Samsung Galaxy S 4 is officially unveiled
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Designwise, the S 4 is an almost identical twin to the S III: a slightly thinner 7.9mm one (the S III was 8.6mm thick), with a narrower bezel taking up more of the front leaving little space for everything else. The screen is a Super AMOLED one, a sharp 441ppi display with deep blacks and great viewing angles. Buttons are the same as on the S III: the single big physical home key on the front surrounded by a capacitive back and settings buttons. On the left side is the volume rocker and on the right a lock key hiding an IR blaster underneath.
And yes, the Galaxy S 4 is made out of plastic and you are not the only one disappointed by that.
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Those are just a few of the novelties that come with the updated Nature TouchWiz UX, Samsung’s refreshed skin running on top of the latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
Skinny on the inside, the Galaxy S 4 is a beast on the inside running on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chip with a quad-core 1.9GHz Krait 300 processor. Now that’s what the U.S. version will have and it of course comes equipped with a 4G LTE connectivity. The international version is featuring Samsung’s home-grown Exynos 5 Octa chip based on the big.LITTLE setup with a quad-core Cortex A7 setup running at up to 1.6GHz and a quad-core A15s running at up to 1.2GHz. Internal memory starts at 16GB, and you also have a 32GB and 64GB versions, all expandable via microSD cards of up to 64 gigs.
The 13-megapixel main camera with a single LED flash bulges slightly on the back, promising to capture a stunning amount of details. And here is another area where Samsung brings its software magic. Again, we have a bunch of new little camera features. Dual shot for once allows you to simultaneously record footage on your rear and front cameras, while Cinema Photo basically makes a GIF for you and Story Album stitches all footage and stills into an album.
One thing we are excited about is the huge number of sensors that Samsung included in the S 4. Along the traditional accelerometer and gyro, there are a temperature and humidity as well as a gesture sensor for the Kinect-like Air Gestures functionality. There is even a pedometer that combines with a new S Health feature to track your steps and make you enthusiastic about leading a more active lifestyle. The device also features NFC and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 is official Fullscreen
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Samsung Galaxy S 4 hands-on
14 Mar 2013, 18:32
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134 Comments
4. LonghornTech posted on 14 Mar 2013, 18:40 30 3
More evolution than revolution. 13MP is great, but the SIII's low light is miserable compared to competition. Also, the design element is fundamentally the same and materials are disappointing.
however, a beautiful screen, great processor, improved camera, and some new software features will be much appreciated.
I personally like the HTC One more, but this is definitely a fantastic device.
88. bayusuputra posted on 14 Mar 2013, 20:30 1 1
you mean Deja.....
FUUUUUUUU.......................?
7. RaKithAPeiRiZ posted on 14 Mar 2013, 18:43 4 7
it feels like a copy of Apple's keynote show during the ipad 3 event
28. Dr.Phil posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:06 2 1
If the Note III comes with a new design as well as the Exynos 5 Octa for the US and some other new technology, then I think it will go to show where Samsung has placed it's priorities in terms of it's flagship devices. At least that's my opinion.
32. chistoefurpuffer posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:07 4 1
I beg to differ. I was actually quite impressed with it's amazing features. You and everyone else are just butt hurt because of some plastic. Pathetic.
34. Mxyzptlk posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:08 11 10
Beefed up specs, a few apps, and the continued use of the plastic design. Very disappointing yet expected.
42. chistoefurpuffer posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:13 5 6
You're really trying to make it seem like it's not innovative. You must not of seen the presentation to think it was that plain. Just go away you isheep troll.
49. KingKurogiii posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:21 10 2
yeah, he's trolling but he's right. the S4 just did not do it...
57. protozeloz posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:25 1 3
I don't know, I was expecting to see something similar... There is a bunch of crap that make me want to facepalm, but the hardware is nice, camera seems good. Now wait for the drop test and the Google Motorola X phone... But this beats the HTC one on nearly every department
97. Mxyzptlk posted on 14 Mar 2013, 20:55 2 3
Neither did the S3 but at least it made some difference from the S2. It's like Samsung didnt even try on this iteration.
71. THE-ONE (banned) posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:53 0 0
That was funny. Lmao baaaaaaaa
98. Mxyzptlk posted on 14 Mar 2013, 20:56 2 2
You forgot the d.
101. Mxyzptlk posted on 14 Mar 2013, 20:58 2 0
I'm not trying to make it seem like anything. I am calling it unoriginal and lazy. It's pretty much the S3 with a few under the good adjustments and a few new features thrown into the UI.
45. andro. posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:15 3 2
The point you meant to say it was like an iPhone launch,same phone again
100. Mxyzptlk posted on 14 Mar 2013, 20:57 2 1
If it was anything like it, there would've been innovation in features and design. I wasn't aware the iPhone 4 was the same as the 5 btw.
112. 90ninjas posted on 14 Mar 2013, 21:51 2 1
I like that you skipped the 4S.
86. VZWuser76 posted on 14 Mar 2013, 20:24 0 0
Yeah, it's no Siri is it? Btw, that was sarcasm.
It's ironic that you said in an earlier article that you hoped it wouldn't be a Galaxy S3.2, but it's no different than what Apple has done. Personally I think they should've done more with the design. From the Galaxy S to the S2 to the S3, you could see a difference between them. Here, like Apple has done since the 3G/3GS, all of the changes were made under the hood. Not to say that the changes and updates aren't innovative (nobody would've thought about using your eyes to scroll a year ago) but with the same design it still kinda feels like you just picked up a GS3. I guess it works for Apple, but I like to see an outer change as well when I pickup a new device. Of course with everyone having only an option for paying retail or going with a 2 year contract, people won't feel as cheated, at least as long as they buy in the right part of the cycle.
89. bayusuputra posted on 14 Mar 2013, 20:34 0 0
Dammit, first time I have to say I agree with you.
And first time I give you a thumb up.
There's always a first time for anything, including a flop from Samsung. Still a good device, though. But well, the features are not that innovative, competitors have them first.
125. tll84 posted on 15 Mar 2013, 08:43 0 0
hmmmm.....Samsung flopped but revealed a good device at the same time? seems logical. and how can someone complain that "all they did was make improvements under the hood"?!?!? i should stick to my rule.....never read the comments to an article, they are mostly unreasonable and just annoy me.
2. CivicSi89 posted on 14 Mar 2013, 18:37 11 13
this is evolution as well as revolution. That chipset. It sounds fantastic. I cant wait to play with this thing. Great Job Samsung. Keep up the good work. Looks great!
3. mozes316 posted on 14 Mar 2013, 18:39 12 1
Awesome phone, but my God is the presentation soooo lame...
19. rgxVOiD posted on 14 Mar 2013, 18:54 2 4
I thought the Playstation event was lame, this just tops it
5. therealestmc posted on 14 Mar 2013, 18:40 6 1
Not that i was going to get it but I must say the phone does look cheap compared with phones like the HTC One, but it is packed with software features that outmatches the Ones. Samsung is innovative when it comes to software, but the design of its phones is so-so. Anyway, I am eagerly waiting for the Note 3.
16. Rydsmith posted on 14 Mar 2013, 18:49 5 2
But you used the keyword, SOFTWARE. These are all things that can be, and more than likely will be, extracted and available as an APK to be sideloaded into other phones that meet the OS requirements (Android 4.1.2+).
This phone is honestly a disapointment. Yes it looks...good, but that is about it. There is nothing with that phone that makes me scream that it is my next, and the materials again are lacking. It feels as though Samsung heard all the complaints about the SIII, ignored them and did the exact opposite of what people complained about.
In this day in age, expandable memory and replaceable batteries are not required. Between the massive push for cloud based storage (Google Music, Skydrive/Google Drive, streaming music from Pandora/Slacker/Spotify, etc..) I wonder in what world would anyone need more than 64GB, better yet 32GB.
It's a phone that makes you go "hmmm."
Yes it will sell well, as Samsung is honestly the Apple of Android, and yes it will be a success, but from an educated consumer stand point, my money will be going towards the HTC One as there is just not enough on the phone to warrant the purchase.
48. Rydsmith posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:20 2 0
I'm curious as to why that is. Do honestly think you will fill up 64 GB worth of information over the use of your phone (~2 years at most)?
If that is the case, how!?
At some point in time, apps get deleted, music removed, movies deleted or replaced with streaming, etc...
So I'm legitimately curious as to why you believe expandable memeory is required in a day and age where internet costs are lowering every day (not literally -.-) and the amount of room for most things (music, movies, photos, etc...) is decreasing due to improved compression techniques.
61. PapaSmurf posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:30 0 1
I've gone through 32GB on my S3 already. Photos, videos, apps, music, and movies ate up my memory. I was thinking about buying a 32GB SD card, but I'll just get the 64GB version of the S4 in Frost White.
105. SherlockHolmes posted on 14 Mar 2013, 21:28 1 1
Are you a PORN Maniac ?
85. rgxVOiD posted on 14 Mar 2013, 20:24 0 0
Never thought of it that way. The only reason that i think its required is when the internal memory is little
108. iDroid8 posted on 14 Mar 2013, 21:44 0 0
1.Card slots are used as a way of data transfer too-as bluetooth is too slow and wifi direct a battery hog
2.Amount of romm for things is increasing, images going from 5 to 8 to 13MP, videos from SD to HD to FHD and bitrate of music increasing too
and how much of it will you like to be compressed?
IMO 32GB + microSD should suffice
76. hypermagz posted on 14 Mar 2013, 20:00 0 0
An educated consumer will not buy a phone after a few months just because of looks... An educated consumer will buy if it meet his/her needs.
90. VZWuser76 posted on 14 Mar 2013, 20:36 0 0
Yes, software can be extracted, but sensors cannot. Smart Scroll might be able to be extracted, unless it's handled by one of the sensors that isn't on the S3. The Kinnect like features, IR blaster, & pedometer are out though. Camera could be hit or miss as well.
As far as expandable memory goes, if you don't want it, fine. But I'm getting a little sick of people telling me what I do and do not need. Myself, I don't want to use up my data transferring files on and off my device, or spend my time sending those files back and forth between my computer so I don't run out of storage space. It's the reason I never went to an ipod touch & stuck with the classic. I've got 110GB of music on there & until recently there wasn't an option to hold that much content. Now I could keep jockeying the files back and forth, but what's wrong with having all of them available? Is that really a bad thing?
If you're fine with no expandable media great, good for you. But please don't tell me how I should do things. I don't force you to do things how I do them, I don't think it's unfair to expect the same in return.
119. Rydsmith posted on 14 Mar 2013, 22:46 0 0
I'm just going to leave this here.
http://canigivemydog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/can-i-give-my-dog-midol.jpg
(Though I find that ironic coming from a Verizon user....)
121. Slammer posted on 14 Mar 2013, 23:15 0 0
"In this day in age, expandable memory and replaceable batteries are not required".
I have a colleague that was in the middle of nowhere between business meetings. His iphone suffered total death due to failed, shorted battery. He had to wait a day and a half before getting to a city to replace his phone. He estimates he lost 15-20 important business calls within this time. Ask him what he feels about not having a removable battery. I won't even get into the four handsets I have in a drawer that have broken usb charging ports. Removable batteries allowed me to remove the batteries and charge by placing them in a desktop charger.
All these broken ports are HTC phones. I'm not downing HTC. I have owned HTC phones for 9 years. But, until it can make the battery last much longer without having to do frequent charges where it wears down the charging port, I highly suggest you re-evaluate your thinking.
I am not going to be stuck with an inoperable phone out of warranty because worn or dead battery.
A high end phone should not be rendered useless just because of a damn battery.
John B.
8. pwnarena posted on 14 Mar 2013, 18:43 0 0
with the IR kept active all the time to handle the gesture scrolling (or at least when the screen is turned on), i'm wondering how long the battery will last. hopefully it won't be that bad.
10. Mr.Mr.Upgrade posted on 14 Mar 2013, 18:44 1 10
XPhone should be the top 2013 phone this year...all u phone companies had to do is improve battery life n durability... HTC felled....n Samsung felled...what a joke...doom to repeat history...
31. Dr.Phil posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:07 6 0
Ded u nawt untersand hym? He sed HTC felled n Samsung felled.
51. rgxVOiD posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:22 2 0
Ermahgerd HTC falled n Samsung felled
93. bayusuputra posted on 14 Mar 2013, 20:43 0 1
well, it's not a fail. It's needed for all those battery hogging features Samsung introduces.
120. dwgit posted on 14 Mar 2013, 23:13 0 0
PapaSmurf better than the htc one and sony lol pls
12. timtimity posted on 14 Mar 2013, 18:46 7 0
I know I'll get thumbed down, but I always liked the look of the S3. I am disappointed that this looks very similar though. I was hoping Samsung were just trolling with the leaked images and that was the rumoured improved S3.
However, it's what's on the inside that's important.
14. bonsly16 posted on 14 Mar 2013, 18:48 13 4
Do you ever feel...like a plastic phone...drifting through the wind...wanting to start again...
65. cR203 posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:40 5 3
Do you ever feel like a s4 hater who needs to get a life?
20. Reverence posted on 14 Mar 2013, 19:00 6 5
this sucks!
i was expecting something better. everything from the hosts to the device is way better! if apple brings in little bit of innovation,they'll f**k samsung. s4 is more like lg optimus g pro with 5 inch display! this is simply a huge disappointment! i was expecting something better! so for now i think the crown must go to HTC one!
