Samsung Galaxy S4 I9502 (Dual Sim) Review

I have always been a fan of Apple since the inception of the Iphone 2G. However, time has come to move on from using the Iphone 5 since it is no longer my preferred choice for my daily use. This comes as no surprise because I am getting old and I could not rely on the small 4" screen on the Iphone 5. Please don't get me wrong as it is a formidable mobile phone. It will allow users to multitask and it has great features. Among them would be the great variety of apps and also the user friendliness of the iOS. Coupled with the soon to be launched iOS 7 to the mass public, it will certainly capture more customers.

However, I need a change at this point in time. This is crucial because I want to have the ability to insert two sim cards on a mobile phone itself without compromising the great functionality of a mobile phone. From the past, we have many dual sim mobile phones manufactured by Samsung, Nokia, HTC and Alcatel but it does not provide the state-of-the-art functions eg: 8MP digital camera with 441ppi resolution screen. One could argue that HTC has just released a dual sim version of their highly popular HTC One and it will be sold in many countries including Russia.

It is understood that the HTC One is one of the best mobile phones in the 2013 era. This mobile phone supports the LTE and it has a pair of stereo speaker. Apart from that, the UI is smooth and it is just about the right weight although it has its share of problems. I like the exceptionally good 4MP digital camera which HTC could have improved on the hardware of the digital camera.

The Nokia 920 is another good contender. It has a beefy battery and comes with Windows Phone 8. I have posted an article evaluating the quality and the friendliness in using the Nokia 920. The only possible criticism with the Nokia 920 is with the size and weight of the device. It is bulky and it reminds me of the Nokia E90 which I've used a good few years ago. The Nokia 920 supports LTE and comes with lots of modern era features including NFC. However, it should be taken into account that there is no external memory slot so users will only be able to utilise the in build 32GB of memory which is sufficient. I don't think the Nokia 920 will be suitable for me due to the weight of the device.

I then sat down and think of a formidable device which will be suitable for me and I will be able to keep it for a little longer than most of the mobile device which I have used before. I then started thinking of Samsung with their newly launched Samsung Galaxy S4. The problem with the Samsung Galaxy S4 is that it comes with many variations. The only Samsung Galaxy S4 (SGS4) variation which is available in the UK only comes with 16GB of internal storage. Moreover, users will only have less than 10GB out of the 16GB storage space to use due to the pre-installed softwares. Having said that, Samsung has just issued a firmware update to address this problem but it will only be available to the I9505 variation for this moment.

The updated firmware seemed to have allow users to install their apps on the external memory card but nonetheless, it is not acceptable. Many mobile phone users like me would have to resort to buying mobile phones online in order to obtain a 32GB or even a 64GB version of the SGS4.

Besides that, I would also require dual sim support on the mobile phone. It seems that the I9502 variant will suit me well so I've managed to secure a 32GB SGS4 I9502 from China since it is only available in China.

The I9502 is a serious contender to the Iphone 5. It has a bigger 5" screen on the SGS4 and it supports dual sim although the second sim slot will only support GSM and not 2G or 3G frequencies. Nonetheless, I have the opportunity to use only one mobile phone instead of having two mobile phone with me at all time.

The I9502 is similar to the I9500 variant as it uses the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5410 chip. Apart from the variation from the I9500, the other difference will be in the form of its OS. This is because the I9502 is exclusive to China Unicom so it does not include Google Store but rather China Unicom's own webstore. Apart from that, it also includes Samsung App. Many users of the I9502 have tried to install Google Store on their I9502 devices without any success.

What is required of a I9502 user to install Google Store on their devices will be the need to obtain the latest firmware from samfirmware.com. Once a user has secured the latest firmware, it will be useful to download Odin 3.07 and to obtain the files to Root the I9502. You will be able to retrieve the files and specific instructions to Root the I9502 here. You would also require the Google app file which you can download from here.

It is fairly easy to install Google Store but you need to understand that I bear no responsibility if it bricks your mobile phone. In addition to that, I would also advise I9502 users to back up their ROM before doing the following procedure.

The steps to install and run Google Store successfully is fairly simple. All you need to do is to point your browser here to go through the steps in order to successfully install Google Store. You need to bear in mind that you need to use Google Translate to translate the website language from Thai to your desired language. Apart from that, it will be as easy as ABC.

I have to comment that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a worthy contender. It has a superb 13MP digital camera. It has a good sized battery and it is light! I did not use many of its in-build features eg: S Beam and S Voice as I do not require such function.

Good luck have a good time!

Update:

19 June 2013

I am in no position in trying to make use of the many advanced features of the SGS4 including air view because I find it a hassle to do so. I think Samsung would have to provide future firmware updates to enhance their capabilities. Apart from that, I am quite happy with the device.

At this moment in time, there is a new firmware for the I9502 which users could obtain it from samMobile here. I have managed to flash the new firmware and it has increased the phone's internal storage. However, it will not upgrade your I9502's baseband. I am still trying to silent the camera sound on the I9502 without any joy.

Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE - I9305

If you are excited with the launch in New York on 14 March 2013 for Samsung's flagship Samsung Galaxy S4, you will be thrilled, at least, for now, with the Samsung Galaxy S3. If you think that the S3 is just plain, what about the upgraded S3 with 4G radio then?

The standard Galaxy S3 comes with lots of goodies including a 4.8" Super AMOLED screen and 8MP camera at the back and a 1.9MP camera at the front. It comes with a removable 2100mAh battery with NFC installed on the battery itself. The S3's hardware is quite new as it packs a quadcore 1.4Ghz and lots of 2012 hardware specification. With the purchase of an S3, a user will have up to 50GB usage of dropbox for two years for free. This is a bargain. I'm more interested in the satellite navigation as it comes with A-GPS and GLONASS. Best of all, the SAR UK is just 0.24 W/kg (head)! I'm truly amazed as not even Nokia can pull this off! I can remember that the Nokia Lumia 920 was more than 1W/kg! The screen is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass II and it runs on the Android 4.1.2 OS at the time of writing this article.

The TouchWiz UI on the S3 is smooth and I have no complaints.

What about the S3 LTE then?

The Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE is definitely a step up from the normal S3. The difference between the S3 and the S3 LTE is minimal but nonetheless it is worth mentioning. Apart from the difference in the chipset of the S3 LTE which incorporates an LTE chipset, it comes with 2GB ROM instead of the standard 1GB ROM. Since I have the S3 LTE, it will be a good point to try out the 4G radio on the phone. I've managed to collect an average download speed of 45MB/s and an upload speed of 35MB/s in London so it is pretty good considering that the average 3G download speed is around 8MB/s and 1.5MB/s upload.

I'm not too happy with the 2100mAh battery as I need to recharge the phone once every day with Skype and the weather always working at the background. I was thinking of getting a beefier battery for the S3 LTE. Well, I've got a 3000mAh battery from Samsung the other day and guess what? I could stay on for two more days with the new 3000mAh battery! One downside to it is that the weight of the phone will increase from approximately 131g to around 145g but it feels good in my hand. This could never be compared to the Nokia Lumia 920 which I had before as it was pretty heavy.

In conclusion, the S3 LTE packs a punch with the 3000mAh extended battery from Samsung. if you are wondering whether I will be getting the S4, I would say no as I don't think a phone with a 5" screen is worth buying since I already have the S3. Maybe it will be a good idea to give it a pass until the next year when Samsung release a successor to the S4.

Samsung Galaxy S3 3000mAh Extended Battery

If you own a Samsung Galaxy S3 (Irrespective of whether it is a LTE or non LTE version) and you find that the battery could do a better job, you might just be in luck. This is because Samsung has released a 3000mAh battery for the Samsung Galaxy S3 (SGS3). Samsung called it the "Extended Battery Kit" instead.

You could get a piece of it from Amazon or eBay and it will most probably cost you around £30. The whole package will include a back cover for the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the 3000mAh battery which has NFC embedded on the battery itself.

My first impression of the battery and the back cover is that the SGS3 has gained around 20g but I think it is acceptable. With the 3000mAh battery, the back cover is smooth and it does not show sign of an extended battery has been fitted so kudos to Samsung.

With the extra 900mAh, the battery could last me for another day which is really good. I feel that the extra 900mAh is worth the money and it makes the SGS3 more sturdy too so I'm quite happy with the performance of the extra capacity battery so far.

Update:

19 June 2013

Please let me know if anyone is interested in acquiring the extended battery as it has no use for me now since I have upgraded to SGS4. I am willing to sell it for £20 including postage to EU countries. Please leave a message for me if you are interested.

Samsung Galaxy S IV - Worth the Wait?

I keep myself busy in reading e-books but nonetheless, I am overjoyed to have stumbled upon a leaked information regarding the upcoming Galaxy S IV. Mind you, I am a fan of Samsung as of late. I think I am going through a phrase whereby I'm pretty sick and tired of the Iphone as it is similar to the predecessors while the Nokia is trying to do some serious catch up. Mind you, the Iphone 5 is a good piece of hardware. Coupled with the stunning and superb iOS 6, the stability and speed of the menu will keep many people happy and consumers will be very willing to pay more for an Iphone 5.

Apart from that, consumers have lots of choices when it comes to the apps on the iOS. Nobody will be able to deny that Apple has the most apps available for consumers to download at this moment. In addition to that, the front 1.3MP camera on the Iphone 5 does very good indeed under low light too. The only complain which I have is the screen size on the Iphone 5. It is nothing compared to the modern 2012 specification flagship mobile phones. Does it justify to buy an Iphone 5? Most probably yes. This is because the Iphone 5 would retain its value for at least 60% even you have used it for more than 6 months. 

On the other hand, the Nokia flagship, ie: Nokia Lumia 920, is heavy and loaded with Windows Phone 8 (WP8). While it is not the best looking phones around, it is one of the best featured WP8 phones around. I am truly impressed with the 4.5" screen with ClearBlackDisplay and High Definition plus and the 8.7MP digital camera with Pureview function. I am just not used to such a heavy phone as I have lost touch with the Nokia E90 for more than two years now. Presently, you can purchase a Nokia Lumia 920 for around £350 SIM FREE.

Samsung, on the other hand, is on the driving seat for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S IV (SGS4)which will be launched on 14 March 2013 in New York. Presumably it has a 4.99" screen and all the specified hardware and software which were announced lately, I don't think I will stick to the SGS4 as it is just too big. While I can justify to have a 4.8" screen, having a 5" screen is just too big. I am only concern with the size of the screen which looks crazy when you are on the phone without using a headset. 

If the leaked information is true, it will mean that the SGS4 has the best specification on a mobile phone until now. Perhaps Apple will be cooking a customised ARM processor next?

Update:

19 June 2013

We now know that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a formidable device. Samsung has just announced the Samsung Zoom and they might be releasing a Snapdragon 800 variant of the SGS4. I just could not wait to see the outcome when it is launched. It is also interested to know that Samsung will be releasing the next generation Samsung Galaxy range of mobile phones to include LTE- Advanced technology. I just could not wait for the launch of their new mobile devices!

O2 Home Broadband

If you are one of O2's Home Broadband customers, you will have to understand that O2's Home broadband and Landline services have been purchased by SkyBSB for a cool £180 million with an additional £20 million if it meets the target of the agreement between SkyBSB and O2. 

Personally, I will not have any problems with that news as I think it will be a good news for existing customers as they might receive a better service from Sky rather than O2 after the buy out from SkyBSB. From my experience with O2's Home broadband team, I have no problems in getting through to them under five minutes and users will have access to their customer service 24/7. Moreover, existing O2 customers will get a good discount when they renew their Home broadband contracts with O2. 

From the past, I had some not very good experience with Virgin Media and so I've chosen O2 Home broadband. I feel that O2 has done its job by providing an excellent customer service to their customers. With the take over by SkyBSB, many existing O2 customers are feeling uneasy with the news especially thinking of the money which they might have to spend more if they want to stay with O2 Home broadband or the customer service provided by Sky may be terrible.

Sky had received good results in customer survey last year (2012) based on Ofcom's report. With regard to their price plan, I would have to inform customers that existing home broadband plans are slightly more expensive than O2. Maybe there will be a concession in providing a cheaper service to existing O2 customers when they renew their home broadband contracts later. We shall have a look at it later when Sky release a press statement regarding the issue.

For more information, look here, here, here and here.

Nokia Lumia 720 vs Nokia Lumia 620

I'm really impressed with Nokia with the launching of the Nokia Lumia 720 in Barcelona today. I'm more impressed with the fact that the new Lumia 720 is a smack between the Nokia Lumia 820 and the Lumia 920.

With the launch of the Nokia Lumia 720, it will be a significant improvement over the Lumia 620. If you compare between the Lumia 620 and the Lumia 720, you will see that they are almost the same but the Lumia 720 has some upgrades as mentioned below:

(a) The main back camera is now 6.7MP with Carl Zeiss lens optics as compared to the 5MP without Carl Zeiss lens. The video camera in front of the Nokia Lumia 720 will get a bump to 1.3MP instead of the low resolution 0.3MP on the Lumia 620;

(b) The screen size of the Lumia 720 is now 4.3" and it comes with the same ClearBlack display as on the Lumia 620 but the Lumia 620 only clocked in 3.8" so this is a good improvement and I salute  Nokia for the good improvement;

(c) The Wifi on the Lumia 720 now supports dual-band where else the Lumia 620 only supports single band; and

(d) The battery capacity on the Lumia 720 has increased to 2000mAh instead of the 1300mAh on the Lumia 620 so this is another good new on the part of Nokia!

Best of all, the Nokia Lumia 720 will be available in March 2013! This is great, don't you think so?

I believe that I will have faith once more in Nokia so we will see about it. According to reliable sources, the Lumia 720 will be affordable around £300 SIM FREE, unlike the Lumia 920 which is around £400 at this moment.

Update:

03 March 2013 - If you think that you should get the Nokia Lumia 920, perhaps you might want to try out the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE which will have no problem in taking pictures and videos in high quality. The best thing of all is that the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE has zero delay in taking a picture or videos, much unlike the Nokia Lumia 920. For the price of £450 for the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE locked to EE/T-Mobile/Orange which you can spend another £10 to unlock it online, It is a better price to pay and well worth the money spent rather than getting a Nokia Lumia 920.

Nokia Lumia 620 - Lumia 800 Replacement?

The Nokia Lumia 620 was recently launched to replace the aging Lumia 610. However, I believe that the Nokia Lumia 620 is just more than just a replacement unit. In fact, the Nokia Lumia 620 could be a replacement for the Nokia Lumia 800!

What I am most impressed with the Nokia Lumia 620 is that it comes with a VGA camera in front of the mobile phone. There is also a 5MP camera shooter at the back but the lens are not produced by Carl Zeiss. The digital camera does not have Pureview just like the Nokia 808 or the Nokia Lumia 820 or 920. What makes it stand out from the crowd is that the price which one needs to pay to get their hands on the Nokia Lumia 620.

If you shop around, you could get a brand new Nokia Lumia 620 for £200 SIM FREE (ie: Carphonewarehouse). With that, you will have access to an external memory card and the phone comes with all the 2012 specifications including NFC and bluetooth. Obviously, with the cheaper price tag, Nokia would have to save cost. One of the departments where the Lumia 620 had to compromise on will be the screen size. The 3.8" display with Clear Black Display is a reduced screen size of 4.5" with PureView HD and Clear Black Display on the Lumia 920. Apart from that, the internal memory on the Lumia 620 is only 512MB where else the Lumia 920 has 1GB. The Lumia 620 is also equipped with an internal memory of 8GB which is insufficient to install maps and apps which I have at this moment. I will have to delete some of the maps and apps which is not necessary.

In addition to this, the main camera on the Lumia 620 could only manage 5MP as mentioned as compared to the mighty 8.7MP digital camera on the Lumia 920. I have tried taking some pictures with the Nokia Lumia 620 and the quality of the picture is pretty decent during the day with ample sunshine. However, it does not do well under poor lighting as the videos and pictures will be pixelated.

The Nokia Lumia 620 seemed to be doing alright with a 1Ghz dualcore cpu by Qualcomm. I have no issues with it although you will notice the delay in executing a command if you are comparing the Nokia Lumia 620 to the Lumia 920. However, you need to bear in mind that the Lumia 920's cpu is 500Mhz faster than the Lumia 620 and the Lumia 920 has 0.5GB more memory so the slight delay is understandable.

Apart from that, I'm enjoying the changeable back facie of the Lumia 620. Moreover, I find that it is a novel way of removing the back facie by pressing onto the single LED flash on the Lumia 620 to remove the back facie. Once you have opened the back, you will see a removeable 1300mAh battery. I would really appreciate that Nokia would supply a bigger capacity battery but it last me for one day before I need to recharge the battery again.

Personally, I feel that Nokia has done it again where they have released a mobile device which is affordable and yet a device which is packed with serious hardware which I am totally impressed by them. However, the software on the Lumia 620 is not what I am looking for though.

If you are well versed with Windows Phone 7, it will come as no surprise for you in using the Lumia 620 as it runs on the Windows Phone 8. I like the live tiles but I find it quite difficult to get adjusted to it as I am so used to the iOS. However, I have started to feel comfortable in using a Windows Phone device. There is only one issue which I have with the Nokia Lumia 620. I can't install apps including Nokia's maps on the SD card!!!

I have raised this issue with Nokia but they pointed the finger to Microsoft. Unless Microsoft allow users to install apps on the SD card, users of the Lumia 620 will have a smaller capacity to install the many apps which they like. As for me, I like to install maps on the Lumia 620 but the system is saying that the device is running out of space even though I have just inserted a 32GB microSD card in it. What a shame! I hope that Microsoft will allow users to install apps on Windows Phone 8 enabled devices in general. At least Google will allow users to install apps on the microSD card on certain devices. Why not Microsoft?

Overall, the Nokia Lumia 620 is a very affordable smartphone at this moment. I think users should just avoid buying the Lumia 800 and stick to the Lumia 620 even though the price for a brand new Lumia 800 is selling at £150 SIM Free.

Update:
24 February 2013 - I have experienced a slight freezing of the menu whenever I am trying to move between two windows at one time. I think it is due to the fact that the Lumia 620 is only euipped with 512MB of memory, unlike the Lumia 920 where it is equipped with 1GB of memory. Perhaps Nokia should work on an update in the firmware to address this problem.

27 February 2013 - I have realised that the image of yours will be blurry if you use the front camera for video Skype. This is true as I am so disappointed with the quality of the image! I have not experienced any problem when I tried using video Skype on an Iphone 4 which has a VGA front camera. Shame on you, Nokia!

03 March 2013 - The Nokia 620 just frozen for the fifth time for the day. I feel that Nokia software engineers should release a bug fix as I had Skype and Whatsapp working at the background when it crashed. Since we know that Microsoft is going to release an update to WP8 devices in the near future, Nokia should take the opportunity to fix the fast draining of the battery too. I am not too impressed with the Whatsapp app on WP8 devices like the Nokia 620 as it will not allow uses to send videos being stored on the phone.