With the Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4, Samsung is clearly aiming at buyers who want a well-rounded phone without too many compromises. Here is our take on what it brings to the table. Announced in 2013, March. Released 2013, April, it arrives at a time when the competition is as tight as ever.
Design & Display
On the front you get a 5.0 inches, 68.9 cm 2 (~72.3% screen-to-body ratio) panel, pushing a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~441 ppi density). Colours look punchy and text stays clean, so you will not have much to complain about here. It is not trying to reinvent the wheel with its design, but it does look the part. You can pick it up in a few finishes, including White Frost.
Performance & Software
At the heart of it sits the Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600, paired with 2GB of RAM. For the kind of tasks most of us throw at a phone, there is plenty of muscle here. It runs Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 5.0 (Lollipop), TouchWiz UI out of the box, so the software experience feels current.
Camera
On the camera side, the Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4 is led by a 13 MP main sensor. Expect solid detail in good light, with the usual softness creeping in once the sun goes down.
Battery
Battery duties are handled by a Li-Ion 2600 mAh, removable unit. With moderate use you can expect to end the day with charge to spare.
Our Opinion
Coming to the important bit, our opinion on the Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4. What you are getting is a device that quietly covers the fundamentals rather than shouting about them. It gets the basics right, offering a dependable main camera, a crisp display, which is exactly what most buyers are really after. For someone who simply wants a dependable daily driver that will not let them down halfway through the day, this ticks a lot of boxes. You could nitpick a few things, as you can with any phone in this bracket. Overall though, the Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4 is easy to recommend to the right buyer. If you have used this device or are planning to pick one up, do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
