Entsprechend hat sich das Netz umgehend mit Reviews des neuen Android-Flaggschiffs gefüllt. Die fallen fast durchgängig positiv aus, sehen das Galaxy S4 aber eher als Evolution denn Revolution. Ein Überblick:
- Seth Weintraub, 9to5google
"The Galaxy S4 is better in every way than one of the world’s most popular smartphone, the Galaxy S3. Sure, there are still quibbles like the plastic backing and the not so finer points of Touchwiz and Samsung’s desire to have more than one app for every function. But overall, there isn’t much to dislike here, especially if you are upgrading from an S3." - Walt Mossberg, All Things D
"If you’re a nut for lists of new features, love Samsung or crave an even bigger display, the Galaxy S 4 may be for you. It’s a good phone, just not a great one." - Brad Molen, engadget
"In drawing our conclusion of the Samsung Galaxy S 4, we find ourselves at an interesting junction: while our geek senses keep tingling at the thought of so many market-topping specs contained within the same chassis, we also aren't overjoyed, per se, with excitement. The design doesn't feel fresh, especially not next to the HTC One, but we can't deny that it's an improvement over the GS3." - Brent Rose, Gizmodo
"The S4 is far from a bad phone. In fact, were it not for the HTC One, it would be the best Android phone you can buy. And one can't help but think that had Samsung poured all of its innovation into maximizing the practical user experience—instead of highly ignorable gimmicks—it might have taken the crown." - David Pogue, The New York Times
"In the end, the Galaxy S4 is a good choice for people at opposite ends of the technical spectrum: gadget hounds who love to customize at one end, and (thanks to Easy Mode) the easily overwhelmed at the other." - Kevin Krause, Phandroid
"For those already owning the Galaxy S3, however, the changes and enhancements really don’t warrant an upgrade at this time. For those that don’t fall into that category, the Galaxy S4 is a fine choice if you are looking for a brilliant display and excellent photo capture capabilities." - Vincent Nguyen, Slashgear
"Samsung was once the challenger, spurred into action by Apple and the best-selling iPhone. Now, at the top of the charts in Android, it too has driven other manufacturers to take more risks and raise their game. The end result is a device like the HTC One, which in some ways feels more suited to how smartphone owners are actually using their phones. The GALAXY S 4 is a safe, capable, and solid option, and though Samsung’s flagship is perhaps no longer necessarily the best Android device on the market, it’s still a tremendously polished phone with plenty to satisfy the crowds eagerly awaiting it." - Jordan Crook, Techchrunch
"As Samsung continues to push the edge of technological innovation, it needs to take a quick breather and, first, think about what truly solves problems for consumers and, second, think about how to take high-level technology and make it easy to use and understand for the user." - David Pierce, The Verge
"I ended my HTC One review by saying there were two Android phones worth buying, the One and the Nexus 4. That number is now very clearly three, but I had hoped against hope that Samsung would emerge the undisputed winner. The Galaxy S4 is a very good phone in most respects — it has a stellar camera and solid battery life, blistering performance and an impressively useful complement of software features. It's a technological achievement — there's no question about that." - Michael Calore, Wired
"Everything you loved about the S III, but more of it. Big battery lasts all day. Super AMOLED 1080×1920 screen is one of the sharpest you can buy, and it uses the new, more durable Gorilla Glass 3."