Galaxy S4 features. SAMSUNG GALAXY S4: MULTIMEDIA. Memory and speed

Detailed testing of the screen, performance, battery life

At one time, when the SAMSUNG Galaxy S4 sales time starts were not finally determined, we used our chance to spend a very short time with this expected many new items to then reduce all the data obtained in a kind of mini-review, which is called "First Look" . In it, we used only those results that were able to get for a short time, allocated to me for acquaintance with the device. Of course, they were not complete - we physically could not carry out those tests and tests that require a lot of time and which should be carried out in laboratory conditions.

But today, when the day and hour of starting start selling Samsung Galaxy S4 is already predetermined, we decided to return to this issue. Before such a serious purchase, we need to weigh all the "for" and "against", and we, in turn, have the opportunity to provide users with the necessary additional information about the new device that have not entered the first part of our review.

Thus, this review will not contain descriptions. external view Devices and ease of work with control elements - you can read about it in the first part of the description of our acquaintance with Samsung Galaxy S4.

Here we will tell, first of all, about the data we received after detailed testing The screen of a new smartphone with measuring instruments in our laboratory. We will also provide your attention the results of all the performance tests of the hardware screen of the smartphone, as well as the duration of its autonomous work. Finally, some more time we will pay the Samsung Galaxy S4 chamber and the modes of its work. Test photos obtained in the process of studying a novelty commenimizes our specialist Anton Solovyov.

But for a start, we will give our traditional comparative plate, which since the first acquaintance with Samsung Galaxy S4 managed to replenish and now already contains information on almost all the main top novelties of the new season tested by us. All the most popular flagship smartphones are reduced into a single table for the convenience of choice, and those that have not entered here (for example, LG Optimus G Pro), in the sooner time it will be replenished. Although, with regret, it should be noted, according to the Russian office of LG, it is this unit to our market that will not be applied.

	SAMSUNG GALAXY S4.	HTC One.	Sony Xperia Z.	OPPO FIND 5.	Google Nexus 4.	LG Optimus G.
Screen	4.99 ", Superamoled	4.7 ", S-LCD3 (IPS)	5 ", IPS?	5 ", IPS	4.7 ", IPS Plus	4.7 ", IPS Plus
Resolution	1920 × 1080, 441 ppi	1920 × 1080, 469 PPI	1920 × 1080, 440 ppi	1920 × 1080, 440 ppi	1280 × 768, 317 ppi	1280 × 768, 317 ppi
SOC.	Exynos 5410 @ 1.8 GHz (8 cores)	Qualcomm Snapdragon. 600 @ 1.7 GHz (4 kernels, armv7 krait)		Qualcomm APQ8064 @ 1.5 GHz (4 kernels, Armv7 Krait)	Qualcomm APQ8064 @ 1.5 GHz (4 kernels, Armv7 Krait)	Qualcomm APQ8064 @ 1.5 GHz (4 kernels, Armv7 Krait)
Oz	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB
Flash Memory	16/32/64 GB	32/64 GB	16 GB	16/32 GB	8/16 GB	32 GB
Memory card support	microSD.	not	microSD.	not	not	not
Operating system	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.1.	Google Android 4.1.	Google Android 4.1.	Google Android 4.2.	Google Android 4.1.
SIM format *	Micro-Sim.	Micro-Sim.	Micro-Sim.	Micro-Sim.	Micro-Sim.	Micro-Sim.
Battery	removable, 2600 mA · h	non-removable, 2300 mA · h	non-removable, 2330 mA · h	non-removable, 2500 mA · h	non-removable, 2100 mA · h	non-removable, 2100 mA · h
Cameras		relean (4 MP; video - 1080p), frontal (2 MP)	rear (13 megapixel; video - 1080p), frontal (2 MP)	rear (13 megacle; video - 1080p), frontal (1.9 megapixel)	relean (8 MP; video - 1080p), frontal (1.3 Mp)	rear (13 megacled; video - 1080p), frontal (1.3 Mp)
Gabarits.	137 × 70 × 7.9 mm, 130 g	137 × 68 × 9.3 mm, 143 g	139 × 71 × 7.9 mm, 146 g	142 × 69 × 8.9 mm, 165 g	134 × 69 × 9.1 mm, 139 g	132 × 69 × 8,5 mm, 145 g

* The most common SIM card formats are described in a separate material.

The main characteristics of Samsung Galaxy S4 (GT-i9500)

SOC SAMSUNG EXYNOS 5 OCTA, 8 nuclei, combined by Arm Big.little: 4 high-performance ARM Cortex-A15 at 1.8 GHz frequency and 4 energy efficient ARM Cortex-A7 at a frequency of 1.2 GHz
GPU PowerVR SGX544MP3
Android 4.2.2 Operating System Jelly Bean
SUPERAMOLED display with Pentile, 4.99 ", 1920 × 1080
RAM (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16-64 GB
Slot for mICROSD cards up to 64 GB
Communication GSM GPRS / EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
Communication 3G UMTS HSPA + 850, 900, 2100 MHz
4G (LTE Cat 3 100/50 Mbps) - only in the GT-i9505 version based on Soc Qualcomm Snapdragon 600
HSPA + 42 Mbps
Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
MHL 2.0, OTG Support
Wi-Fi 802.11a / B / G / N / AC
GPS / GLONASS
Cameras 13 MP and 2 MP (frontal)
Accelerometer, photometer, digital compass, approximation sensors, gyroscope, barometer, thermometer, hygrometer and IR sensor
Possibility of use in gloves
Lithium-ion battery 2600 mA · h
Dimensions 136.6 × 69.8 × 7.9 mm
Weight of 130 g

Screen

SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 has a very high-quality touchscreen display, made using Super AMOLED technology. In the figures, the physical parameters of the display screen appear as follows: Diagonal - 126 mm (4.99 inches), permission - Full HD 1080p (1920 × 1080 Points), PPI pixel density is 441 points per inch, although if you have a Pentile, this figure looks doubtful . Yes, Pentile technology has not disappeared anywhere, although the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen differs significantly from its predecessors. The display has both manual and automatic brightness adjustment, which is based on the operation of the lighting sensor. There is also an approximation sensor here, which blocks the screen when applying for a smartphone to the ear. Multitouch technology allows you to simultaneously process up to ten touches, and the new Samsung Galaxy S4 screen allows you to control it in gloves.

A detailed examination of the display using measuring instruments was conducted by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" section Alexey Kudryavtsev. We present his expert opinion about sAMSUNG screen Galaxy S4.

The screen is covered with a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface and, judging by the reflection of bright light sources in it, has a very efficient anti-glare filter. On the outer surface of the screen, there is a special oleophobic (fat-repellent) coating, so traces from the fingers are removed significantly easier, and appear at a lower rate than in the case of conventional glass.

When manually controlled brightness, its maximum value was about 230 kD / m², minimum - 10 cd / m². Despite the highest brightness value, even with bright daylight, the smartphone can be used, since it helps less, in comparison with a typical LCD screen, reflection of OLED screens from dark areas. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that in this case the smaller the white area on the screen, the brighter, that is, the actual maximum brightness of white areas will be almost always higher than the specified value. Mode with low brightness without problems allows you to use your smartphone even in complete darkness. It works automatic brightness adjustment over the illumination sensor (it is located to the left of the front loudspeaker). You can make adjustments to the operation of this function, moving the settings slider from -5 to +5 units. Next, for three conditions, we present the values \u200b\u200bof the screen brightness at three values \u200b\u200bof this setting - for -5, 0 and +5. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness decreases to 15, 20 and 30 kD / m², respectively, in conditions of an artificial light of the office, the brightness is set to 48, 94 and 113 kD / m², in a brightly illuminated environment (corresponds to lighting outside the room, but without Direct sunlight) - rises to 280 kD / m² for all three correction values. In principle, the result of the operation of this function corresponds to the expected. When reduced brightness, modulation appears with a frequency of 240 Hz. The figure below shows the dependence of brightness from time for three brightness settings:

It can be seen that the modulation is actually absent on the maximum brightness, on the minimum brightness of the modulation amplitude is low, so in these extreme cases it is impossible to see the illumination. For half brightness, modulation has a greater amplitude, so at average brightness values, the flicker can be seen - it is hardly looking at the screen, but if you quickly wave, for example, a pencil in front of a white field on the screen, then the flicker can be determined by a repeated tray from the pencil.

This smartphone uses the Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic LEDs. The full color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but green subpixels are twice as much as possible as RGBG. This is confirmed by a microfotography fragment:

In this square, you can count 9 green subpixels, 4.5 blue and 4.5 red subpixels. For such matrices samsung company Entered the name Pentile RGBG. However, the location and shape of the subpixels in this version differ from the Pentile RGBG options implemented in the screens of Galaxy S3, ATIV S, Motorola XT925, etc.:

In the Galaxy S4 version, green subpixels are no longer formed horizontal linesAs a result, horizontal and vertical worlds on the S4 screen are equally outlined, and not as in the case, for example, Samsung ATIV S.

Note that the brightness is mainly determined by the green component, so the brightness of clarity actually corresponds to the density of green subpixels. The fact that the color clarity is lower (since below the density of the red and blue subpixels), in fact does not affect the image as the image, since the color clarity of the person is also below the brightness definition. However, this does not mean that the image on this screen looks exactly the same as on the screen with a similar resolution, but with the same number of subpixels of different colors. Compare, for example, as the main page of our site is displayed on the Galaxy S4 screen and on the OPPO Find 5 LCD. Both screens are about the same dimensions and permission (if you count on green subpixels), but in the case of OPPO Find 5 red and blue subpixels as much as green. Below are fragments of photos of screens obtained when the specified page is output in the same (source) scale.

The readability of small text on the Galaxy S4 screen is rather even better than on the OPPO Find 5 screen. However, you need to take into account two circumstances: first, this text is so small that his readability and so very low simply because of the physical dimensions (the height of the letter "O" is 7 pixels, or about 0.4 mm); Secondly, the quality of the output of small text in Android (and in the browser in particular) is very low in itself, but this Pentile variant blurs a little lines falling on the rows of pixels, and slightly increases the clarity of lines that do not fall into the rows of pixels Why very small text on the Galaxy S4 screen looks smoother. And two more photos obtained with a larger increase in the above fragments:

The Samsung Galaxy S4 screen has very good viewing angles: white color changes the shade only when deviating to large corners, and the black color just remains black in any corners - it is so black that the contrast parameter in this case is simply not applicable. With perpendicular view, the uniformity of the white field is very good. The switching of the status of the matrix elements is actually performed instantly, so the response time can be equated to 0. The gamma curve constructed by 32 points did not reveal a substantial dyed in the lights, nor in the shadows, but the indicator of the approximating power function is from 2.28 to 2.32 V Depending on the selected profile, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2 (in the signatures the number in brackets is an indicator of the approximating power function):

In case of profile Dynamic Gamma curve has a slightly s-shaped character, for the three remaining profiles, it practically does not deviate from power dependence. The color correction profile is selected on a separate page in the screen settings section.

Profiles are only four, plus a special "optimize display" mode, in which manual profile selection is locked, and the phone, apparently chooses the profile, analyzing the current image. Note that the brightness of the image fragments is dynamically changing in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - decreases for bright in general images and increases for dark. When choosing a profile Dynamic This effect is a little more expressed, and when you turn on the mode. Autonaster. Screen brightness The dependence of brightness from the light of the image becomes even stronger. Therefore, the dependence of the brightness from the shade (gamma curves) can not correspond to the gamma curves of the static image, since the measurements were carried out with a consistent output of the shades of gray on the entire screen.

Color coverage in case of profiles Dynamic and Standard Very wide:

When choosing a profile Adobe RGB. Coverage slightly pressed in blue and yellow areas (here black line - ADOBE RGB space coverage, white line - measured coverage):

When choosing a profile Film Coverage is pressed even stronger, but still remains wider than SRGB:

No correction spectra components are very well divided:

In case of profile Film With the maximum correction, the components of the colors are slightly mixed up to each other:

Note that on screens with a wide color coverage of the color of conventional images optimized for SRGB devices, it looks unnaturally saturated. However, a visual assessment showed that when choosing a profile Film Saturation is noticeably reduced, and the colors become close to natural. No correction in profiles Dynamic and Standard, the colors are unnatural: for example, faces of white-skinned people have a pronounced carrot hue. The balance of shades on the scale of gray is imperfect, but, in general, acceptable. The color temperature is above 6500 K, but on the section of the scale of gray from white to dark gray, this parameter varies slightly. Deviation from the spectrum of an absolutely black body (Delta E) if there is 10 units, it is quite slight that for the consumer device is considered a good indicator, while the variation of the delta e is not very large (the dark areas of the gray scale can not be considered, since there is a balance of colors It does not matter much, and the measurement error of the color characteristics on the low brightness is large):

Therefore, according to visual assessment, there are no special claims for the transfer of shades of gray.

In general, by consumer characteristics, the screen of this smartphone has the full right to take the first place in the competition with the screens of other top smartphones of the same class, at least at the time of writing this article.

Camera

Assessment of photos and conclusions in quality are made by Anton Solovyov.

Samsung Galaxy S4 is equipped with most modern smartphones, two digital camera modules. The main module of the rear chamber has a 13 megapixel resolution. SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 used Sony Exmor's Sony sensor based on the BSI matrix reverse illumination technology. The camera removes the maximum resolution of 13 MP, while the pictures are obtained in size 4128 × 3096 with the aspect ratio of 4: 3. Manually, you can translate the camera to the shooting mode with the widescreen ratio of the sides 16: 9 - then the pictures will be obtained in size 4128 × 2322 (10 MP). You can evaluate the quality with which the Samsung Galaxy S4 camera is removed by clicking on the miniatures shown below.

Conclusion for photographic possibilities sAMSUNG chambers Galaxy S4.. Of the advantages of the camera, you can mark very good sharpness at most pictures. I would like to hope that quite large areas of blur at the edges are caused not very good calibration of the lens, and not constructive features Cameras, because in general the lens is fulfilled with decent and works out 10 megapixels of the matrix completely. Not so often on smartphones occurs such a good combination of matrix and optics. It may not be rejected by the almost complete absence of chromatic aberrations and contours of increasing sharpness. In any case, they are minor. The camera is good, but very conservatively selects the exposure, also conservative and camera color rendering. It seemed, due to the luminosity, the camera would lose in depth of field, however, as seen from macro, the depth of sharpness is sufficient, which is true, bad for artistic shooting, but for documentary - very good. In general, it can be concluded that samsung was quite a camera, more than suitable for everyday documentary shooting. Given that this is the quality of the camera in demand by most users of smartphones, the Samsung movement can be noted in the right direction.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Camera is able to shoot video in Full HD-resolution (1080p). Autofocus is fixed fast enough, when shooting there is no slow-moving and sticking. Also in the settings there are shooting modes with the effects of a slow and steady movement. The following are test rollers filmed in various modes. The video is saved in MP4 (video - MPEG-4 AVC ( [Email Protected]), Sound - AAC LC, 128 kbps, 48 \u200b\u200bkHz, 2 channels).

Roller №1 (27.4 MB, 1920 × 1080)
Roller # 2 (11.4 MB, 800 × 450, slow motion)
Roller # 3 (15.4 MB, 1920 × 1080, rapid movement)

The camera management settings are very much, everything in the menu is almost the same as in the previous SAMSUNG top smartphones. It is possible to bind to the image of the geometers, adding graphic effects, inclusion of smile recognition, panoramic survey, and, of course, software improvement can be used using HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE. There is an image stabilization, the ability to display the grid on the screen.

Performance

The SAMSUNG Galaxy S4 hardware platform is based on a powerful SOC basis, which includes a 4-core processor with ARM Cortex-A15 cores operating at a frequency of 1.8 GHz, and another 4-core processor with Arm Cortex-A7 cores operating on reduced frequencies of 1.2 GHz. Such a hybrid association technology in one crystal of productive and economical nuclei was created by ARM, called this Big.little concept, and its implementation is just as licensed by third-party manufacturers of processors actually, like the Arm kernel themselves. An obvious application is assumed: a serious load system will use high-performance Arm Cortex-A15 kernels at a high frequency, and when performing problems that do not require substantial computing power, the top kernels fall asleep, and energy-efficient ARM Cortex-A7 is replaced by a change. We add that similar (according to the principle, not by implementation) hybrid technologies apply to SOC NVIDIA.

Support for graphic processing processor kernels Exynos 5410 OCTA has a PowerVR SGX 5444MP3 graphic core. However, there is another modification of the smartphone, equipped with a quaalcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, operating at a frequency of 1.9 GHz, where Adreno 320 is used as a graphic coprocessor. In our case, the device was presented in an eight-core configuration - this is t. N. "International version".

Now we are already able to compare the performance of Samsung Galaxy S4 with all the other top flagship innovations of this season. Most of them, by the way, are built on the previous Snapdragon S4 Pro Top Platform. Completely expected Samsung Galaxy S4 was on the first step in the ranking of previously tested devices, and only HTC One. He made him worthy competition, demonstrating similar performance results. At the same time, smartphones such as Google Nexus 4, LG Optimus G, HTC One X + and Samsung Galaxy Note. II stayed in this race behind the leader. We give the results we obtained using popular tests, which we for convenience collected in the table by adding the results of the other devices previously tested.

Below are results sAMSUNG testing Galaxy S4 in the new version of Glbenchmark - 2.7.0, where the new T-REX HD scene has been added. As we remember, even such a powerful system, like OPPO FIND 5, issued only 13 FPS in this test. The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 platform in HTC One coped with this complex test better, but very slightly slightly - 15 FPS. Samsung Galaxy S4 for some reason could not lose these scenes from the new test, so the final results were incomplete that we were slightly disappointed.

Since Samsung Galaxy S4 is one of the first smartphones with 802.11ac support, we spent the new Wi-Fi 802.11ac new standard. Testing was carried out with the ASUS RT-AC66U router - one of two models with the support of 802.11ac standards present in the local market. Recall that this new version of the standard works only in the 5 GHz range and provides an increase in speed more than twice as compared with 802.11n. In the case of smartphones, only one antenna is most often used, so the compound speeds in this case can be a maximum of 150 Mbps for 802.11n and 433 Mbps for 802.11ac. Real performance is usually about two times less. In addition, many mobile devices do not even support the two-channel operation mode, which leads to a limitation at 72 Mbps for 802.11n.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has one antenna, which causes the maximum connection speed of 433 Mbps. When operating in the 2.4 GHz band with one channel, this model shows a real performance of about 50 Mbps, which can be considered an excellent result. True, we note that the tests were carried out in a relatively empty ether. 5 GHz switching in 802.11n mode allows you to increase the rate of information exchange with a smartphone more than twice - we managed to get 133 Mbps to load data on the smartphone and 117 Mbps to send from the smartphone to the router. Of course, such high rates allow us to speak not only about a comfortable view of high-resolution video, but also about fast synchronization and downloading files to the device. At the same time, it is not possible to connect in "only 802.11ac" mode. The reason is likely to use the device for the test dough. In any case, if you plan to actively use this model, we highly recommend purchasing a modern dual-band router.

Play video and connection to the external screen

To test "omnivities" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special capabilities, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats that constitute the bulk of the content available on the content network. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have the support of hardware decoding of videos at the chip level, since to process modern options due to the processor nuclei are most often impossible. Also do not wait from mobile device decoding is just because of the flexibility leadership belongs to PC, and no one is going to challenge it.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player.	Full video player
DVDRip.	AVI, XVID 720 × 400 2200 Kbps, MP3 + AC3	reproduces normal	reproduces normal
Web-DL SD	AVI, XVID 720 × 400 1400 Kbps, MP3 + AC3	reproduces normal	reproduces normal
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280 × 720 3000 Kbps, AC3	reproduces normal	reproduces normal
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280 × 720 4000 Kbps, AC3	reproduces normal	reproduces normal
BDRip 1080p.	MKV, H.264 1920 × 1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	reproduces normal	reproduces normal

Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. To test it, we used the LG IPS237L monitor that supports a direct MHL connection using a passive adapter cable from the Micro-USB connector on HDMI. Samsung for some reason only by the reasons in its devices, allegedly supporting MHL, implemented their own variety of this interface. As a result for connecting external device By MHL, you need to use special adapters or connect standard MHL adapters through simple passive adapters. For a happy accident, such an adapter has found.

As a result, the LG IPS237L monitor and MHL adapter we connected through this adapter. When using the LG IPS237L monitor, the MHL output was carried out in a resolution of 1920 per 1080 pixels with a frequency of 30 frame / s. With a landscape orientation of the smartphone, the image output to the monitor screen is carried out in the landscape orientation, while the image on the monitor is written in the screen boundaries and exactly corresponds to the image on the smartphone screen. With a portrait orientation of the smartphone, the image output to the monitor screen is also carried out in the portrait orientation, while the image on the monitor is written into the screen boundaries in height, and on the right and the black fields are displayed on the right. In this case, the actual resolution on the monitor screen, of course, is lower than permission on the smartphone screen.

The sound on MHL is displayed (in this case, the sounds were heard through the headphones connected to the monitor, since there are no loudspeakers in the monitor) and it has good quality. At the same time, at least multimedia sounds through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself are not displayed, and the volume is adjusted by the buttons on the smartphone housing. MHL connected smartphone is charging.

A special description deserves video tools for the staff player. To begin with, using a dialing of test files with one division per frame with an arrow and a rectangle (see the method of testing the playback and video display devices. Version 1) We checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screen shots with shutter speed in 1 C helped to determine the nature of the output of video files with various parameters: resolution ranged (1280 to 720 (720p) and 1920 per 1080 (1080p) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frame / from). The results of this (block entitled as " Screen") And subsequent tests are reduced to the table:

File	Uniformity	Pass
Screen
watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4	excellent	not
watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4.	oK	not
watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4.	excellent	not
watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4	excellent	not
watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4	excellent	not
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4	excellent	not
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4	excellent	not
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4	excellent	not
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4.	excellent	not
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4.	excellent	not
MHL (Monitor)
watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4	excellent	lot
watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4.	excellent	lot
watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4.	excellent	not
watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4	oK	not
watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4	oK	not
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4	excellent	lot
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4	excellent	lot
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4	excellent	not
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4.	excellent	not
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4.	oK	not
MHL (adapter)
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4	excellent	not
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4	oK	not
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4	badly	not
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4.	badly	not
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4.	badly	not

Note: If in both columns "uniformity" and "skips" exhibited "green" estimates, this means that when viewing movies, most likely, or artifacts caused by uneven alternation and passage, will not be visible at all, or their number and visibility It will not affect the preview of viewing. "Red" marks indicate possible problems associated with playing relevant files.

By the output criterion, the quality of video files playback on the screen itself is very high, since frames (or frames of frames) are displayed with uniform alternation of intervals and frames no frames. However, in any case, uniform alternation of frames is a relatively unstable state, since some external and internal background processes lead to a periodic failure of the correct interval between frames. When testing, an interesting feature was found: it seems that in the case of files with frame frequencies 30 and below the screen update rate is 40 Hz, and for files 50 and 60 frame / from the update frequency increases to 60 Hz. As a result, for a file with 30 frames / s We got such an image:

And for the file with 60 frame / s - this is:

When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920 to 1080 pixels) on the smartphone screen, the image of the video file is output one-in-one, exactly along the screen border in the true resolution of Full HD. Considering that in the video file, the color resolution is two times lower than the brightness, the features of the Pentile matrix do not actually affect the output of video files. The brightness range displayed on the screen does not match the original: in the shadows of a pair of shades of gray are indistinguishable from black, but in the lights there are all gradations of shades (for video in the range of 16-235).

With the MHL connected monitor when playing a video a regular player, the image is displayed only in the landscape orientation, and only the picture of the video file is displayed on the monitor, and only information elements and virtual controls are displayed on the smartphone screen. When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920 to 1080 pixels) on the monitor screen, the image of the video file is output one-in-one, exactly along the screen border in the true resolution of Full HD. The brightness range displayed on the monitor corresponds to the standard range of 16-235, that is, in the shadows and in the lights are displayed all gradations of shades. The results of the output tests on the monitor are shown in the table above in the "MHL (monitor" block. The quality of the output is good, but, of course, in the case of files with 50 and 60 frame / s part of the frames is skipped, since the output is carried out in 1080p mode at 30 frames / s.

Additionally, the video output was tested (a regular player) on MHL with the use of a MHL adapter. When using this adapter, the output to the monitor was carried out in 720p mode at 60 frames / s, which determined the maximum actual image resolution. With the exception of the permission and frequency of frames, everything else is the nature of the interface output, recharging, the sound of sound and the gray scale - did not differ from direct connection via MHL. Test results are shown in the table above in the MHL (adapter) block.

When using the adapter, the intervals between the frames in the case of file frequencies of up to 30 frames / C are inclusted inclusively three times (from 1/60 to 3/60) and alternate unevenly, while the output of 720p files with 50 and 60 frame / s is carried out fine.

In general, MHL connection can be used for games, viewing movies, displaying web pages and other activities that wins from a multiple zoom of screen size. True, you will have to purchase an adapter for Samsung or find the appropriate adapter.

Battery life

The capacity of the lithium-ion battery installed in the Samsung Galaxy S4 is 2600 mA · h. The battery here, as already mentioned earlier, replaceable, which can save in case of a swift battery, for example (and such cases with Samsung batteries were). Yes, and the second battery can be stock in the case of a long trip, which is also convenient.

The smartphone demonstrated very good indicators in terms of the duration of autonomous work, leaving a little behind many top novelties that tested by us for lately. Only again, HTC One was able to compare in the results, and even something to replay the opponent. Here are the results of testing the subject in several modes of autonomous work.

Uninterrupted reading in the FBReader program with a minimum comfortable level of brightness (the brightness was exhibited by about 100 kD / m²) for 2 hours spent 17% of the total battery charge, and on a two-hour watch video from YouTube in high quality (HQ) through home network Wi-Fi apparatus I spent 24% battery capacity. At maximum load in the mode of continuous 3D game (100% brightness, 60 fps), usually we tested using Glbenchmark, the smartphone, as mentioned above, refused to undergo testing and constantly dropped out of the program. Therefore, the data on this test we get, unfortunately, failed. Complete Charging Samsung Galaxy S4 is carried out in 2 hours.

Prices

The average retail price of the device in rubles in Moscow at the time of reading the article can be found by putting a mouse to the price tag.

Samsung Galaxy S4 can be bolden by one of the best multimedia devices of this year, because multimedia is not only a well-implemented function, but, above all, the widest opportunities for users for users who must complement each other. The large and bright Samsung Galaxy S4 display will help you enjoy your favorite films and show photos of photos; The music player is able to work with the most different formats; Quality camera is comparable to many digits.

Music player

Let's start with the support of formats, here Samsung Galaxy S4 has something interesting. Applicated support for MP3, AAC, AAC +, EAAC +, AMR-NB / WB, OGG, FLAC, AC-3. In addition, the APT-X codec is supported if you buy a Bluetooth headset that supports the same codec, then amaze sound quality - and at the same time no wires! In essence, you do not have to install additional programsIf you want to listen to tracks in FLAC format or in OGG. Especially appreciate these possibilities owners with love of selected extensive musical collections. Load music, connect your favorite headphones, enjoy. By the way, it is impossible not to remind two points. Since the smartphone has a microSD memory card slot, you can easily install a card with a volume of up to 64 GB. This is more than enough to store thousands of compositions or dozens of films. And to listen to music, in Samsung's branded stores, you can also choose a headset to taste. By the way, Samsung Galaxy S4 is able to work in music playback mode up to 57 hours, it is a stunning result for a powerful smartphone.

During playback, you can use the AllShare function to pass the sound to another device, add the song to the playlist, it is possible to play folders, it will appreciate the adherents of old control methods. Special Pushka player Samsung Galaxy S4 - Music Square, Here you can quickly choose music for the mood - exciting, joyful, calm. Voice playback control is supported, it is convenient if you are busy and you can not switch the track with your hand. Many of the most different settings: SoundAlive will allow you to change the preset of the equalizer, there is also a familiar increase in low frequencies, and even a virtual system 7.1. The "Optimize Sound" function works only with headphones, analyzes the volume level, which settings are applied to you do not have to spend time at this time. Supported even automatic shutdown Playback - it will appreciate lovers to listen to music before bedtime. It is possible to play the lyric text (if it is recorded in tags), automatic adjustment of the volume of all songs, there is a choice of filters - for example, these are popular files. That is, those you reproduce constantly. There is a filter according to the latest added, it is also very convenient, especially if you use a large capacity memory card and constantly change the music.

The player can be controlled directly in the application, in the notification menu, on the locked screen is very convenient. The image of the album is displayed almost in full screen when you are in the player, below - buttons fast selection Playback mode, activation SHUFFLE mode, adding track to favorites. Very convenient what you can seek the desired compositionThe following are displayed mini player, cover and control buttons. Whatever the filter you choose, the alphabet is on the right to quickly search for compositions. Just swipe your finger, and an enlarged letter will appear in the center of the screen.

You can buy music in Play Music app, we recommend using the Shazam program, in our opinion, this is the best utility for such purposes. I also recommend the SoundCloud program, a wonderful sound cloud, where the musicians musicians are laid out of their tracks and sets, as well-known and not. It works as a social network, that is, you can follow people, new added works will be displayed in the tape. Naturally, you can upload your creations, receive comments, ratings. It is very easy to send your favorite entry to Facebook or Twitter, some compositions can be downloaded.

We also recommend Tunein, one of the best Internet radio at all times, a huge directory of stations, a thought-out interface, can try the free version to then go to the paid one. For lovers of electronic music - generally a find.

Video

The Full HD video playback is supported by the following formats: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, DivX, DivX3.11, VC-1, VP8, WMV7 / 8, Sorenson Spark, HEVC. As you can see, you do not have to deal with conversion or something else like that to download and see your favorite TV series. Moreover, you can also download using Samsung Galaxy S4. And do not forget that you can watch the video in YouTube, on some channels you can find beautiful selections of classic films.

Books

Here we will recommend you Google's application again, it is Play Books - a huge library, where you can easily find both new products and classic works. This is not only a store, but also a reading program, and very convenient, there is a 3D effect when turning, choosing a day-night mode, font, a font distance, there is even a text-to-speedech - a robot (female voice) reads a book out loud. And you can also add bookmarks, turn the pages by pressing the display or using the volume keys. Do not forget that Samsung Galaxy S4 is truly an impressive display, speech about diagonal, and about quality - if you used to read from the screen of the smartphone and you got tired, here there will be no such thing.

In addition, you can download both FBReader utility. This is the most famous reading program, the most comfortable and most, in my opinion, universal. It works with a lot of formats, fast, stable, if you wish, you can download the book directly from the browser and immediately proceed to reading, on trips an indispensable thing, like the player.

Camera

In the last material, we described in detail about the capabilities of the camera, here you should give examples of photos - we note that in our version, three employees (including the chief editor) are constantly used by Samsung Galaxy S4 as a soap box, the camera is always with you. The quality is awesome, here really implemented the concept "brought - removed", you can be sure that the frame will be sharp, the colors are juicy, I want to play with the effects, I want to create and do not want to stop. Even if you have never been filmed with a smartphone - try to do it with samsung galaxy S4. Believe me, the result will surprise you. Perhaps on this vacation you will not take a camera with you!

Applications and games

We extremely recommend the owners of Samsung Galaxy S4 Add to bookmarks Our website, there are constantly many reviews of useful applications for smartphones based on this operating system. Your Samsung Galaxy S4 is able to a lot, and shops Google Play. Market and Samsung Apps are among the most important applications for the owner of Samsung Galaxy S4. Because it is here that you have to choose, buy, download programs - a lot of free content, thousands of utilities are waiting for you to pay your attention to them. For access to Samsung Apps, you just need to create Samsung Account. And use the Google Play shop market (former Android Market), Google calendar you can after add your Google account in the settings, this email and password. For payment, almost any bank card can be used, you will need to enter data and proceed to your purchases.

On the main page of the store there are links to the most interesting programs at the moment, and not only on the program, but also in the category. There is a separate page of Editor`s Choice and other interesting "bookmarks", in Google try to initially draw your attention to the most curious programs. In addition, you can easily find the most best programs In the "Best Free" and "Best Paid" applications, I liked that among the best paid so many utilities from our developers, it is Poweramp, and Cut The Rope, and Dr.Web AntiVirus. And in the Top Grossing category at the first places - also games from the Russian company Game Insight, this Airport City and Paradise Island. You can safely download and put everything from the listed, I can't not praise the Nexus display again, the same Paradise Island looks great here.

The store is very easy to use, most programs are inexpensive, and here, too, believe me, there is something to choose. With Nexus, you can "collect" any smartphone according to your taste, it can be an entertainment device with different players or games, it can be a gadget for working with office documents, mail, utilities for the preparation of the schedule. Immediately after purchase, I recommend visiting Google Play Market, and I am sure you will not leave without buying or a new free program.

The main thing is that the Samsung Galaxy S4 owner must remember - do not be afraid of experiments. You can easily configure your smartphone yourself and turn to that car that you need it. Business device? For study? For fun? Or player to listen to music sitting on the beach? E-book and one of the best compact cameras at the moment? Magic thing capable of understanding your gestures and words?

Imagine all this in one device. Your Samsung Galaxy S4 is a perfect tool for life.

Since Samsung Galaxy S4 has received an update to Lollipop, this empty "old man" began working on a solid 5-ku. We are so reverent about this model Samsung, which decided to publish our full list Tips and tricks for, specifically for updating Lollipop. Without a doubt, Samsung Galaxy S4 is a magnificent Samsung smartphone, but we advise you to read our article so that you can see how you can still improve the work of this device.

Disable S Voice for faster navigation

As we know, the S Voice application can be launched by double clicking on the Home key. This shortcut actually slows down the response time of this button, since Touchwiz freezes for a moment after the first press to find out if you click on the "home" a second time before returning you to the home screen. You should go to S Voice, press the "Menu" display key, select the "Settings" section and then remove the box in front of the "Starting home" item - and the navigation of this key will become much faster.

Turn off the annoying SAMSUNG sounds

Once you deal with Samsung Galaxy S4, then why don't you disable some not too pleasant sounds on it? Even if they like them, we will venture to say that literally every person who is on the train, at work or in the supermarket, simply hates such sounds. To make pleasant people around you, go through the "Settings\u003e" scheme of my device\u003e Sounds and Notifications\u003e Other Sounds and remove the checkbox opposite those sounds without which you can do.

Use contact shortcuts for calls and send messages.

Why use the dirty menu buttons when a couple of gestures are enough? In your contact list, you can swipe the name of the contact to the right or left to make a quick call or send a message. Now you will be much easier to be in touch and thanks to such actions to save time.

Access to the hidden settings Samsung Galaxy S4

There is one class application called Note 2 Hidden Settings. Initially, it was created for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 smartphone, but it also works on others galaxy models, including SAMSUNG GALAXY S4. Yes, Note 2 Hidden Settings may not work on some models of some phones mobile operatorsBut, nevertheless, this application is worth installing because there are many interesting material in it.

Protect your notifications on a locked display.

Note that Lollipop includes notifications on the lock screen - this means that you do not have to fully unlock your phone to read a text message or an email. But it is likely that you do not feel quite comfortable when the content of all your notifications is displayed on the entire display and anyone can see them. If so, then go through the "Settings\u003e" scheme of\u003e sounds and notifications. " Now you can choose which applications will display the contents on the lock screen in the notification application and the content display level on the lock screen.

Use your phone as TV control panel

Download the Watchon application and use it to configure your favorite TV channels, television management, various set-top boxes and much more. You can also place this application on your lock screen for greater convenience.

Use a voice to control Hands-Free

Do you know that your Samsung Galaxy S4 has many voice control options? You can use your voice to disable alerts, photographing, playing music or reject incoming calls. Go through the "Settings\u003e" scheme of my device\u003e voice management and activate the switches for the commands that you would like to use. You can also establish reminders or to check the weather forecast.

Install a more functional launcher

If you think Touchwiz is slightly slow in work, why not replace it with a faster launcher, for example, Google Now Launcher, Nova Launcher or Action Launcher? They would have to try - they are free, and you can always return to the old launcher, if you want.

Make your own wireless charger QI device

If you want to use wireless charging, such as,, but without spending a large amount to buy this smartphone, then why not buy wireless charger? All you need to do is remove the back cover of the phone and docile the charging plate with the phone case as shown in the instructions, and then replace the back cover of the phone to the new one.

Activate Smart Stay

The Smart Stay feature uses the front camera of your phone in order to know if you are on the display or not, and thanks to this function, the screen remains on until you look at it. This is a cool thing if you want not only timeout period screen saver It was small, but grabbed the time for a long reading from the display of the phone.

To activate Smart Stay, follow the "Settings\u003e" scheme. My device\u003e Smart Display and turn on.

Adjust the screen lock

Our advice to you - give up the former boring screen lock, add camera labels and dialing, select a clock or private message and give it some chic by setting custom wallpapers. Go through the "Settings\u003e" scheme of my device\u003e on-screen lock and install the chamber checkbox, and then adjust the widgets for the on-screen lock.

Make customization of fast settings

Why do you need to be content with standard quick settings when you can use the group of the most useful custom packaglers and switches to work with your phone? You can even prescribe them according to your taste. Live on the screen from top to bottom, click on the grid icon in the upper right corner, then click on the pencil icon for editing and reassign your quick settings.

Make the keyboard smarter

If you use the SAMSUNG keyboard, make sure that you are included in the intelligent symbol and swipe printing modes. You may be surprised how much time these two modes can save for you. Open the keyboard layout and make a long press on the left of the space key. Now press the "Settings" key in the form of the gear and make sure that the intelligent symbol input mode is enabled, and that in the "Continuous Enter" option in the keyword swipe mode. You can also replace your current keyboard on SwiftKey or other similar keyboard application.

Use the "Do not disturb" mode

Another remarkable feature of Lollipop can be called the "Priority Notifications" option, which is also known as the "Do not disturb" mode. This option allows you to set the time during which you will not distract you, except the most important notifications or alerts. You will be able to call calls from your family or boss from the white list of contacts, set the time and day of the week and make a choice among calls, messages and calendar reminders. To work with a similar mode, go through the "Settings\u003e" scheme of my device\u003e sounds and notifications\u003e interrupts and here you will find everything you need.

Expand the capabilities of your camera

Install the Samsung Smart Camera application and connect your phone to your camera via NFC for accelerated photo transmission, using the phone as a remote viewfinder (hello monopods) and a lot of other. And one more important point - your camera will automatically establish a connection with your phone if it is turned on.

Always use the best display.

One of the most pleasant moments in relation to displays Samsung You can call what they can adapt to different conditions. With this, you will always have the opportunity to use the best viewing modes - at least when reading, at least when looking at a photo or video session. Simply perform such actions: "Settings\u003e My Device\u003e Display\u003e Open Mode", then select "Adaptive Display" or Check other options.

Try the floating keyboard

The keyboard on your S4 is not secured at the bottom of the display forever. Depending on what you do, a small and movable keyboard layout may be more comfortable. Open the keyboard layout, make a long press on the left of the space key and click on the icon in the form of two crossed frames. The keyboard will decrease in size and will be movable.

Save battery charge with smart Wi-Fi

If for your Wi-Fi is set to "Disable if the display is turned off", then in this case you think that save battery charge. However, this is not entirely true. Most of us activate the display of the phone on average 150 times per day, so it is better to keep W-Fi enabled, how to turn off and turn it on every time, and even with permanent search Communication. Open the "Settings" section, then Wi-Fi, then press the "Menu" on the OSD key, select "Advanced" and then assign to "On. Wi-Fi »Position" Always ".

Correct errors in "Safe" mode

If your Galaxy S4 behaves somehow strange, then you probably should restart it in safe mode until the problem is solved. To do this, you just need to turn off the phone and turn it on again. As soon as you see the screen with the inscription Samsung, press and hold the "Volume down" button, and then you will see that many applications are disabled. To exit out safe modeJust turn off the phone and turn on again.

Make things easier with the "Simple" mode

If you are a bit stunned by all Samsung widgets and various bells of Touchwiz, it means you just need the "simple" mode. Everything will be simple and understandable with him, so you will see only the most important elements (as well as enlarged icons), and it will be much easier for you in terms of work and navigation. Go through the "Settings\u003e" scheme of my device\u003e simple mode and turn it on.

Create a user profile sound

If you have acute hearing, or you just want to fully control sounds from the device when you talk through it with other people, then why don't you create a custom sound profile? Follow these steps: "Settings\u003e My Device\u003e Sounds and Notifications\u003e Sound Adaptation." Insert the headphones into the phone, click on the "Start" icon and follow the prompts.

Make the best photos

Of course, not all of us are photographers who have become the laureates of the Pulitzer Prize. Therefore, when the right moment happens, why not make a number of photos and allow your Samsung Galaxy S4 to choose the best of them? Open the camera application, click on the "Mode" icon and then on " Best photo" Click on the shutter button to make a series of pictures, and your phone will choose the best automatically from them.

Increase battery life

As far as we know, the Samsung Galaxy S4 (Stock Android Lollipop) does not have a battery saving mode, but there is a corporate energy saving mode from Samsung. Go through the "Settings\u003e" scheme of my device\u003e Energy Saving Mode and set the value "On". This mode disables some functions to extend the battery life. You can assign such features in the settings.

Enjoy the "Silent" regime

SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 is one of the few devices that have a real quiet mode even on Android Lollipop. To activate it, follow these steps: "Settings\u003e My Device\u003e Sounds and Notifications\u003e Interrupts\u003e Sound Mode" and then select "No Sound". You can also use the slider in fast settings to select the "Vibration" or "no sound" mode.

Make the security features "smarter"

Why do you strive to unlock your phone using a PIN code or another combination of characters when you are at home where you can trust your family? Maybe you should try cool function Smart Lock.? You can reduce concern about unlocking your phone in certain places, adding "Trusted Persons" options "Trusted voice", "Trusted SmartWatch" or any other trusted device.

Make Chrome browser easier and better

In our opinion, Chrome in Lollipop looks a little annoying. By default, your Chrome tabs will be saved in the list of recent applications (access to this list can be obtained by making a long press on the "Home" button). If you prefer the old version - all your tabs are saved directly in the browser - then open the browser, click on the "3 points" icon in the upper right corner, then select the "Settings" section and disable the "Merging tabs and applications" item.

More convenience with mode

If you do not want to skip incoming messages or notifications, but your hands are busy, why not activate Hands-Free mode on Samsung Galaxy S4? In this mode, incoming calls, messages and notifications will be read by telephone out loud, and you will always be aware of what is happening. Go through the configuration scheme\u003e My device\u003e Hands-Free mode and turn it on.

Disconnect unnecessary approxes

Samsung has always been known - at least until recently - the fact that the ductal phones are not different useful features. Some of these functions are included by default and constantly spend the battery power and create a load on the processor, even if you do not use them. If you are not a pile lover, why not disable such functions? Open the "Movements and gestures" subsection in the "Settings" section and disconnect the unnecessary features to you. The same applies to SMART Screen and AIR VIEW.

Did you actually apply any of the above tips and tricks for Galaxy S4? And some others do you know? Tell us about them in the comments.

In this review we will talk about settings panels in Galaxy S4. Installed Android 4.3.

You can get into it in two ways:

Method number 1.: To spend your finger on the work area from top to bottom, after which we will see the main panel consisting of 5 settings, in order to see all the settings (and there are 22 pieces there), you must click on the icon in the upper right corner (white icon 3 squares and 2 arrows).

Method number 2 (the fastest): spend 2 fingers from top to bottom on the work area of \u200b\u200bthe screen and we immediately fall in the settings menu. Everything is very simple??

We see about the following picture, depending on what settings you have already active:

We disassemble in order:

1) Wi-Fi - Here I think everything is clear. Pressing this button, we turn on Wi-Fi on our smartphone and connect the Wi-Fi network you need.

2) GPS.. By clicking on this button, we activate the built-in GPS - a receiver that we need if we use applications that need data about our location.

These are navigator programs, such as Maps with Me Pro, Navitel, etc., Maps from Google and Yandex. Without need, you should not keep it constantly included, because This contributes to a faster battery discharge.

3) Sound. It has 3 modes (incl., Off, vibration mode).

4) Screen rotation. Turning on this option, we can rotate the smartphone and the screen image will turn together with it. This is convenient, for example, when watching movies.

5) Bluetooth. Includes built-in bluetooth on a smartphone. Using it, you can send files, pictures, topics, etc. to another phone, which also includes Bluetooth.

6) Reading mode. Optimizes a reading screen (imitation of a regular paper book mode). Used only with multiple specific applications.

7) Mobile data. Includes mobile data transfer mode, turn on the Internet from your cellular operator. Eats paid traffic, if you do not have unlimited of course ??

8) Plokirov mode. When this notification mode is enabled for the selected features will be disabled. You will receive notifications only about calls from people from your White List.

9) Energy saving mode. Includes energy saving mode.

10) Several windows. On the left on the screen, click on the white tail from the panel, the panel will open and drag the desired application up or down. The screen is divided into 2 parts.

11) Screen Mirroring.Screen duplication function. With it, you can duplicate the image of the smartphone screen on your TV.

12) Access to Wi-Fi. The function allows Galaxy S4 to operate in access point mode.

13) S beam. Allows you to share different types Content (contacts, photos, videos, etc.) between several smartphones with nFC technology. To share the files, you need to put two smartphones to each other close and touch the screen and the file transfer will begin. Works in a bundle with NFC.

14) NFC.. Allows you to exchange files, information using NFC labels. For example, pay bills, connect to Smart-TV TV, enable some functions of the smartphone, etc.

15) Guidance. The function allows you to activate the items on the screen to the preview mode, without touching the screen with your finger, but only approaching it to the display glass.

16) Gesture management. Allows you to perform many functions using gestures: Tick calls, switch audio tracks, go to another tab in the browser, renoite the image in the gallery and others.

17) Hand-link mode. In Android 4.2 was called the "driver mode". Includes speaker on the smartphone and SVOICE capabilities. Allows you to control the phone "without hands", perceiving voice commands, convenient opportunity, especially when you drive the machine. Includes GPS sharing.

18) Intellectual Waiting. This is when the screen is turned on while you look at it.

19) Intellectual pause. This is when the video is suspended if you turn away from the screen.

20) Intellectual scrolling. This is when, after discovering the eye, the screen is scrolled depending on the tilt of the device.

21) Synchronization. Synchronizes your accounts.

22) Offline mode. In this mode, you can disable call functions, messaging and data transfer. Other types of communication, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, will also be disabled.

Somehow gradually and imperceptibly for all Samsung turned into the same iconic player of the smartphone market as Apple. Other companies are looking at him now, trying to ponder for the announcements of the Korean giant not only characteristics, but also the timing of the market for their top products. And Galaxy S4, in my opinion, will once again become an edible steam roller, which simply meets the market of main competitors - LG Optimus G, Sony Xperia Z and HTC One. Why do I think so? The answer to this question I will try to give in this review.

SPECIFICATIONS SAMSUNG GALAXY S4

SAMSUNG GALAXY S4.
Operating system	Google Android 4.2.2.
Display	5 inches, Super AMOLED FULLHD, 1920x1080 Points, 16 million colors, sensory (capacitive matrix)
CPU	Exynos 5 octa, four Arm Cortex-A15 kernels (1.6 GHz) + Four Arm Cortex-A7 kernels (1.2 GHz); Integrated PowerVR SGX544MP3 Video Scorer
RAM	2 GB
Flash memory	16, 32 or 64 GB + Slot for the MICROSDXC card (up to 64 GB)
Camera	13 mp, autofocus, video recording 1080p, LED backlight; Frontal camera for video calls (2.1 mp)
Wireless technology	Wi-Fi A / AC / B / G / N (2.4 / 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, GSM / GPRS / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, HSPA + 850/900/1900/2100, NFC, IR (transmitter only )
Interfaces	micro-USB with MHL 2.0 and USB-HOST support, headphone output 3.5 mm
GPS.	yes
Additionally	temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure sensors
Sizes and weight	137x70x8 mm, 130 grams

SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 video review

Appearance and design

SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 looks very similar to Galaxy S III. Apparently, Samsung decided to go along the way of Apple and not touch the once again what was so well for sale. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that in general SGS4 lies in hand more convenient than SGS III, due to the fact that its edges are not so much bevelled. By the way, due to the same manufacturer managed to reduce the width of the smartphone, albeit slightly. The result was the best telephone on the market by the ratio of the screen area to the front panel area. For the sake of interest, I put Galaxy S4 next to the Galaxy Grand Duos and could not believe that these two devices had the screens of the same diagonal - so grand Duos massive.

It should be noted that the thin frame is very well perceived psychologically: as it is addicted to the phone, it (phone), as if "dissolves" and the user remains one to one with the most important screen.

From small differences, we note the changed texture of the side edging (now it is more like a real metal, although it is still made of painted plastic), as well as an unobtrusive pattern on the front and rear panels, which is best visible at a look at an angle. This pattern reminds me of something mean between the very first Samsung Galaxy S and LG Nexus 4.

The location of the managers and other elements on the smartphone housing has not changed compared to Galaxy S III. As usual, under the screen there is a HOME hardware button (which can be used to unlock the phone), on the sides of it - the touch keys of the context menu and return. On the left edge of the device - a dual button for adjusting the volume, on the right - the power / unlock button (by the way, these buttons are made of metal). In the lower end, as usual, the Micro-USB connector is located and the main conversational microphone. On the top - access to headphones, another microphone (auxiliary) and an infrared transmitter, with which SGS4 can control home appliances: televisions, Blu-ray players and other air conditioning.

Under back cover There is a battery with a built-in NFC antenna, micro-SIM card slots and micro-SD cards, as well as contacts to connect an optional cover with wireless induction charging. The lid itself is made of very thin (but durable) plastic and fits tightly to the phone body.

Screen

One of the most attractive features of Samsung Galaxy S4 is the SUPER AMOLED screen with a diagonal of 5 inches and a resolution of 1920x1080 points (pixel density 441 PPI).

If you wish, on the Galaxy S4 screen, you can consider Pentile ... If you are armed with a magnifying glass

Despite the location of the subpixels according to the Pentile scheme, the screen gives an extremely smooth picture with AMOLED characteristic features in the form of saturated colors, high contrast and shift color balance in the cold side. It is worth noting that in the Galaxy S4 for the screen you can choose the AdoberGB profile, which largely leads the image in order. So, if in the "Standard" mode, the color temperature for the white field is 7800K, then in AdoberGB mode - 6900K, which is significantly closer to the standard value of 6500K. Unfortunately, in all modes, the color temperature is highly dependent on brightness - in other words, light and dark sections of the image on the Galaxy S4 screen will have different shades.

The color coverage of the Galaxy S4 screen goes beyond the color space of the SRGB and approximately corresponds to AdoberGB.

The main disadvantage of the Galaxy S4 screen can be considered its very low brightness. With the 100% brightness displayed in the brightness menu, the actual brightness of the white field was only 282 kD / m 2, which is significantly lower than all other phones in our hand (see table). On the other hand, due to the fact that black pixels on amoled screens are completely turned off, the contrast (which is defined as the ratio of the brightness of the white and black field) tends to infinity. Due to the infinitely high contrast, all amoled screens look very winning when watching videos and photos.

Below you can estimate the maximum screen brightness in Galaxy S4 compared to Sony Xperia. T and SAMSUNG GALAXY Grand Duos:

Oddly enough, on the street the difference in brightness is noticeable much less. According to the measures of AMOLED screens, Galaxy S4 shows an excellent result:

How can I explain as low screen brightness? I have one theory on this. The fact is that every next generation of amoled screens in Samsung phones has a lower brightness compared to the preceding, that is, the screen in Galaxy S III is less bright than in Galaxy S II, and Galaxy S II is less bright compared to the first Galaxy S. I believe that as the density of pixels and decrease the size of individual organic SAMSUNG LEDs is forced to lower the maximum brightness to avoid premature screen degradation. In any case, I will try to get a commercial instance of Galaxy S4 and repeated measurements to eliminate the possibility of anomalous behavior of a specific sample.

The capacitive sensory matrix in Galaxy S4 can automatically change its sensitivity and theoretically must adapt to gloves or, allow, wet hand. In practice with gloves, the smartphone works badly (worse than Nokia Lumia 820), but with wet hands - with a bang. Traditionally, for flagship smartphones Samsung, 10-finger multitouch is supported.

Sound

The output volume of the headphones was one of my basic claims to Galaxy S III. There was no samsung from no power in the samsung of last year's flagship, moreover, when using the reinforcement headphones Etymotic HF5, the maximum volume was lacked for a comfortable listening to classical music (which, as a rule, has a wider dynamic range than music of other genres). Fortunately, in Galaxy S4, this problem is solved: when using the same headphones and listening to the same records, I never had to pelletize the volume to the maximum. In addition, if Galaxy S III was a bass telephone and because of this sounded deafness, then Galaxy S4 boasts a more even tonal balance. In general, a continuous improvement, no matter how cool.

But the speaker at Galaxy S4 remained exactly the same as Galaxy S3. Because of his unsuccessful location, when wearing the phone in the jeans pocket, the sound is strongly drowning, so you can even skip the call in a noisy setting. Unless, of course, do not use vibration.

Software and functionality

Galaxy S4 is running the latest version of Android Jelly Bean (4.2.2), on top of which the Touchwiz brand shell is installed. It is worth noting that the new version of Touchwiz looks somewhat nicer than the old one, while the main techniques of work with it have not changed - that is, users changing the old Samsung phone to the new, will not feel lost. For example, there is a familiar to other instruments of the Galaxy lineup the ability to work immediately with two applications, placing them on the screen at the same time.

The new shell fully uses Android 4.2 capabilities - such as the widgets on the lock screen and the possibility of swipe down with two fingers to display all switches in the notification area (only the top line is displayed; the switch of the switches is configured in the menu).

I personally would like to highlight music playerwho understands almost all formats (including FLAC, Monkey "S Audio, OGG Vorbis and AAC) and has very developed navigation and setup capabilities. Perhaps the only major drawback is the lack of supporting music playback without noticeable" joints "between songs (t. e. Gapless). If it is not critical for you, you will be quite able to do without installing third-party players.

An unpleasant surprise has become lack of FM Radio. Personally, I do not listen to the radio (there are no stations in Ukraine, corresponding to my musical tastes), but this feature is still in demand by many.

The video player in Galaxy S4 is combined with a signature store of movies. I did not test the store part (I don't immediately), but I really liked the player myself. It is from the box perfectly "eating" all formats and understands subtitles (both external and built-in). In addition, the player allows you to literally by pressing the button to display the video on the TV with support for the AllShare Play function (this is the branded "Samsungsky" name for the open standard Miracast). As in Galaxy S III, the player allows you to bring a small "window" over the desktop.

The built-in gallery, traditionally for Samsung, is not much different from the Android standard gallery.

Also, an alarms with the Location Alarm feature are remembered from interesting, a good timer / stopwatch, sports functions (which can work both with integrated ones and external sensors).

Contacts, "Ring", SMS - all standard for Samsung. By the way, you will laugh, but in Galaxy S4 again No Russian T9 when dialing.

Not bad app "Dictaphone" with large quantity Settings:

Dual-mode calculator:

In the new version of Touchwiz, Samsung is very interesting "combed" settings, logically sorting them into various tabs. From unique settings characteristic of Samsung phones in general and Galaxy S4 in particular, the font settings (both headsets and size) can be noted; work with external accessories, including docks and HDMI cables; modes of operation of the LED indicator; Screen color reproduction settings. Separately, I want to highlight the management of gestures and movements. For example, you can spend your hand over the "sleeping" phone, which will occur and display your status. In the same way, the movements of the hands can be shedding images in the gallery, pages in the browser, etc. In my opinion, all this is more likely to live, what helps - random movements in front of the phone lead to various unpredictable actions. In addition, these functions spend the battery charge: with an enabled gesture control. The phone in 8 hours in standby mode was discharged from 100 to 83%, with off - from 100 to 95%. The same applies to scrolling with a look. By the way, if you wear glasses, this feature will not work for you personally.

As in Galaxy Note II, SGS4 has "blocking mode", which allows you to disable all notifications, except for events from contacts from the "White List". By implementation, this feature is very close to the "Do not disturb" mode in iOS.

Camera

The quality of the camera in Samsung Galaxy S4 personally for me was hardly the biggest intrigue. The fact is that in all other Android-smartphones with a 13 megapixel camera (LG Optimus G, Sony Xperia T / TX / V / Z / ZL) The quality of shooting photo leaves much better and inferior to the best 8 megapixel camera phones.

The technical characteristics of the chamber in Galaxy S4 look as follows: the diagonal of the matrix 1/3 ", the focal length of the lens 4 mm (28 mm EFR), lights f / 2.2. Who exactly is the manufacturer of the camera module, I do not know: under these specifications Sounds like Sony IU135F3-Z (the world is more known as EXMOR RS) and S5K3L2 samsung's own development. It is likely that Galaxy S4, like the previous smartphones of the Galaxy S line, in different parts will be equipped with different camera modules.

The camera interface in Galaxy S4 is significantly processed compared to Galaxy S III. Now the user can immediately take pictures or record video without switching modes. Serial filming (maximum series Length - 20 frames). If you wish, the volume zoom button can be assigned the shutter key, video keypad or digital zoom key. By the way, the magnification button on the headset at the same time starts to perform the same function, which allows the headset as an electronic cable for shutting the shutter. Generally on main screen The cameras are displayed only the most necessary things, everything else is hidden in the settings menu. The phone supports a lot of different modes of shooting (including conventional and spherical panoramas) and can take pictures by the main and frontal chamber at the same time. With the frame with frontal chamber "Inserted" in the main shot.

Separate gallery on Torba.com.

Galaxy S4 video also removes very well. Maximum resolution Videos is 1920x1080 points at a refresh rate of 30 k / s. The sound is recorded in AAC format with a sampling frequency of 48 kHz and a stream of 128 kbps.

Performance and autonomy

Samsung Galaxy S4 is equipped with an Exynos 5 OCTA 8-core processor. Rather, not 8-nuclear, but twice with 4-nuclear, since all eight nuclei at the same time never work. Four fast Cortex-A15 kernels work when high performance is needed, and four economy Arm Cortex-A7 kernels - when there is nothing supernatural to do, but it would be nice to poke the battery charge. The smartphone uses fast graphics PowerVR SGX544 in a 3-nuclear configuration (similar graph, only in a 4-nuclear configuration, applies to Apple iPad. four). Due to the 2 GB of RAM in Galaxy S4, there is no problem with the forced reboot of applications and web pages, which is so donimal owners of Galaxy S3.

As you can see in the screenshots, today Galaxy S4 is the most fast smartphone In the world (interesting, truth, whether long). For pure performance, it is about 40% ahead of Galaxy S III.

Eating a smartphone from the battery with a capacity of 2600 ma-h (9.88 W-H). Autonomy is at the level somewhere between Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II, that is, it is very good by the standards of modern Android smartphones. At least, the device managed to work from the battery for almost 20 hours, including 4 hours 20 minutes of the screen at maximum brightness, 40 minutes of viewing video and order half an hour in Temple Run 2.

In the dry residue

You can sum up the results of this review, only one short phrase: Samsung Galaxy S4 is an excellent smartphone. It is equipped with a very decent screen, an excellent camera, a powerful stuffing, cream battery And loud access to headphones. What else to wish? Oh yeah, design ... however, this is a matter of taste. Personally, I like SGS4 just with its neutrality, it does not distract the user's attention from the most important content displayed on the screen.

Does Galaxy S4 have disadvantages, in addition to the appearance and case materials? Of course, there is. Its screen is very much lacking brightness, and the management of gestures and movements, which was clearly a lot of strength and resources, is clearly not applicable in real life. In addition, it is completely incomprehensible to whom the FM receiver prevented. Is it possible to put up with these shortcomings? In my opinion, it is possible, as the advantages outweigh them with a large margin.

So, ultimately, Galaxy S4 receives our highest editorial award - "Editor's Choice."

6 reasons to buy samsung galaxy s4:

record (at the time of writing) Performance;
AMOLED-screen with a FullHD resolution gives a smooth, contrasting and rich picture;
high-quality 13 megapixel camera with a convenient interface;
convenient video player with support for all common containers and codecs "out of the box";
good autonomy;
the presence of temperature sensors, humidity and atmospheric pressure.

2 reasons not to buy samsung galaxy s4:

low maximum screen brightness;
lack of FM receiver.