The Samsung Galaxy line is one of the biggest success stories in Android handset history. It's such a hit, even Google is reportedly at odds with Samsung's success in its mobile business. The name "Galaxy" could conceivably become synonymous with the word "Android." In some cases, it already has.

It's been a crazy 12 months for Samsung. It was part a heady back-and-forth lawsuit with Apple about patent trademarks, and the Galaxy S III has become one of the best-selling Android handsets of the last year. Now the company is launching the Galaxy S 4 with the tagline of "life companion." This slogan is indicative of the way Samsung sees itself. The company has infiltrated the consumer technology world with easy-to-use gadgets that it hopes will integrate perfectly into your life. The Galaxy S 4 is no different.

We spent time with the S 4 to test out how the phone looks, feels, and works. There are some newer exciting features that come with Samsung's latest handset, including interface tweaks and applications with TouchWiz. It's important to note that the handset Ars reviewed is the Sprint version, and the Galaxy S III handset we're comparing it to is on Verizon Wireless. Keep that in mind as you consider the S 4 for yourself.

The phone

Body and build

Specs at a glance: Samsung Galaxy S 4 Screen 1920x1080 4.99" (441 ppi) Super AMOLED OS Android 4.2.2 with TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0 CPU Quad-core 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 RAM 2GB GPU Qualcomm Adreno 320 Storage 16, 32, or 64GB NAND flash, expandable via microSD Networking 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, DLNA Ports Micro-USB, headphones Camera 13MP rear camera, 2MP front camera Size 5.38" × 2.75" × 0.31" (136.6 × 69.8 × 7.9 mm) Weight 4.06 oz. (130 g) Battery 2600 mAh Starting price $199.99 at AT&T with two-year contract; $149 at Sprint; $149.99 at T-Mobile; TBD at Verizon Wireless and US Cellular Sensor Ambient light sensor, GPS, thermometer, barometer, proximity sensor, gesture sensor, RGB light sensor Other perks Extra accessories for purchase

The Galaxy S 4 looks and feels like an upgraded version of its older sibling. Its faux-brushed aluminum framing is stylish, and it matches the aesthetic of other recent handsets. Although it boasts a bigger screen, Samsung kept a similar size and weight to the Galaxy S III; at 5.38 × 2.75 × 0.31 inches, the S 4 is only a few millimeters thinner and about three grams lighter. Samsung stuck with the same button placement—the power button is on the right side of the chassis, a volume rocker is on the left side, a home button is on the front, and the light-up hardware buttons are still in the same place. Samsung seems to have stuck with a signature chassis model now that it’s a well-known handset maker, making it easily recognizable out in the wild as a “Samsung phone.” At first glance, the Galaxy S 4 is nearly indistinguishable from its predecessor.

The handset comes in 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flavors, with the ability to add up to 64GB of additional storage with a microSD card. The Galaxy S 4 also features a replaceable 2,600 mAh battery pack, Qi-standardized wireless charging, NFC capabilities, and LTE. Annoyingly, the audio speaker still resides on the back of the device, so you’ll have to place it face-down if you’re planning on streaming music through it at a listenable volume. We tried the phone out with Samsung’s flip covers so that the unit would stay protected throughout the review process, but it was a little annoying trying to hold the phone to take pictures, for instance, because the flap had to be held open.

Display

The Galaxy S 4 has a 4.99-inch 1080p Super AMOLED screen with 441 pixels-per-inch (ppi), while the Galaxy S III has a 4.8-inch 1280×720 Super AMOLED display. Both use a PenTile (RGBG) pixel layout. This is a major upgrade for Samsung's handset line, which is behind the 1080p craze by about half a year. HTC has offered its 1080p Droid DNA handset in the US since late last year, and Sony followed suit earlier this year with its Xperia Android handset line.

It also looks like Samsung gave its display an upgrade. The Galaxy S 4’s color palette appears much more true-to-nature than the Galaxy S III's. A side-by-side photo below shows the most subtle differences between the two screens just from the Notifications Shade. When the same photo is compared, the Galaxy S 4’s rendition appears to be more vividly colored.

It appears that Samsung addressed some of the display issues from its last handset model with this new iteration, except for the brightness issue. The screen is still hard to see in direct sunlight and will require that you strategically hunch over to block the sun, even at full brightness.

Also, we can't forget: the Galaxy S 4 can be now used with gloves due in part to its use of Synaptics' ClearPad touch technology. This is an option that can be turned off and on from the Settings menu if you're a frequent screen wiper and find yourself pressing buttons without intending to. The ClearPad technology also helps enable the Galaxy S 4's Air view features, which allows users to hover over an area on the screen for additional actions, like previewing the content of a text message or e-mail without actually pressing on the display.