Last night at a press event in New York Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy S4 the latest in its line of Android phones. The S4 looks very much like the S3 but has lots of new software features.
On the hardware front some of the highlights a 5 inch Super AMOLED screen running at 1920 x 1080 441 ppi which should make for a very clear display. The phone comes in 16/32/64 GB version and can take a microSD card. The processor is a 1.6 Octa-Core processor with 2GB of RAM. There is an integrated LED for remote controlling devices, NFC, 13 MP rear camera and 2 MP front camera.
The S4 runs Android 4.2.2 but it’s with software that Samsung are really trying to make a difference. There is Smart Pause that that stops videos that are playing when you look away, Air Gesture which enables gestures to control things like music playback. Air View which previews emails, images etc when you hover over them with your finger. Group Play for playing music in sync between devices in close proximity. A driving mode called S Voice Drive and an S Health app.
Also in the S4 Samsung are pushing the Samsung Hub a single place to purchase apps, music and videos. Samsung don’t mention Android in the press release and this combined with their own store looks like a move to distance themselves from Google’s brand.
Currently I use a Nexus 4 as my main phone since I switched from a Samsung Galaxy Note and one of the reasons I switched was I preferred stock Android over Samsung’s offering but all these extra features in the S4 do make it appealing as does the 5 inch display. I am sure the S4 will be a big seller, the extra features over stock Android are interesting but I am not sure I would sacrifice the simplicity and clean UI of my Nexus 4.
The S4 will be available in the UK later next month but no price details yet.
Full spec:
Samsung GALAXY S 4 Product Specifications:
| Network |
2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE): 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz 3G (HSPA＋ 42Mbps): 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz 4G (LTE Cat 3 100/50Mbps) : up to 6 different band sets(Dependent on market) |
| Display |
5 inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) display, 441 ppi |
| AP |
1.9 GHz Quad-Core Processor / 1.6 GHz Octa-Core Processor The selection of AP will be differed by markets. |
| OS |
Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) |
| Camera |
Main(Rear): 13 Mega pixel Auto Focus camera with Flash & Zero Shutter Lag, BIS Sub (Front): 2 Mega pixel camera, Full HD recording @30fps with Zero Shutter Lag, BIS |
| Video |
Codec: MPEG4, H.264, H.263, DivX, DivX3.11, VC-1, VP8, WMV7/8, Sorenson Spark, HEVC Recording & Playback: Full HD (1080p) |
| Audio |
Codec: MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/AAC＋/eAAC＋, WMA, OGG, FLAC, AC-3, apt-X |
| Camera Features |
Dual Camera: Dual Shot / Dual Recording/ Dual Video Call Drama Shot, Sound & Shot, 360 Photo, Cinema Photo, Eraser, Night, Best Photo, Best Face Beauty Face, HDR (High Dynamic Range), Panorama, Sports |
| Additional Features |
Group Play: Share Music, Share Picture, Share Document, Play Games |
| Story Album, S Translator, Optical Reader | |
| Samsung Smart Scroll, Samsung Smart Pause, Air Gesture, Air View, | |
|
Samsung Hub, ChatON (Voice/Video Call, Share screen, 3-way calling) Samsung WatchON |
|
| S Travel (Trip Advisor), S Voice™ Drive, S Health | |
| Samsung Adapt Display, Samsung Adapt Sound Auto adjust touch sensitivity (Glove friendly) |
|
| Safety Assistance, Samsung Link, Screen Mirroring | |
| Samsung KNOX (B2B only) | |
| Google Mobile Services |
Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude Google Play Store, Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads, Voice Search |
| Connectivity |
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80) GPS / GLONASS NFC, Bluetooth® 4.0 (LE) IR LED (Remote Control), MHL 2.0 |
| Sensor | Accelerometer, RGB light, Geomagnetic, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer Temperature & Humidity, Gesture |
| Memory | 16/ 32/ 64 GB User memory ＋ microSD slot (up to 64GB) 2GB RAM |
| Dimension | 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g |
| Battery | 2,600 mAh |
