Please stop asking me if the Samsung Galaxy S4 is better than the iPhone 5, and stop calling every new smart phone a potential iPhone killer. Any new phone could be a killer if you consider a thousand small cuts a prelude to death.
Based on specs, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is the better phone. It now has more power and cutting edge features. Things like face/eye tracking and gesture-based controls are features iPhone 5 users can only dream of –- for now.
The resolution of the 0.31-inch-thin Galaxy S4 is higher than the iPhone 5, and there’s more screen real estate on the Galaxy's 5-inch display than the 4-inch one on the iPhone. The Gorilla Glass 3 tech -– the first device to sport the new technology –- is ostensibly stronger than what iPhone 5 has (although only a drop test can tell us for sure).
Inside, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a near 2GHz quad-core CPU. The dual-core iPhone 5 has 1GHz of power. Samsung stuffed a 13-megapixel camera into the Samsung Galaxy S4, while the iPhone 5 tops out at 8MP. Not to mention the fact that the Galaxy S4 can shoot with both cameras at once to create mind-boggling effects that you may or may not want.
Samsung is also starting to use NFC is interesting ways: letting people pair the phones by tapping and then turning the ad hoc connection between multiple phones into a surround sound system. That’s quite cool, though it also seems pretty impractical.
Feature for feature, the Galaxy S4 appears to have the iPhone 5 beat. So why can’t I declare victory for the Galaxy S4?
Because it’s not that simple.
Hands On
I did spend some time with a couple of preproduction units and must admit, the phone feels and looks good. At 4.6 ounces, it’s relatively light for a 5-inch phone, and since it’s actually somewhat smaller than the Galaxy S III, it didn’t feel like it was stressing my hand.
The marquee features — Air Gesture, Smart Scroll and the Dual Camera — all worked pretty much as advertised. Smart Scroll, which might be Samsung’s biggest innovation, was a bit touchy for me in the preproduction unit. It’s also, as Samsung told me, misunderstood. It’s not eye-tracking per se; instead, the phone’s front-facing sensors see your face and eyes to guide the tilt-to-scroll tech. That’s right, you tilt the phone back and forth to scroll up and down on a page. You cannot simply use your eyes to scroll. It’s a cool feature that, with some refinement and practice on the user’s part, could become useful.
SEE ALSO: Hands On With the Galaxy S4
Air view is a highly intuitive feature that I want Apple to adopt immediately: Where programmed, the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen reacts before you touch it. I tried hovering my finger over the browser tabs and then a thumbnail of my hidden pages showed up –- before I even touched the screen. To a certain extent I think this is an amplification of the capacitive abilities that exist in most smartphone screens. You know what I mean: You hover over your phone’s screen and it takes action before you’re ready? Remember, capacitive screens read the conductivity in your fingers. If the signal is strong enough, you probably don’t have to touch. I’m guessing they turned the capacitance up to 11 (though I may be wrong).
Air Gestures feels like a feature from the future. You wave at the screen and things happen. I was, for example, able to switch between browser tabs by waving at the screen. Not a “hello” or “goodbye” wave, mind you. It was more like stroking the airspace over the phone. To make it work right, though, I had to gesture near the top of the Galaxy S4 screen –- over the sensors. Still, once I got the hang of it, it worked so effectively that I want to rename this feature “Galaxy S4 Jedi Control.”
The camera takes ultra-sharp photos, but while the dual-screen feature worked well, I had trouble imaging when I’d want to take a photo like that. I bet people will use the dual-video features more often (think simultaneous video conferencing with prospective home buyers while showcasing your open house).
So It’s Better, Right
In an interview with CNBC, the host tried to nail me down on which phone is better. He could sense my excitement over the new toy, but I wouldn’t take the bait.
Just because the Samsung Galaxy S4 is currently winning the features arms race does not mean everyone should drop their iPhone 5s (or even other competing Android phones) and order a new Galaxy S4.
If you’re an iOS user, you have to consider switching platforms. Android 4.2.2 (what the Galaxy is running) is a good platform, but if you like iOS, you may find it overly complex, even confusing. Some people prefer the gated community of Apple’s App Store to the somewhat looser Google Play store (which doesn't vet every app). Also, there is the issue of OS updates to consider: Samsung may be ready to roll out an OS update later this year, but perhaps carrier partners Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile won’t be. That doesn't happen with iOS. Everyone gets their update at the same time.
There’s also phone size to consider. I think there are people who love big phones (and actually believe phablets like the Note II count as phones) and those who love them a little smaller. I am in the latter camp. I get more than enough utility out of my iPhone 5 screen. When I need more real estate, I switch to a tablet.
Then there’s the ecosystem. While consumers seem more than happy to swap one Android phone for another, or even to make the switch from an iPhone to an Android phone, Apple’s still winning the tablet war. If you buy the Samsung Galaxy S4, will you also get an Android tablet? If so, which one? I still don’t see a lot of Galaxy note 10.1’s in the wild (actually, I see none). The leading Android tablet is the Kindle Fire. It has the Google Play store like the Galaxy S4, but, also like the Galaxy S4, the interface is custom. In other words, you end up with two custom Android interfaces. Apple’s iOS is consistent across devices.
Nothing I’m saying here is a deal-breaker, but all are considerations when choosing your next smartphone.
So, yes, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is an awesome piece of work. I am certain that every current Galaxy S phone owner will want one (and they should). As for switching or beating the iPhone into submission, that’s a more complex battle and a decision that won’t be settled with a spec sheet.
Collected from :http://mashable.com
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