Is the S4 worth it?

It isn’t unusual if anything new that comes in the tech world (or simply the world, at that) gets negative criticism. As a matter of fact, that’s what we all look out for. We weigh out the pros against the cons, see how bad that bad device really might be for us, and then make our call. So before I tell you what I liked about the S-4, I’ll start by telling you what I (and many others) didn’t like at the first glance. The biggest criticism that Samsung’s pricey S4 got since its release is its plastic body. And it’s safe to assume that they didn't do anything about it since its predecessor was doing just fine despite this ‘flaw’. I’m not that concerned, but there are others out there, who might not make the compromise.

Call Quality
The main reason phones were invented were, well, to call other people (or text, as time progressed). In this Samsung device, the call quality is great, with its efficient volume management features, including noise reduction, sound adaptation and HD voice calling. However, you might dislike the fact that even the maximum volume output isn’t enough, like many of the other Galaxy handsets. The speakerphone works fine, and doesn’t buzz as hard as it used to in previous models. The company has maintained its standards for the basic functionalities of the phone; however the earphones aren’t always so pleasant. You might find a sharp, harsh calling partner on the other end. Ouch! I’d still give the phone a fair pass, here.

Performance
The S4 is undoubtedly one of the fastest machines out there, with its 1.9 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor! For benchmarks, the device scored aces with the three tests- Antutu, Peacekeeper and SunSpider. When manually handling the phone, you’ll love the responsive graphics and speed (not that many people notice). But in layman’s language, the phone doesn’t seem to lag, or stall even while gaming.
The phone’s battery is almost 20% bigger than the S3, and it has a great battery life, when it comes to talk time. So much so that you could talk for the entire day, literally, before the phone dies. Of course playing games, streaming music or using the S Voice feature will take a greater toll on the device. And the more it will wear out, the more often you’ll have to charge the phone. But overall, you get a great head-start as compared to the others.

Interface
As Samsung is playing safe with its TouchWiz interface, but there’s no reason for disappointment here. There are a decent amount of touch-ups that you’ll notice, such as the presence of a large number of shortcuts to access a variety of the S4 elements from the drag-down notification bar. There is a new lock screen functionality that lets you customize the message every time you unlock your phone. A lot of the other Jelly Bean changes that were seen as a first in the S3 have been carried forward to the S4. And the modifications aren’t anything to boast about really, I’d say. It’s a smooth, swift working UI. Let’s leave it at that.

Click, click…click!
The device is packed, and almost over-packed with new features. The biggest modification can be seen in the flagship phone’s camera. The 13MP main camera (straight up from the predecessor’s 8 MP) and 2 MP front camera do justice to the pictures, if you look at the bigger picture. But if you break this information into smaller pieces, you’ll find out that the front camera seems to make images in the background clearer than your own. Doesn’t exactly solve the purpose of a front-camera, does it? Also, the full-automatic mode in the main camera isn’t all the way reliable, probably because of the inescapable bad lighting.
On the other hand, if you choose to crop out your pictures and resize them, you won’t miss on the picture quality. Another plus point is the whopping 13 modes to click images in, where Dual-Mode is a natural favorite. Other modes such as the Eraser and Drama are something you learn with (LOTS of) practice. The 360-degree panoramic view missed out on this Samsung device, though- something I was really looking forward to. Many of the camera’s features overlap with the top competing models such as the HTC ONE and LG Optimus Pro. But S4 manages to maintain its own style. Definitely a thumbs-up to the cameras, I’d say!

Features Galore
One of the old features, the Smart Stay is back, and it’s even better. The eye-tracker works flawlessly, for most parts of its functioning. Though I did have to tap the screen as it started to fade out in between, despite my efforts to blink and flash my eyes at the screen!
Another feature, the Air View is something this device inherited from Note 2. Except this one’s better, and works with the use of your finger, simply. You can hover over selected, featured items without opening/disturbing the process, for instance, video scrolling, e-mails, messaging, etc. I didn’t feel quite ready to use this functionality, and ended up frustrated more than impressed.
Then there’s the Air Gesture, where you move your hands around the screen and instruct to move between the photos in the gallery, answer calls, and skip music tracks without touching the phone. For those who are used to using a touch-screen (aren’t we all?), it might take a while to make good use of this feature.
Then there’s the option to control your TV, air conditioner
While all these features come as a fancy part to the package, I wouldn’t say it made me go head-over-heels.

Final Verdict
Ofcourse, the phone’s over-priced, like all the others. It’s one thing to want an amazing phone, and another to actually buy it. I’d wait for the prices to work their way south a bit, before heading in. But for all those who are looking for a device with boosted battery, classy camera, spacious storage and more- this phone’s the right choice for you