Samsung's Galaxy S 4: Introduction & Hands On
by Anand Lal Shimpi on March 14, 2013 7:30 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Samsung
- Mobile
- Galaxy S 4
Final Words
With a release scheduled for sometime in Q2 of this year, today’s announcement is more of a preview. We’re sure to have more details on hardware and software in the coming months. For now, the Galaxy S 4 seems like a logical evolution of the Galaxy S lineup. Faster hardware and a larger higher-resolution display were both expected and delivered upon.
Power users will be pleased by the modern SoC integration, and I’m sure there are some that will still be happy with the removable battery and micro SD card slot.
Samsung has continued to increase its focus on delivering enhancements through software, which is very obvious based on the list of launch features for the Galaxy S 4. Although I’m sure power users will still prefer unmodified Android, it’s important to note that many of the features Samsung is introducing with the Galaxy S 4 will be very easy to market to mainstream consumers. The ability to control your smartphone without ever touching it or pause/unpause video with a glance are marketing messages that are very clear and easy to deliver.
The same is true for the enhancements to the camera app. While Samsung continued down the path of the megapixel race, truth be told it will have an easier time selling the Galaxy S 4 to mainstream consumers based on specs and the added features enabled by the new camera app.
Round it all up with S Translate and S Health, two more features that aren’t really new but definitely speak directly to consumers. It’s Apple’s Siri strategy, but coming from many different angles. Samsung’s consumer focused strategy is one that has done very well and I see the Galaxy S 4 continuing that. The real question is how well all of these features will perform/work in final software. Conceptually the Galaxy S 4’s software suite makes a lot of sense, the proof as always will be in the execution and how long it takes Samsung to get to the appropriate level of polish.
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OCedHrt - Monday, March 18, 2013 - link
Since HTC is still failing at marketing, I'd like to point out that it also has IR sender for remote control.ATBTCT - Tuesday, March 19, 2013 - link
What the heck are you spouting? Samsung puts bigger battery compared to other manufacturers and still manages to make it removable. You are saying as if phones with non-removable battery have bigger battery, which is exactly the opposite save for razr maxx. Just look at HTC one x and HTC ONE. What did HTC gain by making the battery non-removable and what did Samsung lose by making it removable? Nothing. Whether the phone has bigger battery or not has nothing to do with it being removable or not....no matter what the companies say...Having removable battery just gives you choice. For me removable battery doesn't mean I go on swap frenzy but I can swap it when necessary. In any case Samsung phones have good battery life compare to likes of many who use non-removable batteries except for web browsing where having AMOLED screens has its disadvantages.ATBTCT - Tuesday, March 19, 2013 - link
Yes, a keyboard Geek who is apparently a fool knows a lot about a phone that he has never seen. Maybe you should go and give Samsung engineers a lesson on how you should give up on something when you run into an obstacle.shorty lickens - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - link
Will all these neat features be added to the Note 2? Cuz I really dont wanna swap phones after three months.boe - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - link
All I want to know is did Samsung finally work with Verizon to fix their POS radio/reception/antenna issues?I love the PDA side of the Samsung phones but their phones don't work for crap on Verizon's network. The HTC and Motorola phones work fine so it isn't Verizon's network, it is just that Samsung can't be bothered to fix their f'n phones.
They fooled me once with the Galaxy Nexus - shame on them. They fooled me twice with the S3 - shame on me. NOT until they fix the reception issues will I ever get a Samsung phone again or until I switch carriers.
ANKSHA - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - link
Does S4 support both technology GSM and CDMA? Suppose if I buy S4 from VERIZON/SPRINT.... can I switch back to AT&T/TMOBILE?brandensilva - Monday, March 25, 2013 - link
I'm fine without the spare battery swapping annoyances. I did happen to purchase a fairly large battery pack though that I can use if I really need the juice on trips. I could easily have my phone go a full week of heavy usage with it. I find that far more convenient than actually shutting the phone off and throwing in a new battery.superflex - Monday, March 25, 2013 - link
Could the display be any more over saturated?yos123 - Tuesday, March 26, 2013 - link
I like the way everything is detailed. Great postrohini - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
i agree that it is a very decent phone and Samsung is trying to keep a check on the price tag of its smartphones but WE CAN'T JUST IGNORE the looks of the phone. In India its going to cost us about 45k INR which is a huge amount of money and the buyer wouldn't mind if it made to look somewhat better than the SGS3.Why the hell does it have its looks identical to the older SGS3??
On the other hand, the phone comes with a lot of software goodies like air gesture and something called eraser shot. More info can be found on http://www.speedmango.com/15-awesome-features-of-s...
What I believe is that these days the hardware spec war is coming to an end. People dont care that much the hardware specs anymore. Even a 15k Micromax Canvas HD has a quad-core processor. What matters the most is the software features and the after sales support.