SpecEagle
SpecEagle review · Samsung

Galaxy S4 review: The 2013 sales juggernaut that made Samsung a global No. 1.

SpecEagle Editorial·Apr 2013·$640
Overall
34/100
Class rank
#4 of 6
Tier
Flagship
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

The 2013 bestseller that crowned Samsung No. 1.

The Galaxy S4 sold in enormous numbers and made Samsung the global smartphone leader. It is a historical milestone — long obsolete as a device.

01Display

58/100

58/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2013.

TypeSuper AMOLED, 60 Hz
Size5.0 inches
Resolution1,920 × 1,080 px (441 ppi)
ProtectionGorilla Glass 3

02Camera

44/100

44/100 puts it above the 41-point average for flagship phones of 2013.

Main13 MP, f/2.2
Selfie2 MP, f/2.4
Video1080p @ 30 fps
FeaturesDual Shot · Drama Shot

03Performance

26/100

26/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2013.

ChipsetSnapdragon 600 / Exynos 5410 (28 nm)
CPU4–8 cores
GPUAdreno 320 / PowerVR SGX544
RAM2 GB
Storage16 GB / 32 GB / 64 GB · microSD

04Battery

46/100

46/100 trails the 49-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2013.

Capacity2,600 mAh (removable)
Wired~10 W
WirelessOptional (back cover)

05Build

50/100

50/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2013.

06Value

36/100

36/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2013.

What works
  • A massive commercial hit that cemented Samsung’s lead.
  • Sharp 5-inch FHD AMOLED for 2013.
  • Removable battery and microSD.
  • Light and compact.
What doesn't
  • All-plastic build.
  • TouchWiz software was heavy and gimmick-laden.
  • Software ended at Android 5.
  • Discontinued — a vintage device.

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 6-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .