So yes, those leaks were right and yes, you can control it using your eyes. In a somewhat strange cabaret-style launch in NYC this evening we were treated to some of the features of the all-new Samsung handset.
First though, the official specs. It’s powered by Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) and has a 5″ Full HD Super AMOLED 1920×1080 display at an amazing 441 dpi. It’s powered by a 1.9GHz quad-core CPU / 1.6GHz octa-core CPU depending on the market (yes, 8 cores baby).
The camera technology is fairly usual – a 13 megapixel camera (wth flash, zero shutter lag, BIS) and a 2 megapixel one up front. However, they can be used in a new and innovative way, allowing users to film and include themselves in videos whilst also filming others on the back camera – almost like editing on the fly.
The “Smart Scroll” and “Smart Pause” technologies were shown off (more on this later) as were the “Air Gesture” and “Air View” functions – again, more on this later. The device also has an IR port, so you can see that it’s not just the HTC One that has gone down this route.
Further specs can be found in the full press release below, but you get WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, accelerometer, RGB light, Geomagnetic, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer
Temperature & Humidity and Gesture. There’s 16GB, 32GB or a whacking 64GB of user memory (depending on the model) and a further 64GB can be added through a microSD card, giving you a max of 128GB if you get the right model and the right microSD. Wowser.
It’s powered by a 2,600mAh battery and is 7.9mm thick. It measures 136.6 x 69.8mm and weighs 130 grams.
We’ll be following up shortly with more details on the software and other features, so keep tuned in.
SAMSUNG PREVIEWS SAMSUNG HUB AND NEW CONTENT SERVICES ON GALAXY S 4 AT UNPACKED
Samsung Hub, an integrated multimedia content store, will provide a sophisticated magazine-style viewing experience
New York, USA – March 14, 2013 – 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.
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 specialised 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 with 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 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.
Anyone else feel a little underwhelmed by new devices. It would seem we have reached the end of “game changers” I got the same feeling about MWC this year too. Both the latest android and ios phones are merely modest improvements over their predecessors. I get the feeling with the S4 that Samsung is desperately trying to think of new software gimmicks to differentiate it from the crowd – plus developing unnecessary accessories like s-scale. from what I have seen today – I wonder if HTC has regained some ground with their ONE – it least its software gimmickary looked vaguely useful with Blinkfeed and the image montage creator. If Samsung smart pause and smart scroll are as good as smart stay – then they are completely useless in most environments. Real innovation seems to have departed this industry – everyone is content playing it safe.
Seems a little gimmicky !! – and that show was just weird – truly !
It does look like the development plan was “it must have more of EVERYTHING than anyone else!”
So which is best, HTC ONE or S4