Samsung Galaxy S4 - In-depth Analysis

Samsung have now unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S4. We examine the smartphone to find out whether it lives up to expectations. We also analyse how it compares to its rivals ?

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S4 earlier this morning in New York in truly spectacular fashion. Samsung's flagship smartphone undoubtedly has a stunning specification, but does it live up to expectations.

Our overview of the Galaxy S4's specification and features should give you a better idea of just how revolutionary the smartphone is. Hopefully our thorough examination will help you decide on whether to buy the S4 or not when it lands at the end of April.

Design

One of the major criticisms of Samsung's best selling Galaxy S3 was it's plastic design which many thought cheapened the overall feel of the smartphone. Samsung's Galaxy S4 includes the same polycarbonate design which opens it up to the same kind of criticism and we can't help feeling a little disappointed.

On a more positive note the Galaxy S4 does feature new "chrome" sides which gives the smartphone a more glamorous feel. While, it's also slimmer and lighter than the Galaxy S3 which is impressive, especially when you factor in its it's larger display and vastly improved specification.

Display

Samsung's Galaxy S4 has a 5 inch Super AMOLED touch-screen which runs at a full HD resolution (1920*1080 pixels). This is exactly what we expected and stands up well against it's rivals , such as the Sony Xperia Z and HTC One.

The display itself features Gorilla Glass 3 which ensures it'll stand up to the rigours of everyday life. Although, it can't really compare to the Xperia Z's Dragontail glass and IP57 certification (waterproof).

Galaxy S4 Back & Side

Power

The Galaxy S4 has an amazing Octa-core 1.6 GHz Exynos processor which delivers cutting-edge performance, while at the same is 30% more efficient than the Galaxy S3's chip. That's possible thanks to the combination of 4 high-power cores and 4 cores designed for less demanding tasks.

While, the smartphone has 2GB of RAM and has a PowerVR triple-core GPU (Graphic Processing Unit). Overall. this probably makes it the most powerful smartphone in the world and we can't complain about the amount of power the Galaxy S4 posses.

Software & Features

Apple's smartphone launches have always introduced revolutionary new software features, such as Siri with the iPhone 4S. Samsung have included a number of stunning new software features in the Galaxy S4 which they hope will set it apart from the competition.

The headline new inclusion is support for "Eye-Tracking" technology which enables users to control their smartphone with their eyes. The new technology has been incorporated in "Smart Scroll" which enables you to scroll down a page by looking up and down the smartphone's display, while "Smart Pause" automatically pauses video playback when a user looks away from the mobiles display.

The other major revolutionary software feature is "Air Gestures" which enable you to navigate around menus without having to physically touch the display. We love this idea of hovering our finger over the screen because we're forever getting annoying by fingerprints.

The only disappointment is that it comes pre-loaded with Android Jelly Bean (4.2.2) rather than Android Key Lime Pie. But on the plus side this means we get the smartphone sooner with an April launch already announced.

Camera

Galaxy S4 Camera

Samsung's Galaxy S4 has a 13 mega-pixel camera front-facing camera and a 2 mega-pixel rear-facing snapper. This stands up well against the competition and the software included is excellent with standout features including "Dual Camera", "Multishot", "Dual-video Call" , "Panoramic Mode" and much more.

Overall, it's a great camera that stands up to anything currently on the market !

Samsung Galaxy S4 - Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S4 comes with a brilliant display, amazing power and a stunning camera. However, we would have preferred to see Samsung drop the polycarbonate shell in favour of a glass or aluminium design.

The new software features are particularly interesting especially "Air Gestures" , but we'll have to see whether people embrace the new Smart Scroll and Smart Pause features. Overall, the Galaxy S4 is pretty much as we expected and is more of an evolution rather than the anticipated revolution.

One thing we are sure about is that the Galaxy S4 is worth upgrading to if you already own the Galaxy S3. However, we're not sure it's that much better than Sony's Xperia Z or HTC's One. We'll compare the smartphone to its major rivals soon, so keep posted !