When the Galaxy S4 was released it had the best stamina of any phone in its class. It does the basics well though, and the call quality is solid. The camera is impressive but has been surpassed by the Xperia Z2, Nokia Lumia 1020 and iPhone 5S. It’s dependable the screen is one of the best in class and the performance great, other than issues we’ve already described. It’s a 5-inch phone that fits easily in a pocket and can be used one-handed without too much trouble. One of the best things we found about the S4 is that you stop thinking about it. Within a few weeks we had disabled them all and we’re much happier with the experience the Galaxy S4 provides. They’re not quite intuitive enough and sometimes actually make using the phone trickier than when they’re turned off. We found that we quickly grew tired of trying to get Smart Scroll, or any of the other apps mentioned, to work effectively enough to be worth the hassle and battery drain. If you’re being cruel you could call them gimmicky bloatware. If you’re being very kind you could call Smart Scroll, Smart Pause, Air View and Air Gesture innovative. Samsung has made a number of tweaks and additions to the Galaxy S4 TouchWiz interface, the software layer that sits on top of Android. SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S4 VS S5 VS S6 : Which is the right upgrade for you? The Galaxy S4 Android 4.3 roll-out has improved some of these issue, however. In addition once you’ve used it for a while and added a host of apps the S4 does tend to suffer from some inconsistencies such as occasional jittery performance. It’s not a deal-breaker but many will find it a little clunkier than stock Android phones or iPhones, which seem to register actions quicker. Unfortunately there’s one issue with the Samsung interface and it’s that there is a split-second pause between pressing a icon, to make a call for example, and it actually initiating the process. Scrolling through menus is quick and smooth, with the only very occasional stutter occurring when something is updating while you’re trying to open an app at the same time. Watching full HD video or intensive 3D gaming is a doddle, and browsing the internet or multi-tasking a breeze. It doesn’t matter what you throw at the S4, it will guzzle it down and asked for seconds. While the 1.9GHz quad-core processor is no longer one of the fastest on the market it still gives the Galaxy S4 plenty of pep. SEE ALSO: All the latest on the Samsung Galaxy S5 Watch the Samsung Galaxy S4 review video:

We discuss some of the best and worst aspects of living with the Samsung Galaxy S4. So with stiff competition out there can the Samsung Galaxy S4 still hold its head high and be called the best of the best? And how does it cope with the rigors of day-to-day life? It cost around £579 SIM-free at launch, but since dropping down the Galaxy pecking order it can now be picked up for just £250/$300. Since the Galaxy S6 has taken up the mantle as Samsung’s flagship model, the S4 has been further reduced in price. Other manufacturers have also pitched in with surprisingly great flagship phones, most notably the Sony Xperia Z2 and the great-value Nexus 5. Apple’s steamrollered on with the iPhone 5S and subsequently the iPhone 6, and the likes of the LG G3 and HTC One M8 and their successors have put up a worthy fight for Android. The competition at the top end of the market has been fierce.

Two years since the S4 was released, it’s looking a little long in the tooth. The Samsung Galaxy S4 was one of the best phones of its day, but the mobile market is fast-moving and unforgiving. While it hasn’t been the runaway success that Samsung anticipated, it’s still one of the best-selling flagship phones of all time and a worthy successor to the outstanding Galaxy S3. The Samsung Galaxy S4 was released as a high-end powerhouse back in 2013, but has since been superseded by the superb Galaxy S5, which was followed itself by the Galaxy S6. Samsung Galaxy S4 Update – Living with the Galaxy S4

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