Review: The Samsung S4 Smartphone!

I got my hands on the new Samsung smartphone, the Galaxy S4!!! Hoorah!

^___^

About a month ago, I was invited to the launching event of the Samsung Galaxy S4, where I get to touch and play with the spankin' new awesome phone by Samsung...and get to bring home to continue play with it some more for a review. Ooh..la la..... 

So in this post, you gonna see quite some random pictures from me, that I took using this phone. And I'm also gonna share some parts and features of it that I love.. -- I gotta be honest though, I am not really a techie/gadget freak. So I don't know much on the hardware/software..or how to explain on the other technical parts of this phone. haha. So if you would like to know more, you can just go to the Samsung store and ask them! ;p Cuz normally, whenever there's a new gadget coming out, the only thing that would be my huge concern would be the camera/picture quality! haha. But of course the size, the display, the battery life, etc are important as well! 

So today in this post...I will share with you guys some of the awesome features that I love!

OK, first off, I like the compact packaging!

It's a very neat and unique packaging (which is such a turn on for a girl like me, who cares so much on all the little things! haha) The box features a woodgrain pattern by the way, that is eco-friendly! (100% recycle paper) 

Inside the box, you’ll get all the typical things when you purchased a smartphone.. like the manuals, the USB cable, the earphones with buds and the power adapter. 

The phone comes in Black Mist, White Frost, Brown Autumn, Blue Arctic, Red Aurora. 

(And I got the white one, obviously. heh)

So....what's to LOVE about this Samsung Galaxy S4??

Oh well..... A LOT!!!!!!!

For someone new to the Android world, this phone has given me such an excitement for each time that I'm using and playing with it! I don't know whether it's because of it's display screen (brighter & bigger than my current phone), or it's damn fast processor and super fast responsiveness and speed, or the awesome interface..or the amazing 13 megapixels camera..or the thin, sleek design....or just about everything about the phone!

The Design, Build & Display:

The overall design of this phone is similar to the Galaxy SIII..which I gotta say, it doesn't really wow me at first, because it looks like plastics so it doesn’t make that high quality impression. But what struck me immediately upon holding this phone is that the phone does feel good in my hands! The phone has a sleek design, thin dimensions, it is very light and so easy to hold! 

Other than that, the vibrant display is also another huge plus point! - I love vivid, bright, sharp & strong colours in pictures, so it was great to see such an enchanting huge AMOLED HD display, coupled with crisp, bright & vibrant colours! 

The Camera! 

Now this is really my main favourite thing about this phone!! This phone has a 13 megapixels camera. Having taken several shots in different lighting conditions, and compare them on other smartphones in the market, I think it’s fair to say that Samsung has really did it! It takes really crisp, sharp and bright photos! You would want to take a selfie photo A LOT! hahaha... - I just love how the camera is very quick & responsive when I take a few shots in one go.  

Now let's have a look at the clear, vivid images that I captured using this phone! - All pictures shown here are unedited, unless stated!

Dinner in Bangi area.

This restaurant is quite dark actually...but the picture turns out to be quite bright!

This is called a selfie shot! hehe. Taking a picture while stuck in the jam during rush hour..

See..how clear it is? You can even spot my whitehead on my forehead! hahah - This was taken with the front-facing camera in low lighting! (it was raining quite heavy in KL at that time)

Taken with the back-facing camera in low lighting

Trying on both the front and back cameras! (Edited with Instagram filter: Valencia)

This is another function that I love on this phone - the camera applications! It can do awesome things like having a dual camera function where both the front and back cameras are activated so that you can take a picture of yourself and whatever is in front of you all at once! Also, you can create a little gif image too!

Taken in good lighting conditions using the back-facing camera. 

Taken while baby Yusuf is constantly moving! hehe

Taken with a flash..

My outfit-of-the-day post..

Taken in good lighting conditions on the front-facing camera. 

The Air View/ Air Gestures
Ahhh...thissssss!!! Damn cool, man! Just by waving your hand in the air above the phone, can help you do a lot of things without having to touch the phone!!! For example, it can help you to answer a call, or view email or websites, scroll the page up or down, check the notifications, missed calls, new messages, time and date, browse images, songs, and so much more!!!

What I like the most is the Air Call-Accept feature! Why? Because when there's a call comes in, you just need to move your hand to the left, and then to the right across the sensor to answer the call! So no more running and searching to get for a towel or wash your hands off to answer the call, while you're in the middle of doing something dirty or greasy with your hands! - This happens to me all the time! Especially when I'm applying my make up/skin care! haha. The Samsung people are so genius! Love this feature so much! IT'S BRILLIANT! ^_______^


Removable SD card
Now this is specially for heavy app users and users who like to back up their devices. Many gamers complained that the installation of certain memory intensive games, quickly ate away at their ROM after installing just a few games. So I bet these users will likely find the removable micro SD card and the transfer option as the simplest solution to this problem!
Similar to games, many apps can be comprised of large files that quickly take up the ROM. So this is great especially for the users who love to download all the latest apps, and keep everything in their phone (read: me ;p)  and soon find their internal storage running low, and then complain that the phone is really slow and lagging all the time..
So one of the main reasons Android decided to take away device to MicroSD transfer, was because it often disabled certain apps from working properly. However, Galaxy S4 users will now at least have the option of keeping apps that are better suited for internal storage on their Samsung Galaxy S4 devices and transferring apps that fair well on external storage to a micro SD, to protect the data in the event the hardware is no longer functional. So with the Galaxy S4, users can easily switch their micro SD card into another device. This takes away the hassle of having to redownload and reinstall apps and media one by one, which is common when transferring Google Play purchases from one device to another!


Decent Battery Life!
I was so impressed with the battery life! This phone lasts from early morning till late at night, which is way more than I expected! Sometimes even, until the next day!! (That never happened to me before! Because I use my phone extensively!!) I was so impressed that I was able to enjoy a full day of uninterrupted and relatively heavy use. And since the S4’s battery is removable, you can always replace it for a very little cost and with minimal fuss when the battery is depleted! No need to bring the power bank around in your handbag anymore!

I guess it's true what they say, the Galaxy S4 indeed is a life companion! hehe. I definitely want this phone..for its awesome features, Air View/Gesture and camera!! So overall, I give it a 9/10! Oh, this Samsung Galaxy S4 is one phone I would absolutely love to own!!!


XOXO,
Shazzy.