Gadgetory

the line between smartphones and phablets is getting a little blurry but there's still a pretty wide gulf between samsung's latest in each category I'm Michael Fisher this is PocketNow and this is Samsung Galaxy s4 vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 2 it used to be that any smartphone with the screen creeping into 5-inch territory would be considered a phablet a hybrid phone and tablet that all changed late last year with the arrival of HTC's droid DNA which showed us that a 5-inch display could be crammed into a narrow chassis that's more fun than tablet and the Samsung Galaxy s4 is the ultimate embodiment of that truth it's narrow bezels thin body and lightweight make it much more portable than the beefier note series but Samsung has lifted some features from the note line and ported them to the new Galaxy S so the waters get a little muddier here let's compare these devices in four main areas hardware UI camera and some test notes side-by-side it doesn't seem like these devices would have much in common the note 2 is a genuine monster next to the svelte s4 almost 2 millimeters thicker and larger in every other dimension as well but there are some commonalities under the hood here both the note 2 and our American GS 4 run on quad-core processors backed up by 2 gigs of RAM on the note 2 it's a Samsung Exynos 4412 running at 1.6 gigahertz and on the Galaxy s4 it's a Snapdragon 600 at 1.9 gigahertz both devices are offered in multiple storage options with microSD expansion and both feature removable batteries but the note 2's 3100 milliamp power pack is 500 milliamp hours larger than the Galaxy S force the biggest factor driving the Note 2's beefier dimensions is the Super AMOLED display which at 5.5 inches is a full half inch larger diagonally than the Galaxy S force it's also lower in resolution at 720p putting out a pixel density of 267 PPI that's nowhere close to the sharpness of the s4 is 1080p 441 PPI Super AMOLED panel but the note 2 screen still provides wonderfully rich color deep blacks and more than enough sharpness for the average user and the added acreage is a big advantage to those who just want more screen still whites appear a bit more green on the note 2 and the difference in sharpness is detectable on text-heavy pages so the s4 will still be the preferred choice for display purists in the hand the difference between the 182 gram note 2 and the 130 gram Golic cs4 is night and day while they're both finished in the same glossy hyper glaze with similar texturing patterns underneath the size and weight disparity makes you keenly aware that one of these is a smartphone and the other is something more that's reinforced by the presence of the s-pen on the note 2 which takes us into software and UI the note 2 relies heavily on its S Pen Stylus to set it apart from the galaxy s line in our full review of the note 2 we said it makes using the device feel akin to using a desktop computer in some cases in part because of the air view hovering and scrolling functionality there's also the Wacom digitizer in the note 2's display which registers over a thousand levels of pressure sensitivity for the art-making and note-taking functionality that gives the device its name the s-pen is so central to the concept of the note 2 that Samsung has released an sdk for the stylus to allow developers to create apps that leverage its unique capabilities now Samsung has ported some of those s-pen features to the galaxy s4 without also bringing along the s-pen specifically it's introduced air view to the s4 allowing a user to hover with his or her finger over the display to initiate different actions than a tap and while this is a handy idea it somehow feels less natural with a thumb than with a stylus it's also only a partial replication scrolling doesn't function on the s4 as it does on the note 2 and some of the bugs have made their way from the previous incarnation as well this is evident in the messaging app where only some message threads provide previews on hover seemingly at random it's still handy in places like the gallery in the custom built Flipboard app in the dialer and elsewhere and with a software update to fix the bugs it could really enhance the experience of using the s4 but in its current form it's much less useful here then on the note 2 and new but similar features like air gesture suffer the same fate elsewhere the interface is quite familiar even though our AT&T note 2 here is running Android 4.1.2 while our sprint GS 4 is running 4.2.2 while the newer version of Android offers some goodies like lock screen widgets on the newer phone Samsung's TouchWiz skin hasn't changed much across these devices the only notable enhancements come in mild tweaks like the notification shades toggles and the reformatted Settings menu along with new features like group play and watch on the Samsung's peel powered home media hub here the galaxy s4 stands out by virtue of its home entertainment system controlling IR blaster something not included on the older Note twos hardware so if using your phone as a remote control for your home Media sounds compelling well the GS 4 is the clear choice otherwise we're looking at a very similar user experience app launch times are comparable across both stock and third-party apps and the experience is mostly snappy with only occasional stumbles and lags you could make the argument that software running on hardware this powerful has no business lagging at all but the extent and frequency of that lag are minimal enough to only bother hard core performance enthusiasts if you're happy with TouchWiz you'll be pleased if you're tired of its cartoony look you won't find any relief in the brand new Galaxy s4 the you I was given a slight overhaul in terms of the camera viewfinder though the Samsung has swapped out the older lifeless list approach from the note 2 with the larger easier to use ribbon from the Galaxy camera there are also many more fun features here like the multiple exposure drama shot the jiff making animated photo the two camera dual shot and so on the note 2 isn't exactly lacking for features but the GS board definitely takes gimmicks to the next level there's also been a resolution bump in the s4 to 13 megapixels over the note 2's 8 megapixel sensor though it should be noted that the s4 is out of box setting is 9.6 megapixels presumably to ensure a 16 by 9 aspect ratio in this shooting mode the field of view is narrower than the note 2 meaning you need to get further from your subject to sure that's annoying but at least it results in shots that are comparatively sharper most of the time for most consumers though the most visible improvements in the Galaxy s4 camera over the Galaxy Note 2 will be the added features not the improved picture quality Samsung has had a pretty good reputation for battery endurance since at least the galaxy s3 and neither the note 2 nor the galaxy s4 seem eager to break that record that's a good thing during our testing in the Greater Boston area stamina was solid on the new s4 the device lasting as a full day of moderate to heavy use the note 2 with its huge 3100 milliamp hour cell still outclasses it but not by as much as you'd think we have more thoughts on the Galaxy s4 s battery life in the full review some cues the galaxy s4 took from the note 2 resulted in substantially identical performance enlarging the speaker and moving it down to the lower left as on the larger phablet resulted in much improved sound over earlier models these devices produce very similar audio results with maybe just a hair more bass on the note 2 speakerphone performance and phone calls is fine on both but several callers told us that regular calls taken through the earpiece sound better on the note 2 with the galaxy s4 producing a muddier sound the caller's also sounded a bit tinny err on our end with the s4 as compared to the note 2 we're not sure if that's a result of hardware or software or if it's correctable but it is a little disappointing in some though Samsung brought some features over from the Note family for its latest galaxy s offering these two smartphones are still a category apart the note with its larger screen s-pen more refined feature set better call quality and superior battery life is still the go-to choice for someone who needs more than a typical smartphone experience the Galaxy s4 is more pocketable with a much sharper screen and some newer features it does the Galaxy S line proud but it doesn't infringe on the phablet territory of its larger cousin despite some feature blade Samsung has succeeded in keeping these product lines separate each one useful in its own particular way folks we have so much more on the galaxy s4 both here on YouTube and at pocketnow.com make sure and subscribe follow us on social media drop us a like here on youtube if you enjoyed the video leave a comment down below if you have something to say and as always thank you very much for watching we'll see you next time