By on 2014/01/21 inMobile Technology



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The smartphone market is ever-expanding. There are new Android devices emerging seemingly every month.


The Samsung Galaxy S4 is one of the leading Android phones on the current market in terms of price-to-specs as well as popularity. This phone serves as an excellent option for the middle price range. Additionally, it carries the Samsung name, which is known for quality and integrity – this no doubt lends to its popularity.


Internal Measurements


As far as Android phones go, the Galaxy S4 lies in the upper end of the middle ground for system specifications. It is equipped with the Snapdragon 600 processor, boasting 1.9 GHz and four cores. It also has 2 GB of RAM which is standard for most Android phones of similar quality. It only comes in a 16 GB version for storage, but unlike some of the other leading phones today, it allows for expansion via memory card – up to 64 GB. Its 2600 mAh battery is also above average, lasting approximately 17 hours of constant talk time. Finally, it has a five inch 1080p screen.


Can You Swing This Phone?


The Galaxy S4 is of about standard price for phones of its quality. It is about $600-$650 unlocked, or $150-$250 on a plan depending on which company it is purchased from. There are often deals on this phone due to its great success in the market, so waiting for one to pop up is not a bad idea. Most plans require a two year contract in order to get a better deal on the phone, but if the device suits your tastes, it is definitely worth it. Plus contracts come with replacement plans most of the time, providing the customer with some security that pay-as-you-go phones lack.


The Good and The Bad


The final analysis of this phone is that it is definitely above average, but not exactly a gold mine. The 1.9 GHz quad core processor will allow for some smooth multitasking between multiple apps, but it is likely to show a performance decrease when dealing with single intensive programs. Higher end phones have upwards of 2.4 GHz and the same number of cores. The amount of RAM is average for Android phones such as the HTC One and Nexus 5. Its screen size is on par with larger, heavier phones, and the 1080p resolution is (surprisingly) better than many Android smartphones available.The two aforementioned Android devices do not have the capacity for additional storage; this is something that falls under immense criticism, and is a huge advantage for the Galaxy S4. Finally, a 17 hour battery life is well above the average, but it is worth noting that this phone's standby life is actually less than most phones. An explanation for this could be that it simply manages energy usage better than others rather than having a better battery.


The Galaxy S4 is one of Samsung's greatest successes. It has become a very popular device, and its power is excellent for its cost. Anyone in the market for an Android smartphone would do well to investigate this as an option.


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