Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active
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- Azeri Halil
- gy9
- 02 Sep 2013
How can I block messages from unwanted numbers on Samsung S4?Please advice.
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- AnonD-158850
- Hxf
- 02 Sep 2013
James, 29 Aug 2013I picked mine up about a week ago, and so far I've had noth... moreSorry, I forgot to mention my daily use/settings:
- Network is set to "WCDMA/GSM auto connect". LTE coverage is not very wide and I felt that the phone is using a lot of power searching for a signal, once LTE is locked, the browsing speed do get exponentially faster though, but in general, 3G is excellent for my taste (so far);
- Bluetooth about 3 hrs daily as I live in a city about 1.5 hr from my work and commute on daily basis;
- Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, 2 emails, Facebook and RSS feeds are always on. The emails are set to check every 1 hr (I disabled "Push");
- Smart Stay, Smart Scroll, Air View are "Off", only using Air Gesture;
- Power Saving "Off";
- Screen brightness set to "Auto" with the node set at "-3"
With these settings, I get around 33-34 hrs till I need to charge again.
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- AnonD-158850
- Hxf
- 02 Sep 2013
AnonD-166368, 01 Sep 2013Guys, isn't this is a flagship? The camera performance nice? Hi;
Not sure about the "Flagship" part as I never actually understood that term.
The camera is great (if not excellent) and you won't regret the performance at all. Image/Video quality is great when viewed on the device's screen or on your home TV screen.
Specs wise, it is kind of a mix between S4-I9505/S3-9300. You get the processor and connectivity (LTE) of the S4-I9505 along with 2GB RAM, and an 8MP camera with under-water shooting mode that works pretty nice actually. I haven't been "swimming" with it in hand, but I did take some shots for my kids while they were playing (who can hold his breath more under water) :-)
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- AnonD-158850
- Hxf
- 02 Sep 2013
James, 29 Aug 2013I picked mine up about a week ago, and so far I've had noth... moreI'm also having mine for about 3 weeks now. At first, the battery did seem to discharge pretty fast (not even a full 24 hours) but as it was a new "toy" I was playing around with it lots of the time like a little child :-)
When I consulted the dealer here in UAE, he recommended using the battery for the first few charges until it completely goes off before charging again, which is what I did.
I did notice that with the 3rd-4th charge, it kind of "stretched" the battery (if that's the right term to use) and I am now getting about 33-34 hrs without charging before reaching less than 10%
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- AnonD-166368
- tZ0
- 01 Sep 2013
Guys, isn't this is a flagship? The camera performance nice?
- J
- James
- Mfx
- 29 Aug 2013
I picked mine up about a week ago, and so far I've had nothing but joy. For a candy bar handset, it has a very nice feel - much better than the standard S4 ranges. It's also quite a lot more handsome. The extra weight is hardly noticeable and in general it's extremely light. I haven't tried it in water - nor will I, because I've heard the USB port can sometimes leak, and ruin the handset, so I'll only use that feature for strapping it to my motorbike in the rain. It's still an awesome feature if you ask me but if I want underwater pictures, I'll get a waterproof camera - that would be the sensible thing to do in this case.
I find the voice-recognition feature to work very well - although not perfect of course, but nearly there. Problem is you must be connected to the network to use it, as I imagine it parses the data to a server for interpretation. The S-translate feature also works surprisingly well.
I love the fact that the screen is covered by a water damage and break damage warranty - well done Samsung!
Extremely powerful processor which I'm still amazed by, it has plenty of memory (2 gigs!) and the screen is delightful. Very happy with my decision over the HTC One, even though I was dead-set on getting that. Unfortunately I hear that phone has the death-grip issue, apparently this was unknown to HTC until recently, so they may still fix it.
My only gripe is that the battery life is questionable, and doesn't seem to be anything like the stats above. I'm getting about a day of usage on it, with many of the features switched off. I understand that a software update should come around to fixing this issue soon, but I still intend to purchase a portable power solution. The phone itself consumes a LOT of power, and can only be charged quickly with the supplied 2 amp charger and a good USB cable (such as the very short one provided). Otherwise, you could wait all day for it to reach a full charge if it ever gets there at all.
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- Tcool
- Nyj
- 29 Aug 2013
AnonD-158850, 29 Aug 2013I have checked 3 main retailers here in UAE so far and didn... moreWoh! That's too much!
5200mAH is only $45 here in KSA
5400mAH is only $55+
7800mAH is only $66+
and 10400mAH is only $79+ compared to $75+ of 2300mAH there in your place.
7800mAH is even cheaper here than 2300mAH there.
What the .....!
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- Tcool
- Nyj
- 29 Aug 2013
AnonD-158850, 29 Aug 2013I have checked 3 main retailers here in UAE so far and didn... moreI bought my Panasonic 5400mAH USB mobile power supply in Jarir Bookstore KSA and the small one is Sony 2000mAH available in all Sony dealer.
When I checked the eXtra Store KSA brochure they have the Opso Ipower Juice Classical Series 10400mah- White Color under new arrivals.
The advantage with this is you can use it with other gadgets, unlike the spare battery, you can only use with one specific phone. Another thing is you can avoid to always open the phone back cover in order to replace the battery.
The Opso Ipower Juice Classical Series 10400mah is perfect for tablets.
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- AnonD-158850
- Hxf
- 29 Aug 2013
AnonD-179821, 28 Aug 2013It is an excellent device. i am using it for last one week.... moreAgree to the point about the AMOLED screen. I compared the S4 Active with my brother's S3 (screens) and there is actually a difference in how "vibrant" the colors are in the S3, despite the fact that the S4 Active resolution is much higher (S4: 1080x1920, S3: 720x1280). Also the viewing angles on the S3 are better (not to the point that makes the S4 bad to handle, but they are better in the S3).
All in all, anyone considering the S4 Active and coming from any previous AMOLED device should actually try a live demo of the S4 Active before buying it.
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- AnonD-158850
- Hxf
- 29 Aug 2013
Tcool, 28 Aug 2013But wait, there's more: the new Opso Ipower Juice Classical... moreI have checked 3 main retailers here in UAE so far and didn't find the portable power device (they have only small size ones of about 2300mAh and costs +$75). The only branded model I found was a Nokia with 2200mAh that costs around $34, but that would make it more practical to get another standard Samsung S4 Active battery as it costs around $30.
I'll keep searching more for a while before making the final move as I liked the concept of having a portable charging battery that can work for the mobile phone and other items (tablet to be specific).
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- Anonymous
- LDN
- 29 Aug 2013
AnonD-179821, 28 Aug 2013It is an excellent device. i am using it for last one week.... moreBest phone ever! the camera is just amazinng, i dont have words to describe it. i had a iPhone and honestly, is not the big deal.
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- AnonD-179821
- j01
- 28 Aug 2013
It is an excellent device. i am using it for last one week. truly comparable with any high end device and even i9500. aqua mode recordings are superb.... the very strong reason to buy it is u can use it in the rains, swimming pools and even beautiful lakes.
i know samsung fans are AMOLED fans as well. but believe me this lcd is more bright and more natural even more crisp.
1.9Gh is enough to enjoy anything possible.
highly recommended.
but AMOLED fans! dont buy it...u wont like its screen.
others! go for it
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- Tcool
- Nyj
- 28 Aug 2013
AnonD-158850, 27 Aug 2013I haven't tried that before but it sounds interesting. I... moreBut wait, there's more: the new Opso Ipower Juice Classical Series 10400mah. Wow, no need to buy extra battery for all your gadgets. And no worry of buying mobile phone with non-removable battery.
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- Tcool
- Nyj
- 28 Aug 2013
AnonD-179659, 27 Aug 2013Looking for new smartphone..htc one? blackberry z10? s4? ex... moreHTC One!
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- AnonD-179659
- XMc
- 27 Aug 2013
Looking for new smartphone..htc one? blackberry z10? s4? experia z? or iphone 5? which one is worth it in term of all aspects?? Help me!!
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- AnonD-158850
- Hxf
- 27 Aug 2013
Tcool, 26 Aug 2013No need for removable battery since there are lots of porta... moreI haven't tried that before but it sounds interesting.
I'll check it out and it could be a very potential option to go with; thanks for sharing.
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- Tcool
- Nyj
- 26 Aug 2013
No need for removable battery since there are lots of portable power supply available which can charge smartphones on the go. I have two, one with 2000mAH capacity and the other with 5400 mAH capacity, that's a lot of juice! Enough to charge my gadgets for the meantime where there is no available power outlet.
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- Anonymous
- mTZ
- 26 Aug 2013
AnonD-158850, 26 Aug 2013One more thing for those who are just saying words they don... moreexcellent comment this gentle man.
jgee
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- AnonD-158850
- Hxf
- 26 Aug 2013
One more thing for those who are just saying words they don't understand (i.e. the ones who just come here to say its an "XYZ" copy).
I've just checked the specs of the Xperia Z (very nice device indeed) and here is the very clear difference that you copy cats / copy paste comments didn't read... Xperia Z has a "NON REMOVABLE BATTERY" that's a big "NO NO" in a device with large screen as if you are a real heavy user, you will most likely end up getting a spare battery in your pocket all the time for emergencies. S4 Active has a removable battery and it is available at very reasonable cost (prices here in UAE are between $20-30 for the original battery).
Xperia Z's non-removable battery has smaller capacity than the S4 Active = shorter discharge time for Xperia Z.
Xperia Z has a 1.5 Quad processor, S4 Active has a 1.9 Quad processor.
Display type, screen resolution and RAM are the same in both models.
Xperia Z is IP57 certified, S4 Active is IP67, that means S4 Active has a better dust resistance passed certification than the Xperia Z (in my own opinion, having rate 5 in the dust resistance is excellent and already more than enough, but it doesn't change the fact that the S4 Active is even higher = more duct resistant).
xperia Z has smaller depth (7.9 mm) vs. (9.1 mm) for the S4 Active, also Xperia Z is lighter at (146 g) vs. (153 g) for the S4 Active. These are personal preference differences and will not be a deal breaker when it comes to choosing one of them.
Xeria Z has a better (13 MP) camera (even though GSMArena noted that the quality is "hardly any better than some competitors' 8MP units"). Again, not a deal breaker here.
The other very important thing, Xperia Z costs (again, in UAE) around $730 (none LTE model, C6602) and $760 (LTE model, C6603), S4 Active is around $625 and LTE is standard in this price.
Now, just as I mentioned before, keep your "this is a bla bla bla copy" comment to yourself, similar to the other silly ignorant ones that came before saying that Xperia line up is an iPhone copy. It's not about the outer frame/look, otherwise all TV manufacturers are copying each other then and who ever "created" the rectangular shape years ago is the pioneer (!), or even in a sillier manner, copy paper manufacturers are copying each other as they are all making white rectangular sheets (!)
So, please, get a life and spare wasting time with useless ignorant comments. Xperia line up is a class of its own, with their design philosophy and criteria, the same goes for any other manufacturer of anything else. They make what they want, me and you and everyone else choose to spend the money on what each of us personally like, what is better for "me" could be rubbish for someone else, as simple as that; but it doesn't mean that the product is rubbish or inferior to it, its "PERSONAL" preference.
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- AnonD-158850
- 3YH
- 26 Aug 2013
Just to clarify for those who are actually interested in knowing about this device, this is not intended to be a replacement to the S4 (I9500/I9505), it is a custom version tailored to fit curtain needs for those who require it.
I work in the construction industry and for long time I had suffered from having to choose between carrying a rugged device while working on sites or a high end device, and for long time I had to carry 2 devices, one as main high end and another basic model to carry around the site to avoid breaking or damaging the main one. It is an annoying thing to do and this device was the first to give me the benefit of both worlds.
Is it meant to replace the I9500/I9505? No, Samsung are no idiots and that's why they cut some corners here and there (thicker body, no amoled screen, no FM radio etc) to maintain each class.
You should set your "Needs" before selecting a device to make sure sure you get what you pay for.
This is an excellent device for what its meant for, and by the way, it DOES work under water and no water will get into it from the cover or the 3.5 headphone jack connector, I took pictures with it from under the water where it was completely covered with water and took it out, sent the pictures and made a phone call afterwards. No need to dry it or do anything to it as the cute YouTube girl was claiming.
Battery life is shorter than I9500/I9505 as the screen here is more power hungry, but as GSMArena said (and I do take their word for it), Amoled would not be as good as LCD for water resistance.
Signal is very steady and strong, managed to get clear voice connection in both ends where iPhone 5 and HTC One couldn't, camera is on the level of Galaxy 3 or slightly better, direct sun light visibility is acceptable (not the best, yet above average, iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia(s) are better, HTC One is lower).
Internet connection is very fast on 4G/3G networks, haven't tried games or music yet but given the hardware it has, I guess games are very good and in general, Samsung music player is very satisfying.
Screen is a true joy to look at for reading emails, books, watching YouTube for jokes or watching HD videos from the camera or downloaded movies/clips.
Hope this would help anyone wanting to know about this model.