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The Samsung Galaxy
S4 is one of the most anticipated phones of 2013. Its predecessor, the Samsung
Galaxy S3, won the Trusted Reviews phone of the year award in 2012 and we, and
everyone else, expect great things from its successor. But what will it bring to
the table? We've looked through the hundreds news articles and rumours regarding the phone and
brought together the best to give you some idea.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Release DateOnce upon a time, Samsung would have been happy to launch the Samsung Galaxy S4 at MWC, the mobile expo that happens each year in February. However, now that the Galaxy series is a tech superstar, the Galaxy S4 will get its own spangly launch event.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 launch won't be until at least May 2013 according to the Lebanon arm of Samsung. It let out this detail on Facebook, and probably earned someone a slapped wrist, if not worse.
A May 2013 release fits-in well with the rumoured iPhone 5S release during June 2013.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Screen
If you thought the Samsung Galaxy S3 was big enough already, the Galaxy S4 screen may be step too far. It's reported to feature a 5-inch 1080p screen, in-line with the recently-unveiled Sony Xperia Z, ZTE Grand X and Huawei Ascend D2. However, Samsung is likely to optimise the design, reducing the bezel so that the body isn't much, if at all, larger.
Consistent with the rest of the Galaxy flagships, the Samsung Galaxy S4 will use an AMOLED display, rather than the IGZO type expected in the iPhone 5S. AMOLEDs offer unparalleled contrast, but often struggle to supply enough brightness for dazzling sunlight.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Specs and CPU
Like clockwork, the Samsung Galaxy S4 will feature an eight-core processor. The first Galaxy S used a single core CPU, the second a dual, the Galaxy S3 a quad – so this news makes perfect sense.
Four of the cores are “performance” A15 cores, and the other four battery-saving A7-design cores. Samsung claims that it'll use up to 70 per cent less power than previous-generation chips, which should mitigate the additional power consumption of a 1080p-resolution screen.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is also likely to feature 2GB of RAM, much like the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. 4GB RAM phones will come in time, but at present any more than 2GB is arguably overkill.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Software
The Samsung Galaxy S4 will, of course, run Android. It'll feature Android 4.2 along with the latest version of Samsung's TouchWiz UI.
Most interesting points of speculation here are quite what extra bells and whistles Samsung will incorporate in its new custom UI – TouchWiz 6.0. At present we haven't a clue what it'll offer, but expect more photo and video modes and more integration of gestures, possibly under the “S” banner. Gestural input and the “S” term came together with the Galaxy Note and its S Pen stylus.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Features The one dramatic change we doubt whether Samsung will implement is a digitiser layer, as seen in the Galaxy Note 2. That there's talk of a Galaxy Note 3 suggests the Galaxy S4 will not have a digitiser, as it's the key defining characteristic between the two ranges. Think the next Galaxy should feature a digitiser? Drop up a comment below.
Other noteworthy features are ones that are practically guaranteed – 4G mobile data connectivity and NFC wireless connectivity. We also expect the Samsung Galaxy S4 to keep its microSD memory card slot, like every flagship in the series to date.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Camera
We thought the megapixel race was over – but perhaps not. The Samsung Galaxy S4 will have a 13-megapixel camera according to recent rumours. Simply adding more megapixels does not result in better images, but Samsung is one of the best makers of mobile phone cameras. It has been top of its game for years now. Can Samsung really pull off a 13-megapixel snapper, though? If it’s a better performer than the Galaxy S3, we’ll be pretty happy. And we bet it will be.
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