Despite taking time out to review other phones, the Samsung Galaxy S4 has been my go-to phone for the past six-month since it was released in April. So, how has the experience of using this phone been during this time?
Build and design
I'm not a particularly clumsy person, so I haven't had any major accidents with the S4 during the time I have been using it. That said, the handset is in fantastic condition for the knocks and scrapes it has endured. The plastic battery cover might have one or two hairline scratches and the screen is immaculate. I have been using an Tech21 Impactology screen protector over the last 2-months, which helps immensely.
In terms of it's design, the S4 is still one of my favourite phones in the hand. It is still one of the lightest-feeling handsets, and its curved edges are comfortable against skin. Too many phones have sharp edges around the frame, while others have switches or slots under where your hands typically hold the handset.
We have heard some complaints about Samsung putting the Power button on the side of the phone, and how this can turn the phone on in a pocket or bag. I haven't had this problem personally.
The micro-USB port at the bottom of the handset is still in good working order, even if I have to pick out pocket lint from the gap every so often.
AMOLED Screen
Samsung has used AMOLED screen technology to make a name for itself in smartphones. You don't need to understand the intrinsic difference of Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode to see that it looks different from the other LCD screens on the market.
But does it look better? Subjectively, yes and no. I leave my screen at 50% brightness (or under) to preserve battery life, and at that level the AMOLED screen can look a bit dim. AMOLED also has a blueish hue about it, and this seems more noticeable at lower brightness levels. This means screen elements that are supposed to be white can look a but murky.
But if you sit the AMOLED screen next to an LCD screen of similar resolution, you can see some surprising differences. In the image above, we have a picture of a snow leopard on the GS4 and the Sony Xperia Z1, and while the Z1 is brighter, the GS4 shows a lot more detail in the darker areas of the image.
Samsung's crazy new features
The Galaxy S4 is packed to the gills with tricks, tweaks and features; what some more unkind reviews might call gimmicks. So, after six-months of use, which features do I use?
The pedometer is a great addition and something I check almost everyday. I'm not sure how accurate it is, and I don't need it to be super accurate. It gives me a decent guide to how many steps I take each day, so much that I have a fair idea of how many steps are in each part of my daily routine.
Apart from that, I don't use any of the unique Samsung 'features' at all. I turned off the Smart Stay and Smart Scroll eye tracking settings shortly after I finished the review, because they just don't work that well. Smart Scroll means you basically have to nod each time you want to scroll down a webpage, and Smart Stay has the screen turning off when it can't detect your eyes properly.
Similarly, the Air Gesture control is a neat party trick (I didn't say gimmick) but it fails the everyday use test as well.
Samsung apps and content
Solitaire in the top 'Entertainment' apps? No thanks. Given the number of phones that Samsung sells, its apps and content portal could be king of the hill -- that is, if they were any good. I venture into the Samsung App Store every so often, usually to update some Samsung developed feature, and I am always stunned with how crumby it is to use. It is the Dollar Shop equivalent of the digital economy, with pages and pages of apps you don't really want, many in foreign languages and nothing you can't get for the same price by going to the Google Play Store.
The same goes for movies and music. While the user experience is better in these storefronts, there is nothing unique about what is on offer. The content is the same, the prices are the same, and not signing up to the Samsung Store is one less place to store your credit card details.
Overall
It was certainly our favourite phone when it was released earlier in the year, but it has been met by some stiff competition since, with the HTC One, the Sony Xperia Z1 and, of course, the iPhone 5s.
Physically, the GS4 is holding up well over time. Its plastic body is resilient and its screen is still looks fantastic. All the buttons are still working as expected, and it is maintaining its performance, despite big shifts in the contents of the internal storage.
Going forward, Samsung really needs to think its content strategy, though. It should strip out the junk from the the TouchWiz UI and focus on the elements that its research would prove as most used by its customers. Eyeball tracking was a fun proof-of-concept, but it needn't return next year without an overall in usability.
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