The Samsung Galaxy S4 is an Android smartphone manufactured by Samsung Electronics and was first shown publicly on March 14, 2013 at Samsung Mobile Unpacked in New York City. It is the successor to the Galaxy S III that maintains a similar design, but with improved hardware and increased focus on software features that leverage its hardware capabilities - such as the ability to detect when fingers are hovering over the screen, and extend the eye tracking functionality. The S4 hardware variant became the first smartphone to support the growing standard of LTE Advanced mobile networks.
S4 is made available in late April 2013 on 327 carriers in 155 countries. It became Samsung's best-selling smartphone and finally Samsung's top-selling smartphone with 20 million sold worldwide in the first two months, and 40 million in the first six months.
While some users call all the new features of Galaxy S4 "innovation", others call it the creep feature or just the gimmicks. These features, for example, Smart Pause , Smart Rotation , Intelligent Scrolling , Air Views , Air gesture , Story Album and Temperature and humidity sensor .
Video Samsung Galaxy S4
Specifications
Hardware
Samsung Galaxy S4 uses a refined version of the hardware design introduced by Samsung Galaxy S III, with a circular polycarbonate chassis and a removable rear cover. It is slightly lighter and narrower than the Samsung Galaxy S III, with a length of 136.6 mm (5.38 inches), a width of 69.8 mm (2.75 inches), and a thickness of 7.9 mm (0.31 inches). At the bottom of the device is a microphone and microUSB port for data connection and charging; It also supports USB-OTG and MHL 2.0. Near the top of the device there is a front camera, infrared, proximity, and ambient light sensor, and LED notification. In particular, infrared sensors are used for the device's "Air View" feature. The headphone jack, secondary microphone, and infrared blaster are located at the top. S4 is available in black and white; in certain areas, Samsung also introduced the color version of red, purple, pink, brown with gold trim, and pink with gold trim. At the end of January 2014, the Samsung website in Russia briefly listed a new black model with a plastic leather backing, similar to the Galaxy Note 3. The S4 screen is larger than its predecessor, with PenGB RGBG 5 inches (130 mm), 1080p Super AMOLED screen with resolution 441 PPI, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Unlike previous models, S4 does not contain FM radio support, citing the increasing use of online media outlets for content consumption on mobile devices.
The Galaxy S4 model uses one of two processors, depending on the region and network compatibility. The S4 version for North America, most of Europe, parts of Asia, and other countries contain the Qualcomm 600 Snapdragon system on Snap-chip, containing the quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300 CPU and the Adreno 320 GPU. It also contains LTE-supported modems. Other models include Samsung Exynos 5 Octa system-on-chip with a heterogeneous CPU. The octa-core CPU consists of a 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 quad-core cluster and a 1.2 GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 cluster. Chips can dynamically switch between two core groups based on CPU usage; the chip switches to the A15 core when more processing power is required, and remains on the A7 core to conserve energy at lighter loads. Only one of the clusters is used at a given moment, and the software sees the processor as a single quad-core CPU. SoC also contains tri-core IT PowerVR SGX 544 graphics processing unit (GPU). S4 regional models vary in support for LTE; for Exynos 5-based models, while the E300K/L/S version supports LTE, with Cortex-A15 also clocked at 1.6 GHz. GT-I9500 model does not. S4 GT-I9505 includes LTE multiband transceivers.
On June 24, 2013, a variant that supports LTE Advanced, the first commercially available device to do so, was announced for South Korea.
The S4 comes with 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB internal storage, which can add up to an additional 64 GB with a microSD card slot. Unofficially, the S4 microSD card slot supports 128GB cards as well. S4 contains 2600 mAh, NFC-enabled battery.
Software
S4 was originally released with Android 4.2.2 and Touchwiz interface Nature UX 2 from Samsung. Head tracking feature has been extended on S4; the new "Smart Scroll" feature can be used to scroll while viewing the screen by tilting the head or phone forward or back, and "Smart Pause" allows the video player to pause the video if the user does not see the screen. "Air View" and "Air Gestures" implements other movements and functions (such as previewing pictures or messages) by holding or swiping a hand or finger slightly above the screen, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note series, and adding a feature known as "Quick at a Glance" , which uses the proximity sensor to wake the phone so that it can display notifications. The "Play Group" feature allows ad hoc file sharing between Galaxy phones, along with multiplayer games and music streaming between S4 phones. S4 also introduced Knox in the Android 4.3 update, a suite of features that apply sandboxes to corporate environments that can coexist with "personal" user data. Knox combines the use of the TrustZone ARM extension and increased security to the Android platform.
The camera app implements many new features (some of which are first seen on Galaxy Cameras), including updated interfaces, and new modes like "Drama" (which compose moving elements from multiple shots into one photo), "Eraser" (which takes some images and allows users to remove unnecessary elements from images), "Dual Shot" (which uses the front-facing camera for picture-in-picture effects), "Sound and Shot" (which allows the user to record a sound clip next to a photo ), "Animated Photos", and "Story Album" among others. S4 also supports High Efficiency Video Encoding (HEVC), next generation video codec. Other new pre-loaded applications include WatchOn (an electronic program guide that can utilize S4 infrared transmitters to be remote controllers), S Translator, S Health exercise tracker, S Voice Drive, S Memo, TripAdvisor, and optical character recognition applications. Previous "Hub" apps from previous Samsung devices were replaced by one Samsung Hub app, with access to music, e-books and games that users can buy. To capture a screenshot, users simply shift their hands from one end of the screen to the other horizontally.
Update
A small update was released in June 2013, restoring the ability to move apps to the SD card, and add HDR video support among other tweaks.
In November 2013, Samsung began launching updates for Android 4.3 for S4, mainly adding the low-energy Bluetooth support needed for compatibility with the Galaxy Gear watch. However, Samsung stopped the launch following a report from Galaxy S III users that the Samsung 4.3 version has caused instability and increased battery usage. The launch will resume in December 2013.
In February 2014, Samsung began launching updates for Android 4.4 "KitKat" for S4; the update adds user interface tweaks such as camera shortcuts in the corner of the lock screen, options to set the default launcher and text messaging app, support for printing, and a new location settings menu to track and control the use of location tracking by apps. It also makes significant changes to the handling of secondary storage on the device for security reasons; app access to the SD card is restricted to specially designated app directories, while full access to internal primary storage is still allowed. Although this behavior has existed since Android 3.0 "Honeycomb", OEMs like Samsung previously changed their Android distribution to maintain their previous behavior, allowing apps to have unlimited access to SD card content.
In January 2015, Samsung began launching updates for Android 5.0.1 "Lollipop" in Russia and India, an update featuring all Lollipop features, such as improved performance and lock screens, including an enhanced interface with a flatter, geometric look. , as seen in Galaxy S5. Samsung stopped the launch soon after, when the user reported the main bug. The launch continues in March 2015 starting with unlocked models in the UK, Nordic and Baltic countries and has since spread to several other countries. AS (starting with AT & amp; T and Sprint) and the Canadian Samsung Galaxy S4 model received Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update in April 2015.
Variant model
Several different model variants of the S4 are sold, with most variations varying primarily in dealing with regional network types and bands. To prevent redemption of the gray market, the S4 model produced after July 2013 implements a regional lockout system in a particular region, requiring that the first SIM card used on the European and North American models come from carriers in the region. Samsung states that the key will be deleted after the local SIM card is used. The SIM format for all variants is a Micro-SIM, which can have one or two depending on the model.
Google Play Edition
At the core of Google I/O 2013, Samsung and Google reveal that the US S4 edition will be released on June 26, 2013 through Google Play, initially displaying Android 4.2.2 shares, later updated to 4.4.4, with Samsung provided updates; it has an open bootloader (similar to a Nexus device) and supports LTE on AT & amp; T and T-Mobile. The model number is GT-I9505G.
Accessories
In retail, S4 is bundled with a USB cable, AC adapter, and headphones to the ear. Accessory "S-View Cover" "close" the phone. When this cover is detected (by the hall effect sensor), the time and battery are displayed in the area of ​​this cover window.
Maps Samsung Galaxy S4
Reception
Critical reception
S4 received many positive reviews, despite some criticism. Tofel Gigaom said he would recommend the S4 "without hesitation" and said that it was "the decisive Samsung phone". ReadWrite's Rowinski describes mobile phones as "solid" and "first-class smartphones", but criticizes the use of "bloatware, pre-loaded apps and features you might never use". TIME ' s McCraken says S4 is a smartphone with everything; it has the largest screen and the most built-in features. He hopes the S4 will mark the end of Samsung's plan to add too many new features to its flagship smartphone.
Technology journalist Walt Mossberg described S4 as "a good phone, not a great one". Mossberg writes: "while I admire some of its features, overall, it's not a game-changer." He criticizes the software as "very weak" and "often attracts attention, duplicates from standard Android apps, or, in some cases, only occasionally works." He urged readers to "consider a smoother, more qualified look, the HTC One, rather than failing to the latest Samsung."
Consumer Reports named S4 as the top smartphone in May 2013 due to screen quality, multitasking support, and internal IR blaster.
Critics note that about half of the internal storage on the 16 GB S4 model is taken by the system software, using 1 GB over S III and leaving only 8.5 to 9.15 GB for other data storage, including downloaded apps (some of which can not be moved to SD card). Samsung originally claimed that the space was required for S4's new features, but after a report on the issue on the BBC series Watchdog , Samsung stated that it would review the possibility of optimizing the S4 operating system to use less local drive space in the update future. The storage optimization brought in in the update was first released in June 2013, which frees up 80 MB of internal storage and restores the ability to move apps to the device's microSD card.
Commercial revenue
S4 reached 10 million pre-orders from retailers within the first two weeks after its announcement. In the United States, this prompted Samsung to announce that due to greater demand than expected, device launches in US carriers Sprint and T-Mobile will be slower than expected.
S4 sold 4 million in 4 days and 10 million in 27 days made it the fastest smartphone sold in Samsung's history (this has been eliminated by the Galaxy S5). Galaxy S III sold 4 million units in 21 days, Galaxy S II took 55 days and Galaxy S took 85 days.
Samsung sent more than 20 million S4 smartphones on June 30, which is about 1.7 times faster than the Galaxy S III. On October 23, 2013, Samsung has sold more than 40 million units of S4 six months after its release.
Battery problems and security issues
A house in Hong Kong allegedly burned by S4 in July 2013, followed by a small burnt S4 in Pakistan. Light fires were also reported in Newbury, United Kingdom in October 2013. Some phone users also reported swelling and excessive heat; Samsung has been offering customers affected by new batteries for free.
On December 2, 2013, Canadian Richard Wygand uploaded a YouTube video depicting his burning cell phone. The phone was plugged into AC power overnight; he was awakened by the smell of smoke and burning problems. In the video, the power cord proved to be very burning and showed damage to the electrical plug. Later in the video, Wygand explains how he's trying to get a replacement:
We have a service provider; it's Rogers here in Canada. Rogers [had] seen it, and they were frightened. They even said, 'You can send it through us - it will take three weeks - or just look at Samsung.' The Samsung representative just said that they needed video proof, and now we have to call him. So we will upload this, send it to Samsung. We'll let you know how it goes.
In his second video, uploaded a few days after the first, Wygand stated that in order to receive a replacement phone, Samsung allegedly asked him to sign a legal document requiring him to remove the video, keep silent about the agreement, and submit future claims against the company. It is not known whether he signed the document, but his frustration has been expressed in his video. In an interview with Mashable, Wygand said that since he posted the second video, no further response from Samsung was received. However, an official spokesperson from Samsung told Mashable, "Samsung is very concerned about the safety and security of our customers, our Samsung Canada team is in touch with customers, and is investigating the matter."
In British companies selling S4 have varied in their reactions to claims by customers who are worried for battery replacement under the Goods Sale Act. Amazon, for example, only returns part of the purchase price to allow the cost of replacing the battery. However O2 insists that a complete phone, with a damaged battery, be returned to them so that in turn can send it to Samsung to consider the claim.
See also
- Samsung Galaxy S smartphone comparison
- Smartphones comparison
- Samsung Galaxy S4 On
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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