Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G Review

Introduction:

Do you happen to love the dreamy specs associated with T-Mobile’s version of the Samsung Galaxy S II, but prefer something a bit more form fitting in the hand and less expensive? Well then, the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G might be the device you’re after, not only for the simple reason it’s similar in the specs departments while maintaining a more compact figure, but it’s also going to be trail blazing with its speedy 42Mbps HSPA+ data connectivity. Although it’s technically still a part of the original Samsung Galaxy S line, it should prove to be a smoking addition, so let’s find out if it’s worth picking up.



Design:

In typical fashion, the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G exhibits the usual design characteristics akin to Samsung’s stable – meaning it’s all-plastic and very lightweight. Interestingly, it actually looks similar to the BlackBerry Torch 9860, because of the way its bezel curves towards its top edge. Even though its overall design isn’t particularly polarizing over other things, above all, we’re fascinated most above its smaller footprint over the previous Samsung Vibrant and Galaxy S 4G, even more when it packs the same 4-inch sized display.



You can compare the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

Donning the usual four capacitive Android buttons, they’re positioned close one another and towards the bottom edge – thus, causing us to accidentally pressing them at times. Meanwhile, there’s a front-facing camera above the display ready to take 1280 x 960 resolution self-portraits.


On one hand, we like the distinct feel of its volume control, but its dedicated power button is flat to the touch – albeit, both deliver springy responses when pressed. In addition, we find other customary things around its sides such as its 3.5mm headset jack, microUSB port, microphone, and spring loaded microSD slot.


Knowing that this handset bears some respectable specs, it’s fitting that we find a 5-megapixel snapper with LED flash in the rear – plus, it’s capable of shooting 720p videos. Prying off its soft touch rear cover, we’re given access to its SIM card slot and 1,750 mAh battery.



Display:

Surely enough, we still can’t get over the fact that this Blaze 4G is packing a 4-inch display, especially when its overall footprint is smaller than the previous models with such screen. Employing a WVGA (480 x 800) Super AMOLED display, we’re naturally entranced by the poppy and saturated colors it’s able to deliver – while still maintaining clarity thanks to its wide viewing angles. Despite employing a PenTile matrix arrangement, it’s sharp enough to visibly see fine text with relatively few issues. All in all, it’s a beauty, but then again, that’s common thing accompanying this kind of panel.

Interface and Functionality:

Hardly a surprise, the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G flaunts the most up-to-date TouchWiz UI experience on top of Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread. No doubt, we dig its rich level of personalization, much like any other Android devices out there, but it’s strange that static wallpapers are no longer scrollable. Specifically, the selected wallpaper remains static as we scroll through its various homescreen – whereas before, the wallpaper also moved accordingly to each homescreen. Aside from that, the experience shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has used a recent Samsung device.


Spoiled by devices bearing 4.3” and up displays, it’s challenge trying to get comfortable using the Blaze 4G’s on-screen keyboards, since its layout is less spacious. And even though it exhibits a good amount of responsiveness, we’re somewhat more cautious with our rate of input because of the limited amount of space for our thumbs to comfortably type.


Much like other Android devices, the Blaze 4G is wonderful in the email department because its Gmail app is remarkably adept in keeping us organized with its depth of features. Alternatively, the other standard email app is also quite usable for our other accounts. Obviously, setup is a pain-free process since it only requires our email address and password for automatic setup.


Preloaded with quite a few apps from the get-go, T-Mobile’s presence is established in apps such as 411 & More, Game Base, MobileLife Organizer, More For Me, My Device, T-Mobile Mall, T-Mobile Name ID, T-Mobile TV, Visual Voicemail, and the T-Mobile branded Qik app. As for the rest, they include Kier Air, Lookout Security, Media Hub, Netflix, Polaris Office, Slacker, TeleNav GPS Navigator, Yelp, and Zinio.

Processor and Memory:

Probably taking most people by surprise, especially when the Blaze 4G is technically a part of the original Samsung Galaxy S line, the handset is powered by none other than a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor with 1GB of RAM. Even for this small bundle of joy, it exudes a consistently responsive performance with nearly all actions. So whether it’s scrolling through the homescreen or opening apps, it’s accompanied with that tasteful performance to make it gratifying. Furthermore, it also manages to retain its high level of performance while using a graphically intensive live wallpaper.

Eh…it’s surely not enough to keep multimedia buffs content, but nevertheless, the handset’s storage breaks down to a 4GB microSD card, 1.4GB internal, and another 1GB strictly for apps.

Internet and Connectivity:

Although it might not be regarded as a top-shelf offering, we’re actually astounded by the spot-on web browsing performance it has to offer. Naturally, complex sites like ours load within 30 seconds, but we’re actually more impressed by the buttery smooth navigational controls seen with things such as pinch gestures and kinetic scrolling. Honestly, it’s like as if it were running a snazzy quad-core CPU of some sort, because it doesn’t flinch for a moment with Adobe Flash content.


As we know, one of the main attractions of the handset is its 42Mbps HSPA+ data connectivity, which should no doubt please those individuals located in areas where it’s available. But in our exact location, we’re only able to obtain average download and upload speeds of 5.5Mbit/s and 1.5Mbit/s. Rounding things out, it features other connectivity items such as  aGPS, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi, and mobile hotspot functionality.

Camera:

For what it’s worth, we’re content with the images produced by the smartphone’s 5-megapixel auto-focus camera – though, they’re not particularly super sharp. Well, it does the job for things like outdoor scenery shots, as it delivers some pleasant visuals worth looking at, however, it miserably fails in low light conditions. Aside from its slow capture time, you’ll need to have a steady hand when taking images in low lighting, or else find images that become blurry looking.



Likewise, the Blaze 4G’s 720p video recording isn’t the sharpest in the barn, but rather, we’re distracted most by its over-sharp appearance – with details being on the soft side of things. Overall, its lack of fine detail makes it appear muddy in appearance, while its audio recording doesn’t do justice with its muffled sound. Still, it does move swimmingly at 30 frames per second, but don’t expect a whole lot beyond that.

Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G Sample Video:



Multimedia:

With the TouchWiz music player on board with the Samsung Galaxy Blaze 4G, it’s nothing particularly captivating, especially when it’s a tad bit on the conventional side with its presentation. Placing our attention on its audio quality, its volume output is average – though, a tiny bit of strain is evident at the loudest setting. However, there are a variety of equalizer options to adapt its quality to specific genres.


Thank primarily to its luscious looking Super AMOLED display, it delivers the goods to keep our attention when it comes to watching videos. Playing our test video that’s encoded in DivX 1920 x 1080 resolution, it’s spectacular to watch thanks to its vivid colors, sharp details, and smooth playback.

Unfortunately, there’s no physical video-out function available with the device, but instead, it offers the untethered experience with DLNA functionality with the AllShare app.

Performance:

For voice calls, we’re happy to report that the Blaze 4G delivers a robust experience in almost all aspects. Specifically, voices on both ends of the line are filled with clear and distinguishable tones without any evidence of any static noise in the background. However, its volume output is a tiny bit lacking with its earpiece and speakerphone, but nevertheless, we’re still able to comprehend voices. Did we mention that Wi-Fi calling is available as well?

During our time using the smartphone, it’s able to maintain a solid connection to the network with signal strength normally hovering around at -69 dBm in high coverage areas.

Strengthening its appeal even further, the 1,750 mAh battery tuck inside its body is able to provide us close to 2 days of battery life with light usage. In contrast, we’re also able to edge out a single day on heavy usage as well. Already, we’ve been impressed by a lot of things, but this is simply icing on the cake.

Conclusion:

Good things are still found in small packages. In fact, that’s essentially what we find with T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, as it’s able to impress us in so many ways. To tell you the truth, we weren’t expecting a lot out of this one, especially when the Samsung Galaxy S II is out there floating around, but it’s evident that the Blaze 4G is a wonderful alternative for those who prefer a device that’s more compact – without sacrificing the goods in the specs department. Taking into account its $149.99 2-year contract price, it’s price reasonably enough to justify it standing close to its highly touted sibling in the Galaxy S II.

Software version of the reviewed unit:
Android Version: 2.3.6
Kernel Version: 2.6.35.11
Build Number: GINGERBREAD.UVLB7

Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G Video Review: