Samsung Galaxy S4 16GB Review Display Controls

1080p Super AMOLED display is what geeks' dreams are made of

One of the most important updates that the Samsung Galaxy S4 brings is the new 5" Super AMOLED screen of 1080p resolution. While it does have a PenTile matrix, the 441 ppi pixel density makes sure you won't be able to spot the hated cross-hatch pattern.

The 5" 1080p Super AMOLED is gorgeous
The defect wasn't easily spotted on the Galaxy S III either unless you looked from a closer-than-comfortable distance, and here it's as good as invisible to the naked eye. The design of the PenTile matrix has been changed too, so now green sub-pixels are twice as many as blue and red sub-pixels, and the arrangement is changed as well. This however matters little to anyone not armed with a microscope.

Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One screens up close
What you should take away from all this is that the final weak point of the Super AMOLED screens has been taken care of and the Galaxy S4 offers image quality like no other smartphone on the market. Its impressive contrast and almost perfect viewing angles make everything on the screen pop, regardless of your viewpoint.
The color saturation is beyond the reach of any LCD out there, which make even the dullest image appear remarkably vibrant. Still, if you are not a fan of the oversaturated look of AMOLEDs, Samsung gives you the option to tune down the saturation to more natural levels and enjoy the best of both worlds. There's a dedicated Adobe RGB setting that gets this done.
The brightness levels of the Samsung Galaxy S4 are about on par with the rest of the company's AMOLEDs, which is to say not very high. However, due to their low reflectivity, this doesn't affect outdoor performance. Keep in mind that enabling the auto tone setting in the screen option limits the maximum brightness to under 300 nits, so if that matters to you, you better keep it off.

Display test	50% brightness			100% brightness
	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio
HTC One	0.13	205	1580	0.42	647	1541
HTC Butterfly	0.14	173	1200	0.45	501	1104
Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4	0	201	∞	0	404	∞
Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III	0	174	∞	0	330	∞
Sony Xperia Z	-	-	-	0.70	492	705
Oppo Find 5	0.17	176	1123	0.51	565	1107
Samsung N7100 Galaxy Note II	0	215	∞	0	402	∞
LG Optimus G Pro	-	-	-	0.41	611	1489
Nokia Lumia 920	-	-	-	0.48	513	1065
LG Optimus G	0.14	197	1445	0.33	417	1438
Apple iPhone 5	0.13	200	1490	0.48	640	1320

Of course, Nokia showed that a brighter AMOLED can do even better in direct sunlight, but the gain isn't as dramatic. The Galaxy S4 is a solid performer outdoors, although surprisingly not any better than the Galaxy S III, despite its slightly higher brightness. Perahps, the new Gorilla Glass causes a dash of extra reflections and offsets the advantage.

Sunlight contrast ratio

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• Nokia 808 PureView 4.698
• Apple iPhone 5 3.997
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III 3.419
• Samsung Galaxy S4 3.352
• Samsung Omnia W 3.301
• Samsung Galaxy S 3.155
• Nokia N9 3.069
• Samsung Galaxy Note 2.970
• HTC One S 2.901
• Samsung Galaxy mini 2 1.114

You can find all about our display testing routines here.

Controls

Samsung has a bunch of new sensors scattered around the Galaxy S4's body, but the general layout of controls is largely unchanged.
Below the display you get the same three keys as on the Galaxy S III - capacitive Menu and Back buttons and a regular press Home key.

The usual set of keys sits beneath the display
There's some extra functionality upon a long press too - the Menu key handles Google Now, while the Home key brings up the task switcher. Pressing and holding the back button brings the side bar for the Multi-window feature (if it's enabled), and if you click the home key twice the Samsung S voice virtual assistant kicks in.
Above the display we have the earpiece, as well as a bunch of sensors. The traditional ambient light and proximity sensors are joined by an IR gesture sensor, which enables the cool Air gestures in applications such as the web browser and music player. There's also a 2.1 megapixel front-facing camera for video calls and a status LED up there.

It's getting crowded above the screen
The left side of the Samsung Galaxy S4 features the volume rocker, while the power/lock key is on the right. Unfortunately, despite the proper camera upgrade that the Galaxy S4 got, the new flagship is still missing a dedicated camera key. You can use the volume rocker for snapping photos, but it can't quite match a two-stage button.

Once again our shutterkey prayers have been left unanswered
The top of the Galaxy S4 features the 3.5mm audio jack, the secondary microphone and the IR blaster that allows you to use the smartphone as a remote control for your home appliances. There's also a remote control app with a pretty rich database preinstalled, so the functionality is available out of box.

The 3.5mm audio jack Is joined by a microphone and an IR blaster
The microUSB port at the bottom is used for both data connections and charging. Not only does it support USB host but it also comes with support for the new MHL 2.0, enabling 3D 1080p output and TV connections without an external power source. Previously you had to plug in your charger in the adapter as well, but the Galaxy S4 gets rid of that extra requirement.
The other item of interest at the bottom is the primary microphone.

The microUSB port is next to the primary microphone
The back of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is where the 13 megapixel FullHD-capable camera lens is located. As on the Galaxy S III, the LED flash is right beside it, but the loudspeaker grille has been moved to the bottom left edge of the device.

The 13 megapixel camera lens
Removing the battery cover reveals the microSIM slot, the nicely upgraded 2600 mAh removable battery and the microSD card slot. The memory card slot is hot-swappable, too.

Taking a peak under the hood
As we found out during our battery test, the extra 500 mAh easily make up for the higher resolution screen and the more power-hungry chipset, resulting in far superior battery life when compared to its predecessor. The endurance during video playback and web browsing has been improved only a little, but the stand-by has taken a substantial step forward. This is understandable as when the chipset has nothing to do and the screen is off, that extra juice really counts.