New Gadget On Hand: Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE (GT-I9505) 32GB

Just got myself a gift: The long overdue Samsung Galaxy S4 (32GB edition with LTE, and no, not the LTE-A with S800 core)
Of course I get it in a subsidised price: Signed a 2 year contract with Maxis and get away with a new phone with RM1649. The bill shall be the problem of next month, until then, I shall stay happy and play around with it this month.

My first thought: It is not as ugly as you would expect from the review around the Internet. And that screen! OMG its so beautiful that the colour seems to pop out of the screen! And its is actually lighter than it looks, probably due to the polycarbonate plastic construction. Probably will do a review after playing with it for another week or so...

Woot! Another new and more powerful twin of Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE-A??!!

With my current device contract bundle nearing its end, was planning to get a new handset to replace my dying/often hanging/restarting S2. Was setting my eyes on Samsung Galaxy S4. Was also disappointed when was told that I am not eligible for the new device plan when it was launched in Malaysia as I got another 2 months left in my contract with Maxis.

Now disappointed no more. A few weeks later, a newer version with Snapdragon 600 processor with LTE support came out, and my target switched there. And then suddenly out of no where, and kind of unexpected, another new flagship S4, another "evil" "triplet" leaked, under the still-unofficial-name Galaxy S4 LTE-Advance. Under the hood "maybe" Snapdragon 800 processor, which smoked S600-series in the dust, and with a support for a newer LTE version (smoking through at more than twice the speed of current LTE). I was like "woot!!!" for a few minutes. 

Picture linked from GSM Arena

Suddenly, I am glad that I got stucked with my 24 months device plan. Will be glad to wait for the review newer evil triplet of S4! And seriously, Sammy, please don't release a new flagship once every month... My wallet will feel onion. Opening it will make me wanna cry.  (T__T)

Source: SoyaCincao and later GSM Arena

Was planning to get an Galaxy S4 (the Octa Core i9500) on the first day it is officially available in Malaysia. Was rejected almost immediately after I asked about it. Reason: My contract of Galaxy S2 with Maxis is THREE freaking months away from completion. "Damn!" is the word I almost blurted out when I was told that I cannot choose to extend the contract by 3 months on the subsidised phone, unlike the iPhone's contract plan.

A month later, comparison between the quad-Krait (i9505) and Octa-Exynos5 (i9500) version of the Galaxy S4 started to appear on the web. Performance wise, i9500 is slightly better, while battery life wise, i9505 is a little (but significantly ahead) [source]. And LTE support in Malaysia is only available on the i9505. So I thought to myself: "Wow, luckily I didn't get one of those". But the sure thing is this: I will only get an superphone (better than smartphone) with OLED. Man! Those AMOLED screen is just too damn beautiful and colourful! At that time, i9505 is still not yet available in Malaysia. 

And just a few days ago, Maxis started to announce "LTE-capable Galaxy S4" with a "coming soon" sticker, with my contract about 1 month left. Hmm, perhaps there is a divine intervention, wanting me to go for i9505 rather than i9500. Well, if everything goes well, I should be getting a new superphone next month. 

Eagerly waiting, and now drooling while waiting...Slurp!