Differences between Exynos and Snapdragon, Samsung Galaxy GT-I9500 and GT-I9505 and other major versions recently emerged like Galaxy S4 Zoom, Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4 Korean version, Galaxy S4 Active, and Samsung Galaxy S4 Advanced (LTE-A) etc

Samsung Galaxy S4 Variation Saga- Differences between Exynos and Snapdragon, Samsung Galaxy GT-I9500 and GT-I9505 and other major versions recently emerged like Galaxy S4 Zoom, Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4 Korean version, Galaxy S4 Active, and Samsung Galaxy S4 Advanced (LTE-A) etc
A Cocktail of CPUs - Everything you should know about Exynos 5 Octa (GT I9500) and Snapdragon 600 (GT I9505). Differences between Exynos 5 Octa (GT I9500) and Snapdragon 600 (GT I9505)
Samsung Galaxy S4 GT I9500 - Exynos 5 Octa - The Architecture

Eight cores running at the same time? You must be kidding!

Samsung GT I9500 version has Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa SoC (eight processing cores and out of eight, four cores will be active during any given time, not all eight cores at once contrary to the popular belief). It brings the first ARM big.LITTLE heterogeneous architecture CPU to life.

The eight core CPU is inclusive of a 1.6 GHz quad-core Cortex-A15 cluster and 1.2 GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 cluster.

The cluster with four swift "big" A15 cores (four high-performing Cortex-A15 cores that are destined to kick in when more processing power is required) is joined by a cluster of four less speedy (but more power thrifty) "LITTLE" A7 cores (four energy-efficient Cortex-A7 cores for lighter fire works).

For ultimate, speedier execution, the big cluster is activated. For tasks that require less power cycles, the LITTLE cluster is activated. Any of the two clusters, during any processing time, can be active to emulate a single quad-core processor to the operating system and applications.

Processes that heat the processor up to 1.2GHz, will be taken on by the A7s, and A15s will turn on shutting off the A7 cores when more processing prowess is needed.

Four exclusive cores for running basic executions at lower clock speeds make the device more power efficient (cause high performing tasks will be taken by four dedicated Cortex-A15 cores)

Talking about the GPU citadel, this new Exynos chip drops the MaliMP and has gone for a three-core Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX 544MP3 clocked at 533MHz (higher than the 450MHz Adreno 320 of the Qualcomm GS4 and the 400MHz of HTC One). But the chip isn't cutting edge technology. Third and fourth gen iPads also use PowerVR stuff for handling graphics.

Hooked with a 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 16GB of internal storage, out of which 9GB is usable. The rest is eaten up by the OS.

Though this structure is very similar in implementation to Tegra 3's "4-PLUS-1" Companion Core conceptually, you get four total cores, all of which are capable of operating as low as 200MHz.

The (I9500) CPU is a better option for CPU intensive apps and games. Besides, its the best processor money can buy on a smartphone these days.

Sounds like a DAC (Wolfson) to me, it comes with one.

Features an infrared LED that can serve as a universal remote control.



Samsung Galaxy S4 GT I9500 - Exynos 5 Octa - The Network

A Nation Stranded!

If you can't part with LTE, the I9500 isn't going to be fun.

Samsung Exynos 5 Octa Works on All 20 LTE Bands

The official Samsung Exynos Twitter account confirms that the Exynos 5 Octa actually supports all 20 global LTE bands (the Exynos 5410 has a radio capable of supporting up to 20 different global LTE frequencies, Galaxy Note 2 with an Exynos chipset last year did connect to U.S. LTE networks.). Though US carriers have gone for the Snapdragon version.

You cannot have the cake and eat it!

US users only LTE option will be to choose the Snapdragon 600 powered device used on all seven networks that carry the device. You cannot have an unlocked Exynos work with LTE in State. Only Korean (E300K/L/S) versions (with Exynos) will support LTE (at the moment of writing).


2G Network

Quad-band GSM / EDGE

(850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900)

3G Network

Quad-band HSPA+

HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100

Data Speed

HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps
HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps

4G Network

LTE depends on where you buy it



Samsung Galaxy S4 GT I9500 - Exynos 5 Octa - Power Consumption and power efficiency

Besides the wonders that its CPU does, its LTE free! It saves battery too.

During an incessant HD video run, the I9500 lasts for eight hours (HTC One scores six and a half hours). Snapdragon-powered GS4, lasts for nine hours and 15 minutes (both using HSPA+, not LTE of Snapdragon activated). Here, Snapdragon wins.

For normal use, the I9500 lasts 12 hours of use, its counterpart dies after 15. Here Snap wins too.

Samsung Galaxy S4 GT I9500 - Exynos 5 Octa - Performance and Synthetic Benchmarks

In benchmark tests, Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa kicks Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 out of the track. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 just kiss the dust.
Samsung Galaxy S4 GT I9505 - Snapdragon 600 - The Architecture

The Snapdragon version packs four Krait 300 cores clocked at 1.9GHz with 2GB of RAM and Adreno 320 GPU.

Of 16GB of internal storage, it only offers around 9GB of usable space.

Features an infrared LED that can serve as a universal remote control.



Samsung Galaxy S4 GT I9505 - Snapdragon 600 - The Network

The S4 GT-I9505 includes a multiband LTE transceiver.

3G Network

HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100

HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 - SGH-i337

4G Network

LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600

LTE 700 MHz Class 17 / 1700 / 2100 - SGH-i337

Data Speed

HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps

HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps

LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL



Samsung Galaxy S4 GT I9505 - Snapdragon 600 - The Performance

S4 S600 kicks out the HTC One and LG Optimus G Pro in single-threaded (Benchmark Pi) and multi-threaded (Linpack) performance (both phones use the same chipset but clocked at 1.7GHz.
General


Many models hard to tell apart and one wish to make




[To check Model Number, go to Settings, click "About" and look for the Model Number]


Samsung Galaxy S4 comes in two regional variants and several otheriants.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 comes in two major regional versions in regards to his almighty SOC. Basically, the difference between two regional variants lies in the type of CPU and Chipset each use (and the uniqueness of them further relies on several other minor factors). One uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset (1.9GHz) and the other uses Samsung's home grown Exynos 5 Octa (debuts Samsung's power efficient octa-core Exynos 5 chip clocked at 1.6GHz)

Both have 2 gigabytes of RAM, 16 GB of standard storage onboard (32 GB and 64 GB models on the self too)

Though both use LTE enabled chips and despite the fact that the Exynos chip offers LTE compatibility in all 20 frequencies, the US carriers have chosen to go after the tail of the Snapdragon.

Performance wise, one version is not superior than the other. Octa-core GS4 isn't majestically faster or nor does wonders when compared to its Snapdragon counterpart, but, proximately, an half of the CPU and GPU benchmark tests conducted across the blogosphere enthroned the Exynos 5 as the Master of smarty phone CPUs. It beats out its Snapdragon counterpart in web browsing and HTML5 tests and kicks other S600 based devices in the market right now out of the race, likes of HTC One. Besides coming out with colors in web standard scores and being power efficient, it also is nimble in gaming and performs better with CPU-intensive apps.

For an example, the T-Mobile unit powered by Snapdragon, lags and stutters when Samsung's smart features and motion gestures are activated. But its not in the same fashion or manner on the I9500. It does a better job handling the processor-heavy loads. But mostly you wont notice too much of a performance difference in normal day to day tasks.

Will Exynos 5 Octa make its way into the Galaxy S4 heading to the U.S. and UK? Its Uncertain!

Dual Mode models, such as the Galaxy Mega and dual-SIM Galaxy Core won't even kiss the U.S. Shore.

Many are confused this year over this Snapdragon and Exynos drama. Its simply "Messed Up" and demand for S4 is tanking as a result.

Samsung's shares lost a $20 billion since June 7 after analysts cut forecasts for Galaxy S4 sales by as much as 30 per cent


The variation heat ends with everyone asking the same question, why (different versions and) the best for Korea?


CPU Variants



These are the major Models based on the processor clockwise.

1. Snapdragon clocked at 1.9

GT-I9505 comes with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600 (APQ8064T) clocked at 1.9GHz (Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600 SoC containing a quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300 CPU and an Adreno 320 GPU with LTE enabled)

2. Exynos clocked to 1.6

Galaxy GT-I9500 is equipped with the Samsung's virgin Exynos 5 Octa 5410 chipset clocked at 1.6GHz without LTE

(the dual-SIM I9502 for China offers the same specs)

3.Exynos Clocked to 1.8

SHV-E300K/S/L, the Korean version uses the same Exynos 5 Octa Core chip clocked at 1.8GHz with LTE

[] Both (Exynos) have PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU.

[] For some, it will be the same processor (Exynos 1.6 and 1.8). They will overclock it .


All (Other) Variants



Samsung Galaxy S4 USA variants (LTE 4G capable)



AT&T SGH-I337 for AT&T USA

T-Mobile SGH-M919 for T-Mobile USA

Verizon SCH-I545 for Verizon Wireless (VZW) USA

Sprint SPH-L720 For Sprint USA

[] Sprint unit, is equipped with a 5-inch 1920 x 1080-pixel Super AMOLED display, runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, has a 1.9GHz quad-core processor (in the U.S.), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat, NFC, a 2,600mAh battery and even an IR blaster for controlling your TV

Galaxy S4 SCH-R970 for US Cellular, Cricket and MetroPCS


[] Note that the AT&T and Verizon variants have a locked bootloader, thus installation of custom ROMS or recovery systems are off topic. What a mess!



Galaxy S4 Duos I9502

Dual SIM version of GT-I9500. Dual-SIM Samsung Galaxy S 4 launches in China with an Exynos 5 Octa inside

SHV-E300S / SHV-E300K / SHV-E300L - Samsung Galaxy S4s Korean variant.

The fastest device on the planet?

According to a recent FCC filing by Samsung, a new variant was brough to the light called Samsung SHV-E300S which is now fueling the rumour that its the the Korean Galaxy S4. Interestingly, according to the filing, its going to have a 1.8 GHz processor and the document further reveals that it will be shipped with multi-band LTE support (for bands 1, 5, 3, 7 and 17).

It will feature an Exynos 5 Octa clocked at 1.8GHz. Samsung Galaxy S4 Global Variant, GT-I9500, also contains the Exynos 5 Octa, but its clocked at only 1.6 GHz and the other international version, GT-I505, for US and some parts of Europe will have Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 processor clocked at 1.9 GHz. This makes the Korean variant 200MHz faster than the other Two Towers.

If the details of the filing are true, the Korean Galaxy S4 will be more mightier than all the other Galaxy S4 versions. Even the current Exynos 5 Octa clocked at 1.6 has beaten almost every other smartphone and its Snapdragon sibling in Benchmark results. Galaxy S4 (GT-I9500) scores a massive 28018 points on Antutu, the Snapdragon Galaxy S4 variety (GT-I9505) scores 23607 points, so how will Korean variant (SHV-E300S) score?

The Korean version at the moment is sold with contract (24 months) by Korean carrier. Doesn't come sim-free

One thing remains unanswered, "Will the Korean Exynos 5 Octa version hit the shores of USA? The land of smart phones?


Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus - Google Inc's Version.

Goes on sale on June 26, 2013 to U.S. customers only, through Google Play (now available on ebay for pre orders). It features stock Android 4.2.2 with Google provided updates instead of TouchWiz and carrier provided updates. It has an unlocked bootloader and will support LTE on AT&T and T-Mobile's networks.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Version

"Active" variant comes with a water resistant case, shock resistance, and an 8 megapixel camera.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom

Zoom reportedly features a 16-megapixel camera, a 4.3-inch qHD display and Android Jelly Bean. Galaxy S4 Zoom marks it as the first time that the company has applied a digital camera-style zoom lens to a smartphone.

Galaxy S4 Mini

The Galaxy S4 mini will feature a 4.3-inch qHD display, an 8-megapixel rear camera and Android 4.2.2.

Samsung Galaxy S4 4G LTE-A (Advanced) or Samsung Galaxy S IV A

The largest technology company by revenue is planning to release a variant of the Galaxy S4 that supports LTE Advanced (LTE-A), the next generation of ultimate mobile data transmission layer. Its a titanic upgrade from commonly used 4G LTE networks. Such networks transmit data at nearly twice the normal 4G network speed.

It will be the "Fast & Furious" version of S4, for an instance, a massive movie download that usually takes 3 minutes with conventional 4G, will only take a minute and few seconds to complete. The phone will use Qualcomm chips.

Advanced will be the "True 4G", the maximum data transfer rates are as follows,

[] 3Gbps download link

[] 1.5Gbps upload link (in paper, real networks will be slower, Yota, the Russian carrier, the first to launch LTE-A, marks its network as 300Mbps and the US's figure will be rated at 150Mbps.)

Now the LTE Advanced is coming to town, but one thing bothers most, are most carriers ready? Many countries have to even upgrade their 3Gs, let alone 4G. The current LTE networks don't meet the original necessities for a next-generation network LTE.

"LTE-A situation in the US is still a little unclear", Reuters reports.

According to AT&T, "Plans for a US rollout remain unclear". In the second half of this year an AT&T LTE Advanced network will be in effect.

Verizon is planning to add LTE-A to its spectrum of network with a small-cell AWS network and it will roll out soon.

As T-Mobile thinks, it's positioned to upgrade its budding LTE network.

Sprint's schemes for LTE Advanced are clueless at the moment and they are stuck in a bid war.

Most manufacturers have already declared LTE- A radios for smartphones, including Qualcomm, Nvidia, Broadcom, and ST- Ericsson. Their chips will hit the market this year and they will be compatible with the next-gen networks. This year or the next will be the year of 4G LTE-A

Samsung will be the first to commercially launch an advanced 4G version smartphone. The new S4 will be bit more expensive than the current version and will be sold in South Korea in this month.

Samsung had been in talks with several overseas carriers to take the phone worldwide, according to the Head of Mobile division of Samsung, but where and when remain unanswered.



Where does Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 really differ from Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9505? Differences between Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 and Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 spec wise

Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4 (AKA Samsung SGH-i337 for AT&T)

Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4
3G Network

HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100

HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 - SGH-i337
3G Network

HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G Network

LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600

LTE 700 MHz Class 17 / 1700 / 2100 - SGH-i337
4G Network LTE (market dependent)
Speed

HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps

HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps

LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL
Speed

HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps

HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
WLAN

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
WLAN

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
DLNA DLNA
Wi-Fi Direct Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi hotspot Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, LE Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, LE
NFC NFC
Infrared port Infrared port
USB microUSB v2.0 (MHL2), USB On-the-go, USB Host USB microUSB v2.0 (MHL2), USB On-the-go, USB Host
Chipset

Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600


[] Snapdragon is a quad core central processing unit. This model can use the LTE 4G service.

[] The 600 is also built using a 28nm process, just like the S4 Pro, and offers 802.11ac support (in addition to the standard suite of a/b/g/n).

[] Exynos chip offers LTE compatibility in all 20 frequencies, but the US carriers have elected the Snapdragon model.

[] Snapdragon 600 is paired with an Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB RAM. (the same chip the HTC One and LG Optimus G Pro use. But the GS4's one is clocked at a faster speed than both)
Chipset

Exynos 5 Octa 5410


[] GT-I9500 Exynos 5 Octa, features the first big.LITTLE architecture CPU developed by Samsung.

[] NOT LTE 4G enabled in most countries.
CPU

Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300

[] The CPU features Krait 300. Its a bump from the S4 Pro's Krait 200, which will result in a 15 percent improvement in instructions per clock (IPC) and a "speed- enhanced" Adreno 320 GPU.
CPU

Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 and Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 (just two clusters in a single CPU)

[] Basically the CPU have 8 core, 4 of which can be active at one time- like a quad core.
GPU Adreno 320 GPU PowerVR SGX 544MP3
No Radio

FM Radio is missing in all three major versions. But there is a cure. Just buy Sony MW600 bluetooth headphones. FM is inbuild. The only hitch is you cannot record the radio audio.
No Radio
Colors

White Frost, Black Mist, Aurora Red (AT&T only)
Colors

White Frost, Black Mist
Wireless charging Wireless charging (market dependent)
Dropbox 50 GB storage Dropbox 50 GB storage
TV-out (via MHL 2 A/V link) TV-out (via MHL 2 A/V link)
Stand-by (2G) / Up to 350 h (3G) (2G) / Up to 370 h (3G)
Talk time (2G) / Up to 17 h (3G) Talk time (2G) / Up to 17 h (3G)
Music play Up to 62 h Music play Up to 62 h
SAR GT-I9505 version

US 0.77 W/kg (head)

1.17 W/kg (body)

EU 0.28 W/kg (head)

0.40 W/kg (body)
SAR GT-I9500 version

US 0.85 W/kg (head)

1.55 W/kg (body)

EU 0.42 W/kg (head)

0.54 W/kg (body)
Differences between the Galaxy S4 I9505 Snapdragon 600 and Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500 Exynos 5 Octa from a benchmark angle

GLBenchmark 2.7 Egypt (1080p off-screen) (GPU benchmarks)
(The Higher the better kind)

Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa) scores 43
Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 (Snapdragon 600) scores 41
CF-Bench

GS4 I9500 (Exynos 5) 20,800
GS4 M919 (S600) 28,111

3DMark

GS4 I9500 (Exynos 5) 3DMark Ice Storm 10,179

3DMark Extreme6,383
GS4 M919 (S600) 3DMark Ice Storm11,145

3DMark Extreme 6,656

Google Octane

GS4 I9500 (Exynos 5) 3,730

GS4 M919 (S600) (T-Mobile) 2,265

Smartbench (productivity/gaming)

GS4 I9500 (Exynos 5) 6884/3700

GS4 M919 (S600) 7265/2702

AndEbench(native)

GS4 I9500 (Exynos 5) 12,600

GS4 M919 (S600) 14,228

Epic Citadel (GPU benchmarks)
(Higher the better)

Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa) 59.8
Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 (Snapdragon 600) 57.1
SunSpider (Javasaript)
(Lower is better)

Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa) 804
Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 (Snapdragon 600) 810
Vellamo (Javasaript)
(Higher is better)

Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 (Snapdragon 600) 2060
Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa) 2056
Benchmark Pi
(Lower is better)

Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa) 132
Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 (Snapdragon 600) 132
Linpack
(Higher is better)

Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa) 791
Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 (Snapdragon 600) 788
Geekbench 2
(Higher is better)

Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa) 3324
Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 (Snapdragon 600) 3227
AnTuTu
(Higher is better)

Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa) 26275
Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 (Snapdragon 600) 24716
Quadrant
(Higher the better)

Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa) 12446
Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 (Snapdragon 600) 12376
Differences between Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Nexus Versions, spec wise
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Nexus


Also available as Samsung I537 for AT&T

2G Network

GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

3G Network

HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100

HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100

4G Network

LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600

LTE 700 / 850 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 - SGH-I537

Micro-SIM

Physics

139.7 x 71.3 x 9.1 mm (5.5 x 2.81 x 0.36 in)

Weight

153 g (5.40 oz)

IP67 certified - dust and water resistant - Water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes

Screen

TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors

Display Size

1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inches (~441 ppi pixel density)

Multitouch

Corning Gorilla Glass 2

TouchWiz UI

MEMORY Card slot

microSD, up to 64 GB

Internal Storage

16 GB (11.2 GB user available)

2 GB RAM


Data Speed

GPRS Class 33

EDGE Class 33

Speed

HSDPA, 42 Mbps

HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps

LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL


WLAN

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

Wi-Fi Direct

DLNA

Wi-Fi hotspot

Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, LE

NFC

Infrared port

USB

microUSB v2.0 (MHL 2)

USB On-the-go

USB Host

CAMERA

8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels back cam

Autofocus

LED flash

Simultaneous HD video and image recording

Touch focus

Image stabilization

HDR

Aqua mode

1080p@30fps videocoding

2 MP, 1080p@30fps front cam

Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)

Chipset

Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600

CPU

Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300

GPU

Adreno 320

Sensors

Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass, Barometer and Gesture

No Radio

GPS with A-GPS support and GLONASS

Colors

Urban Grey, Dive Blue and Orange Flare

S-Voice

Smart stay

Smart pause

Smart scroll

Air gestures

Dropbox 50 GB storage

TV-out (via MHL 2 A/V link)

Document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF)

Predictive text input (Swype)

BATTERY

Li-Ion 2600 mAh battery

Description


Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is most suited for outdoor and more rugged environments. Its dustproof and waterproof. Its 8-megapixel camera is equipped with Aqua mode for recording underwater scenes. Active is now available for preorders at AT&T for $ 200 on contract and for $595 off contract


Also known as Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom SM-C1010

2G Network

GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - all versions

3G Network

HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - all versions

4G Network LTE

Market dependent

SIM Micro-SIM

Physics

125.5 x 63.5 x 15.4 mm (4.94 x 2.5 x 0.61 in)

Weight

208 g (7.34 oz)

Display

Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors

Display Size

540 x 960 pixels, 4.3 inches (~256 ppi pixel density)

Multitouch

Corning Gorilla Glass 3

MEMORY Card slot

microSD, up to 64 GB

Internal Memory

8 GB (5 GB user available)

1.5 GB RAM


DATA Speed

GPRS

EDGE HSDPA, 21.1 Mbps

HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps

LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL


WLAN

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band

Wi-Fi hotspot

Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, LE

NFC

Infrared port

USB

microUSB v2.0 (MHL)

USB On-the-go

16 MP main cam

Autofocus

Xenon flash

Cam features a 1/2.33'' sensor size

Touch focus

10x optical zoom (24-240mm)

Optical image stabilization

HDR

Panorama

1080p@30fps video recording

1.9 MP front cam

Android OS, v4.2.2 (JellyBean)

CPU

Dual-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A9

GPU

Mali-400

Sensors

Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity and Compass

No FM radio

GPS with A-GPS support and GLONASS

Colors

White

S-Voice

Dropbox (50 GB storage)

TV-out (via MHL A/V link)

Document viewer

Predictive text input (Swype)

BATTERY

Li-Ion 2330 mAh battery

Description

With Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, you get more camera. It packs a camera of 16-megapixels and zoom lens into a flat phone. The Zoom's specs are less aggressive than the original but you get a Larger sensor and 10x zooming capabilities.


Also known as Samsung I9190 Galaxy S IV mini.

Available as Samsung I9192 Galaxy S4 Mini with dual SIM card support.

2G Network

GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - all versions

GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - GT-I9192 (SIM 1 & SIM 2)

3G Network

HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - GT-I9190, GT-I9195

4G Network

LTE - GT-I9195

SIM Optional Dual SIM

Physics

124.6 x 61.3 x 8.9 mm (4.91 x 2.41 x 0.35 in)

Weight

107 g (3.77 oz)

Screen

Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors.

Display Size

540 x 960 pixels, 4.3 inches (~256 ppi pixel density)

Multitouch

MEMORY Card slot

microSD, up to 64 GB

Internal Capacity

8 GB (5 GB user available)

1.5 GB RAM (3G model)

2 GB RAM (LTE model)


Data Speed

GPRS

EDGE

Speed

HSDPA 42 Mbps

HSUPA 5.76 Mbps

LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL


WLAN

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA

Wi-Fi Direct

Wi-Fi hotspot

Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR

NFC (GT-I9195 model only)

Infrared port

USB microUSB v2.0

Main Cam 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels

Autofocus

LED flash

Touch focus

HDR

Panorama

1080p@30fps video recording

Front Cam 1.9 MP

Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)

Chipset

Qualcomm MSM8930 Snapdragon 400

CPU

Dual-core 1.7 GHz Krait

GPU

Adreno 305

Sensors

Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass

Radio

Stereo FM radio with RDS

GPS with A-GPS support and GLONASS

Colors

White Frost and Black Mist

Document viewer

Predictive text input (Swype)

Battery

Li-Ion 1900 mAh battery

Description

A bit inexpensive version with minimized specs of the flagship phone for specific markets. In the mean time, Mini's midrange feature set is still quite mightier.


Vanilla Android

1080p display

Quad-core processor

13MP camera

Won’t be available outside of the US. Only those who have access to the U.S. version of the Google Play Store can buy it.

No TouchWiz interface, you get Android's stock Nexus.

An unlocked bootloader

No bloatware preinstalled. Its a "Pure Google" experience.

Of Samsung Galaxy S4's 16GB versions internal storage, about 45% (7-9GB) is taken by the OS. Worst, the Galaxy S4 microSD card is all but useless cause user cannot transfer apps to it. With Galaxy Nexus S4, it won’t be nearly as drastic cause you get few more free internal storage GBs since it lacks most bloatwares.

Quick updates directly from Google. You get Android OS updates faster than non-Nexus phones.

If you miss much hyped Samsung apps, the good news is many of Samsung's preinstalled apps are also available from the Google Play store.

It also helps if you don't mind paying the full phone price up front.

Steepy prices. Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus and the HTC One Nexus will not get the same discount that the Google offer for the Nexus 4. Its unlocked and available on AT&T and T-Mobile, but they won’t get the same type of discounted price like Nexus 4. Instead of a $299 or $ 350 price tags, the HTC One Nexus will be available for a $599 price tag and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus will cost a massive $650 a pop.

Won’t work with Sprint and Verizon. You will be stuck with AT&T and T-Mobile both of which have 4G LTE networks that are smaller than Verizon’s.

No Dual Camera mode and smart features

No BlinkFeed

Available from June 26 for $649 from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Google's online Play Store

Is it wise to have stock vanilla Android on S4 when Samsung has done fabulous developments into its flagship? Upto you.

T-Mobile offer, the phone for a tiny down payment and monthly installments thereafter.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Pros and Cons - Pros and Cons of the Hubs

Hub - Pros & Cons

Pros

1. Samsung's online media content empire, TheHub lets you buy (and in some instances sample) Books, games, music, digital magazines and online newspapers etc.

2. Samsung has integrated all hubs (Hubs like Music, Game and Book which previously existed in different locations) into one mighty warrior Hub. What triggers your mind? Sorrow, passion, cheating, beating and lying all built into one entity? You can even replace your own Hubby with it.

3. Free music samples. You can see a preview of a song which lasts for 30 seconds, before buying any solo titles. A relief when you buy boring "White" labels from YankeeYork. Do they still produce music?

4. You can buy individual tracks or whole albums.

5. Vested with a "Windows Mobile Tile" like image centered interface. Its the only piece that differs from the rest of the UI.

6. You can buy or pre taste Premium games. It lets you try the games before buying them.

7. Social games present.

8. Some Gameloft and EA titles are exclusively available which are not available on the Google Play Store otherwise.

9. WatchON app is built right into the Hub. Nice and Wonderful.

10. Swipes present, which will let you get through a hell lot of content in no time.

11. The home screen (of the Hub) suggests media for you. After all, you are a buyer, right?

12. MusicHub is utilized with search, charts and lists of new releases.

13. Some premium and exclusive apps available.

14. Buy one and take one home free.

With the advent of the Hub, you get under two roofs when it comes to buying entertainment, in a more clear sense, you get two official app stores, two video stores and two music stores. Here comes the "Hubs" and Google Play is staring at the corner.

15. Hub is totally redesigned, an impressive work and a look.

16. Prices seem not right.

17. You can access content you buy on Hub from other Samsung's devices like TVs, tablets or phones.

18. A considerably large library of music, TV and movies.

19. Hub is integrated. Now you can sign in with one ID and pay with a single payment system for media and content.

20. Unlike other regions, U.S. gets a special kind of favour. They get the largest selection of content.

21. Samsung is an Innovator . You may see other integrations it will do in the future (in the days to come which will roll in as upgrades maybe) to the Hub in accordance with other products they build in home labs like TVs and Blu-ray players etc.

Cons


1. The Hubs are comparatively less populated than other Dictators like itunes, mighty Google Play, Amazon and Nook (specially when eBooks on Amazon and Nook are taken into consideration). But surely more titles will catch on like fire in the following months.

2. After Smartphones, comes the Restrictions!

If you want to watch bought movies on other big screens, a HomeSync device is required (connected via an HDMI cable with HDCP). Neither you can use AnyCast to port movies into Samsung TVs nor stream video connecting to a TV using AllShare. Its a pity. You buy the ticket but you cannot enter the theatre. But "HTC Watch" is an exception here. It lets you do that even for cheaper prices.

3. For its hefty high price tags and restrictions, its not the best place yet for buying Entertainment.

4. Samsung currently - I think due to wide usage - is having licensing issues with major movie studios.

5. Netflix in the VideoHub for streaming? Nah!

6. eBooks are more expensive on the Hub than Amazon (and maybe anywhere else).

7. "Sociability" is absolutely gone in the Hub. You have to find a way around to socialize the Hub. A pros or con?

8. Pretty old stuff are often categorized as “new releases” in some Hub home pages.

9. The games dept caters you with only few noteworthy titles. Titles are nearly sparse.

10. Availability of Movie, TV and music content is country dependant.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Pros and Cons - Build, Hardware Pros


Samsung Galaxy S4 Build (hardware)- Pros

Pros

Weight and Measures

1. 136.6mm tall, the exact height of S3. Width is 69.8mm and density measures at 7.9mm, they are smaller than its older sibling, 0.8mm narrower and 0.7mm thinner.

2. Weights at 4.6 ounces (130 grams), three grams (0.11 ounce) lighter than S3. A featherweight champion.

3. Plastic makes it light. It weights only at 4.59-ounce. For a comparison, HTC One is 5.04-ounce.

4. How weight matters? Its 130g, HTC One is 144g and Xperia Z weights at 145g. Though not a big difference, it will be felt when you watch videos for lengthy sessions or surf for hours.

5. Even how slim flat or light it is, it sports, a higher capacity battery.

6. Its smaller, lighter and thinner than the previous but the screen is bigger.

7. Where it stands against the iPhone 5? 30% larger and 17% heavier.

Build

8. Samsung chose plastic, production cost was cut and doing good at Mass Production. The consumer benefits. It will ultimately felt by the pocket.

9. The back cover lies flat on the faux-chrome edge, less curves.

10. The Back panel, "Bends it like Becham", easy to peel it off.

11. Removable backside, you can hook a flipcover or Sview cover, more importantly, replace the battery.

12. Aluminium cases (found in the likes of HTC One, iPhone 5 etc) can be easily dented and prone to scratches. Thats not the case with Polycarbonate.

13. Polycarbonate (or plastic unibody or whatever), unlike metal bodies, absorbes shock waves. Good for interior components.

14. Its not mere plastic, but polycarbonate. Its lightweight and durable. The case wont break or crack when you drop it.

15. Wireless charging, coming soon. The company is reportedly planning to sell an optional back cover with this capability built-in.

16. Verizon's version of the GS4 will be launched with the Wireless Charging option.

The Bezel

17. The Bezel is "0". Just non existant. Instead, you get more screen and it almost fills the front.

18. Less bezel but device's size remains the same. and makes the S4 is no bigger than the S3. Interestingly, it adds extra 0.2-inches to the screen.

Look and Feel

19. It doesn't look premium and besides all this cheap plastic, not premium look sighs, it feels comfortable to handle than the HTC One.

20. Bigger and manageable.

21. Faux-metal trim, a pleasure to see, it adds color.

22. Look? Premium? Most premium looks will end in plastic covers.

23. Feels durable despite its cheap materials.

Grip

24. A firm trim, slips unlikely.

25. A good grip.

26. Though its glossy and somewhat slippery, you can wrap a whole hand around it.

27. Straight edges, more surface to grip.

28. Its slippery (in certain instances) but wont too easily slip through your hands.

Controls, Buttons and Ports

29. While Nexus phones are moving away from physical buttons for navigation, Samsung has opted to include three. There are capacitive buttons for Menu and Back, and a physical, clickable button for Home.

30. The power button is conveniently mounted at the top right. In whichever way the phone is held, its an easy reach.

31. The controls (capacitive Menu, Back buttons and physical Home key) are vested with another executable. With a long press, the Menu key Googles Now, Home key fetches the task switcher and Back button brings the side bar for the Multi-window piece. Likewise, when the home key is clicked twice, Svoice steps in.

32. Wireless charging.

33. Home button is raised a bit. Easy to press.

34. Two plastic banks, the mono speaker wont be bared when put on a flat surface, screen up.

35. The speaker is in the rear (lower left corner). Fingers wont muffle it.

36. A physical home button, a capacitive Back and Menu keys, very handy for a phone of this size.

37. Most buttons remain in the same places. The home button is in the home. Seems reluctant to step out of the comfort zone. The power button, Volume Rocker and Headphone Socket haven't changed their positions. Apparently Democratic!

38. The microUSB port for both data connections and charging. It supports USB host and MHL 2.0 (3D 1080p TV output).

39. To do the MHL 2.0 with microUSB, earlier it was required to plug in your charger in the adapter. Now that drama is no longer required.

40. USB on the go lets the user to connect a USB dongle to Galaxy S4 and transfer files without fiddling with microSD card and peeling off the back plate of the phone. Its a very nifty a feature.

Sensors

41. Sensors getting spot light this year. A bunch of sensors present. Besides more conventional Ambient light and Proximity sensors, you get a mighty IR sensor.

42. Temperature, Humidity and Gesture sensors included.

43. Besides usual Sensors, (like Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope, Hygrometer, Magnetometer, Proximity sensor, RGB light sensor), Thermometer is also available.

44. Ambient light and proximity sensor collaborate with Air gestures and let the user find a whole new world.

Repairability

45. The S4 came through iFixit's teardown with flying colors, receiving an 8 out of 10 repairability score for its replaceable battery and straightforward disassembly. A removable battery ups the S4's repairability factor.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Pros and Cons - Hardware Cons


Build - Cons

Cons


1. Its still plasticky with just a little flex in its body. It’s made almost entirely of plastic and just a polycarbonate strip runs along the edge of the phone.

2. The silvery band around the sides looks like metal, but its still a part of the plan, Plastic!

3. The plastic back panel is still fragile. Avoid removing it too often.

4. Polycarbonate is rigid and stable but the HTC One wins in the "Design Race". It has a more premium build quality and a look. Its an aluminium unibody.

5. Polycarbonate used doesn't impress enough and doesn't feel premium like Nokia Lumia 920's or HTC One X+'s.

6. The diamond pattern found in the front and back is an uncomfortable eyesight, specially in the Black model.

7. A tiny Bezel, fingers may accidentally slip into the screen and funny things can happen, unless irritating.

8. A fingerprints magnet.

9. Too glossy and Hyperglazed. Sweat will make it slippery.

10. Its a carier's nightmare. Slippery, slimy and smooth and glossy, simply unpleasant in your hand.

11. The checkered pattern is not for a better grip.

12. The 2,600mAh battery also acts as the NFC antenna. If you replace the battery, you loose NFC.

13. Its hard to distinguish where it differs in look from S3.

14. Two capacitive buttons and one physical button. Nexus line has done away with those. A waste of space.

15. The capacitives wont be lit up unless a touch take place. You will find it difficult to identify which side is which, Menu or Back. When you press Back mistakenly, you loose everything you have done on open apps.

16. The volume toggle is bit hard to access when held in right hand.

17. The menu key is in left and back key is in right, a total different layout from other Androids.

18. The physical button is a definite "Hit" when the surface is fiddled, swiped and when fingers reach the bottom of the screen.

19. Samsung has done away with "inspired by nature" model. the pebble look and feel will no longer be available in stores.

20. Its big, small hands should worry.

21. Consumer electronics warranty provider SquareTrade, tested S4 for Durability and concluded that the device is more fragile than its predecessor and the worse, scored weaker than Apple’s iPhone 5. They considered water resistance, grip, edges and resistance to drops (the S4 faired in water resistance test and front and back panel designs test).

22. Where it failed to impress the panel? Slide, drop tests, size and grip. Anyway iPhone 5 won the test.

23. Why its breakable than the iPhone 5? The reason is simple, its large or is it just me thinking?

24. Wireless charging options currently not available.

25. Anyway, its better you buy a silicon cover to protect it.

26. Need to force the little plastic clips (back panel) to all sit firm.

27. Pressing Back button long enough, your taken into the side bar for the Multi tasking window. But to get it into work, you have to enable it. Otherwise it wont listen.

28. The HTC One feels premium (but metal phones are notorious for radio signal issues).

29. The white plastic strip between the front and back metal is poorly made and fitted.

30. You will have no idea whether the phone is upright or upside down until you hit a Menu, Home or Back button. Its ridiculous, most times you will even plug headphones into the micro USB port.

31. 16GB of internal storage, but on both versions, Exynos or Snapdragon, they only offer around 9GB of usable space (in the case of the HTC One 32GB, the smallest model, about 25GB is available right off the shelf)

32. USB on the go lets the user to connect a USB dongle to Galaxy S4 and transfer files without fiddling with microSD card and peeling off the back plate of the phone. But you need a separate cable, and they are hard to come by, finding one is hard.

33. Kind a texture present, interestingly, is actually smooth. Wont disturb fingers but its still there for no use.