Travel News

Worth Ditching the iPhone? Samsung Galaxy S4 Reviewed

Screen Shot 2013-03-15 at 5.30.23 PMThis week, Samsung revealed its supposedly latest and greatest invention: the Galaxy S4. Over the past couple of years, the ongoing battle with Apple has left consumers speculating over what Samsung will do next to stand out. This new phone will keep people buzzing long after it comes out on the market near the end of April, but is it enough to convert Apple’s loyal legions?

Compared to the previous Galaxy, the phone also brings in some additional weight: it comes in at 4.59 ounces, making it feel more substantial. The battery is also 25 percent bigger and has a capacity of 2,600 mAh and includes built-in temperature and humidity censors. Though the battery is larger, Samsung, hasn’t promoted improved battery life. With a quad processor core and 2 GB of RAM, the phone is available in 16, 32, or 64 GB versions.

Here are the top ten features that make the Galaxy S 4 stand out from the iPhone:

  1. Smart Pause: A sensor watches your eye movements, and if you look away from the screen while a video is playing, the video will pause until you look back.
  1. Air View: Now you can easily scroll through pictures or text without even touching the phone. If you pass a hand over the screen, you can scroll through pictures, and if you tilt the phone text will scroll up or down. You can also open applications by hovering a finger over the icon, and then a close-up window will pop up.
  1. 5” Screen: The screen has a diagonal length of 5 inches, one inch longer than its closest competitor, the Apple iPhone 5.
  1. Dual Video Recording: The rear camera is the first to have 13 megapixels, and you can take pictures and record videos with both cameras simultaneously. You can also take pictures and record videos with both cameras at once, and embed a front-facing video window inside a video from the rear-facing camera.
  1. Group Play: You can play the same music on several Galaxy S4 phones simultaneously, share photos or documents, and play video games with friends.
  1. Story Album: This creates albums out of your photos, and you can easily order prints through Blurb. You can also record music and attach it to a photo before sending it on to friends or family.
  1. S Health: Taking advantage of the phone’s accelerometer, this tracks your number of footsteps throughout the day. If you enter in what you eat as the day goes on, the calorie counter lets you know your caloric intake. If you opt to get the wearable S-band, you can watch your weight and heart rate.
  1. S Translate: All of your emails, texts, and Samsung chat messages will be automatically translated.
  1. Easy Remote: The infrared blaster within the phone can be used as a remote to control a TV, DVD, or set-top box.
  1. Drama Shot: This feature allows you to integrate several photos into one.

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By Stephanie Ervin for PeterGreenberg.com