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Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G review: Cruising the middle road

The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G dramatically updates the original Galaxy S series and comes in at a fair price point.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
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Jessica Dolcourt
Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G (T-Mobile)
James Martin/CNET

There are a few things I can say about the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G. The Android Gingerbread phone might not be the most high end of all, but it offers a huge performance increase over the original Samasung Galaxy S phones, yet keeps the familiar design.

That 4-inch Samsung Super AMOLED screen is always a crowd pleaser (at least in my crowd of one); the 5-megapixel camera takes consistently good shots; there's a front-facing camera for video chats; and I have no complaints with the dual-core on-board processor. Even call quality behaved.

The single most worrisome issue I encountered during my testing was the 4G speed, which seemed somewhat inconsistent and sluggish, at least compared with what I expected for riding on T-Mobile's HSPA+ 42 network. Lest you think I'm damning the phone, let me say that every carrier has its stronger zones and pockets, and it could be that T-Mobile's network is fast as can be in your neighborhood.

In fact, I would absolutely recommend the Blaze 4G overall for its upper-middle-class features and performance. You can read my speed test results, see photos, video, and all the pros and cons in my full Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G review.

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