Samsung Galaxy S 4G
Phone Scoop Review
Feb 22, 2011 by Eric M. Zeman
Samsung has updated the Vibrant variant of its Galaxy S line with HSPA+ at 21Mbps. Is a faster data radio worth the upgrade? Find out in Phone Scoop's review. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Good Phone, bad service
Prior to purchasing this phone I read reviews on Phonescoop.com from other users. I also checked T-Mobile's coverage area for network, and voice coverage. That said, I bought this phone, and have had it for about two week's. The android software is the best, and I was really shocked at the battery life. I typically get a full day of moderate to heavy use on a charge. The 4G speed is not very good, using Speedtest.net I usually get about 2 mbbs down where the coverage is highest. I used to have the HTC EVO, and would get speeds up to 7 mbbbs. The real problems I have are not with the phone but with T-Mobile or maybe this phone with T-Mobile. All I know is at my home, where there is supposed to be good 4G coverage, I am on the EDGE network, and have had several problems with calls not going though, or being dropped. I have consulted tech. support however the issue still happens.
Pros: Great display
Great Battery life
Easy to turn Wi-Fi on/off
Wireless N wi-fi
Cons: No Flash for camera
Call reliability
4G speed and coverage
Camera picture quality
Best Phone on the Market
My previous phone was the Samsung Impression, and I was overall happy with its quality and performance.
Before leaving AT&T I tried the iPhone for 2 days. Upon switching to T-Mobile, I tried the HTC MyTouch 4G for 5 days. Both were unacceptable for different reasons; battery life on an HTC Android phone is awful (my brother has the EVO).
Now for the GREAT NEWS.
The Samsung Galaxy S 4G is the best phone I have EVER known of...and I'm picky, to say the least.
PRO's
-Fantastic call quality!
-Battery - stream video, make calls, text your heart out. I'm going on 40 hours without a charge. Standby time is awesome! (my battery anxiety has vanished).
-Easy-to-use task manager to end one or all of the running apps with a single button. No need to download an aftermarket "killer".
-Super-fast at pretty much everything. 4G is awesome. Download movies or TV episodes, stream live video from the web.
-Wireless hotspot for up to 5 devices. Very fast performance. I might even cancel my cable internet some day...
-Beautiful LED screen. LED's use less battery.
-HD (720p) screen and video capture
-Great 5 MP camera.
-Front-facing camera.
-Intuitive controls. Easy to navigate.
-Build quality. Great form and fit.
-NO GLITCHES that I have seen.
-The phone architecture / design. The phone comes with a 16 GB memory card. Samsung has shown some vision here. It's BETTER to have removable memory than on-board memory. You can drop your phone in a pool or run over it; if your SIM card and memory card are removable, you can then load them into another device and go!! ...downloaded apps and all! I would never use a non-SIM phone.
-WiFi and WiFi calling! I can use ALL of my phone's functionality on WiFi-equipped airplane flights, or other WiFi-equipped areas that otherwise have no cell service. Think about that...
CON's
-No camera flash. No big deal.
