Samsung Electronics Co on Thursday premiered its latest phone, the Galaxy S4, which sports a bigger display and features such as gesture controls, as the South Korean company takes the fight to iPhone maker Apple Inc. In addition to bumping up the size of the screen from 4.8 inches to 5 inches, the guts of the device also received a significant boost — putting it ahead of the major competition in many technical aspects.
The latest Galaxy bristles with a host of features not typically found on rivals’ phones: it can stop and start videos depending on whether someone is looking at the screen, flip between songs and photos at the wave of a hand, and record sound to run alongside snapped still pictures.
Here’s the specs of the Galaxy S4 compared to Apple’s iPhone 5:
Carriers
Like the iPhone 5, the Galaxy S 4 will be sold at the major U.S. carriers, as well as at U.S. Cellular and Cricket.
Screen resolution
Galaxy S 4: 1920 x 1080 pixels
iPhone 5: 1136 x 640 pixels
Pixels Per Inch
Galaxy S 4: 441 ppi
iPhone 5: 326 ppi
Processor
Galaxy S 4: Qualcomm Snap QCOM -0.28%dragon Fusion Pro, 1.9 GHz quad-core processor; or Samsung Exynos 5 Octa, 1.6 GHz quad-core + 1.2 GHz quad-core processor (chip depends on market)
iPhone 5: Apple A6, 1.3 GHz dual-core processor
Display size
Galaxy S 4: 5 inches
iPhone 5: 4 inches
Weight
Galaxy S 4: 4.59 oz
iPhone 5: 3.95 oz
Memory
Galaxy S 4: up to 64 GB. 2GB RAM
iPhone 5: up to 64 GB. 1GB RAM
Camera
Galaxy S 4: 13 megapixel rear, 2 megapixel front
iPhone 5: 8 megapixel rear, 1.2 megapixel front
Video Capture
Galaxy S 4: 1080p
iPhone 5: 1080p
Battery
Galaxy S 4: 2,600 mAh
iPhone 5: 1,440 mAh
Price
The iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III start at $199 on contract. The Galaxy S 4 has not been priced yet, but is expected to be over $200.
Initial reviews of the Galaxy S4 are in. The Verge states: “At first blush, the Galaxy S4 doesn’t feel revolutionary, but given the continued success of its predecessor maybe a revolution wasn’t called for. 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.”
Gizmodo says that… “There has been a ton of hype and build-up to this device, and ultimately, it left us feeling cold. The S IV feels uninspired. There are small spec bumps from the previous generation and there’s a ton of software which will largely sit unused. There’s just no wow-factor here.”
CNET commented that… “The question now is how and when will Apple respond. Or even whether Apple will respond. On the eve of the S4 announcement, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller said, “At Apple we know that it’s not just enough to have products pumped out in large numbers. You have to love and use them. There is a lot of data showing a big disparity there.”
And Engadget adds… “Overwhelmed yet? You should be. The Galaxy S 4 is a testament to Samsung’s ethos: an unabashed focus on features over design, and an immense desire to fork Android as best it can. Still, as much as its add-ons differentiate this handset from last year’s, we can’t shake the feeling that the GS 4 falls flat next to the competition.”
Here’s the official press release:
Samsung Previews Samsung Hub and New Content Services on GALAXY S 4 at Unpacked
Samsung Hub, an integrated multimedia content store, will provide consumers with a sophisticated magazine-style viewing experience
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today at GALAXY S 4 Unpacked, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. unveiled a suite of exciting new content services including Samsung Hub, an integrated multimedia content store offering a comprehensive media experience, providing music, videos, books, games and learning content within a stunning magazine-style display.
Samsung Hub will provide a single entry for Samsung’s five content services, making it incredibly easy and convenient to use. You can browse through a variety of content across services, as well as purchase and manage content easily, from a single Samsung Account. Samsung Hub features an integrated search — when you browse a keyword, the results will show related content from all of the five services at once. Always seeking to provide a unique and fun experience for users, Samsung will also be introducing various promotional events on a regular basis.
Samsung WatchON, introduced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, is Samsung’s ‘Video Discovery’ service, aimed at providing a faster and easier way to watch live TV programs and on demand video content while using a mobile device. One of the unique features of Samsung WatchON is that it can transform a connected mobile device into a universal remote control, allowing users to search for live TV programs through a guide and then view those selections on their connected Samsung SMART TVs. Samsung WatchON also provides multi-screen capabilities, recommendations, one-stop search functionality, and social sharing functionality.
Samsung Apps is a newly updated service that provides search functionality for applications in Samsung Apps, which are specialized for Samsung devices, and Google Play, as well.
Samsung ChatON for GALAXY S 4 offers a holistic communication experience by combining fun and creative text messaging with a high quality mVoIP/Video Chatting service. You can enjoy high quality video and voice chat with up to two friends on a WiFi and mobile network, as well as easily switching from text chat to video/voice chat and vice versa. The ‘Dual Camera’ feature, which allows both rear and front cameras to take simultaneous photos and videos, means you can now also share both images during a video call. And for the ultimate sharing experience, the ‘Share Screen’ feature enables you to share your phone screen and the ability to control this with a friend during a one-to-one call, without having to download and upload files to their device. In addition, translation in ChatON, called ‘S Translator,’ supports you to enjoy the 1:1 chat with friends using different languages. Received messages from buddies can be translated automatically and manually into your language and also translation is possible when you send messages to your buddies. This translation function in ChatON is available only in the GALAXY S 4.
Group Play enables users to experience sharing photos, music, documents and games with their friends wherever they are, without the need for a network environment. Preloaded game content will be provided on the GALAXY S 4. Samsung is opening its SDK to the public, encouraging more partner development companies to develop various types of games in the future, further embracing its philosophy of innovation conceived by people in order to inspire them in return.
The GALAXY S 4 is the world’s first device to preload Visa’s payWave function into the embedded secure element, which can be used by both MNOs and banks; more payment applets from multiple brands are planned to be preloaded into the embedded secure element in the coming months. NFC payments will be commercially available on the GALAXY S 4 on a global basis using the embedded secure element, in addition to using the SIM-based secure element.
“These exciting new content services are designed to offer our users the best content usage experience of our industry today. Our focus is on continually innovating across a diverse range of products and services that meet the expectation of users,” said Dr. Won-Pyo Hong, President and Head of Samsung Media Solution Center.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of televisions, smartphones, personal computers, printers, cameras, home appliances, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 236,000 people across 79 countries with annual sales exceeding KRW 201 trillion. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com.
