Samsung Galaxy S 4G / Reviews

The S 4G is essentially a mildly tweaked Samsung Vibrant with a couple of extra goodies. For those keeping score, a lot of the Vibrant’s perfectly serviceable features are back.
So, what’s new? Android 2.2, for starters. Also, as the phone’s awkward moniker boasts, this handset brings T-Mobile’s particular brand of 4G (HSPA+) to the fold.
I honestly wasn’t expecting too much given the piecemeal rollout of this next-gen data network, but the difference was noticeable immediately. Heavy hitting image-rich sites like (ahem) Wired.com loaded with virtually no hesitation, and raining down large file downloads from Dropbox produced nary a stutter.
Yet another addition is the S 4G’s front-facing VGA camera. Though it’s perfectly poised for video conferencing, I was a little underwhelmed by the options on the app side. Getting the service up and running is simple enough thanks to a preloaded Qik app, but the occasional stutter and noticeable lag left a lot to be desired.
Lack of polish aside, I can’t really fault the VGA camera in terms of functionality. I was able to make and receive video calls just fine. They just resembled fireside chats with Max Headroom.

If we’ve learned anything over the past year, it’s that incremental improvements are incredibly easy to flub. Even with our lingering gripes with the S 4G, we can’t give the phone too much guff.
Samsung managed to transform an already well-appointed blueprint into an even stronger contender. Sure, it’s not the overwhelmingly overhauled quad-core beast of our dreams. But even incremental progress still counts as progress.

Read original review at Wired.

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The Samsung Galaxy S 4G is an entertainment powerhouse. If you're looking for a phone that can offer excellent photo and video quality, with excellent choices for live and on-demand TV, this is the phone for you. The screen is gorgeous, the battery life is impressive, the camera/camcorder capture everyday memories with excellent quality, and the gaming experience is fun.
Though there were some issues with voice quality and a few minor frustrations relating to the lock screen and access to the camera settings, the Galaxy S 4G is a solid device with some impressive features.
If you're more interested in Facebook, gaming, video, and email than you are in gabbing on the phone, this is the device for you. Voice quality isn't horrible by any means, or even particularly bad, but it is the weakest point for what is, in all other respects, a powerful and fun device.

Read original review at Brighthand.

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It's an exciting time to be a T-Mobile customer. There's never been a better selection of high-end AWS-compatible Android devices before. The Galaxy S 4G, Nexus S, myTouch 4G, and G2 each bring a unique flavor of Android to the table. We think "pure" Android 2.3 trumps HSPA+, so the Nexus S is our first choice. But if you absolutely require HSPA+, we highly recommend the Galaxy S 4G. It beats the myTouch 4G with a larger, higher quality display, a less pervasive skin, and a lower price (after mail-in rebate). It also improves upon the Vibrant with HSPA+ and a front-facing camera, at the expense of that 16GB of internal flash storage. Cosmetically, we prefer the Vibrant to the Galaxy S 4G, but that's a matter of taste. If you already have a Vibrant, we suggest you wait until something more compelling comes along, unless HSPA+ and the front-facing camera really matter to you. We enjoyed our time with the Galaxy S 4G. It's a feature rich Android phone with a slightly customized UI that packs an impressive camera and delivers solid performance across the board. Battery life could be better, and it could be a little cheaper ($200 with a two-year contract, after $50 mail-in rebate). Let's just hope Samsung drops that Gingerbread update in less than six months this time around.

Read original review at Engadget.

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The Samsung Galaxy S 4G ranks in the 'Average' category. While the original Samsung Vibrant was a breath of fresh air to a stagnant T-Mobile line up, the Galaxy S 4G actually acts as a bit of an insult to T-Mobile customers. It hasn't even been a full year yet, meaning customers who bought the Vibrant can't get the Galaxy S 4G at a discount. Even if they were able to, it's really a negligible upgrade, and in all honesty, a step backward.
The lag is a huge killing factor for the Samsung Galaxy S 4G. In addition, while the battery size has been increased to 1650 mAh, it seems to run out of battery faster. With live wallpaper enabled, and some Internet radio applications running for about an hour, and about 30 minutes or so of calling, it lasted a little over 5 hours, which is a huge disappointment. Also, with Gingerbread becoming readily available to smartphones, one has to wonder if the Galaxy S 4G will receive an update soon or have the massive lag time for updates like its predecessor.
Overall, a disappointment from T-Mobile and Samsung. While AT&T and Verizon updated their Samsung Galaxy line up with the Samsung Infuse, Samsung Continuum and an unnamed Samsung LTE device, T-Mobile took a very weak approach releasing a smartphone that should've been a bigger update. While people who already have Android powered handsets may not feel the need to get the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, new users interested in getting a smartphone should try picking one up.

Read original review at Bright Hub.

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The Samsung Galaxy S 4G worked really well for the first week or so. I was impressed with how stable and improved it was compared to the previous Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant. Unfortunately, after I installed literally two apps (Google Maps' update and Speedtest.net), force quit error dialogs started appearing very frequently. Uninstalling the apps didn't seem to help, so it will likely need a hard reset instead.

If you're looking for the newest Android 2.2 smartphone with very fast HSPA+ network support, Wi-Fi internet sharing, a gorgeous Super AMOLED screen, Qik video calling, WiFi calling for those bad-reception areas, and you enjoy finding and fixing bugs on your own then the Samsung Galaxy S 4G is a good choice.

Read original review at Pocketnow.

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Overall callers were impressed with the Samsung Galaxy S 4G. They said we sounded a bit distant and real nasally (in fairness we are a bit congested) but not hollow and they had no issues hearing us clearly. They rated us an 8.25/10, and we would probably rate them about half a point higher than that. Their voice sounded natural and clear, and though we could hear background noise from the store they were at it did not take away from the conversation. The battery has been beefed up to 1650mAh (from 1500) but the rating remains the same at 6.5 hours of talk time.

We were fairly impressed with the Samsung Vibrant the first time around, and the Galaxy S 4G is pretty much the same phone with faster data speed and video calling abilities. Even in today’s market the Galaxy S 4G slots in the upper echelon of handsets, even as the Galaxy S II is set to launch soon. The market is moving at a breakneck pace these days, and high-end handsets almost seem cookie cutter. Still, the Galaxy S 4G makes its mark with a wafer thin design, beautiful display and by being the fastest phone for data (at least in theory) in the nation.

Read original review at PhoneArena.

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The Samsung Galaxy S 4G has sung, and we have listened. But rather than walk away feeling entirely refreshed, as one would having seen an emotionally-clad symphony, we were left feeling like we just saw a cheap sequel to a box office smash hit. It was good, but included a lot of the same material. Obviously, the phone shines with its HSPA+ speeds and upgraded software, but we hear it mumbling "We're not so different, you and I," to the Samsung Vibrant.

The bottom line is this. If you live within 4G territory, then we'd recommend the Samsung Galaxy S 4G. It is T-Mobile's fastest phone to date, after all, in terms of network speeds. But if you're stuck in 3G land, the Samsung Vibrant will suit you just fine. Also, if you want an enhanced OS experience, T-Mobile offers the most awesome Nexus S for a sheer Android 2.3 Gingerbread cockpit. However, the Samsung Galaxy S 4G id definitely not a revolution when compared to the first round of Galaxy S phones released last year.

Read original review at infoSync World.

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If you already own a Vibrant, we wouldn't say this is a necessary upgrade, especially since you're probably still on contract. However, if you're in the market for a new smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S 4G is certainly one of our top picks. T-Mobile has two other great 4G devices, the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G and the T-Mobile G2, and it may come down to personal preference, but the Galaxy S 4G has the potential to be faster and also sports a sharper, richer display.

Read original review at Cnet.

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The Samsung Vibrant was my daily phone for quite a few months. I really enjoyed using it, once I dealt with the lag issue, that is. Luckily, the Galaxy S 4G has no such lag issues and does pretty much everything as well or better than the Vibrant. It runs Froyo out of the box, has a new front camera for video chatting, and offers absolutely blazing data speeds. Add Wi-Fi calling and 3G Hotspot support to the mix, and you've got a really nice smartphone.

Even with the advances in display technology that we're seeing, I still find the Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy S 4G to be among the very best available. It's a rock star feature that people notice every single time they pick up the phone, and it's just one more reason to love the Galaxy S 4G. It's a great device.

Read original review at MobileBurn.

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In concluding our mini-review of the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, it's safe to say that it is a (slightly) better phone, even if you can't tell the differences at first glance. The network speeds are extremely fast, and have an obvious effect on browser, Market and app performance. Anything requiring the network simply connects and downloads faster.

The presence of the second, user-facing camera is a welcome addition, too. The bummer is that Qik's software is so inconsistent and frustrating to use.

These differences aside, if you were intrigued by the Vibrant (or any of Samsung's Galaxy S devices) there's no reason to skip the Galaxy S 4G. It's a fast phone on a fast network

Read original review at Phone Scoop.

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k, so its not mine its my parents, but it is a really good phone, i go on it all the time. They never complain about it witch is rare for them, the battery isnt the greatest but isnt bad either. Its easy to use and fun i give it the best reatings possible!

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