The Samsung Galaxy S4 Display: A Comparative Analysis with the T-Mobile Version
I have affectionately named this guy Sheldon, and I had to get the T-Mobile version because as I had thought and as was confirmed today, it is the one with an unlocked bootloader. AT&T has one with a locked bootloader, and that's the biggest insult when it comes to Android phones, especially a phone with this much power. People like to load custom ROMs on it; people want custom firmware, and you can't really do that with a locked bootloader. That was a nightmare for me with my Galaxy S4; it was a big problem. So, I'm very happy that I got the T-Mobile version this time.
The display is huge, 5.7 inches in, which is almost as large as the 6.4-inch display on the Z Ultra. I have had a chance to look at the pixels thus far, and I can tell that it's got that diamond pentile-like arrangement. It's basically the GS4 display stretched from 5 inches up to almost 6 inches, so the pixel density is not like on the Galaxy S4 or other phones coming out on the market. Although, it does look quite nice, still. However, I'm seeing because of the arrangement that there are pink borders from the sub-pixel arrangement, and that's one thing that I'm not liking as much.
Samsung has changed the look of the device, and I'm trying to refocus here on the side. You can see that there are these ridges, and I guess Samsung is trying to make this look more like a book. I'm not liking it so much. I really did appreciate that brushed aluminum finish that was on the Galaxy S4 over this; this looks quite cheap to me. Although, that back cover feels very, very nice. It's covered up by this great back cover that's rigid and doesn't feel like faux leather; it's silicone or TPU, which is placed on top of normal plastic.
The cheap siding is really covered up by the back cover, and I think that's great. The phone still smudges with fingerprints honestly, but they're not as noticeable, and if you have sweaty fingers, you won't be slipping and dropping your phone. That's a plus. I'm going to do a full first impressions of this; it's going to be pretty in-depth.
One thing that I'm also noting at the bottom is that there is this speaker grill that's pretty subpar compared to what we had on the Note 2. What I'm recording on right now, I did play Candy Crush Saga before I realized that the display was absolutely awful and could hear some clipping at the highest volume. So, I did try it on this one, and it does that as well.
I'm going to listen to some music and see if that's still a problem. Apparently, it's a lot weaker than what's on the Galaxy Note 2 and just doesn't sound as nice. I'll have to really do some good tests on that and see how I feel. But this guy is quite nice.
I have a 6.4-inch display on the Z Ultra and thought that was a sweet spot, so I'm really curious to see how I will do with the display of this size, especially as I have my iPhone 5 somewhere here. The battery died while I tried filming with it; we've got this little tiny thing versus this.
I'm going to be using both of these at the same time, and I just want to compare experiences so let's go ahead and look at what's inside of the box. There's nothing spectacular or special in there; just everything you know – manuals, cables, hopefully, a nice long charger like usual, some headphone gels, and also headphones.
Now, what are these? This is something that the T-Mobile people were looking at, and I have no idea what it is. You can see it looks like a clamp, and apparently, this clamp is for these little pins. But I can't figure out what these pins are for; if anybody has any idea, that would be great. That's all I've got right now.
First Impressions of Sheldon
As I sit here with my new device, Sheldon, I have to say it feels pretty good in my hands. The phone still smudges with fingerprints, but they're not as noticeable and can't be prevented entirely. If you have sweaty fingers, you won't be slipping and dropping your phone; that's a plus.
I did try playing Candy Crush Saga before realizing the display was absolutely awful and could hear some clipping at the highest volume. So, I decided to try it on this one, and it does that as well. I'll be doing good tests on that later.
Comparing to My Other Devices
One of my favorite things about using both of these devices – my T-Mobile Sheldon and my AT&T iPhone 5 – is getting a feel for the difference in displays. The screen on the Z Ultra is so big, but it's also pretty sharp. Now, let's see how this device measures up.
Using This Device
So far, I have to say that the phone feels quite nice in my hands. It may not be perfect, and there are some areas where it can be improved, like how it handles music playback or displaying images. However, I'm looking forward to doing more tests and getting a better feel for what this device has to offer.
Display: Diamond Pentile Arrangement
The display on the Sheldon is something I want to get closer to. While the screen resolution is nice, the diamond pentile arrangement doesn't seem as refined as I would like. It gives the impression of pixelation; that it's not quite right for a device this expensive.
That being said, once you look past the minor details, the display looks great. The pixel density isn't as high as some devices coming out now, but when combined with the phone's size and the resolution, it results in an image that feels pretty sharp.
The Phone's Build Quality
This is where the device really shines. As I said before, this back cover is covered up by a great back cover – rigid, not faux leather. The build quality is top-notch, feeling solid and well-made.
But what about the phone itself? It still smudges with fingerprints; it's an issue that can't be completely avoided. However, they're relatively easy to wipe off, so I'm hoping this won't be a major problem for me.
Overall
So, what does Sheldon have to offer? In many ways, it feels like a solid Android device – great display, nice build quality, and good performance. However, there are some areas where it can improve: the music playback, display resolution, and general feel of the screen.