Early reviews for the Samsung Galaxy S4 are finally out. The newest 5" phablet from the Korean manufacturing giant appears to be a solid, and well performing device, with a great screen and good battery life. But the phone received criticism for its plastic casing, Smart Scroll, and other features.

The de facto standard bearer of Android phones, the Samsung Galaxy III, is going to be surpassed on April 26th with the release of the Galaxy S IV. The Galaxy S IV has been strongly anticipated, as the Galaxy S series is the top of Samsung’s smartphone lineup, and features some of the best-selling smartphones on the market.

Tech blog MacRumors performed a roundup of early reviews about the phone from other influential tech blogs, such as Engadget and The Verge.

The Galaxy IV, like most phones, was found to be both satisfying and disappointing. Praise was given to the Galaxy IV’s 1080p “Full HD Super AMOLED” LCD screen, which is thought to be superior to that of the iPhone (ED: ughh pentile). Also earning plaudits was the 13 Megapixel rear camera, with 1080p recording.

Many reviewers also liked the phone’s relatively long lasting battery, which continues the tradition of high-performance batteries in Galaxy S devices. According to Gizmodo, the battery was “among the best we've seen from smartphones this year”.

Some found the aesthetic of the new Galaxy device disappointing. Criticism was issued to the phone’s smooth, rounded look, and cheap plastic backing which apparently tended to catch fingerprints.

Engadget complained that the new Smart Scroll functionality, which allows users to scroll through pages by tilting their heads, was “frustrating for several reasons", such as incompatibility, and poor performance in dim lighting.

While there was a fair share of critique for these, and a number of other features in the Galaxy IV, there was a general consensus that the Galaxy IV performed very well, and was a solid upgrade from the Galaxy III.

Whatever the Samsung Galaxy IV is, it is sure to be a successful and influential device. As the probable best-contender for the iPhone’s arch-nemesis, hopefully Samsung’s newest phone will do justice to Android devices everywhere by performing well, and meeting expectations as a high-quality and useful device.

The Samsung Galaxy S IV will be released for AT&T on April 26th, and then on T-Mobile a couple of days later. The device will later launch on Verizon and Sprint, but the dates for these releases have not been announced yet. The 16 GB version of the device will cost $200 on AT&T, and $149.99 down with monthly payments on T-Mobile.

Source: MacRumors


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