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All about Samsung Galaxy S4

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So unlike the other carriers, who have pushed *either* a root-locked kernel or a locked bootloader but not *both*, Verizon has tried to lock you out altogether.

Fortunately, somebody got his hands on a pre-release kernel that's (1) not root-locked, (2) official, so it can be Odined on the stock bootloader.

Woot. Screw Verizon.
 
RampantAndroid said:
Anyone have a Verizon S4 yet that can comment on reception? My S3 has been AWFUL with reception, I drop calls ALL the time EVERYWHERE. It's awful, and I'm soon going to go buy an iPhone 5...but I'm hoping that the S4 can fix my problems. Not too keen on going back to iOS right now.
Click to expand...

I'd also like to hear this. If someone could do a comparison on signal strength with the VZ Gnex that would be great.
 
the DRIZZLE said:
I'd also like to hear this. If someone could do a comparison on signal strength with the VZ Gnex that would be great.
Click to expand...

The S3 was much, much better than the Galaxy Nexus in my experience. I had gone through 3 Galaxy Nexus phones before they finally offered to replace it with another model. The S3 did well save for one time where I had to take out the SIM and put it back in to fix an issue.
 
My Galaxy Nexus is disabled, so I can't compare it, but with Network Signal Info my S4 has a better mobile signal than my wife's Razr. I have pretty weak signal at my house, but side-by-side my wife's phone has -78dBm, and my S4 has -73dBm. She always had a better signal than my Galaxy Nexus, so that is encouraging.

Now wifi is another story. My wife's phone gets -60 dBm to my router in the same spot in the house, and my S4 gets -70. The wifi signal on my S4 is pretty damn weak. I lose connection the second I walk out my door. My GNex will keep the connection all the way out to the sidewalk.
 
So I finally got my neo hybrid case. It's real nice, especially the buttons, but the headphone port is small.

Also my eBay one says "NED HYBRID.
 
ChronoReverse said:
Did you get a real one as well?

Just heard mine came in the mail, will be putting it on tonight along with my screen protector
Click to expand...

I mean, it had the official Spigen seal on it. It looks very legit except for the Ned part. Someone screwed up at the factory lol.

I am really liking the buttons and its backing. Nice mix of TPU and hard and has enough lip on the front. I am also liking the silver color, it works well with the white.
 
I got the Spigen Slim Armor and the UAG Aero. Both really nice cases. The Slim Armor is nice, but it doesn't have a big front lip, so I'm not sure how protective it would be in a drop. The UAG is much more protective, but not bulky at all, so I'm using that right now.
 
trmiv said:
My Galaxy Nexus is disabled, so I can't compare it, but with Network Signal Info my S4 has a better mobile signal than my wife's Razr. I have pretty weak signal at my house, but side-by-side my wife's phone has -78dBm, and my S4 has -73dBm. She always had a better signal than my Galaxy Nexus, so that is encouraging.

Now wifi is another story. My wife's phone gets -60 dBm to my router in the same spot in the house, and my S4 gets -70. The wifi signal on my S4 is pretty damn weak. I lose connection the second I walk out my door. My GNex will keep the connection all the way out to the sidewalk.
Click to expand...

That's a shame, I found the WiFi antenna on the S3 to be pretty darn anemic already. My Macbook would be getting a VERY solid connection 50 feet away, when my phone would be struggling at times.

iPhone 5, here I come, I guess. 🙁
 
RampantAndroid said:
Anyone have a Verizon S4 yet that can comment on reception? My S3 has been AWFUL with reception, I drop calls ALL the time EVERYWHERE. It's awful, and I'm soon going to go buy an iPhone 5...but I'm hoping that the S4 can fix my problems. Not too keen on going back to iOS right now.
Click to expand...

just received my verizon gs4 today...i live in a weird spot where the tower fluctuates all the time... currently with my gs4 i haven't dropped one call.

wife has a iphone 5. doesn't seem to be any change in signal strength between the two of us.
 
Just received my GS4 today, so far it is fantastic. A very significant upgrade from my Note in every way except for the gigantic awesome size of the display on the Note. Having said that, I love how the GS4 feels in the hand! It is very light compared to the Note too.
 
As far as I can tell, it's not really connected, the 4G label just stays there. If you go into something like Network Signal Info with wifi on, the Mobile Signal will say Disconnected for data state. My Galaxy Nexus never did this, but my wife's Droid Razr has always done it, so maybe it's some kind of Verizon branding thing.
 
trmiv said:
As far as I can tell, it's not really connected, the 4G label just stays there. If you go into something like Network Signal Info with wifi on, the Mobile Signal will say Disconnected for data state. My Galaxy Nexus never did this, but my wife's Droid Razr has always done it, so maybe it's some kind of Verizon branding thing.
Click to expand...
Never had it on my VZW Tbolt or SGS3. I just don't get the point - the notification bar is cluttered enough already. I need that space. And also, I associate that icon with battery drain and it makes me unhappy.
 
This isn't totally related, but I love the new Google Play. Already a fantastic app, but it just looks incredibly polished now.
 
It's crazy clever but from what I hear it's not as convenient as a true bootloader unlock. You'll have to be careful not to flash the wrong thing.

Not worth worrying about but if you're planning to buy a GS4 outright, you should get the Google one.
 
rcpratt said:
Never had it on my VZW Tbolt or SGS3. I just don't get the point - the notification bar is cluttered enough already. I need that space. And also, I associate that icon with battery drain and it makes me unhappy.
Click to expand...

So on xda people are saying if you disable the pre-loaded Caller Name ID app, the 4G icon disappears when on wifi. I confirmed that is the case.

And not sure if it will continue, but I re-enabled the app after and the icon hasn't come back.
 
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trmiv said:
So on xda people are saying if you disable the pre-loaded Caller Name ID app, the 4G icon disappears when on wifi. I confirmed that is the case.

And not sure if it will continue, but I re-enabled the app after and the icon hasn't come back.
Click to expand...
Roger dodger, thank you. Disabling all of the stock apps was on my list of things to do anyways.
 
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