Like your smartphones slim and super-speedy? At first glance, the new Samsung Galaxy S 4G doesn't look like a huge improvement over the original, popular and now-off-the-market Samsung Vibrant (4 stars). But the 4G data upgrade is screamingly fast, assuming you're in one of T-Mobile's HSPA+ coverage areas. The Galaxy S 4G also contains some other, more modest enhancements that, when taken together, make a powerful smartphone even better.
Design and Call Quality
The Galaxy S 4G measures 4.8 by 2.5 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.2 ounces. The new silver and chrome exterior finish looks nicer; the original Vibrant feels a bit cheap in comparison. The new sculpted back panel feels better to hold during calls, too. The Galaxy S 4G features the same 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen as before, with 480-by-800-pixel resolution and bright, vibrant colors. The Galaxy S 4G uses Swype, a popular virtual keyboard that lets you swipe your finger between letters without picking it up to type. Normally I'm not a Swype fan, but I had an easier time using it on the Galaxy S thanks to the large glass screen, even in portrait mode (which scrunches the keys together). Dialing numbers was also fast and responsive. One downside: unlocking the phone requires a deliberate, carefully positioned swipe from the bottom of the screen all the way to the top. This became old quickly.
The Galaxy S 4G is a quad-band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and dual-band 4G HSPA+ (1700/2100 MHz) device with 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. T-Mobile's HSPA+ network promises theoretical download speeds of up to 21 Mbps, and in real life about half that speed. I saw 4.0 to 4.3 Mbps down and 1.6 Mbps up in a rural part of eastern Massachusetts, 5.0 to 5.5 Mbps down in a T-Mobile-recommend "ideal" coverage spot 20 minutes from my house, and a stellar 6.39 Mbps down while using the Galaxy S 4G as a mobile hotspot closer to my home. You also get Wi-Fi calling, which has to be turned on by launching an app, but is still useful in marginal coverage areas.
Call quality was excellent, particularly in HSPA+ mode. I heard no static or dropouts in switching between Wi-Fi, EDGE, and HSPA+ modes during voice calls, though Wi-Fi and EDGE calls sounded a bit brittle and harsh in comparison. Transmissions through the microphone were crystal clear, and reception was solid. Calls also sounded fine through an Aliph Jawbone Icon ($99, 4 stars) Bluetooth headset. Voice dialing worked fine over Bluetooth. The speakerphone sounded clear and crisp, but could have used more volume. The oversized 1650mAh battery was good for an excellent 17 hours and 41 minutes of talk time in EDGE mode. That's one of the best battery results we've ever seen.
Operating System, TV, and Apps
Feature-wise, the Galaxy S 4G checks off all the right boxes. It runs Android 2.2.1, which brings a host of improvements over the Vibrant's original version 2.1, including faster speeds, the aforementioned (extra-cost) mobile Wi-Fi hotspot access, and a new dial screen. Let's hope Samsung has improved its widely panned OS upgrade process, as Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" is already beginning to make the rounds.
Samsung's TouchWiz UI layer also looks a little different, but it's never been much of a draw. The phone features seven customizable home screens you can swipe between, plus colorful little boxes around all of the menu icons. Scrolling is fast and seamless. Underneath the hood, there's the same 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor as before; it's fast, but not class leading. The Galaxy S 4G benchmarked similar to the Vibrant once the Android 2.1/2.2 difference was factored in.
Spec Data
Service Provider T-Mobile
Operating System Android OS
Screen Size 4 inches
Screen Details 480-by-800-pixel, 16.7M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen
Camera Yes
Megapixels 5 MP
Camera Flash No
802.11x Yes
Bluetooth Yes
Web Browser Yes
Form Factor Candy Bar
Network GSM, UMTS
Bands 850, 900, 1800, 1900, 2100, 1700
High-Speed Data GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSDPA+
Storage Capacity (as Tested) 218 MB
Processor Speed 1 GHz
Keyboard No
Continuous Talk Time 17 hours 41 minutes
Design and Call Quality
The Galaxy S 4G measures 4.8 by 2.5 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.2 ounces. The new silver and chrome exterior finish looks nicer; the original Vibrant feels a bit cheap in comparison. The new sculpted back panel feels better to hold during calls, too. The Galaxy S 4G features the same 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen as before, with 480-by-800-pixel resolution and bright, vibrant colors. The Galaxy S 4G uses Swype, a popular virtual keyboard that lets you swipe your finger between letters without picking it up to type. Normally I'm not a Swype fan, but I had an easier time using it on the Galaxy S thanks to the large glass screen, even in portrait mode (which scrunches the keys together). Dialing numbers was also fast and responsive. One downside: unlocking the phone requires a deliberate, carefully positioned swipe from the bottom of the screen all the way to the top. This became old quickly.
The Galaxy S 4G is a quad-band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and dual-band 4G HSPA+ (1700/2100 MHz) device with 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. T-Mobile's HSPA+ network promises theoretical download speeds of up to 21 Mbps, and in real life about half that speed. I saw 4.0 to 4.3 Mbps down and 1.6 Mbps up in a rural part of eastern Massachusetts, 5.0 to 5.5 Mbps down in a T-Mobile-recommend "ideal" coverage spot 20 minutes from my house, and a stellar 6.39 Mbps down while using the Galaxy S 4G as a mobile hotspot closer to my home. You also get Wi-Fi calling, which has to be turned on by launching an app, but is still useful in marginal coverage areas.
Call quality was excellent, particularly in HSPA+ mode. I heard no static or dropouts in switching between Wi-Fi, EDGE, and HSPA+ modes during voice calls, though Wi-Fi and EDGE calls sounded a bit brittle and harsh in comparison. Transmissions through the microphone were crystal clear, and reception was solid. Calls also sounded fine through an Aliph Jawbone Icon ($99, 4 stars) Bluetooth headset. Voice dialing worked fine over Bluetooth. The speakerphone sounded clear and crisp, but could have used more volume. The oversized 1650mAh battery was good for an excellent 17 hours and 41 minutes of talk time in EDGE mode. That's one of the best battery results we've ever seen.
Operating System, TV, and Apps
Feature-wise, the Galaxy S 4G checks off all the right boxes. It runs Android 2.2.1, which brings a host of improvements over the Vibrant's original version 2.1, including faster speeds, the aforementioned (extra-cost) mobile Wi-Fi hotspot access, and a new dial screen. Let's hope Samsung has improved its widely panned OS upgrade process, as Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" is already beginning to make the rounds.
Samsung's TouchWiz UI layer also looks a little different, but it's never been much of a draw. The phone features seven customizable home screens you can swipe between, plus colorful little boxes around all of the menu icons. Scrolling is fast and seamless. Underneath the hood, there's the same 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor as before; it's fast, but not class leading. The Galaxy S 4G benchmarked similar to the Vibrant once the Android 2.1/2.2 difference was factored in.
Spec Data
Service Provider T-Mobile
Operating System Android OS
Screen Size 4 inches
Screen Details 480-by-800-pixel, 16.7M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen
Camera Yes
Megapixels 5 MP
Camera Flash No
802.11x Yes
Bluetooth Yes
Web Browser Yes
Form Factor Candy Bar
Network GSM, UMTS
Bands 850, 900, 1800, 1900, 2100, 1700
High-Speed Data GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSDPA+
Storage Capacity (as Tested) 218 MB
Processor Speed 1 GHz
Keyboard No
Continuous Talk Time 17 hours 41 minutes
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