Samsung just unveiled their latest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S4. This is the successor to the immensely popular Galaxy S3, which gave Samsung a true iPhone competitor. The S4, it seems, is not quite revolutionary, but evolutionary — more like the jump to iPhone 4S from the iPhone 4, rather than the jump to the iPhone 5 from iPhone 4S.
Billed as a “Life Companion”, the Galaxy S4 incorporates a lot of sharing features, including dual camera shooting & video recording, peer-to-peer gaming, and the ability to combine your phone with your friends to create multiple speakers.
In a blast from the past, the S4 has an IR blaster to act as a remote control for your TV. Remember the good old days of the Palm Pilot? With the Galaxy S4, you too can switch channels on your favourite dive bar’s TV.
With all the bells and whistles, plus the software enhancements from Samsung TouchWiz, you will hardly hear a mention about the operating system powering the Galaxy S4. It’s actually running on the latest version of Android (4.2.2, Jelly Bean).
Hardware-wise, it’s a decent update:
- 5-inch full HD super AMOLED screen with 1080p resolution
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi (also standard a/b/g/n bands)
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Cat 3 100 / 50 Mbps LTE
- Removable 2,600 mAh battery
- 2GB of RAM
- 16, 32, or 64 GB of storage
Check out Samsung’s introduction video on the Galaxy S4.
Some initial reviews:
Jordan Crook, Techcrunch
“the Galaxy S 4 is a worthy successor with innovative features packed into a familiar housing”
Brent Rose, Gizmodo
The S IV feels uninspired … There’s just no wow-factor here.
David Pierce, The Verge
It’s a faster phone with a better screen, a better camera, and some cool new software features, and for the company that’s nearly synonymous with the word “Android,” that may be enough to ensure another huge success.
You can get your hands on the Galaxy S4 in April 2013.