We are officially less than a week away from Samsung’s event dedicated to Galaxy S4. That is why we decided to make an overview of all that was said and heard for the company’s new smartphone. In this article, we will collect the most widespread and plausible information on S4. We clarify, however, the following information is still not confirmed by the South Korean manufacturer.
Release Date & Event
The only thing that is certain about Samsung Galaxy S4 is that it will be unveiled on March 14 (Thursday) at a special event in New York. The show promises to be big since the company has invited everyone at Times Square. The reason for that is still unclear. Nevertheless, it is assumed that Samsung will broadcast the event on some of the big screens there. In addition, a few days ago, the company released a teaser video in which a young boy called James was trusted with a mysterious box. Many expect to see “James” in New York with the box, of course.
On-Sale Date
There are no details on Galaxy S4’s on-sale date. However, we can make a modest prediction judging by the company’s traditions. Samsung introduced Galaxy S3 last year on May 3. The smartphone hit the stores only 26 days later. So far, Samsung was faster than Apple introducing new devices to the mass consumer market. Therefore, we can expect the giant’s next phone to reach the stores before April 15th.
Price
Again, we will need to take into consideration some past events and practices, as well as the current market situation. S4’s predecessor had a high release price. That is why there is a possibility that Samsung may raise the price bar even higher. However, Google Nexus 4 is currently sold at a very affordable price and Apple is rumoured to soon launch a budget-friendly iPhone. That is why we think that the company may keep things less expensive this time around.
Design & Appearance
Reports point that Samsung Galaxy S4 may be offered in up to six different colours. Despite that recent rumours claim that the US version of S4 will have only two colour options – black and white.
The most commonly cited information about Samsung’s upcoming product is that it would have a slightly bigger screen. Various leaked photos of the device show that Galaxy S4’s display will be about 0.1 – 0.2” bigger than that of S3’s 4.8-inched screen.
A bigger screen would mean that the smartphone’s size will also be bigger. Some of the images that were spread around the web show a bulky and squarish device. When compared to Galaxy S3, Samsung’s next smart gadget is not really round- and smooth-looking.
Also, there is one big mystery about the device’s design. On one of the images of S4 that were published online, it was obvious that there is no physical home button on the phone. In other words, Samsung may offer an entire touch-sensitive product.
Although, Samsung and Android fans expected the Korean company to replace the plastic with something more sophisticated and durable, reports, images and rumours point that Galaxy S4 will keep the plastic case. However, that should not be seen as a drawback since it makes the device more affordable and light.
Software & Features
The most obvious choice for operating system here is Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Nevertheless, this OS was released a few months ago and there is not much new and exclusive about it. Therefore, we do not exclude a brand new Android version.
Another new thing we can expect in the software department is the Eye Scrolling feature. This will probably function as an app and it will track eye movement to automatically scroll across pages. This is among the most anticipated S4 features even though the rumours about it started only a few days ago.
The next thing we may see in Samsung’s new-gen smartphone is more NFC. As we already informed you, Visa and Samsung teamed up to offer a new and better electronic payment methods. It is believed that S4 will be the first device in which the two companies will install their joint service.
Hardware
Just when we thought that we know what S4’s screen is going to be, new information appears. For a very long time insiders and sources claimed that the next Galaxy will have an AMOLED display since Samsung like to develop products with OLED screens. However, according to a tech blog, S4 will come with an LCD display.
Samsung Galaxy S4’s camera is widely said to be 13MP. But don’t get too excited. 13MP for a phone is great, but the quality of the images and videos often depends more on the software of the device. That is why we will need to wait until the phone is released to actually give any ratings here.
The processor of Samsung’s latest product will probably differ from one market to the other. It is reported that the international model will rock an eight-core Exynos 5 processor. The US, on the other hand, are said to only get a quad-core one.
Again, we remind you that this is only an early overview of Samsung Galaxy S4’s specs. It is based on the most plausible and most popular details on the device, as well as Samsung’s general practice with its previous Galaxy S products.
