Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-i9505 16GB Unlocked International Version No Warranty 800/850/900/1800/2100/2600..
Buy Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-i9505 16GB Unlocked International Version No Warranty 800/850/900/1800/2100/2600 By SamsungMost helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Awesome!
By Bruce
It's the best phone to me. I love it.
I can use H+ in Sunnyvale & Santa Clara by this phone with T-mobile.
I don't know whether H+ is LTE or not.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
Samsung S4 sets the bar to a new level
By Paul S. Remington
The Samsung S4 cell phone is the hottest and newest phone on the smart phone market. This Android device has gotten much press and rightly so. In terms of specifications, the S4 has a lot going for it that has it as the leader of the pack over many smart phones. But at first glance, this new phone looks and feels much like its predecessor, the Galaxy S3. So what makes this phone different and why should you be interested in purchasing it? This review will explore those issues and help answer that question.
When you have a good thing going, why not start with that as your baseline. Samsung has done just that with the S4. The S3 and the S4 are very similar on many levels and very different in key areas. Their size is essentially the same at 5.38" x 2.75" x .31". This actually makes the S4 .7mm thinner than the S3. Its weight is 4.6 ounces, .7 ounces lighter than the S3. Comparing the two, Samsung has increased the size of the screen to a 5" display that offers full HD resolution at 1920 x 1080 pixels. While other phones offer similar resolutions, none have the same quality image that comes from the Super AMOLED screen offered on the S4. Side-by-side comparisons with phones such as the HTC One find the S4 shines with more prominent resolution and richer color tones.
The screen also has improved capacitance over the S3 and previous Samsung offerings. This improved capacitance supports phone use while gloves are worn. Those who live in cold climates or those who are fashion conscious and wear gloves will find this enhanced capability helpful. While this capability is a nice addition, it takes some getting used to. Because it is more sensitive, it's easy to falsely register a finger press if you hover your hand over the screen in the just the right way. Hopefully Samsung can correct this performance flaw with future software upgrades.
Regardless, the S4 screen is a remarkable technological creation. Its visual performance makes it like a smaller cousin of much larger HD televisions. It is a beautiful piece of work and the highest quality screen of its size presently on the market.
At first glance, the camera appears to also be the same as the S3. This is, in fact, not the case. The S4 houses a whopping 13-megapixel, rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel, front facing camera. The rear-facing, 13-megapixel camera image is excellent. The imaging capabilities of both cameras extend past the raw hardware with added features built into their associated software. There is software to do most anything you can think of with the images taken. Software even uses both the front and back camera to offer all kinds of imaging effects from panoramic images to slow motion videos.
Much of the new hardware, software, and extended features built into the S4 place heavy processing demands on the phone's engine. Because of this, Samsung has integrated a 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor to help keep things purring along smoothly. At the time of this review, this makes the S4 one of the fastest smartphones on the market.
Coupled with this increased processing power is an expanded memory card slot for additional storage. Samsung is selling the S4 in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB configurations. For those considering the S4 with 16GB of storage, this may be a bit limiting. Approximately 6GB is eaten up by the OS and installed apps, which leaves a scant 8-9GB of storage. This is 2GB less storage than the S3. The S4 supports the installation of up to an additional 64GB using a Micro SD card. If you're considering purchasing this phone, you might want to add a Micro SD card to your purchase and expand the base memory, or purchase an S4 with a higher amount of integrated storage.
Keep in mind that the more data you add to your Micro SD card, the more information the S4 has to parse. If you have a 64GB SD card packed with pictures and videos, when you open the Gallery to view them, even the quad-core processor will crank itself silly to host them for you; it will take time for them to display. There's no working around this. It's the nature of the beast. Just accept this as a current limitation based on processor speed and storage mass.
The front of the phone contains a number of additional sensors that monitor eye movement and proximity so the phone knows how far it is from your ear. An infra red blaster is integrated into the top of the phone to enable it to act as a remote, with the appropriate app installed to function as a remote. These sensors and the infra red blaster offer many new features not available with the S3. The phone can act as a remote control for your television, CD/DVD player, A/V receiver, and even home appliances that support remote control. The eye sensor offers additional features that control screen dimming and auto pausing when you look away from the screen. Likewise, when you look at the screen, dimming and auto pausing resume their normal operation.
Applications available to support the additional sensors include Air View, Air Gesture, and Smart Scroll. While these features are futuristic and helpful in theory, they aren't flawless in practice. They are also rather complex to learn and use, which detracts from the concept of simplicity when it comes to operating the device. Take this into consideration when adopting the phone for your use. Not all the features have to be used at once. You may find some features helpful while others are an annoyance. They are all highly configurable and it will take some time and practice to set them up to your liking.
Like the S3, the S4 supports Samsung's S Beam and near field communication (NFC). S Beam allows two Samsung phones to be placed back-to-back so they can share multimedia content such as videos, music, pictures, etc. The devices only need to be placed a few centimeters from each other to link, and, unlike Bluetooth, no pairing is needed. Communication is provided by WiFi Direct, which makes transfer speeds quite good.
Samsung has received many user complaints over the quantity of polyurethane used with their phones. They are plastic centric in construction and many consumers feel this detracts from a robust, solid feel. The S4 seems to have taken this into consideration with the addition of a flat metal bezel around the side edge of the phone. Much like the iPhone, the S4 has a metallic edge that augments its former plasticized edge construction.
The case itself is similar to the S3. The rear cover is easily removed to reveal the battery, SIMM card, and Micro SD card.
As for battery life, the S4 stock battery is 2,600mAh compared to the 2,100mAh S3 battery. This is a 20% increase in battery size with no added thickness to the phone's form factor. In fact--as stated earlier--the S4 is .7mm thinner than the S3. This added battery storage is required due to the increased screen size and additional features and applications. Each person's use is highly personalized, so it's difficult to gauge how this battery will perform with your personal use, but, in general, it seems to be an adequate amount of power storage for moderate use. Still, it will more than likely require daily charging. If this is a concern to you, you might consider an extended-life battery. These batteries are freely sold on Amazon and other locations, but most of them require an aftermarket back to the case that will replace your stock rear cover. Extended batteries mean heftier weight and added thickness to the phone. Another option is to purchase an additional battery as a backup for when your primary battery discharges.
Out of the box, the S4 comes equipped with Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 and a huge amount of software. If there's one complaint about this phone it is in relation to the amount of features and software bundled with it. The S4 has a mountain of software that, at first glance, can be absolutely overwhelming. It will take time to sort out and learn everything this phone can do, so pencil in an evening or two to explore, configure, and learn what's new and how to use it. The list is far too extensive to cover in this review, but it should be stated that every feature the phone has is supported by associated software. In addition to this software, Samsung has packed new applications to satisfy every possible type of user. You may find it all useful, but this is doubtful. Most likely, you'll use a subsection of all the software installed and make it your own. One could say Samsung has given the consumer the benefit of choice by adding so many features and so much software. Sometimes it's better to have too much than not enough, and this is true here. Rather than be overwhelmed by it, see it as a library of possibilities that supports a healthy amount of functions. Decide which functions are useful to you and learn them. For those functions and applications that hold little interest, leave them alone for now.
The S4 is an enhanced deconstruction and reconstruction of the S3. If you currently own the S3 and are considering an upgrade, take stock in the added features and capabilities of the S4. The S4 will give you the latest Android has to offer; a larger amount of storage space; a fabulous HD screen; a high-quality, 13-megapixel camera; huge amounts of added features and software; and a fantastic processor under the hood. If these things are important to you, then the S4 may be an exciting upgrade. If you're happy with the features and performance of your current S3, then you may want to save your money and stay with what you have.
Overall, the S4 is a brilliant device. It's not without its flaws and there is always room for improvement. While Apple performed wonders defining the modern smartphone, Samsung has helped take the concept one step further. If you're looking to upgrade your older smartphone and break into the Samsung Galaxy world for the first time, the S4 is a fantastic selection. It is, arguably, the best Android phone on the market, at present. Some may say it's the best smartphone, period. Each person's decision and opinion is highly individualistic. One thing is for sure, Samsung has pulled out all the stops to ensure consumers get the most for their money, and they have set the bar even higher for newcomers to take the mantle of achievement to a new level.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Awesome, but just for the initial 45 days of use - wifi/bt are dead and requires motherboard replacement
By Tarek Bazzi
I already own an I 9505 and purchased this as a gift to my wife. She loved it, but wifi and bluetooth went dead after aprox. 45 days of use.
After noticing that there is no warranty from the seller after the first month of purchase; that Samsung Brazil informs that cannot accept an International version of GT-I9505 and that it has no International Warranty I am extremely disappointed.
I had to send the phone to a local 'generic' technical assistance for repair and they are asking me $300.00 for a new motherboard (the wifi/bt modules are soldered in the motherboard).
The total cost x benefit relation became terrible. I am spending a total of more than $850.00 ($650 for the phone + $300 for the repair), so it would be better for me to buy it here in Brazil, parcel the total amount in my credit card and would still have Samsung's warranty.
I don't know if they exist here, but look for sellers offering products with International Warranty. My disappointment for buying this product from this seller is tremendous as I bought it in late December 2013 and in early February 2014 the phone was almost unusable.
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