Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition Review

Introduction:

It seems as though Samsung has proven itself to Google, in more ways than one. Like seriously, if you look at what Samsung has done to spread the Android love in the last few years, you’ll see that they been able to deliver timeless devices that spread across a wide range of categories. Heck, they’ve even managed to win over el Goog’s heart so much, that we’ve seen already three devices from Samsung to sport the Nexus moniker – the Google Nexus S, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and the Google Nexus 10 tablet.

At this year’s Google I/O event, it was announced that another version of Sammy’s fabled Galaxy S4 would be made sporting a stock Android experience – dubbed as the ‘Google Play Edition.’ No doubt, this is going to appeal to those Android enthusiasts who don’t take fancy in custom UIs masking the pure Android experience, it’s actually a gesture that shows the kind of relationship the two tech giants have with one another. Now if you haven’t been swayed by the still fresh Galaxy S4, it would appear as though that this Google Play Edition might earn your trust, especially when the idea of receiving those major Android updates right away is within reach with this.

The package contains:

• microUSB cable
• Wall Charger
• Stereo Headphones
• Quick Start Guide
• Product Safety and Warranty Guide

Design:

It’s the S4 all over again, which shouldn’t be a shock to anyone. What more can we say about this one, aside from the obvious that it matches its sibling’s looks, design, and construction. It still pays homage to Sammy’s smartphone design language, as it sports a glossy white plastic casing that’s good at masking smudges and fingerprints. Indeed, it’s not as premium feeling as other flagship devices, but the benefits from a plastic construction is that it’s uniformly thin (0.31”) and lightweight (130 gr). Grasping it might still prove troublesome for those with smaller hands, but it’s not entirely something new that we don’t see in this day and age. At the end of the day, it looks like and feels like the S4 we all know and love.




As we’ve mentioned already, this is an exact facsimile to the original model from a couple months ago, so we’re presented with all the same ports and buttons throughout its body.

On its façade, we see that slightly raised physical home button that’s surrounded by its capacitive menu and back keys – while above the display, there’s the earpiece, light & proximity sensors, and front-facing 2-megapixel camera. Rounding things out, we have its dedicated power button, volume control, standard mic, microUSB port, noise-cancelling mic, and 3.5mm headset jack. Giving the original model a sprinkling of coolness, this version’s IR blasters aren’t active, which means that it can’t be used as a universal remote – or utilize those hand waving movements that allow the TouchWiz packing model the ability to use its various Air Gestures features.


In the rear, the same beefy 13-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash from before protrudes slightly from the surrounding surface – while two notches towards the lower left corner are used for its internal speaker. It’s comforting, yet surprising, especially for a device running that pure Android experience, this has a removable rear cover that provides access to its 2600 mAh battery, microSIM slot, and super useful microSD card slot.


Display:

Dazzling us yet again with its iridescent looks and massive size, the handset’s 5-inch Super AMOLED HD display with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution is a standout head turner. Super detailed with its 441 ppi pixel density, it has enough sharpness and clarity to give even the tiniest of text that distinct look from a normal viewing distance. Complementing its detailed looks, its oversaturated color reproduction, wide viewing angles, and strong contrast gives it that cool glow to light up any room.

As much as we dearly love the display for its sheer beauty, it’s not entirely the same as before, seeing that it lacks the ability to track our finger as it’s hovering slightly away from the display – so yeah, there’s no Air View support with the Google Edition.

Interface and Functionality:

Being a ‘Google Play Edition’ device, this newer S4 model is treated to that vanilla Android experience that hardcore Android users drool over like a pack of hungry hyenas. For these enthusiasts, they’ll relish over the interface’s cleaner looks, as stock Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean doesn’t have the cartoonish looks of its TouchWiz sibling. At the same time, too, it’s more likely to receive those prized Android updates faster, but that’s still questionable at this point. Considering that the original S4 is selling so well, one would think that Sammy would be hasty in getting its software updated in a timely manner after a major update is announced. And as we’ve heard very recently, it was announced that this Google Play Edition would receive Android 4.3 AFTER those Nexus branded devices – so it begs the question how fast it’ll actually get them.


On the flip side, the vanilla Android experience strips the handset from all the cool (sometimes regarded as gimmicky too) features that made the TouchWiz version so memorable. For starters, gone are the S-branded and other features that the original model laid claim to – S Voice, S Translator, S Health, Air View, Air Gestures, Smart Pause, and much more. It’s honestly a tossup, so depending on your preference, this may prove to be either a good or bad thing.

Messaging:

Making the switch to the stock Google keyboard, it’s no surprise we’re given a very elementary layout, which means that access to another layout is needed to input various punctuations – albeit, there’s a row for numbers on the main layout. Despite that, it’s spacious and responsive enough to keep up with our rate of input. And if that’s not an enough, there are also those swiping movements as an alternative.


Just like all Android smartphones, the Gmail app is ideal to handle even the most demanding users, since its functionality and presentation mimics the desktop version. Alternatively, the standard email app is available as well to handle other email services, but its functionality and interface is similar to Gmail.



Organizer:

Now that the experience is stock Android, this version misses out on employing those nifty features that made those various organizer apps so useful. For example, without Air View, we can no longer preview pertinent information, like text messages or appointments, by simply hovering our finger over the display. Regardless of that, the end-game functions of the handset’s core organizer apps remain largely intact. Heck, we have Google Now as always to keep us organized and up-to-date.



Processor and Memory:

Armed with the same processor that’s utilized by the US versions of the Samsung Galaxy S4, this Google Play Edition actually runs snappier than its TouchWiz sibling. Donning that quad-core 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T processor with 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 320 GPU, everything just seems to run smoother. We’re not trying to knock the original model, which was quite peppy on its own too, but this is noticeably more fluid with its operations.

	Quadrant Standard	AnTuTu	GLBenchmark 2.5 (Egypt HD)	Vellamo (HTML5 / Metal)
Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition	12205	23861	4706 / 42 fps	1986 / 825
HTC One Google Play Edition	12108	23921	4515 / 40 fps	2370 / 780
Sony Xperia Z	8221	20835	3382	2198/626

With less baggage in tow, since it’s stock Android, we’re given 12.65GB of free storage out of the box. Certainly a figure that doesn’t scream grossly excessive, it’s nice that there’s a microSD card to supplement its capacity.

Internet and Connectivity:

Totally predictable, the web browsing experience is utterly top notch – aided by its gorgeous and sharp screen, fast 4G LTE connection, and mighty processing power. From page rendering to navigational controls, every action done in Chrome is accompanied with finesse and fluidity to make surfing the web just so darn enjoyable.


Just like the HTC One Google Play Edition, this newer S4 model is sold unlocked, enabled to work with AT&T and T-Mobile’s LTE networks. However, it lacks the necessary radio to support T-Mobile’s HSPA+ AWS band. Aside from that, it’s pretty much sporting the latest arsenal of connectivity features that flagship devices are treated to – like aGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 5GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, DLNA, and NFC.

Camera:

Going back to the stock Android camera app is rough, especially when Samsung delivered an insane number of cool photo-centric features that made the S4 one of the classiest things to use in the space. Rather, this Google Play Edition goes back to the basics with its simplified interface approach, and predictable features and controls. Despite the lack of features, we do gain the Photospheres feature, which gives the handset the ability to snap 360-degree shots.

Hardly a surprise, the 13-megapixel snapper of the smartphone is a winner with its quality – much like what we experienced already with the original model. There are plenty of things to like about it, since it excels with photos captured under plenty of lighting. Details are exquisite, as so are the camera’s ability to handle dynamic range and produce colors that are vivid and bright – essentially composing images that are highly realistic. Under low lighting, though, quality takes a dip, as noise and its fainter looking details soften its overall quality.


Likewise, we see the same qualities with its 1080p video recording quality. When there’s sufficient lighting present, it produces poppy looking videos that are pleasing to watch due to its smooth recording and pleasant looking details. However, there are two minor issues that become apparent – audio recording is mediocre, and its continuous auto-focus is rather slow when adjusting to something that is close to the camera. Yet again, low lighting performance struggles, as the amount of noise in the video and its weak details don’t make it too appealing.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition Sample Video:



Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition Nighttime Sample Video:



Multimedia:

Being stock and all, we’re only presented with the Google Play Music app, which should appease almost anyone, but don’t expect to see any cool looking 3D visuals with its presentation. As for its internal speaker, it delivers tones that are no doubt loud and clear – with no distortion or unpleasantness at the loudest volume setting.


There’s no arguing that it’s such a joy watching high-def videos on the handset, especially with its colorful screen and all. However, it lacks support for videos encoded in DivX and XviD out of the box – plus, it misses out on some of the secondary features, like Pop Up Play, that provided more depth to the experience with the TouchWiz model, so you may have to visit the Play Store for some third party player.

Call Quality:

Nothing is changing when it comes to call quality, as it’s average just like last time around – we’re neither impressed or disappointed. Out of everything, it’s just the robotic tone of voices through the earpiece and speakerphone that stand out – though, its volume output is more than ample. Conversely, our callers had a better time on their end, as they mention being greeted to voices that are distinct and clear.

Battery:

Compared to a Sprint version of the Galaxy S4, we notice improved battery life with this Google Play Edition connected via AT&T. Even with our normal usage, we’re able to pull in close to two days of normal usage from its 2600 mAh battery – whereas with the Sprint model, it barely inches out over a day. Naturally, light users will get an extended amount of time, while power users will be pleased with its one-day usage.

Conclusion:

Should you go out and buy this, especially when this unlocked model is flaunting an outright price point of $649? Well, if you’re a diehard Android user, one who takes pride in getting that untouched experience, this is arguably a device that’ll appeal to you – even more when it’ll more than likely receive updates faster than its TouchWiz sibling. Indeed, the price point will scare anyone who hasn’t dabbled in anything except carrier-subsidized phones, but we’re certain that these specific people would easily fork over the money to pick it up. In addition to packing the same design and hardware as the original, the stock experience graces it with a snappier performance and improved battery life. On the flip side, some will be saddened to see all of the S4’s notable features gone with the new experience – the things that gave the S4 its classy identity in the first place. Obviously, there’s a totally different intent when you’re regarded as a ‘Google Play Edition’ device, so it shouldn’t be a shocker going forward.

Software version of the review unit:
Android Version: 4.2.2
Build Number: JDQ39
Kernel Version: 3.4.0-837695