After months of wild speculation, Samsung finally unveiled the S4 -- a phone boasting specs to make even the most ardent tech nerds draw breath. It's a 5-inch beast, packing a Full HD screen, a searingly powerful quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a host of Samsung software extras, a 13-megapixel camera and 4G connectivity for super-fast data speeds.
In smart phone Top Trumps, the S4 challenges the competition on every level.
Naturally then, it comes with a top-end price. If you want it off contract, you'll be shelling out
£580. It's being offered by all the major networks on a
range of plans though. Check out our
deals roundup to find the plan that best suits you.
Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy S4?
If you're looking for the best-performing phone around, then yes. Samsung has taken each spec of the already excellent Galaxy S3 and given them a kick up the backside. Its 5-inch, Full HD screen is the best in the business and the quad-core processor has been supercharged to deliver monster speed.
There's an ocean-liner load of extra Samsung software on board, some of which is daft, but other elements of which are genuinely useful. Bear in mind, though, that the bundled extras result in the S4 being very complicated. If you want a simple-to-operate mobile, I suggest looking towards the iPhone or Windows Phone 8 on Nokia's Lumia phones.
There are a heap of camera tricks too that make the 13-megapixel snapper produce some great and unusual pictures. The snaps it takes are hardly ground-breaking, but will at least jazz up your Facebook page.
The phone's main issues lie in its plastic design, which hasn't seen much of an update from the old S3. If you want to strut through town, flashing your latest gadget like an entrance card to a member's club then you might be disappointed with the S4 -- people probably won't be able to tell you have the latest model.
If, however, you want the best-performing phone in your pocket, the S4 is without question the device for you. Perhaps that level of blistering performance isn't as important to you, but you do want a sleek and stylish body, in which case you should take a look at the
HTC One.
Bear in mind too that now the S4 is available, the price of the S3 is likely to drop. It doesn't have the raw power of its big brother, but it's still a fantastic -- not to mention almost identical -- phone that's well worth a look if you don't mind having slightly older kit in your hands.
Design and build quality
Look at the S4 from the front and you'll have a tough time telling it apart from the S3. Both sport a big glass front, a wide home button and slim, silvery speaker grille, with the Samsung logo beneath. Take a moment to really compare the two and you will notice some differences though.
For a start, the S4 has slightly more angular corners, and the bezel is quite a bit slimmer. This means that even though the screen has increased in size, it's not much bigger than its predecessor. It has almost exactly the same dimensions of the S3, although the S4 undercuts slightly the S3's 8.6mm thickness
