Just got my S4. Dissapointed maybe?

[jbomb11]

I just got my samsung galaxy s 4 I have been an android user since android came out. I've had the s3 (loved it) went to the note 2(loved it) traded that for the Iphone 5. Then traded the i5 for the s4.

I'm always trying to get the latest and the greatest. Android will be my choice forever.

When comparing the s4 to my last two galaxy devices I seem slightly unhappy. My s4 is very choppy and laggy. Battery life is marginal.

Any ideas on what I can do. Other than root?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4

 

[Gaba517]

For the battery life, you can buy an extended battery kit.But I can't tell you anything about lag since I only own the S3.It's either because you got used to the iPhone 5 which is(sadly) way faster than any Android smartphone, OR, S4 simply feels laggier than the S3 because of the added features and apps, since it still has a Quad-Core CPU.But, let's hope the explanation is that you got used too much to the iPhone which is smoother and faster than the S4.

 

[Haalcyon]

I have an AT&T unit and have no choppiness or lag. Have you tried a different Launcher? Nova, Apex, or Go?

Sent from my Note 8.0 LTE

 

[dsignori]

What firmware are you on? The latest is VRUAME7. The original firmware was laggy on most carriers. For VZ, this update helped much ..If you are not on that then try to force an update and things should be much smoother. If you are on that, I'm not sure what is happening.

Also without going into it, there are MANY (and I mean MANY) things you can do to improve battery life , contrary to what Gaba517 says (things like brightness adjustments, sync intervals for apps, Samsung services,etc, etc)

 

[Tahoe916]

I've never had a lag problem, maybe a tiny bit here and there but the update cleared that up. I improved my battery life quite a bit by keeping standalone GPS services off except when I need it, and not using Google Now. And using the battery monitor to see what's using it, I had to remove a couple apps and Widgets that turned out to burn up the battery, one being a weather widget that constantly accessed location services.

I switched to Nova Launcher recently, I should have done that day 1, so much better in speed and functionality.

 

[YourMobileGuru]

I just got my samsung galaxy s 4 I have been an android user since android came out. I've had the s3 (loved it) went to the note 2(loved it) traded that for the Iphone 5. Then traded the i5 for the s4.

I'm always trying to get the latest and the greatest. Android will be my choice forever.

When comparing the s4 to my last two galaxy devices I seem slightly unhappy. My s4 is very choppy and laggy. Battery life is marginal.

Any ideas on what I can do. Other than root?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4

I hate to say it but it sounds like you should have done more research. The S4 lags. Period. Its mentioned in almost every review done on the device.

Its gotten better with software updates but still isn't where it needs to be. Most of Samsung's updates haven't made it to US carriers. I own the Verizon version and use the AT&T version at work and both lag similarly. Only the most diehard Samsung fanboys deny it.

I see a few options for you: 1 wait for it to get better as Samsung and the carrier push updates 2 try custom firmware or 3 move to a different phone. From what you've described you'll be looking at something new in about 3 months anyway.

Good luck!

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Haalcyon]

I hate to say it but it sounds like you should have done more research. The S4 lags. Period. Its mentioned in almost every review done on the device.

Its gotten better with software updates but still isn't where it needs to be. Most of Samsung's updates haven't made it to US carriers. I own the Verizon version and use the AT&T version at work and both lag similarly. Only the most diehard Samsung fanboys deny it.

I see a few options for you: 1 wait for it to get better as Samsung and the carrier push updates 2 try custom firmware or 3 move to a different phone. From what you've described you'll be looking at something new in about 3 months anyway.

Good luck!

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using AC Forums mobile app

I have the US AT&T version but upon receipt I immediately switched to Go Launcher Prime and have never ever (in any universe) experienced any slowness, delay, or what I'd imagine is meant when you say "lag". It must be a TouchWiz or Verizon thing that causes it. Easily and irrevocably remedied...by a quick switch of launcher (and, perhaps, choice of carrier?) at least for me.

Sent from my Note 8.0 LTE

 

[MikeLip]

Before you give up, go get the latest software. It makes a HUGE difference. And disable anything you won't be using. But first, get that update. My S4 lagged no matter what I did. I could make it better but I couldn't make it smooth. The OS update fixed it completely. Why Samsung released a top end phone that lags like this (and they KNEW it lagged - the blogs were saying it lagged before release date) I will never understand.

 

[garublador]

Before you give up, go get the latest software. It makes a HUGE difference. And disable anything you won't be using. But first, get that update. My S4 lagged no matter what I did. I could make it better but I couldn't make it smooth. The OS update fixed it completely. Why Samsung released a top end phone that lags like this (and they KNEW it lagged - the blogs were saying it lagged before release date) I will never understand.

I've been using Nova and have also noticed that since the latest update (which I got a few weeks ago, I'm not sure why YourMobileGuru claims the update hasn't made it to US carriers) the performance has been incredible. There were some choppy animations I saw before the update but they seemed to have fixed it, at least using the settings I have, which include leaving the animations on.

 

[SeanInColumbus]

I don't think ALL S4's lag. I think a common protocol that many people either are not aware of or just decide to skip is doing a factory reset after upgrading the OS. Every single Droid I have owned went laggy after installing new OS releases - that is until I read a post recommending factory resetting. Now, I do a factory reset each time and have had no problems ever since. My S4 runs perfectly smooth and quick.

Also, I think what a lot of people miss is that when a phone is purchased out of the stockroom, it often comes ready for an OS update. The buyer gets the phone, runs the update without doing a factory reset and bam - they have a laggy OS.

It is a bit of a chore but back up all your app settings and just do the factory reset (immediately after the upgrade) - you're phone will run much better as a result. The time you spend re-tweaking (if any) will be well worth it.

Just my 2 cents....

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

I hate to say it but it sounds like you should have done more research. The S4 lags. Period. Its mentioned in almost every review done on the device.

Yup, agreed, it's an issue often mention in most reviews of this device. There are however updates to fix issue and other very easy steps that can be taken to reduce/eliminate the lag. (see below).

Its gotten better with software updates but still isn't where it needs to be. Most of Samsung's updates haven't made it to US carriers. I own the Verizon version and use the AT&T version at work and both lag similarly. Only the most diehard Samsung fanboys deny it.

I'm not aware of any available updates that major US carriers haven't already pushed? The Verizon version at the very least has received the update intended to fix many of the lag issues. I'm certainly not a "fanboy", but at the same time I found it quite easy to get my phone running lag-free with little effort, and don't think it's as big a deal as some make it out to be...either that, or some folks simply have it worse than others.

I see a few options for you: 1 wait for it to get better as Samsung and the carrier push updates 2 try custom firmware or 3 move to a different phone. From what you've described you'll be looking at something new in about 3 months anyway.

Good luck!

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using AC Forums mobile app

Here are 2 things I did that made my phone pretty much lag free:

1. Installed Nova launcher. It's free, it runs great, has a ton of customizations, is highly recommend by those that use it, and is easy to setup. At the very least I see no reason why not to try it out.

2. Reduce the animation settings under "Developer Options". I like to keep mine at 0.5 and everything seems to run pretty well, but you can even set them down to zero to completely remove the transition animations.
See here: http://forums.androidcentral.com/sa...speed-up-galaxy-s4-enable-developer-mode.html

 

[exempli_gratia]

To the folks recommending Nova and/or reduced animation settings, I don't think that's what folks are complaint about whether they say "lag". Nova is faster, but in part for the same reason as reducing animation in Dev settings, it spends less time prettily transitioning screen to screen. That makes the transitions faster (though less visually "smooth").

But it does not help when the phone takes a sporadic extra half second breather unlocking, or bringing up Home, or starting the camera, or skips a frame every once in a while. I think that's what people mean when they say" lag".

Many don't notice it because they're not looking for it -- I envy them -- but once you see it, sadly you can't un-see. :-\

PS. I'm still running pre-VZ patch, since I haven't quite decided to give up on getting root/ROMs in the future, so can't comment on the improvements many have praised with the update. Given the breath and duration of the comments, it seems to go beyond the usual placebo effect of updates, but it's suspicious that VZ's official change log makes no claims about speed/smoothness/responsiveness gains of the update.

 

[KryspyDoughnut]

For the battery life, you can buy an extended battery kit.But I can't tell you anything about lag since I only own the S3.It's either because you got used to the iPhone 5 which is(sadly) way faster than any Android smartphone, OR, S4 simply feels laggier than the S3 because of the added features and apps, since it still has a Quad-Core CPU.But, let's hope the explanation is that you got used too much to the iPhone which is smoother and faster than the S4.

If you are looking for a battery, buy the ZeroLemon 7,500mAh battery. It supports NFC. For the lag you can frequently clear the memory in the S4's built-in task manager app.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

To the folks recommending Nova and/or reduced animation settings, I don't think that's what folks are complaint about whether they say "lag". Nova is faster, but in part for the same reason as reducing animation in Dev settings, it spends less time prettily transitioning screen to screen. That makes the transitions faster (though less visually "smooth").

But it does not help when the phone takes a sporadic extra half second breather unlocking, or bringing up Home, or starting the camera, or skips a frame every once in a while. I think that's what people mean when they say" lag".

Many don't notice it because they're not looking for it -- I envy them -- but once you see it, sadly you can't un-see. :-\

PS. I'm still running pre-VZ patch, since I haven't quite decided to give up on getting root/ROMs in the future, so can't comment on the improvements many have praised with the update. Given the breath and duration of the comments, it seems to go beyond the usual placebo effect of updates, but it's suspicious that VZ's official change log makes no claims about speed/smoothness/responsiveness gains of the update.

I know what you mean regarding the update, for what it's worth, I have not updated either, but I'm also running CleanROM, so that may be part of the reason I don't notice any lag either.

Having said that though, I wish I could find the one youtube vid I watched a while back regarding the animation options set in the developer mode settings...they were actually able to reproduce the common lag issues you speak of (extra half second breather unlocking, or bringing up Home, or starting the camera, or skips a frame every once in a while), and demonstrated that setting the transition animations to zero did basically get rid of it. So yes, changing the setting does remove those "smooth" transitions, but it seems like often it is these transitions that ARE the source of the lag (though definitely not in *all* cases), so eliminating them is also a potential solution to the problem.

Regarding the use of different launcher, it seems the same thing is true, as the lag really seems to be tied to Touchwiz itself, so using a launcher like Nova seems to improve the experience for many.

Again, I'm really just sharing information I've come across here. Of the two suggestions I made, both are easy to do, don't cost anything or even require root, and completely reversible, so it seems to me like they're worth trying.

 

[basiljayclarke]

Try something different like Xperia Z with Internal 16 GB, 2 GB RAM, Camera 13.1 MP, 4128x3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, Secondary Yes, 2.2 MP, 1080p@30fps, Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) with long battery backup. Amazing Smartphone!!

 

[fotomatt1]

Try something different like Xperia Z with Internal 16 GB, 2 GB RAM, Camera 13.1 MP, 4128x3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, Secondary Yes, 2.2 MP, 1080p@30fps, Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) with long battery backup. Amazing Smartphone!!

That's great except that you're in a Verizon thread and the Xperia will not work on Verizon's network.

 

[sooner7]

I recommend rooting and installing some mods and cleaning up the bloatware. It really helps eliminate the lag, and if you want complete lag free operation, install a custom kernel.

For AOSP ROMs, PACman and Liquid Smooth are very fluid, and there are gobs of slick touchwiz roms.
This is the only way to get the device the way it should be.

 

[benhmadison]

I recommend rooting and installing some mods and cleaning up the bloatware. It really helps eliminate the lag, and if you want complete lag free operation, install a custom kernel.

For AOSP ROMs, PACman and Liquid Smooth are very fluid, and there are gobs of slick touchwiz roms.
This is the only way to get the device the way it should be.

+1
Although I had the AT&T version, the only way I was able to actually take advantage of the powerful hardware was to root and install a custom rom. Hopefully Samsung will dial back the Touchwiz overkill moving forward now that they have seen how cumbersome it can be. Not sure if you like stock android but if you do you should root and install the Google Play Edition Rom. It was like a whole new phone. If you like the Touchwiz look CleanRom is great as previously mentioned.

 

[ut_jd]

I hate to say it but it sounds like you should have done more research. The S4 lags. Period. Its mentioned in almost every review done on the device.

Its gotten better with software updates but still isn't where it needs to be. Most of Samsung's updates haven't made it to US carriers. I own the Verizon version and use the AT&T version at work and both lag similarly. Only the most diehard Samsung fanboys deny it.

I see a few options for you: 1 wait for it to get better as Samsung and the carrier push updates 2 try custom firmware or 3 move to a different phone. From what you've described you'll be looking at something new in about 3 months anyway.

I am new to Samsung and new to Android and think there is virtually no lag at all. My most recent smartphone was a Windows Phone 8 device where there is never any lag, so I imagine I would be very sensitive to it. I updated my Verizon S4 with the new update right away, did a factory reset (I did my research before getting the phone), then reduced annimations to 0.5. I am not a fanboy and have not experienced the lag.

Hang in there and play with the settings, a lot of people have lag-free S4s on Verizon.

 

[snickelo]

I've had this problem a few times in the last several days. The first time I really noticed it was three days ago when I was at the beach and the phone became uncomfortably hot in my pocket. It wasn't charging and I had barely been using it at all. It got rather hot yesterday when I was about one minute into a phone call. I've also been having charging issues, if anyone has any thoughts on that. Posted a thread but I don't believe they've put it up yet. It's frequently been saying it's charging but just stagnating at the same battery percentage, or beeping at me repeatedly saying it's connecting and disconnecting. My roommate got the same phone one day before me from a different Sprint store and has been having the exact same issues. She also had a small clear strip with panels fall out of the charging port last night. Somehow that seemed to help her phone recognize the charger.... I've seen another user say that a piece in the charging port is supposed to be centered and that if it's angled more towards the bottom of the opening (like ours appear to be) it could cause charging problems. At this point I hate the phone and am almost ready to go raise hell and demand an iPhone 5 or something. Any thoughts?