel on the BB, and a blog post on the Strat, I've actually started to use the virtual keyboard even for poking around in C source files on the terminal in VIM.
Hardware: Damn this tegra 2 is fast and silky. I have a side-by-side debian install and even building C++ projects I feel is only limited by the SD card speed. I can't see needing to upgrade this guy for a long time. Unless the Blaze has a much better keyboard (and has 1900mhz support, I travel the globe, dammit.)
Network: Has been pretty good. I'm travelling in Costa Rica right now, and I get HSPA+ almost everywhere. A few times I have had to re-register on the network (even a reboot wouldn't get me back) but I blame that on latin america cell service.
Wifi: Reception is about on par with other phones. Not as good as my Nexus7, nowhere near as good as my laptop, but if I'm reasonably close to the signal it does OK.
Battery: Bad. I got even got a giant 3800mah beast. Fortunately with thegreatergood's cm10.1, latest litekernel, inverted apps, and ondemand governor, I've gotten it to where it is serviceable. Being a former BB user, I still scratch my head when people think getting through almost an entire day with barely using your device before it dies means it's good. I can get about 2-3 hours of screen time now before things start to get low, and it can idle for days. I'd like more, but soldering the stock battery in parallel to this monster I have in here doesn't seem like an awesome idea.
Overall I'm extremely pleased with this device. It's so fluid and smooth - all of that "Android lag/stutter" I've come to expect over the years (developing on android and such, just never using one as my personal device) is all gone. It's not as "smooth" as my wife's jesusPhone4s, but god the UI on her phone seems so primitive and ugly compared to mine.
I feel like this is the first phone (thanks to thegreatergood, dman and CM10 team) that I'm really happy with since my torch, but I use it more than the torch because that was basically only good for talk/text/email. This phone is inferior at the text/email part, but better at everything else. And I can run a full blown Django dev server on it so I can code on the road .

Review Relay 4G
ninguno2 said:
Hi gtmaster! I found this forum (and you!) looking for a comparative between captivate glide and relay. I read your great review about the glide, and I'll be very interested if you could write some sort of summary telling what is better and what is worse in the relay.
Of course my biggest concern is how the keyboard performs (if not I wouln't be looking for a qwerty ), but for example, how the 5MP camera in the relay compare to the 8MP in the glide, regarding pictures and videos?
Thanks in advance mate!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So in response to your query (better late than never)...
The Relay 4G is much better than the Captivate Glide in a lot of key areas. I feel as though Samsung deliberately took the Glide back to the drawing board and corrected most, if not all of the flaws the phone had.
For starters, it's a much better device to hold. The back of the Captivate Glide is very slippery, despite being raised and textured plastic. I don't know why but I'm always scared of dropping it. The Relay 4G has a soft touch finish on the back which nicer to hold and easier to grip. Even though the Relay is marginally bigger than the Glide, the tapered and rounded edges make it fit in the hand naturally. The hand is not made to accommodate flat and angular objects well. This is especially apparent when you hold up an iPhone 4/4S/5. Sure, it's a high end device and feels like a luxury item, but it never felt ergonomic.
The phone has a notification light (Hurrah!). It also has a physical home button. It's well placed and easily accessible, making the phone to turn on a breeze.
The keyboard. Ok, this is where things get interesting.... It's not a bad keyboard by any means. I've used quite a few keyboards over the past few years and this one is somewhere in the middle. On the one hand, the keys are very responsive and properly spaced out (horizontally). But on the other hand, the whole orientation of the keyboard is shifted to the left for some reason. It doesn't feel centered or natural. You can grow accustomed to anything over time, and this by no means a deal breaker but it is a quirk to be mentioned. Also, I noticed that the keys themselves are very thin. Although the typing and feedback is precise, there's not much room between the keys vertically. I feel like Samsung focused hard on trying to cram a number row into a dedicated keyboard space and slightly ruined it.
The camera is decent. It's by no means the best camera you will ever use, and it will get the job done in a pinch. But don't ditch your old point and shoot for this camera. There's a lot of noise whenever you take pictures with a lot of detail. If you put in a little effort though, it will give you some great shots for a phone. I think when Samsung was designing this phone, the camera is where they cut corners and I'm glad they decided to do that here. I'd rather they cut corners here than with the keyboard, battery, or design.
The way I see it is, if you're buying a phone for its camera, you're buying it for the wrong reason. The cameras that manufacturers slap onto the back of phones these days are monumentally better than they used to be, but in the real world they still pale in comparison to a dedicated point and shoot. Sure you can probably get some amazing shots when you put them side by side. But with the phone, the angle, lighting, distance, location, status of your marriage, amount of mortgage you have left, what day of the week it is, and what kind of car you drive all have to be just right to get those amazing shots. Smartphones are closing the gap, but we're not there yet folks...
Overall the Relay feels solid in the hand, but at the end of the day it's still plastic. I don't care what you have to say about plastic or what kind of finish you put on it. The phone still feels cheaper (notice I didn't say cheap outright). It's solid I'll give you that, but you don't get the sense that you have a high end crafted device. Nor is this meant to be. Plastic and quality never go in the same sentence, no matter how hard you try. You cannot escape the fact that this phone is very generic bland looking, plasticky, and boring black. Personally I don't care so much for looks as I do for functionality, but ever since I've moved away from HTC devices and into Samsung devices, I noticed that the physical presentation of the phone isn't anything to write home about. Although I will say the styling is slightly better than the Captivate Glide. But that's like saying Rosie O'Donnell is slightly better looking than Whoopi Goldberg.
The Relay is, what the Captivate Glide should've been. After spending some time with the Relay, I realize that the Glide was more of an afterthought, rather than an actual phone designed for people who love a keyboard. So would I say you get one? ABSOLUTELY. But do I expect more from Samsung, or any manufacturer that's going to make the next android QWERTY? Yes.
Does any of that really matter? Not in the least. Because whoever makes the next QWERTY (assuming there is one), knows that it's a lukewarm market with no competitors and the sole buyers being the low-mid range market, texting teenagers, and us.

Thank you for your reviews.
I don't own a Relay, but reading the specs it looks like glide has better camera (as you said), more powerful processor (please correct me) and gorilla glass, which Relay doesn't have.
Relay apparently has no FM Radio, which is a lack in Glide (not the main, yet i would enjoy).
Glide has 4 soft keys on the front, instead of Relay's 3 (and i think this is a point for Glide, for esthetics and functionality).
Looking at the specs, i don't understand what makes Relay so far better than Glide.

sbiricuda said:
Thank you for your reviews.
I don't own a Relay, but reading the specs it looks like glide has better camera (as you said), more powerful processor (please correct me) and gorilla glass, which Relay doesn't have.
Relay apparently has no FM Radio, which is a lack in Glide (not the main, yet i would enjoy).
Glide has 4 soft keys on the front, instead of Relay's 3 (and i think this is a point for Glide, for esthetics and functionality).
Looking at the specs, i don't understand what makes Relay so far better than Glide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the glide is definitely slower. Gorilla glass is just a gimmick as far as I'm concerned. Sure it may be stronger, but it all depends on how you drop your phone. If it impacts a certain way, it will crack. Sometimes you get lucky and it won't. It has more to do with the design rather than the glass itself.
I would much rather have a physical home button, even if it means I lose a soft key. The ease of use is tremendous.
The relay is an all around better package than the glide. It's not amazingly better in any single way, but all the little changes add up to make a big difference.
Sent from my Captivate Glide

Battery on the Glide, and Relay AT&T
Hello,
Thanks for the great reviews.
I've got two questions, first is the Relay an AT&T phone? I was under the impression it was not.
Second, with regards to the battery on the Glide, for me I've found it rather disappointing, if I barely use the phone, I can get two days out of it. This is not ideal, I don't want a phone just to sit around, I want to talk, text, that's the main maybe some google play stuff, a hard day of use and I've got to charge the battery nightly. I'd love to know tips on battery improvement or a battery of the extended variety that will work with the glide?
Thanks.
tech927

1 full day's use with a battery is not considered to be dsiappointing in the Android world. It is rather considered fair.

tech927 said:
Hello,
Thanks for the great reviews.
I've got two questions, first is the Relay an AT&T phone? I was under the impression it was not.
Second, with regards to the battery on the Glide, for me I've found it rather disappointing, if I barely use the phone, I can get two days out of it. This is not ideal, I don't want a phone just to sit around, I want to talk, text, that's the main maybe some google play stuff, a hard day of use and I've got to charge the battery nightly. I'd love to know tips on battery improvement or a battery of the extended variety that will work with the glide?
Thanks.
tech927
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The relay is a tmobile phone, but it supports AT&Ts bands.
There are quite a few battery threads out there. Go search
Sent from my Galaxy S Relay

Related

Surround or Focus

Hey guys... Ive had both the Samsung Focus and the HTC Surround... not sure which i want to keep though... Surround is louder which i like ringtone wise and i like the soft touch back.. I liked the screen, camera and thickness of the focus more though.... Just looking to see what other peoples thoughts were or maybe what your determining factor was...
focus, compare the screen of both phones side by side and you'll clearly see the difference
Compare them side by side using office or email and you'll notice the surround looks better. The surround does better with the lighter colors. Size really isnt a factor because even though the Focus is thinner (less then an 1/8 of an inch) because when you compare all 3 dimensions the Surround is actually smaller. Both are good picks. Just go with your gut and I'm sure you'll be pleased either way.
do you use your phone as a multimedia device or a business device? Thats kinda what it comes to.
Been using a Surround for more than a week now. It feels substantial but not clumsy and has excellent build quality. I thought the Samsung felt cheaper and had a more pixilated screen. Vote for Surround.
The ATT store I went to had the Focus and Surround side by side.. played with both and bought the Focus eventually. The Focus is really very thin and light and you wont even fell it in your pocket. Also even though its basically all plastic it does not feel cheap.
Definitely keep the Focus.
The way that I decided between the two (well, three for me) was to stand at the AT&T display and play around with both. With one in each hand, making the decision was really rather easy for me.
I was really impressed by the Focus. The large, pretty screen made me happy. I bought one.
Honestly, my impression of the Surround was that it was a terrible joke gone awry. It makes absolutely no sense to me, and it boggles my mind that the Surround was ever manufactured, much less brought to retail. Every time I see one, I want to slap Ralph De La Vega for polluting my potential choices with garbage like that instead of bringing over quality equipment.
That being said, lots of folk really seem to thing that the Surround is not a miscarried fetus of design, and as such what you should take away when considering your personal device should be what matters to you. Think about what you do or want to do with your phone on a daily basis, and apply that to the choices you have at hand. I ended up choosing the Focus, but you may decide that something else fits your desires better.
I'd hate to be the one to bump a thread but I too am looking at these two devices. I have always used qwerty phones (I have the Tilt 2 now) and HTC. However now AT&T only has the LG to choose from for a kb and its screen is small, quality is nominal compared to the other two and the kb feels horrible to the touch (and cheap).
Now I am trying to figure out which of these two phones (Focus/Surround) I want.
Focus: I like the focus for its larger screen, lighter weight and the fact that is has 1gb internal sys mem (sys mem, not storage mem). However all of the store displays of all AT&T stores I went to have a slight image burned onto the screen. They told me the screens are on 24/7 but still...the other phones don't have that. Also it lacks 50% of the space since it doesn't have the 8GB card in it.
HTC Surround: I like the brightness a little more on this screen, plus the HTC software (ie, youtube). The sound is a better obviously and it has the extra 8GB card. The screen is a little smaller though, it has way less sys mem (not storage mem), and less talk time (battery life)...at least based on specs.
I need good images, accurate keyboard for a touch kb, use it for business and space....well I have a 8GB SanDisk so I'm sure it would work in the Focus so space isn't much a concern. Battery life is important as I use my phone a lot. Also important is speed....the HTC has 1/2 the sys mem pretty much as the Focus does...yet I haven't heard anyone make any comments about this yet.
PS: Oh! and I can get the HTC Surround for 1 penny but the Focus is $99.....so that also obviously adds a little imbalance.
jh20001 said:
I'd hate to be the one to bump a thread but I too am looking at these two devices. I have always used qwerty phones (I have the Tilt 2 now) and HTC. However now AT&T only has the LG to choose from for a kb and its screen is small, quality is nominal compared to the other two and the kb feels horrible to the touch (and cheap).
Now I am trying to figure out which of these two phones (Focus/Surround) I want.
Focus: I like the focus for its larger screen, lighter weight and the fact that is has 1gb internal sys mem (sys mem, not storage mem). However all of the store displays of all AT&T stores I went to have a slight image burned onto the screen. They told me the screens are on 24/7 but still...the other phones don't have that. Also it lacks 50% of the space since it doesn't have the 8GB card in it.
HTC Surround: I like the brightness a little more on this screen, plus the HTC software (ie, youtube). The sound is a better obviously and it has the extra 8GB card. The screen is a little smaller though, it has way less sys mem (not storage mem), and less talk time (battery life)...at least based on specs.
I need good images, accurate keyboard for a touch kb, use it for business and space....well I have a 8GB SanDisk so I'm sure it would work in the Focus so space isn't much a concern. Battery life is important as I use my phone a lot. Also important is speed....the HTC has 1/2 the sys mem pretty much as the Focus does...yet I haven't heard anyone make any comments about this yet.
PS: Oh! and I can get the HTC Surround for 1 penny but the Focus is $99.....so that also obviously adds a little imbalance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speed is never mentioned because its not that big of an issue. Windows Phone 7 was designed specifically for these devices and as such, has a minimum system requirement, and because of that, they both work very well on any of the devices on the market currently. The extra memory doesn't make much of impact on performance.
To be honest, aside from the SAMOLED screen, the Focus looks boring and feels cheap. Also, Samsung's track record for supporting their own devices has been subpar at most, for this reason alone I steer away from Samsung devices unless its a Samsung TV.
The Surround doesn't win any design awards, but I do think it looks better than the Focus and doesn't feel cheap. The speaker, while not really useful, is great for pumping out music and video (which is good since WP7 is a media-centered device). Not to mention the awesome support that HTC devices get from HTC, from software to updates, HTC has a much better track record than Samsung.
And when it comes to smartphone battery life, I think its safe to say you're not going to get great battery life period. You are gonna have to plug in your phone at least once a day, and anyone expecting it to last any more than that will be in for a surprise. So I usually ignore battery life when looking at phones (unless the battery life is really dismal).
Obviously they both have their ups and downs and its up to you to decide whats most important to you. The screen burn-in issue on the Focus is one I've heard before, so that actually would bother me quite a bit. I haven't heard any issues with the Surround really.
I just hope if I were to choose HTC, if it will last with good use until the end of the day. I am perfectly fine with charging my phone ever night. It's just when I have to charge it i the middle of the day and wonder if I even have a charger near me that bothers me. My tilt 2 has even had this issue (although usually it does ok).
can't speak much for the surround but i have a HTC 7 Trophy and it lasts through the day. however, i use mine for radio for like 6 hours of the day and by about 7pm it's dead, so i charge it at work. but still, that is using the radio for 6 hours...
which one is having trouble getting updated? get the other one.
nrfitchett4 said:
which one is having trouble getting updated? get the other one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, this has been another factor in choosing. It's the Samsung Focus that has been having troubles. That alone has put a lot of favor towards the surround for me and installs a lot of negative assumption in Samsung's build quality.
jh20001 said:
lol, this has been another factor in choosing. It's the Samsung Focus that has been having troubles. That alone has put a lot of favor towards the surround for me and installs a lot of negative assumption in Samsung's build quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why don't we wait and see how a real update is handled. If NODO comes out at the same time for both devices (even if it was delayed because of the Samsung), it really doesn't matter, because both received the update at the same time.
Weighing in on the question at hand. The Focus takes some of the best pictures of any smartphone on market today. If that is important to you, then that is reason enough to get the focus.
The Focus has a very nice screen, with gorilla glass. The battery life is top notch. The external speaker isn't bad. Fast NAND memory that may likely be more reliable.
The Samsung simply has higher quality components, even though the two devices share many of the same components.
Now, I do have the Focus, but when buying a WP7 device I wasn't bound to any single carrier, so I was able to research out all the devices thoroughly, and the Focus is the one I went with.
Well I do know that I thank all for their feedback. I have decided to order the HTC Surround. There has been good reasons for both sides to get either phone but the more I read online, the more I see people complaining about the screen burn-in issue as well as upgrading windows and the history of Samsung's own efforts to update their products.
Once I have the Surround I will share my own feedback to help contribute to the pot of knowledge.
Get the Focus. Its faster, has better specs, better battery life, better screen, etc.
Sent from my Samsung Focus using Board Express
I have a Captivate at the moment but am considering a Focus, no other phone is even in the running. I have been spoiled by the Samsung screen.....nothing else will do. I've looked at the surround but it just can't compare.
jh20001 said:
more I read online, the more I see people complaining about the screen burn-in issue as well as upgrading windows and the history of Samsung's own efforts to update their products.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really think this is going to end up like the whole plasma screen burn in issue - something we will hear about for years to come that is more of an issue in word than in reality. Regardless I hope that the Surround works out for you.
As a Surround user, I can say that the battery life is terrible. I love the phone although with moderate usage I still end up having to charge it around 5 PM if I plan on going anywhere that evening. Or if I make any long phone calls.

HTC Arrive vs. Samsung Focus - Final Update April 6th

Final Update April 6th:
I am wrapping up my ongoing comparison of the two devices, and to ebay goes my Samsung Focus.
Here is the final posting:
HTC Arrive vs. Samsung Focus - WP7 Not Yet Ready For Landscape Keyboarding
My conclusion is that both devices are great. My biggest disappointment with the HTC Arrive is not hardware related, but just the pains associated with an early mobile OS. I hope Mango will add more landscape functionality, and that Facebook will update their app to support the form factor.
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Update March 28th:
I compare gaming on the two devices. This is the second to last update in this installment. There is a video this time to boot!
http://www.m-arcade.com/1/post/2011/03/hardware-htc-arrive-vs-samsung-focus-gaming.html
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Update March 26th:
I compare the cameras.
http://www.m-arcade.com/1/post/2011/03/hardware-htc-arrive-vs-samsung-focus-camera.html
I ultimately concluded that I prefer the Focus camera thus far, but the Arrive is a pretty close second. Everyone has different taste, so I have plenty of side by side shots for you to judge for yourself.
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Initial impression: Impressed. This is an extremely nice slider phone, and while it has a little more heft and bulk than I prefer in a phone, the keyboard is a pleasure to use, and the device screams quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pictures and my complete thoughts at the link:
http://www.m-arcade.com/1/post/2011/03/hardware-htc-arrive-vs-samsung-focus-initial-impressions.html
I will be updating my blog with more comparisons throughout the weekend.
Focus screen looks wayyyy better imo.
I had the opportunity to play with an Arrive yesterday at a local Sprint store. I was unimpressed. Though it did seem to be of sufficient quality, the display is as small as the iPhone and the common LCD. If I were to accept a display that small it would need to be at least an IPS type or AMOLED. I would definitely go with the Focus. To me, there's no question or choice. The Focus is the better of the two.
MartyLK said:
I had the opportunity to play with an Arrive yesterday at a local Sprint store. I was unimpressed. Though it did seem to be of sufficient quality, the display is as small as the iPhone and the common LCD. If I were to accept a display that small it would need to be at least an IPS type or AMOLED. I would definitely go with the Focus. To me, there's no question or choice. The Focus is the better of the two.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rumor is that the Arrive has a SLCD screen, but the Focus is better nonetheless. Plus thickness and weight are other advantages of the Focus. The hardware keyboard on the Arrive is really nice, but landscape support is hit-or-miss. Oh, and one final consideration: the Arrive has NoDo today, whereas the Focus may not receive it (officially) for months.
-R
sketchy9 said:
Rumor is that the Arrive has a SLCD screen, but the Focus is better nonetheless. Plus thickness and weight are other advantages of the Focus. The hardware keyboard on the Arrive is really nice, but landscape support is hit-or-miss. Oh, and one final consideration: the Arrive has NoDo today, whereas the Focus may not receive it (officially) for months.
-R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does have an SLCD, and it looks great. The blacks are actually very good head on - not ever going to be on par with the Focus, but they are darn good. But I have noticed the screen does feel a little more cramped when playing games. I really feel 4" is a pretty ideal size, and believe it would have been nice to had that on the Arrive, but I don't think that is a deal breaker. The screen is nice, it just isn't a 4".
I would like to see more done with the keyboard. Like it would be nice if games allowed you to map buttons, that would be way slick.
sketchy9 said:
Rumor is that the Arrive has a SLCD screen, but the Focus is better nonetheless. Plus thickness and weight are other advantages of the Focus. The hardware keyboard on the Arrive is really nice, but landscape support is hit-or-miss. Oh, and one final consideration: the Arrive has NoDo today, whereas the Focus may not receive it (officially) for months.
-R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aside from geeks, who the hell cares about the NoDo update? I can't think of a single thing that NoDo changes that makes it a must-have update. Sure, it's all welcomed updates to be sure but definitely WP7 is already a great OS.
I think geeks are always looking for the "new drug" known as (higher) version numbers. It's the same in the Linux world, everyone wants the new 2.6.38 kernel but 2.6.35 runs much faster and stable.
Edit: This wasn't intended as an attack on you personally, but from everything I read on here it seems people are way too obsessed over the NoDo update.
tiny17 said:
It does have an SLCD, and it looks great. The blacks are actually very good head on - not ever going to be on par with the Focus, but they are darn good. But I have noticed the screen does feel a little more cramped when playing games. I really feel 4" is a pretty ideal size, and believe it would have been nice to had that on the Arrive, but I don't think that is a deal breaker. The screen is nice, it just isn't a 4".
I would like to see more done with the keyboard. Like it would be nice if games allowed you to map buttons, that would be way slick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you'll never win this argument. Apparently, if you don't want your text fuzzy and your colors to look cartoonish, then you don't know what you are talking about.
On a side note, I'm glad that at&t is getting the hd7s. If nothing else interests me after the merger with t-mobile, at least I'll have that to fall back on.
nrfitchett4 said:
you'll never win this argument. Apparently, if you don't want your text fuzzy and your colors to look cartoonish, then you don't know what you are talking about.
On a side note, I'm glad that at&t is getting the hd7s. If nothing else interests me after the merger with t-mobile, at least I'll have that to fall back on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, the super amoled display is the best on the market. I just hope a wp7 device gets the updated super amoled plus display this year.
ryude said:
Yea, the super amoled display is the best on the market. I just hope a wp7 device gets the updated super amoled plus display this year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
like I said, its the best if you don't mind fuzzy text and over saturated colors...
Wife has a vibrant, and she would rather have the hd7 display.
nrfitchett4 said:
you'll never win this argument. Apparently, if you don't want your text fuzzy and your colors to look cartoonish, then you don't know what you are talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well to their defense, the general consumer doesn't mind/notice the fuzzy text, and love seeing the saturated colors. Everyone who has seen my Focus think its the best screen they've seen.
I personally think both have their advantages. But do keep in mind that soon AMOLED screens will no longer have the fuzzy text issue due to them moving away from the PenTile tech.
From my limited use thus far - Head on, I prefer the SLCD, but enjoy the broader sweet spot offered by the SAMOLED.
I think most phones with keyboard won't get 4inch screen. That makes the phone like a brick. Epic 4G is such a device...
amtrakcn said:
I think most phones with keyboard won't get 4inch screen. That makes the phone like a brick. Epic 4G is such a device...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do want said brick =)
but a vertical slide up keyboard k thanks
amtrakcn said:
I think most phones with keyboard won't get 4inch screen. That makes the phone like a brick. Epic 4G is such a device...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Epic isnt even close to a brick. That thing is like toilet paper. Its keyboard is ass though >.<
Edit: Oh, by brick you meant the 4.0in screen! I thought you meant like the weight...I had to read the post below mine to figure that out haha
for the record and with using devices like the Pre Plus, EVO, EVO shift and iphone the Arrive is the best phone Ive used in a minute. The screen issue is a very small one, and most people dont care about that as much as everyone seems to keep complaining about. Samsung phones to me are cheap looking, and yes the screens are nice thats about it to me. Its about quality and the Arrive screams it. The screen size at 3.6 (ala iphone) is the biggest a mobile device is supposed to be. Get it mobile, I dont know where all this needing a brick in your pocket as being the thing to get nowadays, but if I need more realestate then what I have on my MOBILE! phone then ill get on a laptop, desktop, or tablet. My thoughts on the device is its the best WP7 on the market, perfect size, quality, the option of a full hard keyboard, and very fast.
I completely disagree in terms of the 'quality' you spoke of. Don't get me wrong the phones not god awful but the quality really is subpar. When you hold it you feel like you're holding a last-gen device because of the bulk and thickness and the spring mechanism in the phone always feels ready to snap. HTC doesn't have any high quality WP7 devices just yet. I hope the HD7s fixes that.
emaculant29 said:
Its about quality and the Arrive screams it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those were my words!
z33dev33l said:
I completely disagree in terms of the 'quality' you spoke of. Don't get me wrong the phones not god awful but the quality really is subpar. When you hold it you feel like you're holding a last-gen device because of the bulk and thickness and the spring mechanism in the phone always feels ready to snap. HTC doesn't have any high quality WP7 devices just yet. I hope the HD7s fixes that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you held an Arrive? I swear you must be handling a different phone. Because, when I saw pictures, I questioned it, but upon feeling and using it, I can only say it is top notch.
Yeah, I would have preferred a 4" screen. But as for keyboard phones go, it is the same thickness as every other one on market. It is pretty heavy though, which I can only attribute to the use of quality materials over the super light plasticy materials of my focus.
I admit that a keyboard phone is not my first choice of form factor, and if I could get a Focus with the case materials of my Arrive, I would - but that is not happening. As far as screen type (size aside) this is one of the best LCD screens on the market. So you can't fault it for that. You can prefer AMOLED tech, I understand that, but for LCD, the Arrive has a very nice display.
to each its own you know, but I will say this I test phones through my employment and in terms on the measure of quality this is by far the best landscape slider in the buisness currently. The bulk and weight is obvious, but compared to a phone quality it matches like the Iphone 4 it is only 4.2mm thicker then it. They also use the same metal componets from Foxconn, and the glass screen is as well identical. The spring mechinism has been tested by us as well to withstand a substantial amount of pressure without breaking, so no it hardly feels like it will break. Again understand all are personal opinions, but facts are facts.
tiny17 said:
Those were my words!
Have you held an Arrive? I swear you must be handling a different phone. Because, when I saw pictures, I questioned it, but upon feeling and using it, I can only say it is top notch.
Yeah, I would have preferred a 4" screen. But as for keyboard phones go, it is the same thickness as every other one on market. It is pretty heavy though, which I can only attribute to the use of quality materials over the super light plasticy materials of my focus.
I admit that a keyboard phone is not my first choice of form factor, and if I could get a Focus with the case materials of my Arrive, I would - but that is not happening. As far as screen type (size aside) this is one of the best LCD screens on the market. So you can't fault it for that. You can prefer AMOLED tech, I understand that, but for LCD, the Arrive has a very nice display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own every U.S. released WP7 devices. The heft can't always be attributed to quality. I assure you the Focus' cheap plastic comes with a purpose, go drop both of them from about a 5 foot height (where most people hold their phones) and see which one comes out in better condition. The hardware for the Arrive truly is last gen even compared to all of the other WP7 devices on the market (surround aside), the keyboard was about the only redeeming feature on the device but the response from the keys felt cheap and when typing really fast it tended to randomly skip 3 or 4 letters in a row. They've come out with keyboard devices with form factor like the G2, why work backwards and re-release a device that was already outdated upon it's initial release? (TP2)
yeah ive come to the conclusion you just dont like the Arrive which is fine, but your statemnts are very biased, and not factual at all. So there really isnt much else to discuss with you in paticular. For everyone else I highly recommend this device if your on sprint, over all of these android devices out now, and coming like the Nexus S, and EVO 3d thanks.
thank god
i did not wait until arrive.

Galaxy Nexus FTW

Dear Samsung, thank you for letting Google teach you how to make a phone. I love you Galaxy Nexus. You're fast, really fast. You boot as fast as my laptop with a Samsung 470 Series SSD. You don't lag. I tippity tap something on the screen, and something immediately happens. Your MTP is awesome. Lots of people don't like you for it, but they don't get it. That's fine, it's our secret love affair, and it's fast. ICS took me a little time to get used to, mainly because of the button layout. But after a little patience, I understand the intuitiveness and am growing fond of it.
Your battery life is awesome. I have 3 batteries and now I feel ripped off because I never get to use the other two. I try to kill you, and you last me 12+ hours every day even after streaming Tune In Radio and playing with your cool features like Stop Motion video recording in 1080p.
Your GPS is great. I remember the last time Samsung built a phone I bought. I had to take it apart, bend antenna connectors and hold my mouth just right in order to get a lock; but my Galaxy Nexus locks in mere seconds, doesn't wander, and tracks me perfectly.
People say you're light and feel cheap. Hogwash. They say, "pick up the iPhone, now that's a heavy piece". That's true, the iPhone 4S weighs 4.9 ounces, and according to my food scale, you weigh 5.0 ounces. By the time I add your extended battery and a gel skin, you weigh 6.0 ounces. If you were made out of cheap metal that cracks, sharpens and splinters with impact instead of robust, flexible and shock absorbing plastic, you'd drag my pants down lower than the average gang banger.
People say you have poor reception, but the reality is that you tell them the truth by exposing Verizon's coverage. The truth sometimes hurts.
I was unsure about your size. After all, so many people say that size doesn't count...those people own Xperia Mini's. Your screen is awesome. I can't tell that you're pentile, other than the fact that at your dimmest setting, you don't blind my eyes like the SAMOLED on my Galaxy S. While weird tint and strange banding issues due to jpeg resizing can be annoying, I know that it's not due to poor quality control or oversight but rather to limitation of the technology used.
Most of all, other than delicious ICS, what I think I love the most was how easily your bootloader was unlocked and root was obtained. I do not expect you to make me a sandwich, fix my car or give me professional swedish massages. All I ask is that you deliver ICS, Google Updates, and stellar 3rd party support immediately, and you do that. You're not what I expected...you're so much more.
Well said, well said young padawon.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
I like this.. -pushes facebook "Like" button.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
It doesn't give massages? WTF
I'm a little disappointed this phone can't make me a sandwich... but well said.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Everything except the camera is just pure awesome.
Just waiting on the 4.03 update. Other than that, the phone has been stellar. I feel there is no need to root it.
I'm sorry but I have to disagree. Sandwiches and swedish massages are extremely important to me and I can't believe this phone doesn't have those features as the iphone does. I will be returning it shortly and would never have bought it if I knew it had no car washing application preloaded. I will be getting the iphone as I have heard from some people that it also makes erections last longer and makes smoking healthy. Samsung why can't you implement such features into your phones?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
This phone needs more good PR. I'm tired of seeing threads from people who don't understand their device, don't take time to troubleshoot or can't accept that their device may be defective so they try to make it an issue for everyone's device ("Galaxy Nexus screen sucks! I have a big X in the center!")
Good job. I'm gonna do an FAQ thread later.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
KWKSLVR said:
Dear Samsung, thank you for letting Google teach you how to make a phone. I love you Galaxy Nexus. You're fast, really fast. You boot as fast as my laptop with a Samsung 470 Series SSD. You don't lag. I tippity tap something on the screen, and something immediately happens. Your MTP is awesome. Lots of people don't like you for it, but they don't get it. That's fine, it's our secret love affair, and it's fast. ICS took me a little time to get used to, mainly because of the button layout. But after a little patience, I understand the intuitiveness and am growing fond of it.
Your battery life is awesome. I have 3 batteries and now I feel ripped off because I never get to use the other two. I try to kill you, and you last me 12+ hours every day even after streaming Tune In Radio and playing with your cool features like Stop Motion video recording in 1080p.
Your GPS is great. I remember the last time Samsung built a phone I bought. I had to take it apart, bend antenna connectors and hold my mouth just right in order to get a lock; but my Galaxy Nexus locks in mere seconds, doesn't wander, and tracks me perfectly.
People say you're light and feel cheap. Hogwash. They say, "pick up the iPhone, now that's a heavy piece". That's true, the iPhone 4S weighs 4.9 ounces, and according to my food scale, you weigh 5.0 ounces. By the time I add your extended battery and a gel skin, you weigh 6.0 ounces. If you were made out of cheap metal that cracks, sharpens and splinters with impact instead of robust, flexible and shock absorbing plastic, you'd drag my pants down lower than the average gang banger.
People say you have poor reception, but the reality is that you tell them the truth by exposing Verizon's coverage. The truth sometimes hurts.
I was unsure about your size. After all, so many people say that size doesn't count...those people own Xperia Mini's. Your screen is awesome. I can't tell that you're pentile, other than the fact that at your dimmest setting, you don't blind my eyes like the SAMOLED on my Galaxy S. While weird tint and strange banding issues due to jpeg resizing can be annoying, I know that it's not due to poor quality control or oversight but rather to limitation of the technology used.
I do not expect you to make me a sandwich, fix my car or give me professional swedish massages. All I ask is that you deliver ICS, Google Updates, and stellar 3rd party support immediately, and you do that. You're not what I expected...you're so much more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said. A perfect love affair! I love mine as well.
---------- Post added at 08:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 AM ----------
jtambis6 said:
Just waiting on the 4.03 update. Other than that, the phone has been stellar. I feel there is no need to root it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone have an idea of what that update might address?
Thanks!
They can put a man on the moon and a dual-core beast of a computer in your hand, but they can't make a decent toaster
Has anyone seen John Connor?

Lumia 900 Review and Discussion

Got the phone two days ago, have been using it a bit since then, here are some general pros/cons, with a more detailed write up following some more use. Hopefully this can help some people make a decision on whether to purchase or keep the phone themselves. I will not comment on the software (most newer WP7 phones work just about the same here), aside from the Nokia specific apps/stuff.
Anyway, I have read probably two dozen Lumia 900 reviews, and everyone seems to have their own opinion (with some general themes shared amongst them), so here is mine:
Pros
Build quality is fantastic, best phone I have ever held. Feels amazing and snug in your hand. I am a fan of the square look, as opposed to the rounded edges of most devices. I actually prefer the Flash to the Focus S in that respect.
Built in speaker is loud, much louder than my Focus S, which is nice, but maybe a little "tin-ey"
Call quality is amazing, and signal strength is better than my Focus S (plus the 4G in MD really flys)
Screen looks fantastic (indoors). Blacks are inky black, colors pop, whites are less blue than the Focus S, and it seems to be brighter too. I don't understand how someone could choose an SLCD over this display. Sit them side by side (the Titan II in my case), and the colors just look pathetic.
With that said, looking at text is fine. Don't let PPI pundits fool you, you cannot tell a difference between say the Nexus and the 900 (partially because the Nexus uses the dreadful pentile). You really do not need HD resolutions on a 4" display, unless you plan on holding it inches from your face, which is just silly (@ a distance of ~10in, your eye can no longer tell the difference between HD and non-HD on a 4.3in screen, and its only about 7in on an iPhone sized screen). And don't even mention the iPhone, comparatively its like looking at a postage stamp, no thanks!
Auto adjust screen intensity actually works well
Nokia apps are great, especially Drive and ESPN
Color is sexy. An identical theme choice would have been sweet.
Chrome finish on the surrounding lens area is nice
Battery life, holy cow, is great. I am on day two of mild use and am still at 50% battery.
Capacitive buttons have a slightly different feedback to them than I am used to, I like it. They are also slightly more difficult to trigger, which is actually a good thing.
Slightly newer OS version
Nokia specific theme is much better than the default blue
Some Nokia specific sounds, which are generally improvements to the default ones
VVM! The phone has you set it up on first boot, so I assume(hope) it works!
Price, hell yea, I made $80 on this phone!!!
Cons
Bevel around the screen (I hate it, hurts my ear, my biggest gripe)
Speaker can be too loud at low volume settings
Can't seem to get my gmail to sync (very weird, I will need to get this fixed ASAP). All other syncing has worked just fine.
Location and size of lens and chrome is odd, your fingers are always on them when holding the device. Could gunk up that area quickly.
Weird sim card slot (its not terrible, its just strange, not in a good way). Silly Sim card remover (basically a souped up paper clip)
Non-removable battery, though I would gladly give this up for the build quality and design
Its a bit heavy and large. Not extremely so, just more so than expected. I think the device footprint could have been smaller, and I am not sure why it weighs what it does to be honest.
Screen scrolling does not feel quite as responsive as some other models. What I mean by this is scrolling seems to be slower, and you can't really throw it in one direction and have it scroll rapidly through a list quite as fast as I was used to.
Off white capacitive buttons, that do not brighten up like some other models
Pre-installed Tango needs to be replaced do allow for non-WiFi calling
Outdoor screen performance not as awesome as I expected. Don't get me wrong, its better than the Focus S, its just not all I thought it would be. I expected near indifferent performance indoors vs. out, with the hype the display received, but that is not the case.
I am not a fan of the button placement. It will take some getting used to. I have large hands, so the power button where it is is really a strain on my thumb to reach.
I can't really comment on the camera, because I have not used it much. Though what I have heard is the screen itself does not do the images justice. So do not judge their quality until you get them off the device, onto a computer or printed out. Hopefully a software update can address any deficiencies here.
Even though the specs are similar, I consider this a significant upgrade from my Focus S, both in quality, design, and features.
Hopefully this is useful information. And hopefully some more details should be incoming. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Good post emjlr3.
Since we're being honest here, I'll add a couple of gripes to the thread.
Apparant lack of Visual Voicemail. (since found out it is wrongly provisioned account and a call to the ATT rep or online chat will resolve it)
Sim card slot does not sit perfectly frush after inserting sim.
Was surprised at the lack of things in the box. (earphones, instruction manual)
The placement of the mini usb. (I prefer bottom mounted. I suppose we'll never be able to use any music dock easily, etc?)
This is also just my personal opinion. I think it's a great phone. Beautiful and slick. Hope it holds up as well as my HD7 did.
has anyone noticed the purplish reflectance when in direct sunlight?
seems to only happen when I can actually see the suns reflection on the phone screen, and I see what look to be purple sun rays off a few random directions - I guess it must have something to do with the special coating.

GS4 First impressions (unbiased, I hope)

I would like to preface this with a couple of items:
1. I have owned these Samsung mobiledevices:
Vibrant
GS 2
GS 3
GN 2
N 10
So it IS fair to say that I have a preference for Samsung devices
2. My unit, mfg date 5/11 ...does not seem to suffer from some of the screen issues that others are having. As for overheating... my GS 3 and GN 2 get blisteringly hot when running 3D intensive games. That, is a reality of mobile gaming... that much computing power in such a small, passively cooled form factor is a recipe for poor heat dissipation. Thus, I do not find the GS 4 to be any different (neither a step back nor an improvement in heat dissipation.)
Those caveats aside, here are my initial impressions:
1. Aesthetically speaking, this is the closest in form to an iPhone that I have perceived a galaxy device to be. Does it bother me...not particularly, but it does give credence to those who bemoan "copy cat" and others who say that the galaxy design ethos is a bit... "tired".
2. Remaining on aesthetics for a moment, which is a very subjective matter....mind you, the GS 4 does not hold a candle to the HTC one. In my opinion, one is a ground-up rethink of mobile design with "form" being a primary emphasis... the other a simple continuation of a design that has met with success in the market. While the GS 4 is not ugly... the HTC One IS stunning. I tip my cap to HTC... (and to some extent sony), and hope that it will push Mobile Divisions to approach future design, with part ruler and part brush.
3. Durability: Now I don't have the stones to just drop my phone; nor has my ownership period been long enough to rebuke anyone else...but the device feels surprisingly sturdy in my hands. Reading some of the comments on the board... and coming from the Brick that is the GN 2 (which survived several falls unscathed), I expected the GS 4 to be a porcelain doll. Frail and fragile to the touch. Not the case. It is clearly lighter than the GS 3 and slimmer as well, but it does not feel like it was done to so at the expense of durability. Now I know that there are plenty of comments and reviews that dispute this... but, in MY hands, some of the initial concern that was raised by all reports has been dispelled. I hope (keyword) that the hairline fractures some have experienced are a mfg anomaly and not a design flaw.
4. Smart gestures: I am one, who truly thinks that this could be a revolution in mobile technology...and I admire what Sammy is trying to accomplish here. But (you knew one was coming), the current implementation just feels not-ready-for-primetime. The gestures do not respond as intended all the time... and sometimes they just flat out don't work. When they do... it is impressive, and is a window in the future of interaction with technology. Given time, I think samsung will iron the kinks out.... I just don't think we will see that on the GS 4.
5. UI: Touchwiz is a love or hate proposition for many... personally, I tend to use some functions and replace others. That being said, whether its smart gesture integration, poor coding or loads of bloatware...sammy dropped the ball here. The UI feels clunky and gimmiky... and lags on hardware that should easily breeze through transitions, screen renders and app launches. You can literally feel the Snapdragon chomping on the bit... being restrained by a poorly designed UI. This to me, was the largest disappointment. Not because I don't think I can fix with kernel and Rom installations... but rather because I was so impressed with how far touchwiz had come on my GN2. This feels like a huge step back... with stutters and judder reminiscent of my Vibrant. For me aesthetics are a luxury... but function is a necessity. Multi-window does feel much smoother in this implementation...so there is that, but still, for shame sammy (don't take 1 step back for every 2 forward). Again, our community will most certainly solve these issues... but it should not exist out of the box for premium hardware.
6. Camera: Very simply, impressive. Will it replace your D9...or any nice DSLR? No. Does it take sharp photos, with a bevy of adjustments, filters and post processing perks? Yes. Can it serve as an everyday shooter? Absolutely. Crisp photos, quick autofocus and no shutter lag make it a joy to snap shots with. Low light performance does lag behind some other phones (notably Nokia and HTC)... but I find this to be the only shortcoming.
7. GPS: It works. Well. I will never....ever.... ever...forget the vibrant debacle. It is the first thing I check on all my TMO samsung devices
8. Display: I left this for last... because, really if you didn't read anything else (TL;DR) then know this: the display ALONE is worth the price of admission. Maybe I have been conditioned as such... but when it comes to mobile devices give me the deep blacks of AMOLED over LCD. Furthermore, sammy had learned a bit from the community, and toned down some of the intrinsic oversaturation. The clarity, rendering and overall visual candy of the 1080x1920 Super AMOLDED is OUTSTANDING. Apple, HTC, LG all make excellent flagship phones... this is reality. No one touches the display technology of Samsung, yet... this is fact. The pixel density allows for the obliteration of any aliasing due to the pentile arrangement. It is jaw-dropping. For those who have gotten a device with screen issues... I wouldn't wait, return it and return it and return it until you get one that is perfect, because it is well worth the hassle.
Conclusion:
Is the Galaxy design, tired and in need of a refresh...probably. Is the HTC One the "prettiest" device on the market... certainly. Did touchwiz initially sour my excitement...definitely. However, those who compare the GS3 to GS4 evolution to the iPhone X to iPhone Xs tract... neither know android nor samsung hardware. Though the design is not a complete or even partial refresh (though I love the way the GS4 feels in my hand as compared to the GS3 and even my GN2) this phone is clearly the next step forward in Samsungs continued mobile presence. The hardware is top notch and only slightly fettered by TW. The display is stunning and the camera and accompanying software a leap forward from both the GN2 and GS3. The continued dedication to sd card expansion and removable batteries should not be underscored.
Perhaps the GN3 or the next GS will feature an aesthetic redesign befitting the hardware inside... and if that is of the utmost importance, than by all means you can wait. Or buy the One, (which in my time with, I did truly enjoy...). But...
If you are eligible for the upgrade... or have some coin kicking around, I can say with all confidence that Galaxy S4 is a top flight device... and quite possibly the best available on the market today.
Nice review Poser. I too have had an GS2, GS3, GN2 and now GS4. I feel you have hit it right on the head. TW is disappointing and the hardware isn't very exciting (except cam). But the device is top notch and Sammy did a good job overall. I came from VZW to Tmobs because of Wifi call/text. Such a great feature!!!
I just got a s4. My old phone was the s3. The phone is great but heres my view on it. It is no different than the s3 except it is faster cpu wise and has a higher res screen. If u had an s3 next to an s4 (like i do) and played around with both of them you would think its the same phone. Some of the features are pointless on the s4. Like air guestures (in my opinion). They are novelties. Why wave my hand 3 inches above the screen to scroll through pictures when i could simply just lower my finger 3 inches and swipe through my pics? All and all it is the fastest phone out and im happy i got it. But if i was goin to keep my s3 though, there wouldnt be much differance.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
As much as some people despise TouchWiz and the Samsung Apps that are preloaded, I actually like using some of the features.
I think, so far, my favorite is the Air Hover where I can preview emails.
Nice op. I had the S3 on Sprint, which was a great device as long as I was on Wifi. So far I have been very happy with the S4 on T Mobile. All the pros as noted above, plus an affordable data plan with excellent coverage for my areas. The wifi calling feature is simply awesome and all carriers should have this technology built in. As far as touchwiz goes, I find it to be functionally quite similar to vanilla android, meaning the basic functions work the same way. For example, adding widgets or adding a shortcut to the dock is done easily (as opposed to how the latest Sense does it). The esthetics are a different matter but are easily altered. Lag is zero with some basic tweaks.
Very well worded essay, Poser. My thanks for addressing aspects of the phone that are important to me (how well the GPS works in particular, which few people seem to comment on). I too hope (and expect) that the reports of screen cracks are an indication of defective samples and not a design flaw. I find it hard to believe that the design would not have been subject to a battery of stress tests.
I spent some time looking at and handling the phone at Best Buy, and I liked how it felt in my hand. That experience makes me dismiss comments about the plastic construction. Seeing the phone up close and personal also showed me just how gorgeous the display is (it truly is eye candy), and thanks for emphasizing this point.
Some additional thoughts:
1. Wifi calling is exceptional when it works flawlessly... I have noticed that it does experience voice dropouts, call answering issues and connecting issues. This was a problem that was present in my S3 GN2 and S4, and does seem to be software propigated (independent of access point).
2. Disabling smart gestures and home key activation of S Voice... SIGNIFICANTLY reduces lag
3. The screen is Amazing. I cant say this enough,
Coming form sgsii
While rebooting, flashing roms, running ANY benchmark, taking video, or browsing the web the phone compared to my SGSII gets way hotter than i would have ever imagined. maybe it is just my phone, however i cant get a stable overclock at all. my MAX stable OC is 1999mhz..... really? that's just a 100mhz overhead from stock........ a 5.2% increase in speed is all i can get.......... in contrast my SGSII i was able to get 300mhz out of it (25% increase in speed) and it would run cooler than this phone on stock.....
however at stock speeds the SGS4 is snappy, lag free, FAST, comfortable to hold, poor battery life, bright screen, alright overall
7 out of 10 is what i give MY phone. as it did meet my personal expectations. I was hoping for 2.2ghz cpu stable 550mhz gpu and then i could see it getting as hot as it is now. i guess i just got a poor OC phone
I'm thinking about shorting the circuit board while it is on, and if that doesn't work, i will hook up usb cable to straight 120VAC wall current and see if it explodes. at least i would get a different phone....
overall disappointed in the phone i got, however the phone itself, like most Samsung products is GREAT!
jimmboonline said:
While rebooting, flashing roms, running ANY benchmark, taking video, or browsing the web the phone compared to my SGSII gets way hotter than i would have ever imagined. maybe it is just my phone, however i cant get a stable overclock at all. my MAX stable OC is 1999mhz..... really? that's just a 100mhz overhead from stock........ a 5.2% increase in speed is all i can get.......... in contrast my SGSII i was able to get 300mhz out of it (25% increase in speed) and it would run cooler than this phone on stock.....
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Well, IIRC the GS2 only had a dual core CPU clocked around 1.2-1.5GHz, so to be fair you can expect the GS2 to be cooler and more stable since the stock speed is lower and less cores.
jimmboonline said:
I'm thinking about shorting the circuit board while it is on, and if that doesn't work, i will hook up usb cable to straight 120VAC wall current and see if it explodes. at least i would get a different phone....
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I'd like to see a video of that...
Poser said:
I would like to preface this with a couple of items:
1. I have owned these Samsung mobiledevices:
Vibrant
GS 2
GS 3
GN 2
N 10
So it IS fair to say that I have a preference for Samsung devices
2. My unit, mfg date 5/11 ...does not seem to suffer from some of the screen issues that others are having. As for overheating... my GS 3 and GN 2 get blisteringly hot when running 3D intensive games. That, is a reality of mobile gaming... that much computing power in such a small, passively cooled form factor is a recipe for poor heat dissipation. Thus, I do not find the GS 4 to be any different (neither a step back nor an improvement in heat dissipation.)
Those caveats aside, here are my initial impressions:
1. Aesthetically speaking, this is the closest in form to an iPhone that I have perceived a galaxy device to be. Does it bother me...not particularly, but it does give credence to those who bemoan "copy cat" and others who say that the galaxy design ethos is a bit... "tired".
2. Remaining on aesthetics for a moment, which is a very subjective matter....mind you, the GS 4 does not hold a candle to the HTC one. In my opinion, one is a ground-up rethink of mobile design with "form" being a primary emphasis... the other a simple continuation of a design that has met with success in the market. While the GS 4 is not ugly... the HTC One IS stunning. I tip my cap to HTC... (and to some extent sony), and hope that it will push Mobile Divisions to approach future design, with part ruler and part brush.
3. Durability: Now I don't have the stones to just drop my phone; nor has my ownership period been long enough to rebuke anyone else...but the device feels surprisingly sturdy in my hands. Reading some of the comments on the board... and coming from the Brick that is the GN 2 (which survived several falls unscathed), I expected the GS 4 to be a porcelain doll. Frail and fragile to the touch. Not the case. It is clearly lighter than the GS 3 and slimmer as well, but it does not feel like it was done to so at the expense of durability. Now I know that there are plenty of comments and reviews that dispute this... but, in MY hands, some of the initial concern that was raised by all reports has been dispelled. I hope (keyword) that the hairline fractures some have experienced are a mfg anomaly and not a design flaw.
4. Smart gestures: I am one, who truly thinks that this could be a revolution in mobile technology...and I admire what Sammy is trying to accomplish here. But (you knew one was coming), the current implementation just feels not-ready-for-primetime. The gestures do not respond as intended all the time... and sometimes they just flat out don't work. When they do... it is impressive, and is a window in the future of interaction with technology. Given time, I think samsung will iron the kinks out.... I just don't think we will see that on the GS 4.
5. UI: Touchwiz is a love or hate proposition for many... personally, I tend to use some functions and replace others. That being said, whether its smart gesture integration, poor coding or loads of bloatware...sammy dropped the ball here. The UI feels clunky and gimmiky... and lags on hardware that should easily breeze through transitions, screen renders and app launches. You can literally feel the Snapdragon chomping on the bit... being restrained by a poorly designed UI. This to me, was the largest disappointment. Not because I don't think I can fix with kernel and Rom installations... but rather because I was so impressed with how far touchwiz had come on my GN2. This feels like a huge step back... with stutters and judder reminiscent of my Vibrant. For me aesthetics are a luxury... but function is a necessity. Multi-window does feel much smoother in this implementation...so there is that, but still, for shame sammy (don't take 1 step back for every 2 forward). Again, our community will most certainly solve these issues... but it should not exist out of the box for premium hardware.
6. Camera: Very simply, impressive. Will it replace your D9...or any nice DSLR? No. Does it take sharp photos, with a bevy of adjustments, filters and post processing perks? Yes. Can it serve as an everyday shooter? Absolutely. Crisp photos, quick autofocus and no shutter lag make it a joy to snap shots with. Low light performance does lag behind some other phones (notably Nokia and HTC)... but I find this to be the only shortcoming.
7. GPS: It works. Well. I will never....ever.... ever...forget the vibrant debacle. It is the first thing I check on all my TMO samsung devices
8. Display: I left this for last... because, really if you didn't read anything else (TL;DR) then know this: the display ALONE is worth the price of admission. Maybe I have been conditioned as such... but when it comes to mobile devices give me the deep blacks of AMOLED over LCD. Furthermore, sammy had learned a bit from the community, and toned down some of the intrinsic oversaturation. The clarity, rendering and overall visual candy of the 1080x1920 Super AMOLDED is OUTSTANDING. Apple, HTC, LG all make excellent flagship phones... this is reality. No one touches the display technology of Samsung, yet... this is fact. The pixel density allows for the obliteration of any aliasing due to the pentile arrangement. It is jaw-dropping. For those who have gotten a device with screen issues... I wouldn't wait, return it and return it and return it until you get one that is perfect, because it is well worth the hassle.
Conclusion:
Is the Galaxy design, tired and in need of a refresh...probably. Is the HTC One the "prettiest" device on the market... certainly. Did touchwiz initially sour my excitement...definitely. However, those who compare the GS3 to GS4 evolution to the iPhone X to iPhone Xs tract... neither know android nor samsung hardware. Though the design is not a complete or even partial refresh (though I love the way the GS4 feels in my hand as compared to the GS3 and even my GN2) this phone is clearly the next step forward in Samsungs continued mobile presence. The hardware is top notch and only slightly fettered by TW. The display is stunning and the camera and accompanying software a leap forward from both the GN2 and GS3. The continued dedication to sd card expansion and removable batteries should not be underscored.
Perhaps the GN3 or the next GS will feature an aesthetic redesign befitting the hardware inside... and if that is of the utmost importance, than by all means you can wait. Or buy the One, (which in my time with, I did truly enjoy...). But...
If you are eligible for the upgrade... or have some coin kicking around, I can say with all confidence that Galaxy S4 is a top flight device... and quite possibly the best available on the market today.
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great review OP, thanks!

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