Mobile phone samsung galaxy s4 active. Samsung Galaxy S4 Active: review, specifications and reviews. The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
Information about the make, model, and alternative names of a particular device, if any.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Used materials, suggested colors, certificates.
Width Width information refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 71.3 mm (millimeters) 7.13 cm (centimeters) 0.23 ft 2.81in |
Height Height information refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 139.7 mm (millimeters) 13.97 cm (centimeters) 0.46 ft 5.5in |
Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement. | 9.1 mm (millimeters) 0.91 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft 0.36in |
The weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 153 g (grams) 0.34 lbs 5.4oz |
Volume Approximate volume of the device, calculated from dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. | 90.64 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 5.5 in³ (cubic inches) |
Colors Information about the colors in which this device is offered for sale. | Grey Blue Orange |
Certification Information about the standards to which this device is certified. | IP67 |
SIM card
The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.
Mobile networks
A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.
GSM GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is designed to replace the analogue mobile network (1G). For this reason, GSM is often referred to as a 2G mobile network. It is enhanced by the addition of GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) and later EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) technologies. | GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz |
UMTS UMTS is short for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. It is based on the GSM standard and belongs to 3G mobile networks. Developed by 3GPP and its biggest advantage is to provide more speed and spectral efficiency with W-CDMA technology. | UMTS 850 MHz UMTS 900 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz |
LTE LTE (Long Term Evolution) is defined as fourth generation (4G) technology. It is developed by 3GPP based on GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA to increase the capacity and speed of wireless mobile networks. The subsequent development of technologies is called LTE Advanced. | LTE 700 MHz Class 17 LTE 800 MHz LTE 850 MHz LTE 900 MHz LTE 1700/2100 MHz LTE 1800 MHz LTE 1900 MHz LTE 2100 MHz LTE 2600 MHz |
Mobile technologies and data rates
Communication between devices in mobile networks is carried out through technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
The operating system is the system software that manages and coordinates the operation of the hardware components in the device.
SoC (System on a Chip)
System on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device in one chip.
SoC (System on a Chip) System on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components such as processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation. | Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T |
Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is made. The value in nanometers measures half the distance between the elements in the processor. | 28 nm (nanometers) |
Processor (CPU) The main function of the processor (CPU) of a mobile device is the interpretation and execution of instructions contained in software applications. | Krait 300 |
Processor bit depth The bit depth (bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance than 32-bit processors, which, in turn, are more productive than 16-bit processors. | 32 bit |
Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands by which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute. | ARMv7 |
Level 0 Cache (L0) Some processors have an L0 (level 0) cache that is faster to access than L1, L2, L3, etc. The advantage of having such a memory is not only higher performance, but also reduced power consumption. | 4 kB + 4 kB (kilobytes) |
First level cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently accessed data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small and much faster than both system memory and other cache levels. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for them in the L2 cache. With some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2. | 16 kB + 16 kB (kilobytes) |
Second level cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1, but in return it has a larger capacity, allowing more data to be cached. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or RAM. | 2048 KB (kilobytes) 2 MB (megabytes) |
Number of processor cores The processor core executes program instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to be executed in parallel. | 4 |
Processor clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 1900 MHz (megahertz) |
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) The graphics processing unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphics applications. In mobile devices, it is used most often by games, consumer interface, video applications, etc. | Qualcomm Adreno 320 |
Number of GPU cores Like the CPU, the GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle the graphical calculations of different applications. | 4 |
GPU clock speed Speed is the clock speed of the GPU and is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 400 MHz (megahertz) |
The amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost when the device is turned off or restarted. | 2 GB (gigabytes) |
Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device. | LPDDR3 |
Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels means higher data rates. | dual channel |
RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its speed, more specifically, the speed of reading / writing data. | 600 MHz (megahertz) |
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has a built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed amount.
Memory cards
Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.
Screen
The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the image quality of information directly depends. | TFT |
Diagonal For mobile devices, the screen size is expressed in terms of its diagonal length, measured in inches. | 5 in 127 mm (millimeters) 12.7 cm (centimeters) |
Width Approximate Screen Width | 2.45in 62.26 mm (millimeters) 6.23 cm (centimeters) |
Height Approximate Screen Height | 4.36in 110.69 mm (millimeters) 11.07 cm (centimeters) |
Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.778:1 16:9 |
Permission Screen resolution indicates the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means sharper image detail. | 1080 x 1920 pixels |
Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be shown on the screen in clearer detail. | 441ppi (pixels per inch) 173ppm (pixels per centimeter) |
Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in a single pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors the screen can display. | 24 bit 16777216 flowers |
Screen area Approximate percentage of screen space on the front of the device. | 69.42% (percentage) |
Other characteristics Information about other functions and features of the screen. | capacitive Multitouch Scratch resistance |
Corning Gorilla Glass 2 |
Sensors
Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that are recognized by the mobile device.
Main camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the case and is used for taking photos and videos.
Flash type The most common types of flashes in mobile devices cameras are LED and xenon flashes. LED flashes give a softer light and, unlike brighter xenon flashes, are also used for video shooting. | LED |
Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of mobile device cameras is their resolution, which indicates the number of pixels in the horizontal and vertical direction of an image. | 3264 x 2448 pixels 7.99 MP (megapixels) |
Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution for video recording by the device. | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
Video - frame rate/frames per second. Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the device when shooting video at the maximum resolution. Some of the main standard shooting and video playback speeds are 24p, 25p, 30p, 60p. | 30 fps (frames per second) |
Characteristics Information about other software and hardware features related to the main camera and improving its functionality. | autofocus Burst shooting digital zoom geo tags panoramic shooting Touch focus Face recognition Adjusting the white balance ISO setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene Selection Mode |
Additional camera
Additional cameras are usually mounted above the screen of the device and are mainly used for video calls, gesture recognition, etc.
Audio
Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Location determination
Information about navigation and location technologies supported by the device.
WiFi
Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for short distance data transmission between different devices.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between different types of devices over short distances.
Version There are several versions of Bluetooth, with each subsequent one improving communication speed, coverage, making it easier to discover and connect devices. Information about the Bluetooth version of the device. | 4.0 |
Characteristics Bluetooth uses different profiles and protocols for faster data exchange, energy savings, better device discovery, and more. Some of the profiles and protocols that the device supports are shown here. | A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) AVRCP (Audio/Visual Remote Control Profile) DIP (Device ID Profile) HFP (Hands Free Profile) HID (Human Interface Profile) HSP (Headset Profile) MAP (Message Access Profile) OPP (Object Push Profile) PAN (Personal Area Networking Profile) PBAP/PAB (Phone Book Access Profile) SAP/SIM/rSAP (SIM Access Profile) |
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to communicate.
HDMI
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a digital audio/video interface that replaces older analog audio/video standards.
Headphone jack
This is an audio connector, which is also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connecting devices
Information about other important connection technologies supported by the device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
Browser Information about some of the key features and standards supported by the device's browser. | HTML HTML5 CSS 3 |
Audio file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support various audio file formats and codecs that store and encode/decode digital audio data, respectively.
Video file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support various video file formats and codecs, which store and encode/decode digital video data, respectively.
Battery
Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge they need to function.
Capacity The capacity of a battery indicates the maximum charge it can store, measured in milliamp-hours. | 2600 mAh (milliamp-hours) |
Type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more specifically, by the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries being the most commonly used in mobile devices. | Li-Ion (Li-Ion) |
Talk time 2G Talk time in 2G is the period of time during which the battery is completely discharged during a continuous conversation in a 2G network. | 17 h (hours) 1020 min (minutes) 0.7 days |
2G standby time The 2G standby time is the amount of time it takes for the battery to fully discharge when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network. | 312 h (hours) 18720 min (minutes) 13 days |
3G talk time Talk time in 3G is the period of time during which the battery is completely discharged during a continuous conversation in a 3G network. | 15 h (hours) 900 min (minutes) 0.6 days |
3G standby time The 3G standby time is the amount of time it takes for the battery to fully discharge when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network. | 320 h (hours) 19200 min (minutes) 13.3 days |
4G standby time The 4G standby time is the amount of time it takes for the battery to fully discharge when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 4G network. | 290 h (hours) 17400 min (minutes) 12.1 days |
Characteristics Information about some additional features of the device's battery. | Wireless charger Removable |
Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)
SAR levels refer to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.
Head SAR (EU) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device near the ear in a conversation position. In Europe, the maximum allowable SAR value for mobile devices is limited to 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard has been established by CENELEC in accordance with IEC standards following the 1998 ICNIRP guidelines. | 0.264 W/kg (watt per kilogram) |
Body SAR (EU) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device at hip level. The maximum allowed SAR value for mobile devices in Europe is 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard has been established by CENELEC following the 1998 ICNIRP guidelines and IEC standards. | 0.358 W/kg (watt per kilogram) |
Head SAR (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device near the ear. The maximum value used in the US is 1.6 W/kg per gram of human tissue. Mobile devices in the US are controlled by the CTIA and the FCC conducts tests and sets their SAR values. | 0.55 W/kg (watt per kilogram) |
Body SAR (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device at hip level. The highest acceptable SAR value in the US is 1.6 W/kg per gram of human tissue. This value is set by the FCC, and the CTIA controls whether mobile devices comply with this standard. | 0.75 W/kg (watt per kilogram) |
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is a protected version of the 2013 flagship, the Galaxy S4. The name of the model contains the word "Active", which, as it were, hints that this smartphone will be primarily of interest to users with an active lifestyle. This is also facilitated by the stylish design and the declared level of protection of the IP67 standard. The manufacturer also reports that the device is able to stay under water for about 30 minutes at a depth of up to 1 meter.
Smartphone appearance.
In general, the device looks very nice and stylish. At the start of sales, it is available in three colors: black, orange and blue. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, the specific names of these shades are not yet known. The body dimensions are 139.7 x 71.3 x 9.1 and the weight of the C4 Active is 151 grams (against 130 grams for the I9500). The device looks very stylish and for lovers of weighty, "true" phones - it's just a godsend.
Video review.
Camera video example.
Characteristics.
The smartphone has a powerful Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, each of which operates at a frequency of 1.9 GHz. This is a really powerful chip and in terms of performance it is in no way inferior to the flagship I9500, and sometimes even wins. The Adreno 320 chip is used as a video accelerator in the Galaxy S4 Active. The amount of RAM is 2 GB, and the built-in 16 GB, and the manufacturer noticed that a little more than 11 GB is available to the user, and not 8.9 GB, as in the first version of the flagship.
This device also has support for LTE, which is critical for some users. All other communication standards and modules Bluetooth, Wi-Fi are available, presented in full and similar to the flagship.
Screen.
The display has a diagonal of 5 inches and a density of 443 ppi. Unlike the older version of the flagship in 2013, it is made using Super LCD technology, not Super Amoled, but nevertheless the picture is very clear and the viewing angles are maximum. You can be quite sure that this screen does not lose to competitors and looks just great.
Camera.
The main camera in the S4 Active is capable of taking pictures at a resolution of 8 megapixels. Yes, this is the second feature that makes this smartphone somewhat “weaker” than the flagship, but do not despair and focus on this. The camera module here is simply magnificent, and if it is inferior to it in the I9500, it is only in the size of the photos, since the quality is no worse. We can safely say that this is exactly the module that is used in the Galaxy Note 2 and S3, and it gives pictures of excellent quality.
Software.
Out of the box, the smartphone comes with Android 4.2.2 and a proprietary shell from Samsung. Of course, there are all the new software "chips" and options, which you can read more about in the Galaxy C4 review at the link above.
Photos Galaxy S4 Active.
Below are some photos of this rugged smartphone, as well as a comparison with the I9500.
Contents of delivery:
- Samsung i9295
- Battery
- Wired stereo headset
- AC adapter and USB cable
- User guide
- Warranty card
Introduction
Samsung has been actively trying to promote its sometimes controversial devices for the past couple of years, which will become quite popular in the future. I think no one will argue with me that after the launch of the “shovel” called Galaxy Note, all other manufacturers, in the wake of the popularity of the model, also began to make similar “plafonds”. Last year, Samsung launched a hybrid of an Android device and a photo camera (by the way, the camera has a good 21x zoom). I won’t say that the device has become popular, but it definitely found a certain audience of users. This year, the Galaxy Camera appeared: this time a full-fledged smartphone with a powerful 10x optical zoom. By the way, all this functions on a fairly productive hardware. The only unclosed niche remained in the segment of secure gadgets in the high price category, so Samsung decided to slightly modify the flagship Galaxy S4 and launch it on a wide sale. Frankly speaking, only part of the name, shell and battery remained from S4 in Active. The rest has undergone a slight "downgrade". They did everything right, otherwise no one would have chosen the original S4, if there is the same one, only with an IP67 degree of protection, and even made of matte plastic and having a slightly more brutal appearance.
I will try not to stretch the review, because in this model it is important to know about case materials, screen and performance. It makes sense to indicate certain differences from the S4, since at the same cost it will be relatively difficult for a potential buyer to decide on one or another Galaxy model.
Design, dimensions, controls
Finally, Samsung has moved away from the same type of plastic glossy cases of “soap boxes” and made a real masculine, rather brutal-looking smartphone. I feel it won't be for long, sadly waiting for the Galaxy Note 3 in the same style as the original S4.
Dimensions relative to Samsung i9500 have increased: 139x71x9.1 mm against the compact and thin "four" - 136x69x7.9 mm. It seems that, judging by the numbers, the changes have been minor, but in the hand you still feel that the Active is clearly inferior to the S4 in terms of ergonomics. In addition, the latter weighs only 130 grams, while the "active" weighs 153 grams. Again, the difference is small, but the i9295 is more massive. In general, it's a matter of taste: someone prefers bigger and heavier, so that the phone is more clearly felt in the hands; someone loves lighter, a little smaller. Personally, I would choose the Samsung Galaxy S4, just because of the low weight, thickness and height. In winter, such “shoulder blades” can still be hidden in a jacket pocket, and in summer it is more difficult. I can’t imagine what future Sony Xperia Z Ultra users will do :)
Unfortunately, the "Samsungites" were not able to step over themselves and present a new device with metal elements. Remember how everyone was waiting for an iron back cover in Samsung Ativ S. But no - again plastic. So in the Galaxy S4 Active - solid plastic. Another issue is quality: if the S4 is built from a relatively light and bendable material, then the S4 Active is made of more "oak" plastic, especially the chrome sidewalls, which partially form a rim on the front panel. It is protected by durable second-generation Corning Gorilla Glass (by the way, S4 is covered with third-generation glass!) I didn’t notice any difference: both were not damaged at all during a long time of operation.
The top and bottom inserts are made of black soft-touch plastic (embossed) and decorated with four metal plugs on the ends. The rear panel is semi-gloss, dark gray, on top of the cover there is a small pattern in the form of light gray honeycombs.
In general, the design of the Samsung Active is quite original, but the weight and size parameters are a big fan.
On top of the front panel are light and proximity sensors, a front camera and a speaker, covered with a metal chrome mesh. Sensors work correctly, there are no questions. The speaker has a high volume, and during a call you can adjust the level not only by standard means, but also activate the special function "Additional volume". It seemed to me that it does not increase the volume, but rather makes the interlocutor's voice closer to the ear, the sound becomes a little more natural and richer. In general, the speaker is of high quality, I liked it. However, unlike the original S4, the Active speaker has a slightly more muffled sound.
Under the screen are three large mechanical buttons ("Back", "Home", "Menu"), separated by small partitions. The move is quite soft, pressing medium hardness.
At the bottom end there is a microphone and microUSB, covered with a rubberized plug. It holds tightly, and during use it has never opened by itself, water has not penetrated either.
On the left is a thin ribbed volume rocker button, on the right is the same type, but a little smaller on / off button of the device, it also acts as an unlock / lock screen. The location is convenient, just under the thumb of the right hand.
An infrared port, a second microphone and a standard 3.5 mm jack are on the top.
On the back side there is a speakerphone covered with a metal mesh, an LED flash and a camera framed by a metal strip and slightly rising above the body.
Despite the protection from dust and moisture (immersion in water by 1 meter for 30 minutes), the back cover is very thin and can be easily removed if you pry off the special recess on the left. There is a rubber lining inside the perimeter of the lid. I did not try to drown Samsung Active in the seas and oceans, but the device lay in the bath at a depth of 30 centimeters for about an hour. Still working, no problems. The main thing is to make sure once again that the USB is closed and the lid is tightly latched onto the case.
Under the panel on the left there is a slot for a microSDHC memory card, on the right - microSIM.
Comparative dimensions:
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active and Galaxy S4
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active and HTC One
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active and Meizu MX2
Display
Just like in the original Samsung Galaxy S4 device, in the Galaxy S4 Active the screen diagonal is 5 inches, the physical size is 62x110 mm, the matrix resolution is also the same - 1080x1920 pixels (FullHD), the density is 441 pixels per inch. This concludes the general screen options. The Samsung S4 display is made using Super Amoled technology, while the Samsung S4 Active is already using a PLS matrix. There is a difference, of course:
- PLS screen is not as colorful as Super Amoled
- Viewing angles are slightly smaller, although the picture is almost not distorted
- The depth of black is naturally worse; the glow of the matrix is observed
Oddly enough, the Active's display also performs slightly worse in the sun than the S4's display. The latter wins due to the high contrast and, possibly, the thinner protective glass: after all, Gorilla Glass 3.
If we consider pixels under a microscope, then the construction of dots is denser on the PLS matrix. However, the human eye will not be able to see the individual pixels on either the Active screen or the S4 screen! In this regard, both smartphones have parity. I would prefer the Samsung Galaxy S4 display.
The touch layer is capacitive, the sensitivity is very high (there is a separate item that includes high sensitivity). Works out up to 10 simultaneous touches. Under water "touch" does not work!
Despite the different type of matrix, the mode is still set in the Active settings: dynamic, standard, film or optimized. The difference when switching is noticeable, but not as obvious as on the Super Amoled matrix. Other parameters are the same as in Samsung i9500.
Screen behavior of Samsung S4 and S4 Active (left) in the sun:
Checking the black depth of Samsung S4 mini (left), S4, S4 Active (right):
Viewing angles Samsung S4 mini (left), S4, S4 Active (right):
Battery
Removable Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) 2600 mAh, 3.8 V, 9.88 Wh battery (with built-in NFC antenna) installed. This smartphone uses exactly the same battery that is installed in the Samsung S4.
The developers claim that the device will work in standby mode for 312 hours, and in talk mode - up to 17 hours.
With 20-25 minutes of calls per day, 4-5 hours of 3G, a couple of hours of Wi-Fi, an hour of watching videos and listening to music from the Galaxy Active, it was possible to squeeze out up to 10-12 hours of work from a single charge.
More numbers:
- Only in talk mode, the device works up to 7 hours
- Only when playing video (720p) at maximum volume in headphones and maximum screen brightness - just over 5 hours
- Only playing music in headphones at maximum volume - about 45 hours
- Only games (on the example of NOVA3) - a little more than 3 hours
In general, the "life" of the "active" battery is somewhat less than the life of the S4.
Communication options
The smartphone works in cellular networks 2G (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (850/900/1900/2100 MHz), LTE (U/D - 50/100 Mbps). Speed HSDPA - up to 42 Mbps, HSUPA - up to 5.76 Mbps. Available Bluetooth version 4.0 HS (A2DP, LE, EDR).
There is a wireless connection Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (chip - WCN3360). The unit can be used as an access point (Wi-Fi Hotspot) and file transfer (Wi-Fi Direct).
Hi-Speed USB 2.0 is also used for file transfer and data synchronization. When connected to a PC, the "active" is defined as a USB flash device (MTP) or a camera (PTP).
SAR value
Your phone has been manufactured to comply with the limits for exposure to radio frequency (RF) energy recommended by the Council of the European Union. These standards prohibit the sale of mobile phones whose radiation level (called the specific absorption rate, SAR) exceeds 2.0 watts per kilogram of body weight. During testing (courtesy of Samsung), the maximum SAR for this model was: 0.264 W/kg at the head, 0.358 W/kg at the body.
When used, the actual SAR values of the device are well below the above values. This is because for efficient system operation and reduced network impact, the mobile device's operating power is automatically reduced when the call does not require full power. The lower the output power of the device, the lower the SAR value.
Memory and memory card
As befits a powerful flagship device, 2 GB of RAM is installed here. Just over 1 GB free. Built-in memory 16 GB, available for installing applications and storing data about 11 GB. Of course, there is a slot for a microSDHC memory card. The maximum capacity can be 64 GB.
Camera
The Galaxy Active has two camera modules: 8 MP (with autofocus, F2.6, 33 mm) and 2 MP (front, without autofocus, for video calls). There is a single section LED flash. The original Galaxy S4 uses a completely different 13 MP module.
The quality of photos on the i9295 is comparable to the quality of photos on the Samsung Galaxy S2, perhaps at the level of the Galaxy S3: a somewhat “soapy” picture, faded colors, low sharpness, and a rather noisy matrix. If we compare frames on Active and S4, then the latter leaves the former far behind, i.e. the pictures on the S4 are much better.
Comparison under insufficient conditions Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 Active:
Video device writes in FullHD resolution at 30 fps. The quality is excellent, the sound is stereo, clear.
The front camera is capable of taking photos of 2 MP and video of 1080x1920 pixels at 30 fps.
EXIF information from a photo file
Video file characteristic:
- File Format: MP4
- Video codec: AVC, 17 Mbps
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080, 30 fps
- Audio codec: AAC, 128 Kbps
- Channels: 2 channels, 48 kHz
Sample photos on the main camera:
An example of a photo on the front camera:
Performance
The flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone runs on two different chips - Exynos 5 Octa and Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T, while the Galaxy S4 Active only runs on APQ8064T. Processor Krait 300 (1.9 GHz, quad-core), 28 nm process technology, ARMv7. Adreno 320 is responsible for the graphics.
Frankly, I did not notice the difference between Octa and Snapdragon, i.e. most of the tasks are performed in exactly the same way: applications, toys, work with the camera, video, shell. During the "use" did not meet any glitches or freezes, lags and bugs - a very smart smartphone!
The main speaker has a high volume, light bass sound, sounds clear. If you cover the speaker, the volume will drop by 40-50%.
This model also does not have an FM receiver. It's a shame.
Video player. There is a separate shortcut in the phone menu that links to launching the video file manager. The player "understands" H264, Xvid, DivX codecs and AVI, MP4, MKV, WMV file formats. The video player plays videos in resolutions up to 1080p. To support other video and sound formats, you should install a third-party player.
Conclusion
The conclusions are very simple: if you need a powerful smartphone that is protected from dust and moisture, and for some reason you don’t like Sony’s devices, then be sure to take a closer look at the Galaxy Active. Otherwise, it makes sense to buy Sony Xperia Z: also protected, elegant, thin and light, with a slightly more interesting camera and a slightly lower price (gray ones can be found from 18,000 rubles).
If you are not going to drown your phone in a puddle (aka the sea / ocean) or play with it in the sandbox, then run after the original Samsung Galaxy S4 - the coolest camera, contrast screen, light and compact.
Pros of Samsung Galaxy Active:
- Protection IP67
- Performance
- Quality build
- High-quality screen matrix
- Loud speech and polyphonic speakers
- Smooth interface
Cons of Samsung Galaxy Active:
- Somewhat large dimensions and weight (compared to the Galaxy S4)
- Average photo quality
- Short working time
- Lack of FM radio
Characteristics:
- Class: smartphone
- Form factor: monoblock
- Body materials: plastic
- Operating system: Google Android 4.2.2
- Processor: 4 cores, 1.9 GHz, Snapdragon APQ8064T
- RAM: 2 GB
- Storage Memory: 16 GB
- Interfaces: Wi-Fi (b / g / n / ac), Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging / synchronization, 3.5 mm for a headset,
- Screen: capacitive, IPS 5 "" with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels
- Camera: main 8 MP with autofocus, video is recorded in 1080p, front 2 MP, LED flash
- Navigation: GPS
- Optional: accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, infrared, LTE, IP67
- Battery: removable, lithium-ion (Li-Ion) 2600 mAh
- Dimensions: 139.7 x 71.3 x 9.1mm
- Weight: 153g
- Price: about 30,000 rubles (Q2-3)
Roman Belykh (
Flagship model with water and dirt resistance
Based on the impressive sales results of its flagship Galaxy S4, the Korean company Samsung decided not to stop there. Realizing that they need to exploit the name of their most successful product to the end, the Koreans have already created a whole pool of devices included in the Galaxy S family. In addition to the main smartphone, which itself, as you know, has two varieties based on different hardware platforms, in a smaller version called the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, and a protected version of the Galaxy S4 Active for people leading an active lifestyle, and even a “clean” Google phone, a version of the same smartphone, only now with modified software, will also appear on sale. Such a smartphone will be supplied completely devoid of both the proprietary TouchWiz shell and other software improvements by Samsung itself. We will tell you about the reduced “copy”, Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, in the very near future – we already have the model in our hands and pass all the necessary tests. Today we'll take a look at a secure variant called the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, which the company launches on the market in July following the rest of the "relatives" of the original S4.
In the pictures: a protected Samsung Galaxy S4 Active next to the original Galaxy S4.
About security
Smartphone Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, provided with protection from dust and moisture in accordance with the IP67 standard, is obviously conceived as an opposing alternative to the products of the Japanese Sony, which almost single-handedly holds the segment of top-end rugged smartphones. Before that, in the portfolio of Koreans, of course, one could also find secure mobile phones, but among them only one device is a full-fledged smartphone - Galaxy Xcover / Xcover 2, but this is a completely different functional and price level. Now Samsung has decided to remind about itself and that part of the audience, which for some reason are interested in both rich functionality and security of their mobile devices. In essence, after all, devices like Sony and Samsung are not real “SUVs”, if only because none of the recently tested such “protected” smartphones has even a hint of protection against drops and shocks - only from dust and water. Yes, and only fresh water - sea salt adversely affects the tightness of rubber gaskets, depriving them of elasticity. Therefore, following the automotive classification, such devices could be called rather "SUVs" - a kind of urban pampered "SUVs" that can only be carefully lowered into fresh water and for some reason held there for half an hour - no more.
So users who are suitable for their life activities such “semi-secure” smartphones are, rather, ordinary lovers of an active lifestyle with all the ensuing consequences, and not professionals: neither for workers, nor professional athletes, and even more so for rescuers such a “protected” technique won't fit. Those use in their work devices of a completely different classification - devices that have been tested for compliance with the military certificate MIL-810G (Military Standard).
But be that as it may, Samsung claims that the version of the Galaxy S4 smartphone with the prefix Active in the name meets the IP67 protection standard, and we need to figure out what this means in practice. As you know, the marking of the degree of protection of the shell of electrical equipment is carried out using two numbers, the first of which means protection against the ingress of solid objects, and the second - from the ingress of water. In this case, the first digit 6 means dust tightness, that is, complete protection against contact of the inside of the shell with dust. By the way, most secure Sony smartphones do not go that far: they only promise that a certain amount of dust can penetrate inside, but this will not interfere with the operation of the device. The corresponding first digit in the label for most Sony rugged devices (Xperia Z, for example) is 5. The second digit indicates how well the device is protected from moisture or liquid. The IPx7 rating means that the phone will continue to operate and be protected from water when submerged in fresh water to a depth of 1 meter or less for no more than 30 minutes.
Unfortunately, the copy of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active sent to our editorial office turned out to be not at all final, but just a pre-release demo sample, not intended for real testing of its protection properties. However, we found out about this much later - after we thoroughly "bathed" our ward in the pelvis. This time, the test was all the more relevant because, among other features, the device has an underwater shooting mode - a unique “Water” mode, in which camera control automatically switches to the volume key: after all, under water, the touch screen becomes insensitive to touch.
By the way, our unfortunate off-road vehicle, which ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time, survived, to our surprise, both diving and underwater shooting, and did not even fail, although water, of course, got inside the hull, leaving after stains under the display glass and misted camera windows. Nevertheless, the photos taken underwater turned out, and we can even show them here. One can only imagine what beautiful underwater landscapes those who take Samsung Galaxy S4 Active on vacation to distant shores can decorate their photo collections with. We have proven that the smartphone is quite capable of photographing underwater, you just need to make sure that you have in your hands the final sample of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, and not a pre-release copy.
Key Features of Samsung Galaxy S4 Active (GT-I9295)
- SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, 1.9 GHz, 4 Krait 300 cores
- GPU Adreno 320
- Operating system Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
- Touchscreen TFT PLS, 5″, 1920 × 1080, 440 ppi, support for glove control technology
- Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB
- Support for microSD cards (up to 64 GB)
- Data transmission HSPA+ up to 42/5.7 Mbps (download and upload), LTE (Cat3)
- Bluetooth4.0LE
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 + 5 GHz), Wi-Fi hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
- DLNA, NFC, MHL, OTG, Infrared
- GPS/Glonass
- Accelerometer, proximity sensor, gyroscope, digital compass, barometer, gesture sensor, ambient light sensor
- Protection against ingress of moisture and dust (IP67)
- Camera 8 MP, autofocus, LED flash
- Camera 2 MP (front)
- Battery 2600 mAh
- Dimensions 139.7×71.3×9.1mm
- Weight 151 g
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active | Samsung Galaxy S4 | Sony Xperia Z | Sony Xperia V | |
Screen | 5″, pls | 4.99″ SuperAMOLED | 5″, IPS? | 4.3″, VA? |
Permission | 1920×1080, 440ppi | 1920×1080, 441ppi | 1920×1080, 440ppi | 1280×720, 342 ppi |
SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 @1.9GHz (4 cores, Krait 300) | Exynos [email protected].8 GHz (8 cores) | Qualcomm APQ8064 @1.5GHz (4 cores, ARMv7 Krait) | Qualcomm MSM8960 @1.5GHz (2 cores, ARMv7 Krait) |
RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB | 1 GB |
Flash memory | 16 GB | 16/32/64 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB |
Memory card support | microSD | microSD | microSD | microSD |
Operating system | Google Android 4.2 | Google Android 4.2 | Google Android 4.1 | Google Android 4.0 |
SIM format* | Micro SIM | Micro SIM | Micro SIM | Micro SIM |
Battery | removable, 2600 mAh | removable, 2600 mAh | non-removable, 2330 mAh | removable, 1700 mAh |
cameras | rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP) | rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP) | rear (12 MP; video - 1080p), front (0.3 MP) | |
Dimensions | 140×71×9.1mm, 151g | 137×70×7.9mm, 130g | 139×71×7.9mm, 146g | 129×65×10.7mm, 120g |
* The most common SIM card formats are described in a separate article.
Appearance and usability
Despite being closely related, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is completely different in appearance and layout from the original Samsung Galaxy S4 and its clones, from the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini to the Samsung Galaxy Mega. Unlike them, the protected model has a more brutal appearance, there is no gloss, the surfaces on the back cover are matte, some of the elements have a ribbed texture, all the buttons are mechanical, and there are even metal plug screws in the four corners.
Compared to the one-piece glossy streamlined back cover of the regular Samsung Galaxy S4, there are more elements here, they are different in texture, size, location and appearance, and this makes the smartphone look richer and more interesting. If we summarize the above in one phrase, then the appearance of the protected model Samsung Galaxy S4 Active turned out to be much more attractive than its unprotected counterpart. But not only more attractive, but also more practical turned out to be the body of the novelty: due to the matte and ribbed surfaces, holding the device in your hand has become more comfortable and reliable.
As for the dimensions, they are almost similar to the dimensions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 itself, the smartphone is only slightly larger and thicker than its predecessor, but noticeably heavier.
- Samsung Galaxy S4 Active - 140x71x9.1mm, 151g
- Samsung Galaxy S4 - 137x70x7.9mm, 130g
- Sony Xperia Z - 139x71x7.9mm, 146g
- Sony Xperia V -129x65x10.7mm, 120g
The body materials of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active are solid plastic, there is no metal here, with the exception of decorative inserts around the rear camera window and where the screws are attached. The metallized bezel that runs around the entire perimeter of the device is also made not of metal, but of plastic with a coating that resembles blued gunmetal.
The back cover is smooth, but matte, and therefore fingerprints on it are not as noticeable as on glossy ones. This element is removable, but the fastening of the cover differs from the fastening of truly protected devices. Here, even unlike the same Samsung Galaxy Xcover, the cover is held in place only by a few plastic latches - there is no locking lock here, so with a good blow or fall, such a cover can easily fly off, and then there will be no protection speech. Under this thin and easily removable cover, all important contacts and slots are immediately exposed: the battery compartment, slots for memory cards and SIM cards. Both slots are equipped with spring-loaded gripping mechanisms, so inserting and removing both cards does not cause any inconvenience here.
The battery is removable here, the SIM card is used in the Micro-SIM format, the memory card can be used up to 64 GB. In our unforeseen case, after immersion in water, all these elements were completely flooded with water. Summing up the above, we have to admit that for use in real extreme conditions, the cover of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active smartphone lacks a reliable lock, however, protected Sony models do not have such locks either.
The front panel is completely covered with protective glass, under which not only the display is hidden, but also the front camera window, and sensor eyes. The ear speaker is covered with a nice metal grille. There are three hardware mechanical keys in a row under the screen - there are no sensors here, which eliminates the possibility of accidental or erroneous pressing. On the one hand, this is very practical, but on the other hand, it is no longer so convenient when working with text quickly, for example, for frequent pressing the “Back” key, but here you always have to sacrifice something.
The remaining elements and connectors are habitually scattered along the edges of the device. Both connectors - 3.5 mm audio output to the headset and Micro-USB - are universal, and are located on the body in a familiar way: the headphone jack is on top, the cable connector is on the bottom. Only one of them is equipped with a rubberized plug - the bottom one, and as for the audio output, according to the marketing slogans of the developers: "The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active has a waterproof headphone input, so you can listen to music even in the most adverse conditions." It's hard to imagine what kind of music you want to listen to in the most adverse conditions, and whether you want to listen to anything at all, but water getting into the headphone jack is a "legalized" phenomenon in the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active.
Also, a small circle of an infrared port is embedded on the upper edge - it serves, first of all, to work with equipment as a remote control. The smartphone software has an excellent program called WatchON - it recognizes almost any, even fairly old equipment, and is easily controlled, for example, with the domestic Beeline TV set-top box. The Micro-USB connector here supports the USB host (OTG) mode, so the smartphone can easily read any information from an ordinary flash drive connected using a special adapter.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active also has mechanical keys on the sides of the device: on the left is the volume rocker, on the right is power and lock. All keys have a ribbed textured surface and a rather tight stroke, which became even tighter after bathing the test subject in water.
The device enters the market in three color versions, each of which, traditionally, has been assigned some romantic name: Urban Grey, Deep Sea Azure (Dive Blue) and Burning Orange (Orange Flare). It is logical that a device designed for people leading an active lifestyle should have a bright color. This protected novelty compares favorably with the usual S4, which is available only in standard black and white guises.
Screen
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is equipped with an HD resolution PLS screen. In numbers, the physical parameters of the smartphone screen are as follows: screen dimensions - 62 × 110 mm, diagonal - 127 mm (5 inches), resolution - 1080p (1920 × 1080 pixels).
The brightness of the display has both manual and automatic adjustment, the latter based on the operation of the light sensor. Multi-touch technology allows you to simultaneously process up to eight touches, which is confirmed by tests. There is also a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear.
A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.
The screen of the smartphone is covered with a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface and, judging by the reflection of objects in it, it has a very effective anti-reflective filter. There is no visible doubling of reflected objects. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special and quite effective oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating, so fingerprints do not appear as quickly as in the case of ordinary glass, but are removed more easily.
With manual brightness control, its maximum value was about 370 cd/m², and the minimum was 5 cd/m². The maximum value is not the highest in the class of such devices, but the readability of the screen in bright daylight is good - apparently, the anti-glare properties of the screen surface help (also see the text below). In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. Automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker). You can adjust the operation of this function by moving the adjustment slider from -5 to +5 units. Next, for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values for three values of this setting — for −5, 0, and +5. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness is reduced to 4, 20 and 25 cd / m², respectively, in an artificially lit office, the brightness is set to 90, 150 and 300 cd / m², in a brightly lit environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight) - rises to 255, 410 and 420 cd / m². The result of this function is as expected, while the maximum brightness is higher than with manual backlight control, so in a bright environment it makes sense to turn on the automatic mode (by +5) - readability will improve somewhat. At low brightness, up to 100 kHz, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no backlight flicker.
This smartphone uses an IPS type matrix. Micrographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:
The screen has good viewing angles without hue inversion and without significant color shift even at large deviations of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen. The black field, when deviated diagonally, is strongly highlighted and acquires a red-violet hue. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good. The contrast is not very high - about 630:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 19 ms (12 ms on + 7 ms off). The transition between halftones 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 28.5 ms.
In the display properties settings, you can select one of three profiles: Dynamic, Standard and Movie.
As you can see from the data below, these profiles have slightly different color reproduction or gamma curve. The gamma curves constructed from 32 points did not reveal a significant blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the exponent of the approximating power function is from 2.15 to 2.24 depending on the selected profile, which is close to the standard value of 2.2.
In the case of profiles Standard and Movie the real gamma curve practically does not deviate from the power dependence, while in the case of the Dynamic profile, the gamma curve has a pronounced S-shaped character, which, in general, corresponds to the name of the profile.
The color gamut is sRGB:
The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components to each other:
As a result, the colors have a natural saturation. The color temperature balance is acceptable. Shades of gray have a color temperature above the standard 6500 K (note that for the profile Movie the excess is not very large), however, for all three profiles, the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (delta E) is very small, as is the variation in color temperature and delta E, which has a positive effect on the visual perception of color balance. (The dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance does not matter much there, and the measurement error at low brightness is high.)
In general, the screen is of high quality, but the black stability when looking diagonally is not high. Samsung apparently prefers to ignore this point, despite the fact that there are many smartphone models (and not very many tablets) on the market, the screens of which have a stable black color when deflected.
Sound
The sound of both speakers of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is not striking in quality - the average sound quality, nothing more. The sound is clear, but not loud enough, besides, high frequencies predominate. As for the auditory dynamics, the timbre and intonations in the voice of a familiar interlocutor are quite recognizable. All sound effects when playing melodies with a regular player are combined by a technology called SoundAlive, however, some of them, such as expanding the virtual stereo base, are available only with headphones connected. The same applies to the sound optimization function.
The external speaker grille has one outward-curved twig to lift the case above the surface, but the sound is still a little muffled when the device is placed face down on a table.
We did not find an FM radio as standard in the smartphone, but there is a voice recorder. Serves to create voice notes - a smartphone cannot record a voice from a line with regular means.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is equipped, like most modern smartphones, with two digital camera modules. The front camera here is equipped with a 2-megapixel module, shoots with a maximum resolution of 1920 × 1080. The quality of the resulting photos can be judged by the test shot below.
The main, rear camera is equipped with a sensor with a resolution of 8 megapixels. By default, the camera shoots in widescreen mode, and the maximum resolution that can be set is 6 megapixels with an aspect ratio of 16:9, then the photos are 3264 × 1836 in size. Such pictures will be taken by users of Samsung Galaxy S4 Active with out of the box settings. To achieve the maximum size of the resulting photos, you must manually switch to a resolution of 8 megapixels, then the pictures will be obtained at a resolution of 3264 × 2448. Below are some test shots taken in various conditions with different resolutions in automatic mode.
Pretty good sharpness. Trees at a sufficiently large distance do not merge. Saturation is low. |
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Saturation is no longer a problem. Exposure compromise. |
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Good sharpness at a fairly large distance. |
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The sharpness is very decent in all plans and almost over the entire field of the image. To the right of the image, the sharpness drops. |
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The foliage looks heavy, but overall worked out well. |
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The exposure is unnecessarily shifted to the dark area, but not critically. |
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Good, fairly even sharpness. Traces of software processing are invisible. |
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The exposition moved a little into the darkness. |
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Noises are very moderate. |
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The camera performs very well indoors. |
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Macro is good. Distinguishable small details. |
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The text is almost intact. Worked out sharply and evenly. |
Typically, rugged camera designers have to make some compromises, but not in this case. The camera turned out to be successful, and if under water with proper lighting it shoots no worse, then even very successful.
First of all, there are some hints of the Samsung Galaxy Mega version of the camera, but it feels like a good job on this camera. Of all the problems observed in the Samsung Galaxy Mega camera, only a not entirely successful exposure remained, and even then it no longer “fills up” the pictures so critically.
The sharpness of the camera is good, the depth of field is quite large. The camera manages its parameters very sensibly, trying to shoot with minimal light sensitivity whenever possible. So noise is not her problem.
There is an unpleasant moment in this instance. With the naked eye, you can see a hole in the matrix - a whole area of non-working pixels. Its pixel coordinates are approximately (985, 825) from the top left corner of the image.
In general, the camera turned out to be good, without significant flaws, with very good documentary shooting abilities. It is also worth noting the very good sharpness of the front camera.
The camera can shoot video, and it does it only in one resolution - the maximum (1080p). Below are a couple of test videos, shot stationary and on the move. The clips are saved to the MP4 container (video - AVC ( [email protected]), sound - AAC LC, 128 Kbps, 48 kHz, 2 channels).
- Movie #1 (41.9 MB, 1920×1080)
- Movie #2 (29.3 MB, 1920×1080)
A set of camera control settings is standard for modern top-end Samsung smartphones. There are quite a lot of them, all of them are divided into three columns: for photography, for video shooting, and general. The icons are drawn clearly and large, in the bright sun they are quite distinguishable. Various options for preset values in the settings are combined into ready-made shooting modes that should be used in a given situation. The standard set of modes is supplemented here, as already mentioned above, with a unique mode for underwater shooting, which, for obvious reasons, is not found in either the Samsung Galaxy S4 or other members of the Galaxy S family.
Among the shooting modes there are also Motion Photo (when using it, the smartphone takes many pictures in a short period of time, from which the user can choose the best ones) and Photo with sound (in this mode, a small audio recording is attached to the photo). When using the Story Album function, photos taken with the smartphone's camera are automatically sorted, information is added to them about the coordinates of the point where each photo was taken, as well as what event the user captured.
In general settings, it is possible to control the volume button during shooting: it can work out zooming, releasing the camera shutter, or controlling video. Considering that the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is sensitive to working with gloves, it turns out that, coupled with the ability to control the camera with a hardware key, you can now not take off gloves at all in the cold. It is also worth noting the possibility of taking a photo while recording a video.
Software
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active runs on the Google Android software platform version 4.2.2. On top of the standard OS interface, the company installed its own user interface, called TouchWiz 5.0 (Nature UX). The shell significantly changes the interface and adds many additional applications. Unlike previous versions, in TouchWiz 5.0 the main settings menu is now divided into four horizontal tabs, exactly the same innovation was discovered for the first time in the Galaxy S4. Now, instead of just scrolling through the vertical menu, the user will have to remember which of these horizontal tabs is what is hidden.
The notification panel also has a navigation bar at the top that gives access to the most important functions, which can be customized to the user's taste - to change it, you need to click on the icon in the upper right corner. In general, Samsung's implementation of the notification menu is one of the best on the market, which is only worth the brightness slider, which can be instantly used without having to wade through the settings submenu for a long time. This can be especially handy in bright sunlight when you need to quickly take an interesting shot, but it turns out that the camera controls are completely invisible in bright sunlight if the brightness is set to, say, a third of the maximum. That's when this indispensable slider comes to the rescue - just swipe down the drop-down notification menu and smoothly turn up the brightness right here as much as necessary.
Additional applications are pre-installed with a large number. The most useful of them seems to be the file manager. In addition to it, there is an optical scanner for recognizing text information and QR codes and four games, which, by the way, with a firmware update, can now be deleted from the memory of Samsung smartphones without resorting to the root procedure. Most branded applications from Samsung itself traditionally have the letter S in their name, however, in order to use them, you will also have to create a separate account in the company's services. The S Travel (Trip Advisor) app provides the user with information about the locality in which he is located and recommendations designed to help the smartphone owner get an even better experience while on the road. The S Translator app provides voice translation of the text of emails and SMS messages. Samsung ChatOn messenger allows multiple users to chat and send media files to each other. The Samsung Link feature also allows you to share files between different Samsung devices. The Group Play application has been implemented, which allows you to play one track on multiple mobile devices or play multiplayer games. The program is available on a range of Samsung smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy S4, S4 mini, Galaxy Mega 6.3 and 5.8. The handy WatchON program mentioned above is also now included in the standard set of all Galaxy smartphones equipped with an infrared port.
Since the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is a device designed for people who lead an active lifestyle, it has a whole range of health-monitoring features integrated by the S Health program. Most recently, Samsung announced the start of sales in our market of accessories designed specifically to work in conjunction with the S Health service. Starting from July of this year, three new accessories became available to Russian customers who are actively involved in sports and monitor their health: the S Band bracelet, heart rate monitor and special floor scales. In this way, S Health helps the owner of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active to monitor their health: by connecting S Health accessories to the smartphone, you can track heart rate, body weight, sleep cycles and other parameters.
Telephone part and communications
The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, there is support for fourth-generation LTE (Cat3) networks, and NFC technology and 5 GHz Wi-Fi band can also be used. The radio part of the tested smartphone is stable, there were no spontaneous signal losses and drops out of the network of the telecom operator (even after unforeseen drowning). The interface of the telephone part is convenient, the keys, numbers and letters are clearly and large drawn, switching the language layout of the virtual keyboard is easy to intuitively find, dialing numbers and SMS messages is quite comfortable. I especially like the additional top number row, which is now present by default in the virtual keyboard of Samsung devices - you don’t need to switch to get to the number keys.
There were no freezes or spontaneous reboots / shutdowns during testing. When brought to the ear, the screen is blocked by the proximity sensor. The ambient light sensor controls the brightness level of the screen automatically. You can restart your smartphone on your own by holding the power button for a long time and selecting the appropriate item from the pop-up menu.
Performance
The hardware platform of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is based on a single-chip system (SoC) Qualcomm Snapdragon 600. The central processor here has four Krait 300 cores operating at a frequency of 1.9 GHz. It is assisted in graphics processing by the powerful Adreno 320 video processor, so the results in graphics tests for the new product turned out to be very acceptable. The device has 2 GB of RAM, and the storage available to the user for uploading their own files is initially approximately 11.8 GB of the nominally designated 16 GB of internal memory. There is also the possibility of expanding memory through microSD cards, and a USB host, so there is no need to fear a lack of memory with such a device.
To get an idea of the performance of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active platform, let's move on to the benchmarks. To begin with, here are the comparative results obtained using the AnTuTu database itself. According to the test results, the performance of the novelty turned out to be lower than that of its own flagship of the line - Samsung Galaxy S4, approximately at the level of Sony's flagship - Xperia Z.
We summarized the test results of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active in a table, adding to them the results of other top-end smartphones of recent times that we previously tested.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active (Qualcomm Snapdragon 600) |
Samsung Galaxy S4 (Exynos 5410 Octa) |
Sony Xperia Z (Qualcomm APQ8064) |
Sony Xperia V (Qualcomm MSM8960) |
Oppo Find 5 (Qualcomm APQ8064) |
Google Nexus 4 (Qualcomm APQ8064) |
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Quadrant standard (more is better) |
12007 | 12773 | 7785 | 5444 | 7107 | 4679 |
AnTuTu Benchmark (more is better) |
18205 | 28218 | 19434 | 11025 | 20177 | 16089 |
Geekbench (more is better) |
2353 | 3516 | 2006 | 1539 | 2067 | 2100 |
As for testing the graphics subsystem in the 3DMark cross-platform test, the subject also showed a high result in it - 9965 points.
In the Epic Citadel gaming test, the results of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active graphics subsystem are also excellent - the power of the Adreno video core affects. However, the results here do not reach the flagship of the S4 family.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active (Qualcomm Snapdragon 600) |
Samsung Galaxy S4 (Exynos 5410 Octa) |
Sony Xperia Z (Qualcomm APQ8064) |
Sony Xperia V (Qualcomm MSM8960) |
Google Nexus 4 (Qualcomm APQ8064) |
LG Optimus G (Qualcomm APQ8064) |
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Epic Citadel (more is better) |
58.9 fps | 59.9 fps | 57.2 fps | 47.7 fps | 54.8 fps | 56.7 fps |
Epic Citadel | 55.4 fps | 59.3 fps | 54.7 fps | 43.5 fps | 52.9 fps | 56.3 fps |
Epic Citadel Ultra High Quality | 29.2 fps | 46.5 fps | 32.4 fps | 28.4 fps | 37.4 fps | 50.6 fps |
Benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine are highly dependent on the browser in which they run, so the comparison can only be accurate on the same OS and browsers.
Video playback
To test the "omnivorous" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect everything from a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it.
According to the test results, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active turned out to be equipped with all the necessary decoders, including sound decoders, which are necessary for the full playback of most of the most common files on the network. The smartphone without hesitation played all the videos and audio tracks offered to it. All results are summarized in a single table.
Format | container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Regular video player |
DVDRip | AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
Web-DL SD | AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
Web-DL HD | MKV, H.264 1280x720 3000Kbps, AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280x720 4000Kbps, AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920x1080 8000Kbps, AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
¹ sound in MX Video Player only played after switching to software decoding; The regular player does not have such a setting.
Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. To test it, we used the LG IPS237L monitor, which supports direct MHL connection using a passive Micro-USB to HDMI adapter cable. Recall that Samsung has implemented its own version of this interface at the physical level. As a result, to connect an external device via MHL, you need to use special adapters or connect standard MHL adapters through simple passive adapters.
When using the LG IPS237L monitor, MHL output was performed at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at 30 fps. When the smartphone is in landscape orientation, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in landscape orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed within the screen boundaries. When the smartphone is in portrait orientation, the image on the monitor screen is also displayed in portrait orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed in the screen boundaries in height, and wide black fields are displayed on the right and left.
The sound is output via MHL (in this case, the sounds were heard through the headphones connected to the monitor, since there are no speakers in the monitor itself) and has a good quality. At the same time, multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is controlled by the buttons on the smartphone case. In principle, in the smartphone settings, you can select the sound output mode: stereo or surround. However, in our case, the monitor only accepted stereo sound, so there was no choice.
Video output by means of a regular player deserves a special description. To begin with, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screen shots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped to determine the nature of the output frames of video files with different parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and the frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps / with). The results of this (block titled " Screen”) and subsequent tests are summarized in the table:
File | Uniformity | Passes |
Screen | ||
watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4 | not playable | |
watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4 | Great | No |
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4 | well | No |
MHL (monitor) | ||
watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4 | not playable | |
watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4 | well | lot |
watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4 | Great | No |
watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4 | Great | lot |
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4 | Great | lot |
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4 | Great | No |
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4 | well | No |
MHL (adapter) | ||
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4 | Great | few |
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4 | well | No |
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4 | well | No |
Note: If both the Uniformity and Gaps columns have green ratings, this means that when watching movies, most likely, either artifacts caused by uneven interleaving and frame skipping will not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect viewing comfort. "Red" marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the corresponding files.
According to the criterion for displaying frames, the quality of playing video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is high, since, with the exception of 1080p files with 60 fps, frames (or groups of frames) are displayed with even intervals and there are no frame drops. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly across the screen width, one to one in pixels, that is, in its original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen almost corresponds to the standard range of 16-235: in the shadows, a couple of shades merge with black, but in the highlights, all gradations of shades are displayed.
With a monitor connected via MHL, when playing video with a standard player, the image of the video file is displayed only in landscape orientation, while only the picture of the video file is displayed on the monitor, and only information elements and virtual controls are displayed on the smartphone screen.
When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920 by 1080 pixels), the image of the video file itself is displayed on the monitor screen exactly along the border of the screen while maintaining true proportions, and the resolution corresponds to Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the monitor is equal to the standard range of 16-235, that is, all gradations of shades are displayed in the shadows and in the highlights. The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the block MHL (monitor). The output quality is good, but, of course, in the case of 50 and 60 fps files, some frames are skipped, since the output is in 1080p at 30 fps. However, uniform frame interleaving is a relatively unstable state, since some external and internal background processes lead to periodic failure of the correct interleaving of intervals between frames and even to the skipping of individual frames.
Additionally, video output (with a standard player) via MHL using an MHL adapter was tested. When using this adapter, the monitor output was at 720p at 60 fps, which determined the maximum actual image resolution. With the exception of resolution and frame rate, everything else - the nature of the interface output, audio output and gray scale - did not differ from a direct connection via MHL. The test results are shown in the table above in the block MHL (adapter). When using an adapter, the intervals between frames alternate more or less evenly.
The conclusion is typical: the MHL connection can be used for games, watching movies, web browsing and other activities that benefit from a multiple increase in screen size. True, you will have to purchase an adapter specifically for Samsung or find the appropriate adapter.
Battery life
The capacity of the battery installed in the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is 2600 mAh. The battery of the original Samsung Galaxy S4 has exactly the same capacity. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active showed similar performance to the original, even with a less economical PSL screen. Recall: due to excessive overheating during loads in energy-consuming tests and, as a result, greater energy loss, the regular Samsung Galaxy S4 turned out to be not very outstanding in terms of battery life. Note that we did not notice such a problem as frequent overheating in the protected model. Obviously this is due to a different structure of the body.
Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a default, light theme) at the minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) for 2 hours consumed 16% of the total battery charge, and for two hours of watching YouTube videos in high quality ( HQ) with the same brightness level over a home Wi-Fi network, the unit used up 21% of its battery capacity. In gaming mode, the smartphone lasted a decent 3 hours and 50 minutes.
Outcome
At the moment, the final price for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active in our market has not yet been finally set, because the smartphone has not yet officially started selling. But it is assumed that the new secure smartphone from the Galaxy S family will cost the same as the main S4 model at the start of sales - 29,990 rubles. The smartphone turned out to be very good in all respects, it is a top model in every sense, however, the user will not find any special advantages in terms of security in this model: the Galaxy S4 Active will have to be handled with the same care as with an unprotected original. This is almost the same pampered "city dweller", which differs in that it can be carefully brought into fresh water and photographed there. Even on wet fingers, the phone screen instantly stops responding, which is officially confirmed by the developers, so in a really extreme situation, the smartphone may not be very suitable. Thus, we have in front of us practically the same Samsung Galaxy S4, only in a different, more attractive case, although preferences regarding appearance, of course, always remain a matter of taste - someone likes it, someone does not. As for the comparison with the protected smartphones of the Japanese Sony, here there is parity between the hero of our today's review and the Sony Xperia Z model. The models demonstrate almost the same performance in tests, they are similar in technical characteristics, although there are still slight differences in hardware platforms, the quality of screens and cameras. And yet, by and large, these two smartphones are close enough to each other, so the final choice between them will depend more on the "taste" preferences of the user. As for the previous protected model of the Japanese, Sony Xperia V, then, of course, it is no longer able to compete with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active. The Korean smartphone is head and shoulders above the rival in terms of characteristics - however, it is twice as expensive, and in terms of security, it is still unknown who is better. At least in no test of any of Sony's ruggedized devices, we've never encountered problems with the "wetting" of test samples.
active. This model appeared relatively recently, but it has already won the hearts of many buyers. But why? What do users think about this model? We have to deal with this now. In general, consumers have identified several very important criteria for evaluating a particular technique. And, following these points, we can conclude with you how good the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is. But before that, you will have to find out the characteristics of this model. Without them, you can not even begin to consider a smartphone as a product for purchase. Let's quickly start with you to study our topic today.
Screen
The first thing that modern consumers pay attention to is the screen. Many people like to play with this gadget. Therefore, the size of the display is extremely important for such buyers.
price tag
The price of the device also plays a very important role when choosing a modern means of communication with the outside world. No one wants to overpay for a low-quality product or buy a cheap gadget that will not give the result that they would like. So you have to carefully study the reviews and recommendations about all the new products. Only then make your choice.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is quite reasonably priced. Given the capabilities and quality of the device, it is normal. In stores you can find this model for 12-15 thousand rubles. In principle, a wave is acceptable for a modern universal smartphone. But not everyone is ready to give so much money. Yes, you can always find cheaper alternatives. Only if you want to buy Samsung, then you really should pay attention to this model.
On the Internet, such a gadget can be ordered several times cheaper. The approximate "virtual" cost for sales and promotions is 9,000 rubles. Affordable for many consumers. And, of course, by purchasing this gadget, you will not regret the money spent.
General impression
What are the reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active from consumers in general? To be honest, they are rather ambiguous. In principle, it is quite normal, given the great competition in the market of modern technology. But of the numerous opinions, only one thing can be emphasized - this is a really worthy smartphone, which, in terms of price-quality ratio, is within reason.
Numerous functions, stylish design, non-standard and new features - everything for the buyer. In addition, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active phone is distinguished by its "survivability". If this gadget falls into the water, it will still work normally. Even when falling from a height, the quality of communication or the speed of data processing by the device will not be disturbed. The maximum that can happen is the socket will crack. Yes, you can break the phone as a whole. But for this you will have to try very hard.
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